June Blooms

 

Hi everyone, 

 A lot of trees are in bloom and it’s so lush and green out there. Just lovely. June glorious June!

We are currently in the throes of a heat wave.  35C or 95F. A little too hot for this northerner.  Thankfully, it will be  cooler in a few days. 

It's usually a bit cooler in the morning, so I try and get most things done then. Lately, for dinner cold plates and perhaps a cool ice tea. 

                                       Wild geranium and Solomon’s Seal undergrowth.

                                                            Wild Geranium.  So many this year.

                   Went to the Parkway for a little plein air painting on the weekend. Didn't feel quite like a fish out of water this time, so managed to come up with something.

Gouache on cold press Etchr sketchbook paper.

                               During a cleanup I found this watercolour painting in a drawer. 

                                                          I splashed on some more colour.

                                       As you can see, charcoal will not turn very dark on this paper.

                                               It seems to have a finish of some type over it. 

                                                        (Strathmore Toned Tan paper.)                                                                             

                                                                 Matcha Latte

                                   

                                    Love the shape of this tree. I can see a face. 

                                  It reminds me of an Ent from Lord of the Rings.

                             

                                                 I will be taking a summer blogging break. 

                                 So...thank you so much for your visits and your lovely comments.

                                       Have a wonderful summer or fall, and if you live in the tropics                                                                                         all the best to you too!                                                            

                                          Linking to Link Parties via my link party page.

                                                       Thanks to all for hosting!

 

                                                                   Cultivate Your Dreams

Just Popping in To Say. . .

 Hello everyone,

Time has been flying by and Christmas will soon be here. I can't believe it! 
Because we put the tree up early this year, everything else seems to be falling into place with relative ease. I've sent out the cards and parcels, and most of the wrapping has been done.  Next week  more cleaning and a bit of baking and that should round things out.

In the meantime, I've been enjoying a few Amaryllis blooms and all that glitters both at home, in the malls and the snowy neighborhood.

A cute snowman. I find some of them rather creepy, so he's the only one I have.

A ship conjures up thoughts of home.

Paperwhites on the grow.

Backup beauty ~ on the way.

 

So...basically I just popped in to say have a Merry Christmas Day! 

If you do not celebrate Christmas, enjoy the holidays.

And my very Best Wishes to all of you for the New Year too!

A Directional Challenge

 Top of the day to you!

For many years now, I've bought Amaryllis to brighten up the season. However, this year things got away from me and the eager bulb started to grow in the box. There was no need to soak the roots first, but I decided to be gentle with it, so I gave it a soaking before I planted it. After of few days of chasing sunbeams around the room, it straightened up--bloomed and there's more blooms to come

.

 My Christmas cactus. A changeling that often looks apricot.

Since Amaryllis need staking, I went to the woods to procure a piece of red alder. There's no snow yet which is unusual, but not unheard of, and the temperatures sometimes climb into the low teens, so it was a great time to go.
With full bird feeders along the trail, the 'wee' chickadees and nuthatches swoop down in front of you for a snack. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home, but who can forget the sweetness of a chickadee. They do make me smile.

My drawing is not quite finished.  But because the excess graphite has worked it's way into the paper, I've decided to move on. I am not sure how that happened. I did have a clean piece of paper under my hand.

Thanks for reading along...

 'Til next time...Best Wishes!

Colour Therapy

A recent arrival. What gorgeous colours.

I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome new followers to my blog!  Also, thank you for your lovely comments. I do appreciate your kindness and support. 

And what a great group of talented women I've encountered! I say women because I haven't run across any men yet, but I've  several places left to visit.  It's such a great hop; I've had so much fun and it's not over yet.

Although I've picked up my shawl a few times, I haven't been knitting much lately because I've been busy drawing and painting, but I hope to finish my shawl and post a few pictures within the next two weeks.

In case you do not know about it, the draw for my GYB giveaway is on Feb 15th. It's open to everyone. If you haven't already entered you can do so here.

With the snow piling up outside yet again, I am enjoying the colourful blooms I have inside.

'Til next time...