July 16 2012, Garden no 13

Garden 2012 no 13

This is what my garden looks like from the street. I can’t imagine why my daughters tell me it’s a mess……….I quite like it looking a little wild. The only bad thing in the garden today was the ant infestation in the compost bin, but that was sorted and I think its going to be OK.

A quick update, I’m tired and heading for bed soon. I’ve been out digging and playing in the garden all day and its worn me out. I’m sure you remember me saying I was planning on digging up the wild area behind the pond once all the bluebells had finished.

(before the big dig)

Well, they finished a while ago, and today was warm, dry, sunny and an ideal gardening day, so off I went. It took me all day but I did it. I dug up a bucket full of bluebell bulbs which have all been replanted. I also dug up a whole heap of periwinkle which is trimmed, cleaned and sitting in the bag waiting for my daughter to collect. Digging up established periwinkle is no easy task, I’m so glad it was only a small area, not sure I would have managed any thing bigger. I’ll need to give it another dig over and then dig in some of the chicken pellet manure before I can plant there, but I feel it was a day well spent.

(After the big big)

More fruit was ready today. I’m getting enough strawberries to have a couple either on my cereal or with ice cream most days.
The white currant bush was heavy with fruit and I noticed some of the currents had already been eaten by the birds. I knew I had to get them  in today because, I know from experience,  once the birds start eating currents, they don’t stop until they are all gone. I think I’ve got enough to mix with some apple and make white jam.

Tags: garden 2012, plants, fruit, garden.

Prev: Art Sunday; Cake Art
Next: Rain, Rain, Rain, etc etc etc.................................

reply edit delete

13 Comments

Add a Comment

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 17 djdx said Your garden looks lovely. We put netting over the currants. We have the black ones; they will be ready soon. I think you are right, netting is the answer, I will have to make sure I have enough ready for next year. I spent the day in the garden again today and noticed some of the red currents looking bright red and ready to be picked. When I started picking I realised how many the birds had already eaten. Definitely need netting next year.

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Jul 17 I love a wild garden too. Yours has so much colour and I always enjoy seeing it.

delete reply djdx wrote on Jul 17 Your garden looks lovely. We put netting over the currants. We have the black ones; they will be ready soon.

delete reply mitchylr wrote on Jul 17 The garden looks great!! Nice crop of white currants. Love that heron sculpture.

delete reply esoterika713 wrote on Jul 16 I love a wild garden. Mine is quite wild too. :) I love currants. I have been adding more edible things. Last year I planted a Downy Service Berry. The birds love and I tried oen they were quite good. The berries are ready early which is nice. I also planted an Elder berry for the birds and us if we so wish. No berries on that. We also planted a Concord grape vine that almost had fruit but they fell off. This is the second season so I am a little disappointed. My sister bought hers this year and hers has lots of fruit. Concord grapes are ready to eat in September. I think they like her clay soil. I am happy with the blue berry bush I planted this year. We got lots of blue berries and they are still coming. I only hope it does as well next year.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 16 hedgewitch9 said You are amazing and your garden is gorgeous. Thanks Emma. :-))

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 16 nemo4sun said love the heron sculpture by the pond lol... another of my bargain buys. I saw them for sale for £8.00 in a discount store, usually they cost more than twice that much

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 16 aaranaardvark said I got 2.5lbs of blackcurrants off my one single bush yesterday. The bush has been loving this wet weather and has produced more than double last years crop so I'm pleased about that. Jam tomorrow.....to me that is going to be a reality. My black currents are not ready yet, I think we are a couple of weeks behind you. The white currents always fruit first, then the red currents and then the black currents and I think you are right about the rain. I've never had this many white currents from one bush before.

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on Jul 16, edited on Jul 16 i think it looks a proper and enchanting garden ~ always have love the heron sculpture by the pond :)

delete reply hedgewitch9 wrote on Jul 16 You are amazing and your garden is gorgeous....if your daughter thinks it's wild she should see mine!!! Love seeing your pics and our updates inspire me :))

delete reply artprevails wrote on Jul 16 Your blog today is so gorgeous! And your garden is so inviting. I love the story about your hard work, ant infestation, etc. And yea, birds probably bring all of their extended family to have a go at those delicious currants too! I adore these photos. How wonderful to have fresh fruit that YOU grew yourself...

delete reply aaranaardvark wrote on Jul 16, edited on Jul 16 The garden is looking great, I don't know what your daughters mean either. I got 2.5lbs of blackcurrants off my one single bush yesterday. The bush has been loving this wet weather and has produced more than double last years crop so I'm pleased about that. Jam tomorrow.....to me that is going to be a reality. I bet your white currant and apple jam will be delicious Loretta, I've never had white currants, they look very appetising to me.

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Jul 16 wow, you have had quite a busy day! lots of accomplishments, i know you will enjoy a well-deserved rest tonight. tasty strawberries and currants....it is much too hot to grow currants here. happy jammin'. ♥

May26 2012 this n that

THIS N THAT

And suddenly its summer, long may it last.
This week it’s been hot, dry and sunny. Utterly frustrating having to go to work when the weather is so good and there is so much to do. Every day I wake up and think, ‘this time next year I’ll be free from work forever’.  These 6 weeks, last two in May and the whole of June are often the best here in Scotland, last year when school finished at the end of June, so did summer. I’m hoping the same doesn’t happen again this year, and then I remind myself, if it does, it will be the last time it effects me because next year……..I’ll not be working at all after March.

Now that I have a venue to show my work I realise how unmotivated and disorganised I’ve been in the past. I have so many bits of drawings and paintings that are unfinished, none of my drawings are mounted, my system is, fill up a sketch book, throw it in a draw and forget it, start a new one. Now I’ve become selective, framing is far too expensive but the local man who has a shop in the high street only charges £6.00 to mount drawings and wrap them in clear plastic. That makes them clean, tidy and presentable enough to show without putting the sale price too high. I’ve left 6 of what I thought were my better drawings with him to mount. I have THREE unfinished paintings on canvas that I’m rushing to complete within the next couple of weeks. When using canvas to paint I paint all the way round the sides in a neutral colour and that way, they don’t need expensive frames.

I was asked to get together some information about myself and present in a way that can be left in the coffee shop for people to look at. I ended up doing a potted history with pictures saying how; while I loved Art all the way through school and Art College, once out of college and into the big world of grown up life; jobs , bills, kids etc, seemed to get in the way of art and I virtually gave it up. That is until about 5 years ago when I found myself living alone, no dependents and the freedom to do exactly what I wanted to do, and promptly took myself back to art classes. While writing all this out, I realised how little I have left of those days at college, I found a picture of me in the studio at college age about 19,and a couple of pictures, both now lost, that I painted at college.

Its very weird looking at them now, a whole lifetime has passed and it’s as if  I’ve gone full circle.
Am I alone I wonder, in feeling that I don’t quite fit anywhere anymore? I remember a similar feeling as a teenager, neither a child nor an adult, a sort of in-between, one day one thing the next day another. That’s the way I feel now; too old to be going out, drinking and clubbing with work colleagues in their 30’s & 40’s, way, way too old….. I’ve neither the inclination nor the stamina, but no where near old enough to be hanging about with the over 60’s (which I now am) who seem to moan about every thing and anything at every opportunity. The more people I get to know of my own age, the less I like them; on the whole they seem a pretty right wing reactionary lot, the ones I’ve met come across as  far older than me in general, while only a year or so older in actual age. It’s all very confusing. Much as I love my afternoon ‘leisure art class’, its full of people in their 60’s and 70’s who seem so ‘old’ in attitude, I sometimes feel I have more in common with the young full time students than I do with my fellow classmates.

The countryside is full of yellow rapeseed at the moment, a terrible thing if you have hay fever, but a painters dream. I’ve been busy taking photographs and once I’ve organised myself for the coffee shop, (I’m meeting the manager with my work on the 9th) my first new project will be these beautiful yellow fields. Being Saturday, I’m not at work, and its one of the hottest days so far. I’ve spent the morning in the garden, there was quite a lot to do, I even had to get the hose pipe out for the first time last night and despite the soaking I gave it then, every thing is bone dry this morning. The garden is a great place to be right now, the birds are singing and splashing in the pond, the last of the bluebells are still waving around in the periwinkle and the pink London’s Pride is in full bloom. I still think I’ve lost a lot of the veg I planted due to the wind, frost and torrential rain, but what is left is looking good.
And now……………………..back to the business of painting, I’m working on finishing a portrait and a landscape this afternoon.
Have a great Saturday and enjoy the sunshine while you can.......

The two paintings from my college days... just for Nemo

 

 

Tags: garden 2012, mywork

Prev: Garden 2012 no 10
Next: Song Saturday; Joceyln Pook

reply edit delete

17 Comments

Add a Comment

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on May 26 thank you so much ~ i love them they both have a touch that really appeals to me :)

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 26 nemo4sun said i would love to see the two big paintings :) Done............. :-)

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 26 bernardv said The wisdom and tenacity of age but, with the capabilities of youth. lol... nice of you to say so but afraid not.............the body feels pretty knackered these days, whoever said youth is wasted on the young knew what they were talking about.

delete reply bernardv wrote on May 26 Maybe you're in that 'in between time'? The wisdom and tenacity of age but, with the capabilities of youth. Lots of years left in you yet I'd imagine. Lovely paintings too by the way.

delete reply greenwytch wrote on May 26 forgetmenot525 said I agree................something in the stars, I too seem to be going through a 'thinking and realising' phase :-) i'm doing lots of that these days as well...and a ton of 'releasing', too. i am feeling more at peace for doing so, i hope you are, as well. XO

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on May 26 forgetmenot525 said I also have two big paintings from college and that's all. i know how that goes ~ the years have taken momentos from me also i would love to see the two big paintings :)

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 26 veryfrank said Okay I'm impressed, you have turned into a multi-tasker. LOL... thanks Frank, but I don't feel very organised at the moment, I feel as if I'm trying to catch up with myself. But the good thing is its made me think I'll be more prepared in the future. I intend to store my drawings in date and have them mounted as I go. I'm also going to try to finish one painting before starting another,,,,,,,,,,,guess its a learning curve :-)

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 26 mitchylr said t's nice to see that summer appears to have arrived fully now Oh and not before time :-).....................hope its as good there for you as it is here.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 26 nemo4sun said you fit in here awwww thanks Nemo................that's nice to know, and yes it is a shame I've lost so much. I did keep a lot of stuff from my college days but when I split from my husband I had no where to store all the big boards and canvas, I left them in his attic and eventually he took them to the tip. The other stuff has just been lost over the years..............I have those three photographs and I also have two big paintings from college and that's all.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 26 brendainmad said First of all, I don't think you're as disorganized Hi Brenda, that's nice of you to say so but now that I'm actually trying to get things sorted.............I feel as if I've been totally disorganised in the past, maybe its just excitement at whats happening. And its nice to know I'm not the only one feeling at ods with people of my own age.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 26 greenwytch said my life lately has been filled with lots of deep thoughts and realizations of I agree................something in the stars, I too seem to be going through a 'thinking and realising' phase :-)

delete reply veryfrank wrote on May 26 Okay I'm impressed, you have turned into a multi-tasker. LOL You have a good sense of organization, I'm confident that you will get it all taken care of and still find time to spare. The venue for showing your art is such a good idea and can be so personally rewarding. The unfinished paintings could be titled 'work in progress.'

delete reply mitchylr wrote on May 26 It's nice to see that summer appears to have arrived fully now. Hoping it's not a short-lived thing. Good luck with the art showing/selling.

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on May 26 i am excited about you showing at the shop it is a shame that the old paintings have gone ~ i wonder what has become of them? it seems to me that you are getting some pretty wonderful things done :)

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on May 26 forgetmenot525 said I don’t quite fit anywhere anymore? ((((hug))) you fit in here i love reading your thoughts and doings :)

delete reply brendainmad wrote on May 26 First of all, I don't think you're as disorganized as you say and I'm sure looking forward to seeing your exhibition. For quite some time I've bee trying to get rid of some of the clutter (mostly physical clutter) in my life. I agree with you about people more or less our own age. To me it seems that they're always complaining about how ill they are. One of my neighbours even told me she thought she was dying the other day! I try not to complain all the time even when I'm in pain. Happy gardening this weekend.

delete reply greenwytch wrote on May 26 WOW! it must be something in the stars and winds.....my life lately has been filled with lots of deep thoughts and realizations of things i must change about me. looks like the garden is coming along quite nicely. how cool to see a pic of your younger self...many good wishes to you as your journey continues. HUGS ♥