New paintings and regular art updates.
I have grown this plant in my bathroom for years, it sometimes has tiny white flowers. I think it’s a maiden hair fern but I’m not sure. Then a month or so ago a small green seed capsule appeared on it. Now its turned from green to red. I wonder if it does contain seeds? I might try and discover what it really is.
I’ve just checked Google and its not a maiden hair fern. Does anyone out there know what it is? I need a plant checker on my phone… Not enough memory!
I didn’t know what this bush was but it has a lovely scent and was growing in places around the grounds of Rode Hall.
I has to ask one of the gardeners there what it was. She was very helpful in explaining what it was. When I got home I looked it up online: Daphne odora, winter daphne, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae, native to China, later spread to Japan and Korea. It is an evergreen shrub, grown for its very fragrant, fleshy, pale-pink, tubular flowers, each with four spreading lobes, and for its glossy foliage. Wikipedia
Please note. I’ve been told they are extremely poisonous.
I want to know the future, that people will be safe in their homes, that war will not escalate. I try and be positive, but a few men (and it is mainly men) have most of the power in this world. The rest of us are not involved in those decisions, we are just along for the ride.
What can people do? Protest, take action, or is acquiesce all we can do to save lives? Who can tell?
It has been proven that biscuits taste more biscuity when they are dunked in your favourite hot beverage, tea, coffee, cocoa, (maybe not bovril or that kind of drink!) apparently it releases more biscuit aromas. I think it makes them easier to eat too!
Some biscuits like ginger nuts don’t soften as much as ones like rich tea biscuits. The worst thing that can happen is that the biscuit/ cookie falls apart and bits fall into your drink. You can either fish the bits out with a spoon or wait till you have finished drinking and then scoop it out. Have a go if you haven’t dunked before… Enjoy!
I went to our Orme Art group today and as I only had limited time I decided to draw from one of my photos from yesterday. It had to be a patch of snowdrops. So evocative of winter. It’s a felt pen sketch. I drew the light areas first then filled in around them. Probably took 90 minute’s.
In one of the hothouses in the walled kitchen garden at Rode Hall. Yes I have gone on about it but it was an interesting visit. Vegetables were displayed as if they were in a competition. Onions balanced on flower pots, old gourds piled up and drying. Bulbs were sprouting. It must be spring soon!
Two views of a hill in Rode Hall. One turned upside down to make it look like a reflection in a lake. The white in the grass on the photo is a carpet of tiny snowdrops. I got such a lot out of going out, although I was surrounded by a lot of people which made me quite nervous. I’m glad we went. It was a spur of the moment thing after seeing a video about it on Facebook.
Rode Hall is a small stately home on the borders of Staffordshire and Cheshire. It’s on a lane running between two major roads, one of which is the A34, which is in England.
Each year they hold a Snowdrop walk at about this time. The weather today was cold, crisp and bright. The various varieties of snowdrops glowed in the sunshine.
We had a very pleasant walk along a pathway to a lake in the grounds below the hall. Then back along the path a short way and up the small hills around the grounds of the hall. Finally we visited the walled kitchen garden with glass houses full of award winning vegetables.
I took lots of photos and I will post more on other blog posts. It wasn’t expensive. The only thing was there was a massive queue for the tea room but we ended going off and getting refreshments at a local church.
Sitting here- pondering what to do about college work, I never seem to get a minute to myself. I couldn’t sleep, I’m either too hot or too cold or someones elbow is sticking in my ribs, but because I woke up and started typing, now hubby is up and ready to go for a walk! For heavens sake can’t I get a quiet moment to myself?
I’m seriously thinking about single beds! you know you are getting older when you think that comfort outweighs companionship. No more knees in your back, or elbows in your ear, or your shoulder being used as a pillow.
No I’m not doing college stuff, I’m just trying to chill for half an hour. No doubt I will go back to bed soon!
Since todays prompt is beautiful I decided to draw a beautiful view of the Ukraine. So sad about what is happening. Felt pen drawing, #bandofsketchers. I love the mist coming down over the hills obscuring the pine trees.
Mallaband-Brown