A Warm Beginning To September

My September began a little differently this year. As the wheel of the year took it's first turn into Autumn, my feet trod warm earth and were washed with gentle clear waves of Aegean Sea.

The first 'September' blackberry was picked amid hedgerows backed by olive groves.

I have travelled to the Greek islands before, many years ago but the smell of the olive groves this time seemed so familiar and comforting to me. An ancient smell of warmth and stone . My husband said it was the Roman blood in me, remembering?

Beautiful twisted, knarled, silvery trees, so old. I always wonder what a tree has seen and what stories it could tell when it can live over 2000 years old?

Across the water the mountains of mainland Greece stretch across the horizon. It's not far to Turkey and Bulgaria from here. Sitting quietly on the beach I'm transported back to the past and wonder about the travellers that have come and gone to this beautiful pine covered green isle, and who also tasted the fruit of these trees.

On this cold grey day here at home today I would love to be back there again.

The warmth on my skin, fennel edged roadsides, the comforting hum of crickets at night, humming bird hawk moths whirring and flitting about tiny pink climbing flowers, tzatziki, so many tomatoes, salty olives and aniseed taste of ouzo on my tongue.

And the sea

the beautiful beautiful sea

 filled with the tiniest sparkles of silver and gold mica.

 I tried to capture them so that you could see.

Glitter for Aegean mermaids.
With the snorkel on, we became part of another world.

A world of small stripy fishes and rich aubergine coloured spiky sea urchins that clung to rock.

Such a wonderful week it was to begin the Autumn.
When we left the gulls accompanied us, bidding us a goodbye as they had bid us a welcome when we arrived. Swooping and diving alongside the boat.

Watching them made me think that I'd quite like to come back as a seagull one day, if I ever had the opportunity. A seagull that lived on Thassos, Greece.  :)

I hope your Autumn has begun well?

I will be back very soon with new work to show.

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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.

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