Tag: Trees

Ripe cherries

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

I thought we had eaten all the cherries off out two cherry trees, but Richard went out on some step ladders and a broom today and managed to pull down a couple of branches. He came back  with about a third of a bowl of the ripest and darkest cherries we have ever had off the trees.

I was surprised, basically because we leave the top half of the trees to the blackbirds.  Every year they eat their fill of them. But its such a pleasure to have the fruit that I don’t begrudge the birds any of them.

At the same time our pear tree is gradually filling with fruits, they are quite well hidden because they are not very big yet. Our pears are the same colour as the foliage so they just don’t show up much against the leaves, where the cherries seem to glow with their internal fire of red.

Small apples are also growing slowly. The weather is hot and dry and the apples are not swelling up much. I’m not sure what sort of crop we will get. Last year all but one of the apples fell off in June so at least we are doing better than that.

We got all the fruit trees from our local Woolworths store. That was a few years ago before the firm went out of business. They were a good bargain.

What did I do with the cherries? Washed and stoned them, then had them with a small amount of vanilla icecream. Delicious and cool. Tasty.

Sketches at Dorothy Clive Garden

Posted on Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , Leave a comment

IMG_20180506_235902_110IMG_20180507_000017_221

IMG_20180507_000123_268

I like taking a small sketchbook with me when I visit interesting places, its easy to snap a few photos on my phone, but much more challenging to sit for 20 to 30 minutes sketching the view.

Dorothy Clive Garden is beautiful. Even at this time of year when there are mainly spring flowers and the perrenials are not out yet you can see the towering trees, Bluebells, Magnolia’s and Rhododendrons.

We walked up to the tearoom and sat and drank coffee and ate icecream while the Sun (unusually for a Bank holiday weekend) shone down. It was so hot Richard bought me a wide brimmed hat from the gift shop.

I drew the view over the lawn to a low hedge where you can see evergreen trees and branches of deciduous trees just coming into leaf. In the distance was the misty blue grey hills of Shropshire. Over the ridge is a little village called Loggerheads.

Then we walked into the quarry garden. The blackbirds and robins were singing loudly. If you follow the sound of flowing water along the paths edged with Camellia, Rhododendron, Bluebells and other flowers which are just starting to open in the spring sunlight, you round a corner and see a tree that has been cut down to a stump that is still about 15 foot tall.

The stump has had the outline of a woodpecker carved into it, and apparently has had a greater spotted woodpecker (not sure if that’s the right name) living in a hole in it for the last two years.

Follow the sound further and you find the waterfall that runs from the back of the quarry down into its bowl. It is a man made feature but still lovely. I sat and sketched it, getting lost in how to represent the vegetation against the darkened rocks.

Finally we picked up some plants for the garden that we had bought earlier and walked down the slope to the pool at the bottom of the garden. This looks like it has recently been re-lined and the black liner is visible round the edges. Looking back up the hill various evergreen trees and bushes are visible, together with the new growth of Gunnera, which will grow massive over the summer. The pool is lacking its water lilies but they should be back soon. Halfway up the hill is a little wooden summer house or pavillion. The view is splendid from there.

3 drawings were enough. It was hot and I needed a drink. But I know I will go back again soon.

X

Garden…

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , Leave a comment

One day its winter, the next day the buds and flowers burst out and its Spring. The Sun goes through the Spring Equanox. Finally in the northern hemisphere days are longer than nights. In about 6 or 7 weeks it will be mid summer’s day.

The trees are covered I blossom.  Our Apple, Cherry, and Pear trees are full of it. I hope the frost does not come and damage them. A few years ago when the cherry tree was small I festooned it with garden fleece.  It’s far too tall and wide now.

The walls are bare. The hanging basket brackets devoid of their burdens. Later they will be filled with a glorious mix of trailing flowers, Lobelia, Surfinia, Pelargonium, Busy Lizzies. I even plant spider plants in them.

The back yard has its own microclimate. Last year we manages to grow a Banana plant and Lilies and Bouganvillia. (I dont know if that’s the right spelling), we also have Clematis and a small Apple tree round the back.

I sometimes paint the Poppies that grow to the size of small dinner plates in the summer. I have plans to do the same this year

X.

 

The Same, But Different

Posted on Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

Someone looked at the twisted tree photos and said they were lost in the intricate tangle of branches.

So I decided to use a sketch of a tree I did to show how each picture changes depending how it is twisted. …IMG_20180418_124018_988IMG_20180418_124209_725IMG_20180418_124355_473IMG_20180418_124517_484

Twisting each of the 4 images to end up with 4 separate designs…….

IMG_20180418_124718_984

So which would you prefer? A close curved centre, spread out branches, accidental perforation or parallel lines?

Each has its merit. Some of them remind me if my blood vessels at the back if my eye, visible when a strong light shines. Others with the indentations remind me if a postage stamp.

Add colour and we are in a whole new realm.

Art, design, abstraction…it makes your mind work and stretch…