This weekend I am celebrating Summer Solstice - I always observe this time of year in some small way - in recent years with sky lanterns - they make a statement as they dash across the sky, I write wishes and promises on them before they go.....
My paints haven't been out as much as I would like, I just have not got the hang of wetting the paper and stretching it for watercolour, the experts call it 'cockling' that annoying dimpled effect - my paper goes like that you see..... so have put myself to the bottom of the class and am back to library books and one step at a time - this picture was about painting quickly and having fun with colour. It's supposed to be fun, right?
June has been a month of heavy rain here. The garden is looking lush but very few flowers - infact all the seeds I had been given over the last year - including the ones given to me in my Spring Swap with Cornish Cream - have not come up - I think the rain has washed them away ....
View from my doorway - new curtains - my obsession with leaf patterns has been satisfied for a short time.... I took the hems up with greatest care and am very pleased with myself. This window hasn't seen new curtains for 19 years ... 19 years! the old ones are now in a bedroom - waste not want not.
I think flowers have personalities, don't you? pansy is a smiley happy flower. Persistent and easily grown. I think I will grow some soon - they are survivors.
I have been visiting lots of you who follow - there are so many creative, inspiring people to drop in on. I have been a bit lost for words lately, it's been hard to feel creative or to think of anything to say that is interesting to anyone except me you know.
This is my imaginary cottage garden - I would quite like to walk out of the door and be knee deep in flowers - infact, I am thinking about old age a lot lately and hubby too, we plan to downsize to a little cottage, rent it out and then back pack round the world when we retire - everyone needs to have dreams and I like to have a plan, what are your dreams?
My thinking seat, severe lack of flowers but good camouflage for those days when you need to ponder the meaning of life - cats sometimes join in.
Seems a bit wasteful to be uninspired, so think the answer is to get out more - July will be a month of little journeys here and there to explore Surrey and Sussex - which is where I live of course, so not too challenging - just an exercise in being more observant and making the most of my days off work.
Oh I forgot - I found the photographs I was supposed to be making into a family album, have made a smidgeon of progress - will have to do a little post.
In the meantime, thanks for visiting my blog and commenting, it's muchly appreciated. X
My paints haven't been out as much as I would like, I just have not got the hang of wetting the paper and stretching it for watercolour, the experts call it 'cockling' that annoying dimpled effect - my paper goes like that you see..... so have put myself to the bottom of the class and am back to library books and one step at a time - this picture was about painting quickly and having fun with colour. It's supposed to be fun, right?
June has been a month of heavy rain here. The garden is looking lush but very few flowers - infact all the seeds I had been given over the last year - including the ones given to me in my Spring Swap with Cornish Cream - have not come up - I think the rain has washed them away ....
View from my doorway - new curtains - my obsession with leaf patterns has been satisfied for a short time.... I took the hems up with greatest care and am very pleased with myself. This window hasn't seen new curtains for 19 years ... 19 years! the old ones are now in a bedroom - waste not want not.
I think flowers have personalities, don't you? pansy is a smiley happy flower. Persistent and easily grown. I think I will grow some soon - they are survivors.
I have been visiting lots of you who follow - there are so many creative, inspiring people to drop in on. I have been a bit lost for words lately, it's been hard to feel creative or to think of anything to say that is interesting to anyone except me you know.
Seems a bit wasteful to be uninspired, so think the answer is to get out more - July will be a month of little journeys here and there to explore Surrey and Sussex - which is where I live of course, so not too challenging - just an exercise in being more observant and making the most of my days off work.
Oh I forgot - I found the photographs I was supposed to be making into a family album, have made a smidgeon of progress - will have to do a little post.
In the meantime, thanks for visiting my blog and commenting, it's muchly appreciated. X
Hi Betty
ReplyDeleteWe always love your paintings and we like that you try something new. We have never heard of cockling. We love your imaginary garden and the bench where you ponder this and that. A trip round the world and a small cottage sounds a good dream to us. We all got to have dreams
Have a tremendous Thursday.
Best wishes Molly
Oh and our garden is a disaster for the 3rd year running because of the rain.
Molly you will have to do some digging in that garden - that's something dogs are good at! we have a weed infested garden due to all the heavy rain but I am pretending I am growing a wild flower garden.
DeleteYour paintings are so nice and reflective of your sweet person. The curtains going into your solarium are wonderful! You should be proud. The leaf design is a nice entryway.
ReplyDeleteIt looks as if tour June has been quite productive in many ways. Perhaps July will burst with flowers from all the rain you have been getting.
Thanks for stopping by Nancy you always say lovely things - I am proud of my home - we have been here 19 years and saved and bought everything bit by bit - I think that's a good way, we appreciate everything when we have waited for it and when we do without it's surprising what comes along to improvise with! The curtains were in a half price sale at our local department store as they were ex-display, lucky me!
DeleteHello dear Betty! I love what you're doing! I especially adore the red!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry about all that rain. We get so little rain and we pray for more!
We are having a change of scenery this weekend. We're going up to my homeland to dine on strawberry short cake and crab! Yay! We'll be having supper with old friends for the Solstice.
Pray for our fires. There are some scary wild fires in Colorado. We're not in danger, but some people are.
I am sorry about the fires - there are some huge environmental issues going on in various pockets of the world this year - hope you enjoy your solstice - I am having some Cava (sparkling wine) and lighting my sky lanterns with the men and the cat. I do wish we British didn't moan about the rain - but there is so much of it on such a small island you know!
DeleteYour paintings especially the ones in this post always remind me of my Granny, she loved to paint and would sit for hours in her tiny garden with paints. When she passed I inherited her watercolour palette and I have not used it since out of fear and respect that I wont do them justice.
ReplyDeleteYour pondering seat looks like a lovely place to sit and do just that! Ponder!
I do hope you decide to use your granny's paints - I am sure she would want you to enjoy them.
DeleteI like your long term plan, and you might be able to grow a garden full of flowers in the next place.
ReplyDeleteyes, and being retired there would be more time for gardening! Maybe on my trip round the world I should collect a flower seed from each garden and make it a very interesting garden!
DeleteSolstice blessings to you ... the paintings are lovely. I do love pansies they have such cheeky smiley faces ~ Sarah x
ReplyDeleteThankyou for stopping by Faerie Factory and blessings for Solstice.
DeleteHi Betty, i love the painting of your imaginary cottage garden, that is what I dream of too :) your dream sounds wonderful of buying a cottage andthen backpacking, perfect. Happy summer solstice, xxxx
ReplyDeleteSolstice blessings. thanks for visiting.
DeleteHello Betty, so nice to have a catch up. Happy Solstice to you! Funny, that here we are right on the "other" side in the middle of what our Maori folk call Matariki...a time of new beginnings. Kind of makes sense from the depth of winter, everything shedding it's life & hunkering down, before gathering reserves & bursting in to life once more.
ReplyDeleteI adore pansies & all their sweet friendly faces. I especially love Johnny-jump-ups or Hearts-ease, such cute English names. We are not always inspired, that's why plans and dreams are so good. I have just popped in to my own Picassa albums to find a particular photo & I was amazed at all that inspiration...come & gone! I really like your plans. You have been down sizing for a while, haven't you. I remember when you emptied your wardrobe not so very long ago.
Wishing for you...lovely flowers.
Much love Catherine x0x0x0x
Thankyou Catherine. Yes downsizing, decluttering, it continues!
DeleteHi dear Betty ~ I'm sending you the scent of Briar roses and a touch of elderflowers for a Happy Midsummer! I think your post was a lovely one ~ not at all uninspired.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had got out to see the moon last night...my night is tonight: I am planning to make us a Midsummer fairy cocktail of rose wine,a little fizzy elderflower and borage ice cubes...hope we catch a glimpse of the Fae folk! All your news was very interesting, thanks for sharing!
xx A
Your cocktail sounds very nice - borage ice cubes would be so pretty.
DeleteHey Betty, I love Pansies, their sweet little faces, brightening up a corner of the garden.
ReplyDeleteKeep at your paintings they're great and yes, it's meant to be fun. Your dream cottage and garden looks delightful. I would love a flower filled cottage garden, but our Summers can be so harsh, plants tend to burn and buds fail to open some years.
You definitely need a dream and yours sounds lovely I hope you manage to put it into action.
Love listening to the background birdsong on your blog, sometimes I get quite a start when it starts up but it's so melodic.......
Have a great week,
Claire :)
@ Sweet Birdy Love
Thankyou Claire. I do love birdsong - this tape is from you tube - right at the bottom of the blog there is a widget link. Birdsong in our woods is punctuated by aircraft but we have become so used to it we hardly notice!
Delete