Monday, October 23, 2017

sunday afternoons

When was the last time you pulled up a chair and sat in the sunshine? 
We are meant to enjoy being in our garden. To simply be. Not do. I am pretty good at turning a blind eye to 'to dos'. I think that's a gift, just quietly. If I waited until everything was ticked off, I would never relax!
This sunny spring weather beckons me outdoors.
Last week was big. I actually wrote down everything that happened and nearly hyperventilated. It wasn't busy. It was big. A friend's death and then funeral, extended family visiting leading to my dad's 80th birthday party, family issues and even the dog getting pregnant from Jo Blo up-the-road. (stressful) There's always something going on! Saying farewell to my daughter going off to Africa for nine weeks in the midst of preparing church music, having young adults to stay and hosting a homeschooling afternoon sharing a lesson in watercolour painting. Phew.
Sunday afternoon was a time to breathe.
I kicked off my shoes and sat outside with a cuppa and a book. Then opened my art eyes and got inspired by this gorgeous Vulcan magnolia in all its magenta glory. I actually did some sketching!
It was bliss.

pretty imperfection


Heavy rain - as in ONE FOOT of rain (300mls) this month has been fantabulous.
It was so hot and dry in September that we were desperate. The season forgot it was spring and thought it had skipped ahead to summer!
The little patch of delphiniums was parched and struggling. We bought half a tank of water for the first time since we moved here 18 years ago, just to keep the garden alive and hoped to pull through the flowers we had invested in.
Then it rained and I thought they would drown!
They sprouted in all directions and became so sodden, the heavy stems bent under the weight of the flowers.
I picked up two soggy stems that had snapped off short and put them in a tiny vase. The colours were surreal. Beautiful shades of blue tinged with mauve.
They made my fingers tingle to capture them in this little watercolour painting.
They remind me not to underestimate the beauty of imperfection.
We tend to reject something if we compare it to what it should look like.
Appreciate something on its own merit.
It can stand tall alone.
It doesn't have to measure up to something else.



I am just a dabbler in art. There sure is plenty of room for improvement!
I have given myself permission to appreciate all that I am learning and practicing. 
To enjoy the journey.
It is so much fun to splash gorgeous colours around.
I don't want to spoil my own enjoyment by comparing myself to others - especially experts who have studied art and painted for years. 
It just makes me happy!
And I am surprised how it touches others with a breath of fresh air because it is loose and light and breezy.
Do something that makes your heart sing this week. 
You don't have to be an expert in whatever it is you want to try.
Relax and enjoy the process.




rugosa roses




Rugosa roses are lovely. The rich colour and scent is something special. I remember reading in the beautiful cookbook "Rose Petal Jam" by Beata Zatorska, that her Polish grandmother made rose petal jam out of this variety.
I noticed a different kind of beauty here once the petals fell and before the blooms turned into a rosehip.
I like these quirky spiky bits.
We get so fixated on a finished product that we overlook the process. 
We disregard the different stages. 
The garden communicates all sorts of messages when I listen.
What is your garden telling you this week?

spring cleaning



We are doing a major overhaul here at our place.
Recently, I was head down, tail up, cleaning out disgusting, black mucky sludge from the base of the fountain. 
Not very elegant. And the smell? Hooeee! 
(Thank goodness for lovely Crabtree and Evelyn hand scrub for gardeners.)
Gardening sure ain’t  glamorous.
You wouldn’t think so, looking at this idyllic pic would you?



Maintenance is not my strong point. I’m an ideas gal. 
I like the theory of a pretty fountain. Long term practicality however, includes maintenance.
I'd noticed ours was not fountaining as it should be. I thought the pump was the problem.
Turns out, a fountain gets all clogged up with the go-slows when mucky sludge blocks the inflow and output.
It needs to be emptied, pulled apart and cleaned out before we can put it back together, fill it up and reconnect the power.
Does that sound familiar?
Sometimes we need to be emptied, pulled apart and cleaned out to be filled up and reconnected to the power source.
I think my heart might need a revamp.
The sludge of comparison, envy, insecurity and frustration is clogging my arteries. I feel weak and heavy laden.  I’d better take it to the Lord in prayer.
Spring cleaning time.