Art for Heart's Sake

A Sparrow!

Hi on a rather chilly but dry (so far) Sunday afternoon.  Well the weather certainly went to custard yesterday pm with heavy showers of rain and a slightly gusty cold wind later in the evening.  I feel as though I've had a bit of a lazy weekend in some ways but that probably is a GOOD thing!  I started another canvas and it is looking ''interesting'' at the moment.  I've used different colours (reds and greens) at this stage.

Crikey life is never dull around here! I almost stood on a poor exhausted male sparrow when I was coming up the steps to my studio this morning. Was just about to pick it up when Monty appeared and pronto caught the poor thing and ran under the house. Next thing John calls me to say Monty is in the bedroom with said sparrow. I dashed in and managed to grab the bird from under Monty's nose. I put the sparrow in our bird cage and he instantly put his head under his wing and went to sleep. About 2 hours later he was looking perky so I shut Monty in and let sparrow out of cage. He hopped a bit and then flew shakily up onto a low branch. I instantly realised he's still not well so when he landed on ground again I tried to recatch him. Long story short there was a bit of flapping (on my part, not his) then he flew up into a higher tree branch. About 10 minutes later I saw him again and watched him trying to get onto studio roof. The poor exhausted honey fluttered to the ground and I managed to POUNCE!! He is now back in the birdcage in my studio with some grain and water and I'll leave him there until tomorrow at least. Chances are he will die but at least he won't die outside in the cold wind. 

I've just come back in after crushing some wheat for him because he was trying to eat whole wheat and he didn't have the energy to crush it.  It seems odd that sparrows would like wheat but they are always around when I'm feeding the ducks, scoffing it.  I would rather give him proper bird seed but I don't have any at the moment.

John is out singing at a concert with the Nelson Male Voice Choir.  I'm going to their concert next week because the venue is better.  I was about to start pruning my roses but it's clouded over again and looks like it might rain.  Maybe I'll stay in here and work on some gift tags instead.  Smiles..

Barometer Crashing!

Hi there, it's early afternoon on Saturday and I'm going to be in my studio for most of the rest of the day.  I DO need to vacuum the house darn it!!  I will spend some time in here first while my lunch settles.  

This morning we both managed to get some things done outside.  The ground is SO SO puggy at the moment, it definitely isn't possible to do any weeding so I went around cutting back a couple of salvias and also cut old leaves away from clumps of hellebores (winter roses) that are sending up their big fat buds.  I'd rather do it on a day when it isn't going to rain but needs must, I just had to do it.  I still  have my roses to prune (I don't have very many) so I will try to get that done this coming week.

Oh I also whipped out a dead rhododendron ''Princess Alice'' that was planted below our bedroom window.  I'm really sad she's died because she smelt divine.  I'll have to buy another one.  I've planted a witchhazel in it's place and eventually that will fill our bedroom with gorgeous fragrance at this time of year.  They are slow growing so I'll need to be patient.  

There is a cold front sweeping up the country today and snow to low levels at the bottom of the South Island (envy!!!) but here we are just having some rain this pm.  The temperature is only about 9 degrees C which is a cold ''real'' winter's day in the Nelson region and the barometer is crashing.  We have a weather station that I look at several times a day (I love weather!) and I just noticed the barometer indicator flashing off and on which means it is crashing - oh how exciting!!  Giggle... doesn't take much to excite me, does it??!!

Well I'd better continue to work on my gift tags.  I have had to turn the heater on in here because it is only 13 degrees C which isn't conducive to comfortable creating!!  Smiles..

Pouring with Rain and Sunny!

Hi on a rather odd day weather-wise.  I'm sitting here in my studio with rain pouring down while the sun's shining!!  We have had a few showers off and on since last night so the ground is now even MORE soggy than it was.  Our grass is like a quagmire in most places making walking around a bit tricky!  I tend to have to walk like a pregnant duck to stop myself from slipping over.

I loved my time at the hair salon yesterday pm, it was just what I needed - to be pampered just a bit for an hour or so.  Ballet class was wonderful and it was really good to see all the girls again (aged about 10-16).  They have accepted me now and we have some laughs, plus we help each other with the repertoires.  We did some barre work and then spent a lot of time practising the champagne polka repertoire which is VERY fast an full-on.  Needless to say my left leg is complaining a bit today with a dull ache in my upper thigh.  It's not my hip joint, I'm not in the least worried about that, it is just muscle strain which is hardly surprising.  My muscles in that leg are still recovering after being ''cut'' two years ago (yikes it will be 2.5  years in late August!).  I think having a titanium rod jammed down my femur might not help either!  I am making SUCH good progress at ballet though, it's really exciting!

Oh my goodness it's hailing!!!  Say what!!!  Just as well all of my vegetables are covered up in the kitchen garden.  I'm quickly thinking if I need to protect anything up on the area behind my studio!!  Eeeeek!

Well that was quick, it was all over in one minute or so and now we have blue skies again!  Oh I love winter so much!!

Well I'd better get some work done on some gift tags.  I could be in the farm shed but I think I've earned some ''sitting down'' time.  I'll take Chester for a walk later.  Smiles..

 

A Hair Trim & Ballet Class!

Hi there, it's Thursday and it's SUCH a gorgeous day!  We had a shower of rain in the early am (before I woke up) and everything is fresh, cool and pretty in the morning sunshine.  I'm about to head to the farm shed to do some potting up before I head off around 1pm or so to get my hair trimmed before I got to ballet class at 4pm.  Peta is taking it (Valerie is away for the next three weeks) so I'm hoping and praying we will be continuing to practise/learn Valerie's polka repertoire.  I've been practising what we've learned so far and am looking forward to learning the rest of it (some of the other girls will have already) even though I won't be doing it in the show.  I sent Peta a text to see if it was okay that I still go even though I'm not in the show but she hasn't replied so I'll just turn up anyway.  If we're doing Peta's contemporary repertoires, heaven help me, giggle!!!

It feels very odd to not be going to Bay Landscapes today on the way into Nelson!  I've decided I'm going to diversify with my vegetable punnets.  I'm going to do more ''mixes'' and am going to make sure mine are different from the ones Bridget (the organic grower that also supplies Bay L) does.  It will mean more time spent pricking out because I have to have different punnets of seedlings to sort through at the same time but it is the only way I can think of ensuring my sales stay fluid (hopefully) when I'm competing with Bay L single seedlings etc.

Well I'd better get into the farm shed because I need to eat my lunch in around an hour!  Yikes, where has this morning gone??  Smiles..

Tiggy Tired Today!

Hi there, I'm having a very low energy day today, darn it!  I had a bit of stress yesterday pm re Mum and it always takes an energy toll on me like you wouldn't believe.  My dear soul of a Mum is 89 in October and is having trouble with her short term memory amongst other things like really arthritic knees.  She is still living at home alone and gets so lonely and bored most days now.  I phone her twice a day to cheer her up and have done for years now.  I love talking to her and making her laugh.  She's okay and the problem is sorted but I still feel fragile emotionally today.  There are times I would give anything not to be a ''fixer'' because trying to fix things for people you love from a distance is really hard!

That aside, this morning I spent an hour in my neighbour's garden, weeding and mulching the raspberry plants I put in last year.  Oooh I also spread a lot of sheep manure pellets around them before I mulched.  They will be very happy raspberries!  

I'm not writing any plant labels today because when I called into Bay Landscapes yesterday on my way home from ballet practise I realised I hadn't sold one thing since last Thursday so there really is no point taking anything else in yet.  A bit perturbing but to be expected I guess in mid-winter.  On a bright note it also means I get a break from going to Bay L tomorrow morning which is great timing because I have to leave earlier than usual to go to ballet class tomorrow pm because I'm getting my hair trimmed.  So all's good really.

This pm I'm going to spend some time lifting, dividing and potting up some of my Geranium phaeum seedlings so |I can sell them.  I want to revamp one area of the garden that we look at from the bedroom in the mornings.  I did it last year but it needs doing again and a bit more vigorously this time!

Well I'd better get started.  Oh, ballet practise was wonderful yesterday and that is contributing to my low energy level I feel.  My body is TIRED and slightly stiff because I worked really hard and did more stretches than usual.  It was fabulous!!  Smiles..

''After the Storm''

Hi, it's a GORGEOUS Tuesday morning, blue sky and sunshine after a frost.  I knew it was cold outside when I woke up this morning because I was feeling chilly IN bed!!  Crikey!  I love frosty mornings but I DO like to be warm in bed, that's for sure!

Here is another photo of my 30x36'' canvas called ''After the Storm''.  It is SO hard to get a decent photo of this painting - one that shows all the depth of colour and the slight irridescence in the sky and the reflective quality of the ''water'' where I've used glass bead gel (very real, tiny, glass beads).  You'll just have to imagine what it looks like in real life.  

As we walk past it the light shifts totally and it looks different throughout the day as the light changes.  I finished the edges of the canvas and now just need to sign it and seal it with artist's sealant for longevity.  It's always a good idea to hang a painting for a few days to let the paint cure before sealing it.

This pm I'm off to ballet practise and then I'll come home via Bay Landscapes to see what I need to take in this week, if anything.  Sales have dropped right off but that's to be expected because it's mid-winter.  I am a little bit perturbed because they are starting to grow quite a few vegetable seedlings themselves as well as stocking a lot more vegetables and flowers from another supplier and selling them as single seedlings rather than punnets of 6.  This of course is their right but I am struggling with balancing how much of everything to grow now because a lot of their customers are elderly so they used to buy a whole punnet of mine and then share them with friends and neighbours, now they are just buying the single seedlings more.  I need to get my head around what I can do to give me the point of difference apart from the fact that my seedlings are incredibly healthy and spray free.  I am concentrating on potting on perennial into larger planter bags at the moment so I can sell them when they are in flower and for a little bit more (not a lot of profit to be made in my line of work!).

I will solve the conundrum, I have no doubt on that score, I just need to be patient and trust that what is meant to be or happen will do eventually!

I'd better leap into the farm shed and pot on some more perennials, plus sow some more seeds.  Happy ballet practise day!!  Smiles..

 

Spinning my Wheels!

Hi there, I've had one of those days when I have accomplished something but not as much as I wanted to because of various interruptions.  Hopefully tomorrow I will have a more productive and less interrupted day!  I find my karma totally disturbed when I can't get everything I wanted to get done, done!  Phooey tomorrow is another day, giggle.

I have managed to pot on some lupins that I will sell as larger plants.  If lupin plants sit in small pots for too long they start to look REALLY stressed and these are beautiful named varieties of Russell Lupin which are sought after and so beautiful.  I will put them at Bay Landscapes before they start to flower because they really need to be put into the ground before that happens.  Lupins don't really like their roots being disturbed but if they are planted from a good size container or planter bag it is possible to get them into the ground quite easily without disturbing them.

I've also just sown my first tomato seeds, eeeeek!  I have done a big tray of a very special tomato for a lovely man who can't do them himself.  I did them for him last year and he was so appreciative.  I would really love to do more of this sort of thing because I adore growing things from seed and pricking them out.  A lovely reader of my blog and gardening friend has asked me to sow some seeds for her too which I will LOVE doing!  Thank you Joy honey!   I must get dear hubby to pick them up this week!

Well I need to go and walk the dog now so I'd better be off.  Smiles..

Happy Sunday!

Hi, it's Sunday morning and yes, you guessed it, Saturday ran away from me.  I can't say I really did one heck of a lot because the weather was iffy but one thing I DID do was bake Nigella Lawson's Venetian Carrot Cake.  I've been meaning to do it for a while so I decided that yesterday was the day.  It was meant to rain most of the day and we woke to drizzle but the sun kept breaking through occasionally, making me feel guilty for not gardening.  The ground was just too wet though even though we only had 3mm overnight.  Weird!  

It started raining in the evening and this morning there was 15mm more in the rain gauge, still not that much.  The water table must be really high at the moment because it doesn't take much to turn the gardens and lawn/paddock into bog.

I did some work on my big canvas yesterday - I only have the two longest narrow edges to finish with irridescent gold fine paint then I can seal it with artists' sealant and hang it in the living room.  I'm going to try and get a really good photo of it which I realise will be no mean feat!

Here is a link to something totally and utterly beautiful.  It's two dancers from the English National Ballet dancing to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and rhapsodic it truly is!  I could watch it forever and most likely will.  Such control and passion, ah blissful sigh.

https://www.nowness.com/picks/queen-bohemian-rhapsody-english-national-ballet?utm_source=FB&utm_medium=SM&utm_campaign=FB230716

This song is Mum's ABSOLUTE favourite of all time.  She's almost 89 and I love that she truly loves (and always has) this piece of music.  It moves her so much.

Well I'd better get going.  It's showery again today so I want to spend lots of time in my studio today.  Smiles..

A Quick Post!

Hi there, it's 6.30pm on Friday and I'm about to switch my computer off and go and look after dinner.  I've had a busy day today... rushed around this morning doing animal tasks and then went to ballet practise.  On the way home I had a few errands to run and then after lunch I spent some time throwing out punnets of vegetables and flowers that were completely past it.  I had to ditch most of the violas and pansies I grew in Autumn because of mildew.   They didn't recover even though I cut them right back and fed them when I first noticed it.  A learning curve.... Don't try to grow them too early in Nelson's climate!!  

After that I spent some time potting on some perennials into size 5 plastic planter bags for Bay Landscapes.  Well I must go and tend to dinner.  It's a bit of an experiment tonight.. beautiful fillet steak served with MY red lentil concoction and wilted spinach!  Wish me luck!!  Smiles..

Feeling Virtuous!

Hi, well would you believe I spent this morning being domestic!  I had curried cauliflower soup for lunch and fish cakes made for dinner (chilling in fridge) by 10am!  After that I vacuumed the house which made me flaming grumpy.  Good grief how I DETEST housework!  Such a blasted waste of energy and time in my book.  No sooner have you done it than it needs doing again.. Bah!! Giggle...  I'd rather spent 5 hours in a nettle patch without gardening gloves!

Ahem, that aside I've just thoroughly enjoyed a bowlful of the soup.  It was delicious and had a beautiful velvety texture due to the addition of some coconut milk.  I felt very naughty adding that but I won't eat it often!  I had a cauliflower from the vegetable patch that just had to be used.  I can't say you could taste the cauliflower but then lets face it, it's not the most tasty vegetable on the block.

This pm we are heading to Bay Landscapes so I can deliver just a few punnets of flower seedlings.  John is going to get some petrol while I'm doing that and then we're going to our friends' to see their new olive press and buy some more oil.  Their oil is the BEST I've EVER tasted!!  The last lot we got was a rich emerald-green colour and the flavour was srumptious!  I could drink it!

I'm hoping to get some potting up done this pm too but if I don't I'm not going to panic.  This is about the last week or so before I have to start sowing tomato seeds and then the Spring madness won't be far behind that!  Eeeeek!!!  Well I'd better go and heat up the soup for John now.  Smiles..