The End Of A Summer.

As summer draws to a close and the song of Autumn begins I sit in the quiet times past midnight and wonder about what I have seen on these warm days and cricket chirping. bat swooping moonlit nights.

Mackerel moon lighted skies and shooting stars during the perseoid meteor showers a couple of weeks back.  Moths found alive and dead. Whenever moths pitch on the window or I sadly find them dead as the one in the top left picture, I always imagine they are Princes.  Tiny Princes wearing tiny cloaks. I must paint one soon!

 Butterflies and yet more butterflies and green green grasshoppers.

Inspired by butterflies I painted these on a hanger that I was working on.

 Then a couple of days later I was paid a visit by this beautiful little creature. Synchronicity? :)

I've been working on a large batch of wooden hangers that will arrive at my Etsy shop in September sometime.. Various creatures, this is one of them. A crow with the universe in his wings.

I liked this concept, so I also used it for my donation piece to the 'twitter art exhibit' exhibition. Postcard sized original pieces, by artists on twitter. They all sell for a certain price and all proceeds are donated to charity.

The other day I popped out in my lunch hour again and visited the latest photographic exhibition in the local museum which is such a beautiful old building.

 I really liked the pictures by Deborah Parkin.

Especially this one, very wonderland-ish (although they all were) and it  reminded me of a project that I did myself when I was at College many years ago.

Although the mask that I made was a fox, rather than a rabbit. :)  Remind me to show you the pictures one of these days.

I love this time of year when the birds begin to sing the song of September and the thistle down  blows on the wind. 

And the gentle sunsets remind birds that it will be time to move on soon.

I shall leave you now with sadness in my heart.  The badger cull is taking place now as you go about what you do wherever you are. As the moths tap on my window unknowingly and I type this. Please sign this if you haven't already.....and if you live outside of the uk you can sign this. Every signature counts even at this late stage.

I will be closing my Etsy shop for a short spell as of Friday evening but will be back in September.

In the meantime I'll leave you with this, that is just simply adorable.    

Music To Listen To While Sketching And Watching Butterflies And Bees

“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” Albert Einstein

There is not a day goes by when I don't listen to some form of music. I wash up to music, paint to music, cook to it, and  most nights fall asleep to it.  When I was a child I heard music in the ticking of my parents bedside clock and when I lie in the bath I hear it in the dripping tap.  Music is an escape for me, a story. As well as immersing myself in pages and ink I mostly submerge myself in notes and melodies that fly me away to heavenly places.  Far away from the constant bombardment of negative news and daily dose of depressing data that is thrown at us via, media and social networking. Oh the bliss to put headphones on and block out not just the news of the world sometimes but my own thoughts that get carried away on the wave of it all.
I like all kinds of music but my favourite is the type that gives me goose bumps. That is the music that reaches  my soul. It's always a joy when I find a new piece that pulls at my heart strings, brings a tear to my eye or lifts my spirit and takes me on a flight as if I'm an eagle soaring high above the earth.  When  I come across such a piece I listen to it over and over. The other day I watched a dvd and found this beautiful piece by Alexandre Desplat.

Here's another wonderful piece by Dustin O Halloran..

And more beauty by Sigur Ros

I've been sketching in the garden and have continued to be outside in the good weather as much as I can.

   

The sunshine has brought out lots of butterflies and bees to the garden. So good to see.  

"Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher" 
William Wordsworth

Thirty Four Degrees In The Shade

Monday...
Today the garden thermometer read thirty four degrees in the shady area next to the shed. The scent of mock orange perfumes a still hot afternoon air. No hint of breeze tickles the feathery fennel. The stone path burns my bare feet to walk upon. Brown butterflies flit from majoram to the bindweed then pause to rest on the privet hedge.

Cats sleep all day in hidden places among long grass like lions. 

Water and honeydew melon seem the only food appropriate. And strawberries of course.

I've been finding it hard to concentrate in the heat. I've had a few days off and done some jobs that needed doing in summer time. Painting window frames mostly. In between I've been flitting here and there doing what I call the 'easy jobs' the tasks where not much thought is needed. Priming hangers, drilling the holes and sanding and cutting them out. I can't sit still for long and find myself wandering looking for slow worms and grass snakes and other creepy crawlies. There are lots of spiders nests everywhere. 

 

I'm absorbing summers essence as well as the vitamin D.

I hope you are too.

X

A Lawn Gone Wild And Other Things.

Living here in the countryside we are lucky to have a large garden. There are quite a few trees, including apple, hazel, holly, hawthorn and elder. The birds all love these, even the two conifers where the pigeons nest  every year. I have plenty of space for flower borders and there is quite a big patch of lawn. When my children were teeny hobbits they needed this to play games, ride bikes, have paddling pools, playhouses and camp outs. Now they are teenagers and although they still love to be out in the garden, they don't need all the space anymore. So this year I decided it would be a good idea to let part of the lawn turn wild.

Four areas have been left with paths cut between.  It's beginning to look rather good, so I thought I'd show you. Everything that has come up, has done so on it's own. I haven't planted anything. It's exciting walking through the mowed paths wondering what might emerge next?

It's so much more pretty than a cropped short lawn and so much better for insects and wildlife. Wouldn't it be great if everyone let a small patch go wild.

I will keep you posted on any new guests that appear. :)
Also if you feel strongly about wild plants and want to see more being left and not brutally cut down for tidiness especially on our road verges. Plantlife have a campaign and petition here  Please do take a look and sign.
                                                                      ***
Last weekend I went to visit my sister in Cornwall. On Saturday it was  Mazey Day in Penzance. A wonderful lively day. Stalls, music and processions filled the streets.

Bright colours were everywhere that you turned. So inspiring. 

A lovely day indeed. Then on Sunday I had the the icing on the cake, so to speak.  A trip to Eden to see Sigur Ros.
Eden was the perfect setting. The concert was just magical, amazing, stunning, fantastic and I am still in awe. I have added the memories to my very treasured ones. :)

                                                                                ~*~
So now it's time for that giveaway that I mentioned the last time I was here.....
Recently I passed 2000 sales in my Etsy shop, so to celebrate I will be giving away the items in the picture below, to one lucky winner.  (One print and seven postcards)

This will run on my Facebook page as well. If you would like to enter, either comment on this post or on the same picture on my Facebook page here. I will randomly pick a winner this Friday 5th July at 6.30pm. So this is a short time span.  Good luck my dearlings x

Update
After adding all comments together.The giveaway winner that was drawn on Friday evening was Lesley Webb. Congratulations to Lesley and thanks everyone for taking part. :) x