I am retired? Really?

The view from the shed/summerhoose/drinking den/opera theatre.  Definitely going to paint this one.

Blue is not my favourite colour for within the house.  But outside I just love it.  I am now the proud owner of two potfuls of Agapanthus.  And praying they survive for years to come.

I just love the plant, love the colour and love the contrast of colour.  Yellow roses, brighter yellow Creeping Jenny and the spikes of lavender, and that dash of red as the Oriental Poppies finally 'go over'.

The advice from Doug on Monday was to put lines in to indicate the water reflection, I think it has worked.  But will re paint this picture.

Another of my tribute paintings to Robert Burns.  I have still got looads more to do, the more I read of his poetry the more I am inspired.  He was nae bad.

Some sketches of the pigeons and the loft.

I am trying to plan out a big picture incorporating the lovely retired human pigeon racer, the loft and his pigeons.

So - plenty to do.

Meanwhile, I have other things to do.  

I have been having one hell of a struggle with the local paper.  I send in a report on the doings of all that we volunteers/artists/friends of the lighthouse museum/et al and every time what is printed in the newspaper bears no resemblance to what I have reported.  No dates are given, information is totally changed, we have exhibitions 'returning' when they havent even taken place yet, the bare facts I want to go in are totally ignored.  No wonder I have high blood pressure.

But then, there is always a little bit of light relief.  

Down at the Seamens Mission.  

I had said, "If one more time Murray comes in and gets us all to sing, If you are happy clap your hands, he wont see retirement."  

Guess what - here we all are doing it again.  Today is his last day.  May he have many more, somewhere else.

Feed the Birds.

We feed the birds all year round.  Some people stop in the Summer thinking the birds have plenty without any supplements.  Wrong!  Those birds have come to rely on you.

We supply peanuts, sunflower seeds, wild bird seed, niger seed, fat balls and scraps from our food, toast, bacon rind, porridge, also from the cat food, left biscuits, all well soaked. (Cat biscuits swell in the stomach, ok for cats, not for birds, so make sure they are soaked and have expanded .)

Although we do have many starlings we have to wait till night fall for them all to gather up from all around and create this.  A Murmuration.

The Rooks, Crows and Jackdaws can be quite bullying.


But the Warblers are quite sweet.

And the Goldfinches are beautiful.

This year we had a tree creeper.  Not feeding on anything we provided, other than the tree he investigated.

Woodpeckers are regular visitors.

Okay, we get the doves, but not the Peacocks.

The pleasure we get from the birds is just fantastic.  We have seen lots of baby birds being shown the feeders and the water provided.


I have an unending panorama of subjects to paint and draw.


We send in our counts to the British Trust for Ornithology for their records, on a weekly basis.


25 different birds is our usual count.  What's yours?  If you have never looked before, why not!

And if the pheasants dont mop up the bits on the ground, there is always this wee chappie.

Inspiration.

Last week at Art Class I was drawing a poppy and other bits.  One of the members of the group was trying to remember the poem about poppies she had learned at school.

With the clues given I managed to establish it was from Tam O Shanter by Robert Burns.

So I then decided to do another Poppy in my favourite media, pen and watercolour.  With the quotation from the poem.

I then sat and read a few more of Mr Burns' poems and really got excited.

"Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie'

O, what a panic's in they breastie."  To a Mouse.  Robert Burns.

So I started a mouse.

Also on the drawing board, is a tawny owl.


"Sad bird of night, what sorrows call the forth, 
To vent thy plaints thus in the midnight hour."  To the Owl, Robert Burns.


And there's more.
To a Mountain Daisy.
Sonnet on hearing a Thrush.
On scaring some water fowl.
A red, red rose.
Address to the Woodlark.
Oh Bonny was yon Rosy Brier.


I am so excited....


PLUS

My sister in law took this photograph.  And has given me permission to try and paint it.

So far I have drawn it and I think I have got it right!

I had to be dragged out of the shed/summerhoose/drinkingden/opera theatre to eat me tea.

Inspired I am.

Thursdays Tribulations.

Our last morning of Kids Activities at the Lighthouse Museum, this Summer Holiday.  We will be back in October for 'Tattie Picking Weeks.'  Traditionally the schools close in October for the cheap labour i.e. kids to go picking Potatoes.  This no longer happens, kids picking tatties, but the schools in Scotland close for two weeks.  


The picture above is some of the art work that the children have placed into the Disc Covers.


Down in the Exhibition room at the Lighthouse Museum we entertained the kids and their carers.

Amongst the lenses of Lighthouses, exhibited, we helped them make masks.  Every time I looked in the lens direction I went blind.  For about five minutes.  Should I be taking out insurance?  Or just make sure I wear my sun glasses?

Foil sculptures.

And we all had a good time.

On my return we were going to sort more stuff out for the charity shop, but then discovered this toad in the garage.  So he/she was rescued and put outside into the wildflower meadow (lots of rye grass and weeds you dont want.)

Meanwhile, here is a buzzard on a straw bale.  Very common here in the North East, both Buzzards and Straw round bales.

My beautiful Agapanthus.  xxxx

These are the poppies I drew yesterday,at our art class, plus the Ladies Mantle and the blue thingys.  It was drawing only, no painting, so I used pencils and pens.


The problem with poppies is that once cut and brought in they open up, almost as you watch.


"But pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed."


Rabbie Burns wrote this, its in his famous poem Tam O' Shanter.


This set me off .  I have now decided to do a series of paintings with words, based on his poems/songs.  He wrote about poppies, roses, daisies, mice, skylarks, owls, sheep, wowee!


Just adding to Thursdays Tribulations!