in the dew of little things ...

fonts... I love them ♥

experimenting with some today

and adding them to paintings ...

sitting here with my mug of morning tea

birthday flowers are still thriving

looking out the kitchen window

sparrows, juncos and cardinals at the feeders ...

warm popovers

with a little jam

oven door left open to warm the kitchen as I sit & enjoy this little treat ...

quick little sketches

blue and brown and orange

pencils & paint ...

and little dabs of white ink

on flower petals

and tips of wings ...

my sweet boy Archer

following  every step I make in anticipation of my next move ...

hoping it will involve putting on my boots & coat

and taking him for his walk :-)

for in the dew

of little things

the heart finds

its morning

and is

refreshed

~Kahil Gibran~

candlemas day ...

wiarton willie has predicted

6 more weeks of Winter...

when I looked out my dining room window yesterday evening, I spotted Mr & Mrs Cardinal.

Even though it was getting late, and there was not much light, they looked so lovely together & I

 just had to snap a photo of them sitting in our very snowy garden ♥

happy Candlemas day

~d~

hello february ...

 

 

 

 

snowy, snowy start

to

February ♥

 

seed saving ...

At the end of each  Summer

I go about the garden with little glassine bags gathering the spent seeds. As

I always have an abundance of Morning glory seeds, I like to make up small "Friendship Garden" Seed Bags.  Not all of the seeds end up being saved however as I love to run my hand across the tendrils and toss seeds back into my garden

 (which is probably the reason we find Morning Glory blooming in the most unusual spots) :-D

but I always manage to  have enough to put a dozen or so seeds in each little bag.

 For the past few days,  I've  traded in my usual watercolours for coloured pencils and ink ...

an have an abundance of shavings to show for my work ♥ 

I often receive e mails asking me what paints, paper and pencils I use,

for me it is simple,

 nothing like a freshly sharpened #2 HB Graphite pencil, a rainbow of Prismacolor pencils, and

lots of Micron pens 01, 02, 03, 05, and 08 ... 05 being the most used.

 ~happiness~

 I made some little sparrow ♥ seeds

labels to attach to each bag ...

 I ♥ sparrows ...

and butterfly wings ...

 inspirational words ...

 and nests ...

  filled with

 hedge sparrow eggs ...

 looking through pages of old gardening journals ...

 reading about Morning Glory ...

Happy Gardening Memories

♥

sun streams ...

Another cold and windy day

but

the sun streams lighting up my painting desk make it feel warm and cozy inside ♥

working on a new garden journal

& thinking of new plants to attract even more birds

in Sparrows Garden ...

looking through photos of birds  visiting  now

{all taken in the same tree, from the same kitchen window at different Seasons} :-)

colour matching for sketches ...

my favourite Angora Water Colors made in Germany ...

not much left of them now ...

well used & loved ...

inspirational rocks ...

and tiny stones...

sitting in a bowl of sand

memories

from a special holiday ...

Each year, as soon as the Lilac is in bloom

I know the Finch will return to our garden ♥

I dream my paintings,

and then

they paint

my dreams

~Vincent Van Gogh~

~Have a wonderful weekend~

♥

baking day ...

starting the week

making homemade granola

and almond topped walnut/banana loaf

simple ingredients

when mixed together

make lovely, simple meals ...

toast made from homemade bread

topped with our jam

tastes

like home ♥

a small dish of Greek yogurt

with a tiny sprinkle of peanut/honey granola ...

 

my husbands

cheese & onion loaf

~YUM~

Seek a sanctuary.

Respect it,

as it is  holy.

Walk into it

with a bare mind,

bare feet,

and plain clothing.

Nurture

your body, mind and spirit.

Through a healing ritual,

leave it

with a pure heart

until you find your way to it

again.

~Master Jin Kwon~

Weekend walk ...

Archer

deep in thought on our walk today.

 

It's been a few days since I've been able to bring my camera with me on our walks.

I really missed having it with me, but walking was tricky with ice under snow.

 

A

Grapevine covered, snow capped nesting box

caught my eye ...

and two sweet little nests I hadn't seen before :-)

Listen to the compass

of your heart.

All you need

lies within you

~Mary Anne Radmacher~