a quiet overcast september afternoon

Wally is home for a week and 2 days, attending to the house, painting, plumbing, and gardening on his agenda. I've got paperwork to do when I'm not on domestic duty or drawing in my sketchbook.

 The cooler autumn weather has slowed the growth of things around here and our 10 cent red jewel cabbage that made it into an available pot has certainly grown larger than the seedlings behind it, but won't grow much more I suspect.

I would have shown you this picture first but I didn't want to shock you so soon with such a good close up of a hornet that sat on the uppermost leaves of the climbing hydrangea that still sits in its pot on the deck, propped near the door to prevent it from constantly falling over in the wind.

Hornets are notoriously aggressive, but I sensed this fellow was somewhat sleepy

from a rather cool night before.

so I came in for his close up

and closer still.

As I stepped off the back deck, the vegetable garden is looking somewhat spent as most everything is ripening. The hydrangeas are looking tired too, bowed from the rain a few days before.

Into the yard, I noticed lots of wild asters growing around the perimeter,

this one by Forget-Me-Not Cabin's old beat up garage doors that I painted in the spring, 

The roses that Wally put into a new garden at one end of the cabin are budding profusely.

There are fading blooms on the other side of the same plant.

Lovely heirloom tomatoes are ripening.

and I'm overdue to pick some more green beans.

On his way to the garage, Wally catches sight of me.

"Hi honey."

I had to underexpose this daisy to pick up the detail in the petals

Beyond the rose garden is the rhubarb, then some wild asters, and the shipping pallet that Wally leaned in place to discourage the deer. Apparently they figured out a way in as the netting was pulled on our little peach tree, bending it over again, the remaining peaches gone

. At least we got some this year.  Next year, a real fence!

There were more wild asters growing on the other side of the cabin

by the old door crying for some paint.

Turning, I look East by Southeast at the hayfield whose weedy clumps of goldenrod, milkweed, etc.

are growing faster than the grass.

The wild roses in our border have turned to rose hips.

I make my way over to the garage garden where, that huge plant with the funky yellow flowers, Ligularia Dentata, is still putting on a show. Wally wanted me to check out where he placed the silver pitcher that I didn't need but didn't want to give away.

We both got a kick out of seeing it in amongst the Sweet William.

Over by the composter that Wally made out of shipping pallets,

the clematis is still blooming wildly.

Their seed heads make fabulous starbursts,

an added bonus.

Beside them the "black" hollyhocks are nearing the end

as they grow from the bottom of their stalks upward.

A gorgeous green and gold fly perched sleepily on one,

even as the wind bounced the bloom up and down and sideways.

Such an exquisite creature with its orange eyes.

Just to the side of the composter, more wild asters.

Sweet peas are blooming on the other side of the composter.

Going back up the steps, I look into the composter which looks more like a flower box with its Echinacea, clematis and the wild asters poking up through the deck side

The Echinacea are faded, woven through with sweet pea vines.

looking down on this natural bouquet of wild asters.

You may remember that I bought an extra cheap box of Crayola coloured pencils that have turned out to be of mixed quality, but fun nonetheless.

This piece done in Crayola coloured pencils as well,

as well as this one.

I'm feeling a little impatient to finish this book that I am drawing these images in so that I can justify turning to better quality paper. I've got a history of not completing my sketchbooks.  Better quality paper will actually enhance the appearance of these children's quality pencils, not to mention other media. Paper matters more than the materials sometimes, like the quality of a piano one plays on.  Still, there is much to learn each time I set out to draw something. The beaver's face was a challenge with its unusual shape, certainly not bunny or squirrel like, but as you can see I gave up finishing this piece, a sign that something better is to come.

Thanks for visiting today. I hope your September is kind to you. It is something to be grateful for, a little bit of kindness.

blessings

windy unwinding of august

The wind picked up last night and was still going at it this morning when I ventured into the yard just as the faintest fine drops of mizzle were blowing my way.

It still gave me time to peek out from the side deck into the middle garden with its new gladiola beginning to bloom and the Ninebark having thrown out new growth taller than I. The Japanese Maple continues to thrive and you can see the height that the yellow-flowered Ligularia Dentata has gained in the garage garden.

Walking down the deck, I have already been plucking cherry tomatoes for snacks.

I walked out to straighten that free-standing twig trellis that has blown askew. Clearly we're not committed to installing them as anything but decorative. 

The bit of view we have now that the old aluminum tool shed is gone.

On Sunday, as I hung laundry,  I heard a squawking as the mated pair of pheasants

flew by in succession.

The wind tossed little maple is gaining height, at the foot of which is the honeysuckle that has stayed quite well trimmed since I pruned it in April.

I wasn't sure I'd find any peas, but must have picked a dozen.

The blossoms promise more to come.

On Sunday, as went out with the laundry, I was quite confused by the gray lump I saw in the far corner of the yard. My distance vision is poor and it took several seconds for me to realize that it was our little peach tree bowed right to the ground. I called Wally to straighten it out, amazed that its little trunk hadn't snapped.  It will soon be time for picking. 

With nowhere to put my peas, I rolled up the bottom of my shirt to make a basket and added this fine bunch of green beans.

Heading back towards the house I stop for a visit with the friendly bumblebees in the lemon thyme

It's time to do something with all this basil.

Last night I sketched out this little scene in coloured pencil. I wonder how far I'll get with it today.

The previous picture was partly inspired by the fantasy background I did for this fox,

all done in coloured pencils.

Let us be grateful and release.

Wisdom is letting go of something every day.

cool thursday

It's going to rain. The air is cool and muggy. A light smell of wood smoke in the air.
I thought I might pick a rose for the house.

Babu looking a bit chunky despite my effort- and his- to not eat as much

yet he still comes back into the kitchen while Muji is eating to circumnavigate the food perimeter

as he has elected himself clean up crew

Muji's pickiness and Babu's too just lately sends me out into the garden

The pink and white geraniums are looking decidedly old-fashioned.

The Dahlias seem to like their new home.

Stepping down off the deck, the Echinaceas

my destination: the Rose

but I couldn't cut it

I have many vases but only artificial flowers in them.

I can't seem to bring the living things in the house.

The grapevine looking as scraggly as ever

the grapes don't seem to be growing, barely larger than a month ago

A white sky day over the hayfield looking SSE

The vetch and lupin seed heads with goldenrod coming in as we look out over the grassy islands the mower left in the hayfield almost 2 weeks ago.

A long enough search and now I know what has taken over our backyard making it an eyesore:

Buckhorn Plaintain.

but what a pretty seed head.

The peas are coming in thick and furious. Last night they went into a tofu "stir steam". Delish!

It's hard to capture how massive the Hydrangea stand has become.

This is what we get for pruning it back so well last year.

And what's this? I don't think it's the leafcutter bee, but I could be wrong.

It appears to be eating breakfast, and certainly let me get up close to it

so maybe it is the gentle Leafcutter.

Here's another beast whose immensity I found hard to capture.

The maple leaves in the hedge to the right are as big as the spread of one's hand.

I love this old ash, wondering just how old it is.

And finally, a piece I worked on for quite a while building up those layers in the background with coloured pencils. I've been wanting to break out of my old one subject style for a while now, but have trouble coming up with my own ideas. I decided to go for a 1940's fashion motif. I'm going to have to break away from the limited palette of the Jane Davenport "Magic Wand Pencils" as I'm tiring of it too, for now. It's a pleasant palette but I struggle with creating depth with its cheeriness.

I've been wanting to share a particular video with you. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

My friend, Jane, put me onto it.

oh, and the rain has started.