Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 01, 2023

Here We Go Again


 "Here We Go Again"

from my sketchbook, pen, ink, watercolour, 9" x 12"
...started off as a grid, then was inspired by William Morris,  then vines and leaves and berries appeared... somewhere a a stream of coloured pennants drifted into life... and because I love lettering, an alphabet wanted to take part.
Art just has a way of creating itself if you give it a little help.
I very much enjoyed doing this.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Wild Apple Blossoms



The little Wild Apple tree that grows along the driveway bloomed  with the most profuse rich colour this year.  The most blossoms ever in its young life.


As you can see it is only in its gangly preteen years....  and with it being a wild tree, which means the seeds for it were planted by the wild world.  Maybe a bird stopped there, or a coyote, or a fox or a deer... I will never know, but I'm glad they did...  and it grew there because it liked the location... slightly sloped, full south facing, no imposing large trees to shade it... no transplanting or preparing the earth was necessary.  It liked that spot took root and grew.


But how beautiful.  We have other apple trees blooming now too, mostly pale delicate pinks and they are most lovely too... but none with as bright fuschia petals as this. 


Something about apple blossoms that always capture me... maybe it is their burst of colour and then their fleeting nature. They never stick around as long as I wish... but I guess they have a few magical things to do... like turn into apples...  and that takes a huge amount of the trees energy so it has to get on with it in short measure.

 So glad it graced us with its beauty... makes driving home along the rock bluff driveway even more joyful.  and when this years apples do come, so will the birds and animals that spread the seeds in the first place... a natural circle of life.


"A Seed hidden in the heart of an Apple is an orchard invisible"  
~  Welsh Proverb ~


Photos taken by me in St. Martins, NB at Desideratum Art Studio.

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Globe Thistles at The "New" Old Homestead Project


As I was wandering around the new old homestead (our newest Project or should I say "Adventure") I came across these wonderful Blueish-Siver Globe Thistles. I had never grown this flower or even seen them before. I had to look them up to identify them.  I do remember seeing the tall thistle stalks earlier in the season and I thought they were Scotch Thistle.  
Oh but the Globe Thistle has far more presence.  They are magical the way they interact with the light.... they are gorgeous really!   4-5 feet tall...  and irresistible not to go to them and cup your hands around them, a visual delight and a touch sensation....  and quite inviting to the insects as well.

But luckily they are Deer resistant.. and I have found that to be true because with as many deer that come on the property every single day ~ they do not touch them. So I am also guessing that most plants that persist here must also be deer resistant. Yes!
***



The distinctive slightly hairy, prickly thistle leaves of the Globe Thistle... that the deer don't care for.


Globe Thistles adrift in the hayfield.  They were so beautiful I couldn't stop taking pictures of them. 
What a wonderful surprise they were!   I love them.

*info on Globe Thistles: Here and Here

Gwen Buchanan and John Ackerson at Desideratum and The new Old Homestead Project.

Friday, July 11, 2014

End of Day


 The wood shed is full to the brim...  That was long, hot work ... so glad it is all under cover air-drying for winter.  makes you feel taken care of... a person does not have to use wood for winter heat here, there are lots of alternatives, and several are installed in our house...
  As a matter of fact when we built our house we put in a wood stove just to have as back up in case of emergencies but we ended up liking it so much that is what we use as our main heat source all winter... along with the sun..

Dusk ... from St. Martins, New Brunswick looking over the Bay of Fundy towards the coast of Nova Scotia.. 24-30 miles
 out my studio window... just finished work for the day...I believe it was about 8:30 pm.  
I am never disappointed by the cloud show

Close up of the Copper and Sterling Silver "Scarabs" ....
.... sold out of this design, just sent them off to a new home.


 The Siberian Iris.... they are done blooming now but they did give a gorgeous show earlier in the year.

 There are at least a pair of Northern Mockingbirds nesting around the gardens... The repertoire of songs that these birds sing amazes me..
 I think they know every song there ever was... they are always performing in the tops of the tallest trees..
 ...morning, noon and night and all day in between.   I love it.

 We have another door on the end of the woodshed too ... makes it easier to fill.
...the slots in between the boards let lots of heat and air blow through and allows the moisture from the wood to escape.

Pretty isn't it?... beautiful to look at, really.  It will be almost a shame to burn it.
Maple and some Birch.

What can I say about that Nature out there....  makes a body feel fine....

***

Desideratum Art and Jewelry Studio, St. Martins, New Brunswick, Canada

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

It All Started With A Craving For Butter Tarts

... and I remembered my friend Vee had a great recipe on her blog a while back.  I made 2 doz.

I used some pie crust I had in the freezer... it's thawing out here.

... had to test run my new oven... I have not had a working oven since January.
my choice... I was willing to wait to find the one I wanted... I kept holding out.. and finally... I can put the toaster oven on holiday.
 
Yumm, they turned out good....
and yes, that is the Teapot we were drawing with the crooked knob on top. My friend Rachel made the plate.

Since I was in the mood I made a couple loaves of bread, they raised a little faster than usual as it was such a warm day but they were ok just the same.

There were a few bananas that had reached their limit of sitting on the counter and they weren't going to go to waste.... so as long as i was testing out the oven... Banana Bread came next.
 really simple and good.


well since I now had some fresh warm baked bread   I took out some frozen strawberries and stewed them up.. I like this much better than jam.


In the cook book that I found the Banana Bread recipe in, this little quote was at the bottom of the page


 Have you ever noticed that? sort of like when you hit your thumb with a hammer and you blame the hammer.



While the bread was raising I was working on earrings up in the studio. This is just the beginning phase of the little Scissors


 that go with the Thread.  



At the same time this little guy was climbing up the corner board of the house outside my work window... he is about 15' feet up.  Max took this pic.


 Tobi and Tabitha saw him... they didn't get him... but they wanted too..

 

 he ran up and hid in the Virginia Creeper.


which is just now beginning to have these lovely little bud type clusters popping out all over.

 

 He soon escaped and scooted under the picnic table and was gone into the rose bushes..

...oh there is Max down there... and Tabitha


 These are some favourite little beach combings collected over the last few times at the shore... I love the wishing rocks with the rings around them.


 There are Daylilies blooming everywhere.

 Early in the morning going down the driveway,

 bright yellow flowers were blooming behind the neighboring garage

 Then I noticed that the field across the road from our wild apple trees, looked different... the farmer had cut his hay. It was a perfect hot drying day for it.

This is later about supper time and now he has it half baled ... I love the rhythm and pattern it makes... looks so neat and clean.

here's a closer look.  He always tends his field with care.

 This is why we were going down the driveway at suppertime.. to cool off and relax by the Bay of Fundy. It is only a couple minutes away.  Even when hot weather comes, it usually cools off at night so you have a relaxing sleep... no need for air conditioners here.

The tide was high and it was a hot day with a gentle breeze

 The dogs were hot so John tossed each of them in to cool off

Is that the look of relief?  

 Tobi helped her dry off... or maybe he was just thirsty.
...don't know how quenched he would have been after licking off salt water.  Tabitha didn't care one little bit.

 On the way back home the farmer had finished the whole field.  He usually cuts a second crop later in the summer.   It looked beautiful!