this serious moonlight

Friday, and it's raining, a steady gentle rain.

But yesterday was sunny- and last night...! 

Last night we came home to a full moon over Forget-Me-Not Cabin

I was mesmerized by the magic of the "sweetlight" (a photography term for that magical glow in the evening, just before dusk) and this fabulous full moon.  I ran for my camera to take these pictures as the light passes so quickly.

the colours of the Japanese Maple fairly glowed

the purples and burgundy violets

forget-me-nots around the old ash stump

(I didn't notice til just now that a fungus is growing)

Wally walks back towards me in "the serious moonlight"

I almost caught the man in the moon

The next morning- this morning- a surprise! The poppy has suddenly bloomed,

with one of it's husks still clinging

another of its husks on the ground

Still not quite unfurled, its vermillion/orange so brilliant I had to tone it down for this exposure

even in low light

The centre is an exotic frilly mess!

A second poppy bursting from its husk

On the other corner of the vegetable garden, Wally left the rogue lupin that sprang up here 2 years ago to bloom. We're looking up at the back of the garage with our 2 little apple trees framing the shot. Only the little Harelson on the right is bearing apples. 

the same lupins, looking back towards the garden

On the far side I cleaned up this patch of what I've been calling mint

Turns out it isn't mint; its probably oregano!  I've been putting it in my quinoa tabbouleh all this time.

We love it just the same

The raspberry cane that grew up beside the fence has put out a few buds, including this pretty flower.

Checking in on the lupin field, it hasn't gone away.

This is the calm before the storm that Wally told me to expect

Can't get enough of this crazy business going on outside our home

The massive wild rose bush is spreading out behind our back hedge.

the back of Forget-Me-Not Cabin needing some TLC

Across the field to the east two crows commune on a powerline.

a perfect "serious" dandelion seedhead globe

Wandering back into the yard I inspect the lilacs already on their way out.

There is a wild rose bush there and I inspect its buds with yet another ant.

Behind me there are grapes showing on the grapevine.

Muji wants his breakfast, or is it love; it could easily be the latter.

A little piece I am calling This Serious Moonlight in honour of the full moon tonight

a detail from This Serious Moonlight.

I used Derwent Inktense, Derwent Watercolour and a little Derwent Colorsoft pencils for the pinkthe former two activated with light brushstrokes of water. The background is an irregular mess of Sharpie Paint Pen in Gold. I did a light outline with a black Jane Davenport fountain pen and some white marks with a Sharpie paint pen.

This full moon we're experiencing today is actually the farthest full moon of the year, some 30,000 miles (50,000 km) farther from Earth than this year’s closest full moon, the  Supermoon of May 25th, as it travels its oval orbit around the Earth. Today's full moon is called the Strawberry Moon which is apropos of the strawberry season, soon upon us.

Despite my propensity to " recall... most events better than nonevents" , there is apparently no truth to "lunar lunacy", so I must retire once again to the realm of imagination where the most fantastical things happen.

😉