Wednesday, 7 July 2021

July is here

July, named after Julius Caesar, is here.

Thank goodness the extreme heat at the end of June has past. Too hot for me and too hot for the garden. When the daytime high here is hotter than Cairo, it is just not right!

Here is my poem for July:

Warm breezes caress

Sweet perfume fills the air as

July soothes my soul

This month I am having a bit of fun with close up photography:

Bumblebees on Beebalm

“Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don't they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.”
― Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

“Every saint has a bee in his halo.”
― Elbert Hubbard

Honey bees on Lavender

“Handle a book as a bee does a flower, extract its sweetness but do not damage it.”
― John Muir

Butterflies

Monarch

“Fairies with gossamer wings,
Bring forth beauty, grace and joyful things.
Fairies of the earth are caretakers of our soil, water and trees,
They watch over beautiful creatures such as bears, bunnies and bees.
Fairies ask that you breathe in and appreciate the vantage point from which you stand,
Then trod carefully and respectfully with each intentional step you make across this beautiful land.”

― Molly Friedenfeld

Lady bug

Bumblebee

Honey bee

“To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,
One clover, and a bee,
And reverie.
The reverie alone will do,
If bees are few.”
― Emily Dickinson

Carder bee

you may mistake this one for a wasp, but a closer look shows fine hairs on it's body

Shy Black-eyed Susan's open up:

--------------------------------

Garden Surprise:

My first tomatoes, golden and red cherry tomatoes were ripe at the end of June, that is a record for me, and so welcome.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

News from the studio:

I have sold 4 paintings:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

New Work:

More 3D work:

I will be selling these one of a kind decorations in the fall with Christmas Cards

Artiste Santa

Biker Santa

Squinty Santa

-----------------------------------------------

These paintings are in the Summer Showcase Exhibit at Gallery 1710

from July 9 to August 1, 2021:

Tea and Shortbread

Sunshine in a Jar

Scones for Tea

Winter Light

SGang Gwaay Pair

---------------------------------------------------------------

Announcement:

Brock House Summer Fair is on Saturday July 10, (10am to 3pm) open to the public, free, come and join in the fun. I will be there with the Art Group is selling gently used art supplies.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Lost in translation:

Sometimes a translation is so wrong it is hilarious;

these instructions came with a set of Prawn extractors I bought recently:

-------------------------------------------------------

YouTube video - Hummingbird Moth:

I have only seen these amazing little critters in France and Italy, where they are a very special part of summer.

That's all for today,

Happy Wednesday,

with whimsy,

Gillian

Wednesday, 2 June 2021

In my Garden

My June Haiku:

Whispers of summer

rejoicing, hands in warm earth

birds singing with joy

Life begins the day you start a garden.

Chinese Proverb

The glory of gardening:

hands in the dirt,

head in the sun,

heart with nature.

To nurture a garden - is to feed not just the body,

but the soul.

Albert Austin

Gardeners, I think dream bigger dreams than emperors.

Mary Cartwell

Promise of fruit, blueberries above and figs below.

A life without dreams is like a garden without flowers.

unknown

Kind hearts are the garden,

kind thoughts are the roots,

kind words are the flowers,

kind deeds are the fruits,

take care of your garden and keep out the weeds,

fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds.

unknown

My garden is my beautiful masterpiece.

Claude Monet

-------------------------------------------------------------

From the studio:

Another character tree, no name yet.

and another Super Sculpey creation:

A hanging decoration, Santa of course.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Art News:

Next Exhibit at South Delta Artists Guild:

I have 5 paintings in this exhibit:

Windswept

Wreck of the Pesuta

What

Hanging Around

Sticks and Stones 4

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Not much happens in the garden without pollinators.

The Beauty of Pollination:

one last thing for today - Stairway to Heaven - flash mob

That is all for today,

Happy Wednesday,

with whimsy,

Gillian

Wednesday, 5 May 2021

May

Well it is May and everything is bursting into bud.

I am dedicating this post to trees.

My Haiku for May

"Trees bursting with blooms

as May arrives on gentle feet

birds singing fresh songs"

Here are a few west coast trees from my photo archives:

Gulf Island Arbutus

"Walk tall as the trees, live strong as the mountains, be gentle as the spring winds, keep the warmth of the summer sun in your heart and the great spirit will always be with you."-Native American proverb

Jericho beach trees