Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

 

~soaking up the sun~

***

Hard to believe it is the last day of July!

As we look forward to the upcoming Civic Holiday long weekend, a trip to the beach is on our  itinerary .  I have always loved being by (and on) the water and have always lived near water.  Maybe being born in the South of England, it is in my blood. 

Soaking up the sun is an older watercolour painted from memories of taking little ones to the beach.  Building sandcastles, and gathering up stones to create little markers to show we were there.  An Inukshuk creation.  Big sun umbrellas set up for shade and bright coloured beach balls, flip flops and sun hats.  Time to paint a new one as new memories are made taking grand babies to the beach ♥

Have a happy weekend.

xo D

 

I have always loved the beach.

The smell of the salty water,

the wind in my face,

the gentle roar of the waves

all combine to create

a sense of peace and calm.

~Anon~

 

 

side by side ...

I love purple coneflowers

& have never spotted a double headed one

until today...

♥

everything on our walk this afternoon seemed to be in pairs ...

 the bumbles

and cabbage whites

fuzzy caterpillars

 and then there were colourful fields of flowers

along winding paths

and we were so happy to see Monarchs on our walk

after reading of an 80% decline in the population of the Monarch.

I spent a lot of time watching this beauty!

and a bit of time water gazing too ♥

what you'll discover ...

 along the walking path

 I stopped to take in the beauty

 and spotted a friend

 You have to leave the city

of your comfort

and go into the wilderness

of your intuition.

What you'll discover

will be wonderful.

What you'll discover

is

yourself.

~Alan Alda~

 As is what usually happens, once we return back home

 I am rejuvenated & filled with ideas and inspiration from our walk ...

I decided to paint some little wooden tags ♥

 

 When I admire the wonders of a sunset

or the beauty of the moon,

my soul expands

in the worship

of the Creator

~Gandhi~

The Sun

Moon

&

Stars

are there

to guide us

~Dennis Banks~

where nature renews itself ...

Colored scents

that fill the air

as drowsy insects hum around

in the meadow

is the place of secret magic

where nature alone

renews itself

~Kate Begquist~

Little One ...

Little One is getting big!

must be all the pansies & Rose of Sharon leaves

this is where I find her most mornings

having breakfast in our front courtyard

I grabbed my camera and sat by the front window watching her ...

I was deliberately keeping my window box ~ filled with geraniums and dusty miller out of the frame, but thought it looked so pretty, I wanted to add just one photo of it.

bye little one ...

see you tomorrow ♥

Nourish your soul ...

Today on the walking path, butterflies danced around  ~

I was happy to find a few quietly resting.

Never knowing what I will spot on our walks or what subtle changes have taken place week to week I was excited to see so many butterflies and dragon flies , bees and birds. There are times when none can be found & I leave without having taken a single photo.

It is often completely quiet

and I walk with

Archer, simply taking in all the beauty.

just what our souls need.

There is such an unpretentious lovely~ness in patches of simple wild flowers.

I stood watching and listening to the red winged black bird for a minute

who was singing the sweetest song.  I heard him from a distance.

I meant to bring along my binoculars.

Happily, I was able to snap a very quick pic of him as he continued on.

Even the temperature is cooler as we walk through the woods & I always give thanks to all the lovely majestic trees.

I chose Nourish as my  Guiding Word for Twenty -fourteen

& this little walking spot does just that ...

You nourish your soul

by fulfilling your destiny.

Our heart

always leads us

to our destiny,

our soul

tells us

when we're there.

~Harold Kushner~

{I've published this quote before ... but it is so lovely, I wanted to add it again to today's post}

***

Have a wonderful weekend

♥

Sunday Serenity ...

a  hawk feather

the sweetest fallen branch with 2 clinging acorns & 8 leaves

found while walking with Archer

a scattering of white swan leaves

inspiration found

♥

Rich in colour ...

Happy July

 &

 Happy Canada Day!

I spent some of this past long Canada Day weekend sitting quietly in Sparrow Studio with an assortment of acrylics. Something I haven't done in 12 years ~ something I once loved to do {folk art painting was a passion of mine after spending a year in Michigan}. 

 It was one of many things that left my list following my accident.

When I picked up my watercolours again for the first time, I remember there were lots of aches and pains, but the thought of painting and using another medium took over my sensibilities.

And then of course, my fortune cookie after  our  delicious Chinese dinner read

"Your dream life is rich. Listen to your dreams"

so what was I to do!

While out looking for watercolour paper a while ago I spotted stretched canvas and thought maybe I should try acrylics again. The canvas have been waiting patiently against the wall for a while now enticing me with blank white beauty.

I should have started small :-)

but I've had this idea for a painting for a while & couldn't wait to see it come to life.

I rarely sketch an entire painting in my sketch book, instead will refer to pages I have and incorporate them into a painting.

With so many ideas, I covered a 16" x 20" canvas with owls and sparrows and sleeping fox, wild meadow flowers and butterflies, a big gazing moon and dark blue star sparkling sky that shares the space with billowing clouds... I needed to turn to a big canvas {thankfully, I decided not to go with the biggest one I have}!

 from the gentleness of the tiniest sparrow

to the free spirit of the butterfly

& lots in between ...

that blank white canvas beauty is now rich in colour.

 

as is our garden...

the daisies bloomed a few days ago

both arbours are filled with clematis

patches of yarrow share the space with stalks of tall purple larkspur

red geraniums are everywhere

still hoping to lure the hummingbirds {and hopefully get a picture}

sweet boy was interested in the lillies

and even our lunch was rich in colour.

We roasted beets and sliced them on top of an arugula salad with walnuts, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries, topped with feta cheese & made a Kale & walnut pesto to spread on slices of baguette. YUM!