The New Normal: Journal painting

This is my art journal page for April - I didn't have much time for painting during the month but had a bit of spare time this afternoon to catch up... all these flowers are out in my area now....

Campion and herb Robert look similar but the petals are raggedy on campion and herb Robert has segmented delicate leaves.  

The bluebells are still out in the woods although I haven't been to look often as we have had such heavy rain and winds.  My tomato and cucumbers suffered an unexpected frost, but I have a few left so made a little shelter for them from an old plastic sheet.  Mollie cat continues to mark the lawn and it is dying in places despite reseeeding, netting and garlic granules.  I don't know how to train her away from that area as we have such a small garden but put litter in a bowl behind a tree and try to deter her if I see her in action!

This week I am binge watching two really good series:   

Innocent series 2: Sam Wright killed Matty Taylor, viewers predict (entertainmentdaily.co.uk)

and

BBC One - The Pact

other news is that we have taken our house off the market until  next year - I am sure this has happened before!  we really want to relocate somewhere rural, there isn't anything in our location that has the garden we hope for.  Our oldest son moved out and youngest will too early next year so it will be the right time to move then.  This year we are going to enjoy our lovely home, decorate and repair where necessary and make the best of it.

The UK can now have visitors in homes so we are looking forward to a visit from our older son this weekend :)  We had a new bbq delivered (replacement as ours was wonky) so who knows, if the rain gives itself a break we could be cooking outdoors!

The New Normal: March Journal Page

March journal page:  sticky buds, gorse, hawthorn blossom and wild garlic

Hopefully there will be some colour in the woods in the coming months - I've seen lots of birds whizzing about making nests and squirrels digging up their hoards of hazelnuts from the lawn.  

It's cold and wet in the garden so I have only ventured out to water my potted Christmas tree - the forecast for next week is much better and in two weeks there will be a trip to the garden centre with a friend (distanced of course).

I have mostly been doing indoor gardening, planting up some tomato seeds.

and cooking warming dishes like potato and spinach curry

and sticky chicken (Jamaican seasoning, pan fried)

The only flowers in the woods are these little blossoms but I can see the green shoots of bluebell and lot of buds on the trees.

Here's me wearing some of the lovely jewellery my friend Vix sent  - the choker has copper inserts.  As I was doing some polishing and had the brasso out, I gave the choker a shine too.  The black jewelled earrings are delightfully dangly but not too heavy....

Lockdown hair - the colour I had the day before the current lockdown lasted well but I'm looking forward to a trip for a trim and colour next month.  What are you looking forward to most when lockdown finishes?  Apart from the hairdressers, for me it will be swimming, the pub and charity shops!

as we are approaching the end of the month, I painted a March hare...

(conveniently hiding in long grass so I don't have to paint his feet! not too good on feet :)

The New Normal: Bye Bye February

I had a lot of fun painting my February page.  There's not a lot going on this time of the year so I used Google to help me find subjects.  The devils coach beetle I have encountered often but didn't know it had a nasty bite or that it could squirt nasty liquid when disturbed - it curls its tail like a scorpion when cornered.  I didn't know also that frog spawn is in clusters whereas toad spawn is in strings.  Stay tuned for more fascinating facts next month folks!

Today I was very pleasaed with the arrival of my Denby dessert bowls - recently we used all our Tesco clubcard vouchers up to buy a new dinner set but one bowl arrived smashed - Denby have been brilliant and replaced all four so I would have a set that had not been bashed around.   Nearly all the dinner set I bought was  in their 'seconds' (slightly marked or damaged pattern/glaze) category but all looks good as new to me!  I also got a tea set with a proper tea pot! 

I took a walk into town to pick up from the library and came back with a little rosemarybush - mine died two Summers ago of some strange disease - I'm going to grow this one in a tub.

I sorted through my seeds and found some pots and trays ready for planting later in the week.

These flower seeds were from my blogging friend, Anne.

and the rest I have been squirrelling away for some time :)

I mowed the lawn - it looks so much nicer now, and

my tubs of daffodils really brighten up the patio.

Here's me, in my 28 year old fake fur coat that no longer has any of those big old hooks to do it up - but I still wear it (sometimes with another coat underneath lol!    and the vintage indian block print skirt I got from EBay in 2019, worn with thermal long sleeve vest and my new shiny Jones boots which 

are a birthday pressie from hubby.

Hair looking a bit faded but not bad for a lockdown (last coloured 16 December) but good news! my hairdresser rang today and they are open and ready for me 12th April - can't wait

not just for the hair do either - the chat as well :)

Library book of the week:- but will I have the patience to actually read it? I do have trouble sitting still long enough to read even one chapter! What is wrong with me?

 

oops more seeds - have I overdone it on the tomatoes? hope I can squeeze them all into pots somehow!

Good news - I get my Covid jab on Monday - Yay!!! - can't wait (never thought I would be saying that about a vaccine, did you?!

The New Normal: Nature Journal

Forgot I started a nature journal, this is the page from my sketchbook for January.

We had a lot of blue tits in the garden on the apple tree, probably eating small insects.  Snowdrops were out in small clumps in the lanes around the fields on our daily walks and catkins, still out in abundance in the woods behind our house.

Today we did a two hour walk and I noticed bluebell and wood anemone foliage is carpeting some areas.  Can't wait for the flowers but they are some way ahead yet.  Also the birds are noisy but no sign of nesting so I don't think Spring is here just yet.

We walked up to a smallholding near us that sells garden plants and vegetables.  He was able to tell us which tomatoes he is planting up for April sales and confirmed he will be doing hanging baskets, we can choose and reserve ours for late April collection.  We like buying from him so we can support a small business.  We will grow some veg from seeds ourselves too but he has things we don't have room to nurture :)  

Today I am moving my tubs round so I can see the daffodils from my kitchen window as they unfurl.  How's your garden growing ?

Easter Weekend

A walk in the fresh air to see some very large cows grazing, the brown one had surprisingly curly horns.

lots of celandines and scatterings of wild primrose. 

 My nature journal page for March is rather empty, as all we had was snow, rain and cold, I didn't get out much and had to use my imagination .  No sign of toads under my shed yet.....

 we tested the panoramic option on our camera although it was a misty, grey day it captured everything well.

There has been much on the news about plastic waste and how it is impacting on our environment Worldwide.  I wrote to McDonalds a few months back asking if they will look at changing plastic straws for paper and reducing plastic waste, they replied recently to say they are indeed  doing just this, having found a biodegradable paper straw alternative which they will test in some of their restuarants - on the news this week they announced this.  So pleased to see that this influential food chain is responding to the need for change.  Hope many more will follow.

plastic waste, low tide Costa Rica beach 2017

It was the picture above that stayed in my mind when I went along the tideline during my holiday in Costa Rica, I was looking for shells, there were hardly any, but there was a lot of plastic waste, including this toy plastic pig with tiny little shell creatures attached like feeding piglets, twine round it's neck - says it all really.

It's Easter weekend and we are eating hot cross buns and chocolate Easter bunnies and contemplating the religious significance of the day.   Easter bunnies have absolutely nothing to do with Christian Easter, they didn't die for our sins like Jesus, they are apparently of German pagan origin.

 I do like to be out in the woods at Easter, this is an old silk painting I did some years ago.

 
I am busy now with last minute planning for our holiday in Vietnam next month, as there will be a lot of travelling around (air, rail road and sea) from the cities to the Northern hill tribe villages and back to the city and then to the beach, we need to plan our luggage to be as light as possible!

Nature Journal February

According to the BBC news, Siberian temperatures are coming to the UK and we can expect freezing cold and wind for two weeks.  My garden doesn't know this yet and is busy preparing for Spring.

Just in cases I bought a huge sack of rock salt for the drive and pathway to ensure we don't slip on the ice that is bound to come our way.

Valentines day was spent surrounded by daffodils.

 "We love because he first loved us" 1 John 4:19

I am no longer overly of any religious pursuasion but felt this Bible quote would mark the day well.

The squirrels didn't hibernate this Winter and have been very active, this week they have been scampering around taking nuts which I put out in the mornings and are aggressive towards the neighbours cats who know better than to get too close. 

I found some lovely quotes for my February pages and added them to my journal:

I like this one best:

"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow" Audrey Hepburn

Although I painted some, I have seen no violets but am hopeful as they usually come up in my garden and the woods in February.

On a sunny morning a beautiful red admiral butterfly sunned itself on the south facing wall of the house, my sketch doesn't do it justice.  It was, of course, perfectly symmetrical with velvet wings gently flapping.

"Come forth into the light of things

let Nature by your teacher"

W. Wordsworth

At senior school, my class group was 'Wordsworth' and we were expected to memorise his poetry, which I didn't appreciate at the time.  I don't remember the quote above, if I had paid attention, it would probably have had a big impact on me and become my motto in life.  I was too busy sneaking out of school and off to Portobello Road on a bus for the day (London) to worry about
poetry, school or choosing a life motto at the time.

I haven't felt very domesticated lately but got my bread machine out to make pizza dough last weekend.  No kneeding involved as the machine takes care of that.  All I had to do was  the rolling of the dough which I find quite relaxing. Everyone can put their own toppings on, so it's easy work.  It's very satisfying to see the results all lined up ready for the oven, and then gliding off, glass of wine in hand......

I am laid low with a virus, sore throat, aching body etc., in fact the whole family has it.  I didn't go to work today and have slept a lot.  So hopefully next time I post here I will be cheerier.  Thanks for stopping by, leave a sign (0)  that you have passed this way, or better still, a comment is welcome. Before I go, thank you very much for leaving comments on my last post, it's really appreciated...

By the way:

I imagine blogland like a room full of 173 people (at last count) crowded in with the light off, just about 14 faces are visible at the front, those are the ones that usually leave comments and are friendly.  It would be lovely if the ones in the dark at the back left a comment sometimes.......