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Christmas Eve Night of little wind, Stillness breathing over the fir trees And the house Turreted With staircases and towers And secret passages And levels going up into the sky. A stained-glass window Where the light is always on - Impossible fairy-tale castle Seen in moonlight from "The Star Reaper".......... poems by Morelle Smith |
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Merry Christmas! |
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Autumn fields........ |
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Road to the beach ........ |
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Wild flowers on the shore ....... |
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Today the sea has an ethereal quality. I'm reminded of Edward Lear's poem about the owl and the pussy-cat,and imagine them sailing off over the horizon to far away lands ....... |
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The Owl and the Pussy-cat The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note More ........ |
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Edward Lear (1812 - 1888) was an English artist, and writer of humerous nonsense poems. First published in 1871, "The Owl and the Pussy-cat" has become one of our best known children's stories. |
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Pastoral scene painted by Lear during travels in the Balkans. Morelle Smith has written an interesting post about him - HERE |
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Fairytale illustration - circa 1900 "Lucky Hans" exchanges a heavy package for a horse |
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Perthshire countryside in late September |
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19th century farmhouse |
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Hundred year old beech hedges line the roadside |
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This gardener's cottage, complete with weather vane, dates from mid 1800s Concealed behind the bushes is a beautiful garden producing flowers, vegetables and fruit |
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Fox's eye view through a gap in the hedge |
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Popular spot to watch wild Atlantic salmon leaping, as they fight their way upstream towards their spawning grounds in a glen a few miles away |
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Protected from the elements, in a medieval church - Pictish stone dating from around 800 AD |
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"The Alchemist" - Acrylic on canvas (130m x 100m) |
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Detail |
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Detail |
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Nuts and seeds |
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Mother Nature's alchemy. Found in a pot under a honeysuckle bush. My interest is in the layering of composition and changing colours as the transformational process takes place |
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Honeysuckle in July |
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Louis (2003 - 2015) Last month, our friend and sometimes walking companion Louis passed on to the Happy Hunting Ground. We will miss his good natured company and boundless energy. Maybe he now chases rabbits in another dimension! |
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"Butterflies" - watercolour and pastel sketch by M. Watson |
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Cultivated wild flowers in a city park |
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Wild strawberries - Rose - Perennial sweet peas ....... yesterday ........ |
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On an easel behind me, my unfinished painting is reflected in the background mirror. |
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This morning I notice something has been munching the rose petals. My first thought is mice, as they sometimes find their way into the studio ............ but there is no evidence. |
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Under a petal I find the culprit ....... a brown beetle. I can't remember it's name but I know it is especially destructive for pot plants. It's now getting on with life outdoors! |
