1000 Fields of Roses

Rainbows, Roses, And A Good Cup Of Tea

It’s been clear, cold, and windy lately.

Sparkly!

Good to get the washing dry, but I’ve been using extra pegs – don’t want to see my clothes winging past the kitchen window, on their way to better places 😆
Still finalising the first of my assessments. I feel like I’ve been saying that for ages, but at least the drawings are done. Just waiting on some feedback from the teacher so I can finish the question part. I thought I was getting close to the due date, but it turns out that’s in just under a month…
Today has been a more relaxed day than I had anticipated.
After the cleaning, shopping, and washing.
I sat out in my comfy chair, catching up on reading, and listening to the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
I almost felt young again!
Had a long chat with the rest of the family, as the sun faded, and sent rainbows onto the wall.

…and the pink sky welcomed the moon.

Good night, Moon 🙂

On our grocery shopping rounds this morning, I treated myself to some rose jam.
Decided to have an “English inspired” dinner – rose jam with butter on toasted white (GF) bread, and a cup of nice, strong, milky tea.

Watching some things, a bit of music –
and so, to bed.
❤

Published in:

on July 20, 2024 at 10:34 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Penguin Cafe Orchestra

Walking Further Down The Road

It’s been a busy day…
Centrelink this morning, but at least I got things sorted!
Walked down to the town, browsed the charity shops.

Saw some neon flowers along the way (no, I don’t know why they glow in photos…)

Sat in the library for a bit, read some magazines – I haven’t done that for a while 🙂
Then, a bit of shopping, and home on the bus.
I didn’t do the drawing I had planned to do, but I have finished most of the ones for my first two subjects.
Finalised the self portrait, and did a line portrait of my Babe.

It’s our 30th Anniversary in a couple of months.
Maybe these could be official portraits? 😆

Well, another day over, and the sun goes down again behind glowing pink curtains.

It’s been a good day for a walk 🙂

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on July 16, 2024 at 10:55 pm Leave a Comment

Fairy Lights & Colder Nights

Every time I go to Centrelink, I come out feeling demoralised.
Not sure who benefits by my waiting for 40 minutes, only to be told they can’t help me, and I either need to wait an hour or so to see someone who can, or come back another day.
Added to that, one of my assignments today was to draw a self-portrait.
Let me just say – if you’re getting older and have to do this…
Be Prepared.
…and possibly don’t sit in front of the window, in full (harsh) light.
I found bumps and wrinkles I never knew I had!

At least I was able to stop in at a charity shop, on my way to the bus.
Fairy lights!

I couldn’t decide between the dragonflies, or the butterflies.

So I got both!
As the nights get colder I can see myself sitting in my chair, huddled in my dressing gown and slippers, listening to music, and bathed in the light of tiny winged creatures.
Bring on the winter!

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Thinking....

on July 11, 2024 at 11:46 pm Leave a Comment

On Clouds, And Keeping Perspective

Someone round here is growing some beautifully perfumed flowers.
I don’t know who or where.
I just know that I sat in my comfy chair yesterday, with the dark storm clouds keeping the world outside close, and the sweet aroma of invisible flowers billowing in to my sanctuary.
The earth gives beauty in unexpected ways…

Today, I spent a good amount of time working on an assessment.
I felt it was turning out well, and even inked some lines in.

Then I stood back to check it again.

I was supposed to be doing 3-point perspective.

This is 2-point perspective…

Oh, well.
I can still get a bit of perspective on it. 😆
It turned out OK, and I can submit it as a bonus drawing.

Back to the clouds! 🙂
I like grey days – they’re cosy and somehow gentler.
But, sometimes, the darkness of the clouds emphasises the other colours.

The greens were brighter yesterday.
And my perspective shifted to peace.
❤

Published in:

on July 9, 2024 at 10:20 pm Leave a Comment

Moving On/In

Possibly an odd thing to say, since we’ve been here nearly a full year!
I realised, the other day, that I would probably benefit from moving some things around…
When we came here, there were a lot of bits and pieces put down wherever they seemed to fit, with the intention to rearrange them later.
I sort of forgot “later”.

Anyway – I moved some bits around in the art room, and it feels brighter now. The bookcase that was in the middle of the outside wall is now next to the other bookcase, which means the front windows aren’t blocked now 🙂
There’s still a lot to do, but I’ll potter about this week.

My new configuration.
…and some sweet purply flowers for the lounge room, in a tiny bud vase.

I don’t know what they are.
To me, they’re “the-purple-flowers-that-pop-up-by-the-washing-line”.
They also go to sleep in the evening. You can see them drooping here.
They’ll be fast asleep now.
And so should I!

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Thinking....

on July 6, 2024 at 11:51 pm Leave a Comment

To My Door

I haven’t got any words of wisdom today…
Just breathing thankfulness for my front door.

I was ambushed yesterday by joy,
just by coming home, and feeling so happy to have a home.
Walking up the stairs, and reaching for the door.
My door!
The door to where I belong!
❤

Sorry – I know I’m rambling.
I’m just taking stock of the good in my world, and remembering to be grateful.
It’s been a good year so far…
What will the rest of it bring to my door?

Published in:

on July 3, 2024 at 10:04 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Adam Chance

Into Tomorrow

Feels like it’s been a busy old week.
I’m getting more done lately, and using the days better.
This week, I even stayed out after dark! 😆

We were told we needed to go and see a particular movie (Unsung Hero), so we went off to Springfield cinemas on Wednesday. It seems to be a limited release, so there’s only one session a day. On Wednesday, that was late afternoon.
It was a beautiful movie, and I cried at various points.
Then afterwards, we got some food and went home again…
I’m glad we went 😀
The movie has a beautiful theme song, but this was the one I wanted to look up when I got home.

They have their own story behind the song, of course, and if you see the movie you might see when I thought of it…

For me –
this year feels like a new era, in a lot of ways.
I don’t think it’s wrong to look at the past, as long as you don’t get stuck in the murky bits.
We remember the good things – and the God things! – and then we face forward again, and keep walking.

Some days, you just have to strike a match.
❤

Published in:

on June 29, 2024 at 11:09 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: For King & Country

Being A Work Of Art

Today feels like it’s lasted for years (in a good way!)
I am tired, but happy – this week has been a time to catch up on things that have been undone for a while. Nothing that had to be done RIGHT NOW, but the sorts of things that sit behind your eyelids, and clamour for attention until they’re sorted…
I had expected to spend part of the day finishing off a drawing, but it’s still sitting on the easel, sketched in, but not complete.
So – today has been a lot of “doing”, just not for this one thing.
It’ll be waiting there for next week, and probably will be the better for it.

The doing is done, for this day.
Now, I think, I’ll just concentrate on being.

Published in:

on June 22, 2024 at 9:33 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Jared Anderson

Staying The Distance

It’s hard to believe we’ve been in this house a couple of months short of a year.
I know this because yesterday we got an offer for another 12 month lease.
Yayest of yays! 😀
There’s still just over two months until this lease runs out, so they must really like us…

I am continuing to get cosy with my art space, and have spent a bit (or more) of time out there each day. I think I’m catching up with my assessments. Here’s one I did earlier –

A crumpled piece of paper!
This is the second attempt at this one – the last one was rubbish…

The cold has started to grow teeth now.
Yesterday, the evening was pretty in pink.

It even looks cold!

The roses are sleeping, remembering sunnier days, and casting petals to the memories.

And I am close to slumbering – dreaming of graphite and charcoal.
…with a lovely relaxing playlist to sleep by.
❤

Published in:

on June 20, 2024 at 9:27 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Saju Music

Of Skulls And Sketching Places

Feels like this week has gone fast 🙂
Morning has decided it’s committed to winter, but the rest of the day hasn’t quite made its mind up…
Still keeping up (I think) with my lessons.
One of the assignments was to “draw an animal skull”.
Coles doesn’t stock those…

I was starting to worry that I might have to start hunting (or at least keep my eye out for roadkill!), but we found a friend who had a spare skull (sheep? goat?) I could borrow.
You never know what you’ll find in an artist’s shed.

Only got around to it yesterday – the bigger assignments can take hours rather than minutes. I also decided to use charcoal, a medium I probably haven’t touched for years.

Probably not my best work, but it’s going in as the final image.
It was more enjoyable than some of my other assignments (one was just…a very large rectangle. It was for practising measurement).
And my art/sun room is slowly getting arranged into a more useful configuration.

It’s been a good week.
Even my roses had a last hurrah for the summer.