something always happens

This must be the fastest flying month ever and yet it seemed to start out so slow. Those of you who check in here may already realize how I struggle with time, "the elastic band" as I call it.

I was sure I had nothing to show you today besides my growing portfolio of drawings, but somehow I managed to pull together a few pictures.

I peered down into the composter, filling with clematis,

creeping Charlie, an Echinacea Coneflower and even a weedy little tree.

I wandered out back of Forget-Me-Not Cabin and had another gander at the old wood shed we've been slowly dismantling, with no need for firewood anymore.

Our home and outbuildings are filled with handmade bits like this wooden spinner

this metal one

another rusting metal bit with washer

Looking from the other end you can see the makeshift bracing for shelving from a post and plywood and sticks

A homemade plywood bracket with its partner...

nailed to the wooden shake wall

Then there are the grapes, still intact

and a few apples hanging on

a nice little cucumber under the bean trellis

and tomatoes filling in amongst the dill

The wide angle lens dwarfs the far end of the vegetable garden with chard at the top, two rows of lettuces, and some tiny kale at the bottom

I pop the last perfect raspberry in my mouth

There are Cherry leaves in the lawn

another

and another

The garage garden has completely filled in with the hostas and the "prehistoric" plant.

As you will know from past posts, I am fascinated by the way the flowers seem to grow in a pod, a most unusual flowering. I finally had enough wherewithal to look up the name of this wonder.

It is called Ligularia Dentata, also known as Leopard Plant or Summer Ragwort.

Dentata refers to the jagged leaf edges. Collected and introduced to Europe by Carl Peter von Thunberg (1743-1828), student of Linnaeus at Uppsala University in Sweden. He made three trips to the Cape of Good Hope 1772-1775 where he collected about 1000 new species, Java and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1777 and 15 months in Japan (1775-1777) where he befriended local doctors who gave him hundreds of plants new to Western horticulture.  He succeeded Linnaeus as professor of medicine and botany at Uppsala.  Knighted by Swedish King Gustav.(thanks to heritageflowerfarm.com)

bursting forth, blooming in succession

They seem so gently coddled in their basket of leaves that I call a pod

though of course it isn't.

The bumblebees like them, face buried and rather camouflaged

I was startled to learn that bumblebees only live for 28 days.

I've grown very fond of them and their gentle ways.

Still playing catch-up with some week old pictures, I was inspired to do this piece after watching Jean Arthur play Calamity Jane in the old western, The Plainsman.

This section of my sketchbook is made of cheap quality kraft paper, the kind used for wrapping packages. The black is actually my Derwent watercolour pencil in Iron Blue, the flowers are outlined with an extra fine Pitt pen in India ink and coloured in with white is gel pen with pink pencil crayon over top.

The rest is done in Jane Davenport "Magic Wand Pencils" .

On another day I felt the call to draw a swan after seeing this mosaic online that comes from the Basilica in Soli, Cyprus. The patina of something old, its faded colours and random damage is a distinct part of its charm, its "wabi sabi".

My swan is fussed over with white paint pen and gel pen, the rest of the colours a mix of coloured pencils, the flowers outline in extra fine Pitt pen, an India ink.

I'm not sure how this will affect the world at large but there will be a partial to a total solar eclipse depending where you are in North America on Monday. Ours will be partial with a forecast of full sun, or maybe I should say no clouds.

Whatever you do DON'T LOOK AT THE SUN without proper protection!

And to see you off today here is one of my favourite performers Gracie Fields singing

Looking on the Bright Side (1932)

the road home from the south shore

Well here we are on Chapter 4 of our afternoon holiday a week ago Sunday.
Welcome back. If you've been along with me for the trip, you can well understand why I've had to break it up into 4 parts. But at least this is the final one, a souvenir of our drive home from Second Peninsula Park.

The grasses across from the park exit warranted a picture of their own.

It's always with a combination of reluctance and sweet delight that we hit the road home.

(Reminds me of how I used to feel about a Saturday night bath when I was a child.)

Rounding a bend on one of the sheltered bays, this Queen Anne's Lace strikes a pose.

A stop in Mahone Bay to browse one of the few shops still open held some temptations, but nothing compared to this bough of tree blossoms.

up close

This pretty view of the bay across from our parking.

I'm slipping in this picture of Jo-Ann's that I showed you 3 posts ago, though it is earlier in the day, as it gives a reference for where we went next as it was just across the street.

 I'd never actually been in before

and it was certainly worth a browse. The name of the oatcakes cracks me up.

If you've never heard a "Newfie" (Newfoundlander) accent and the hilarious expressions they use...

here is a video that will give you a taste of it- Lord Tunderin'.  I giggle every time I watch this.

We do hear this accent here from time to time here in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia has various accents of it's own.

An old stove with homemade pita chips, baguettes and what appear to be cheese buns at Jo-Ann's

two pretty profiles

decisions, decisions

yes, still at Jo-Ann's

and a small produce section on the way out to the patio where folks are nursing their goodies

next door, an old Victorian

the view from the front

and next to that the charming double peaked Teazer, a gift shop

side entrance to the Teazer

Back on the road we make our way to our junction, Chester Basin,

that will take us on a direct route home.

I have to do this to you every now and then, sharing a poorly exposed and blurry shot, 

this time of a particularly charming house in Chester Basin 

The road home goes through some pretty wild country with twists and turns as we climb the ancient mountain that forms the backbone of this part of Nova Scotia.

This enormous cloud sat at the crest of the mountain and as we got nearer to it,

It began to look like the head of a Highland Terrier to me

Woof!

morphing into an elephant fish

closer to Murphy Lake Road, I asked Wally to stop

On our way out 6 hours earlier, we came upon this little chapel for sale

and my imagination went into overdrive as I imagined the swell little art shop it would make.

I imagined the seasonal lifestyle it would make to run a little business

and began to dream up names for it

then reality set in as I remembered the nature of a transient clientele with me, a woman alone, the money it would cost to bring it up to par, gutting it with new floors, new roof, electricity, plumbing, septic, well water and probably filtering, and the shelving and picture hanging apparatus,  the crazy amount of work it would take to fill it and the bookkeeping, taxes, and... have I left anything out?

I was surprised by how disappointed I got after such a short emotional investment. Another case of the old horse plodding the old track, but those days are over for me and rightfully so as being in business never really appealed to me.

We came home to our pretty gardens and our home sweet home.

Wally placed our new twig trellises against the wall of Forget-Me-Not Cabin

and I remembered to feel grateful for all that I have.

gratitude

for the here and now

follow your breath

to pull yourself in