Dharma in the Garden

A Byte of the Apple

I've decided to stop fooling myself and just admit it. I really do want an iphone. 

In fact what I really want is the iphone 4s. In white. And if I'm going to have this shiny new thing then really I definitely need the 32GB size for all the apps and movies and photos I'm going to store on it.

While I'm in full confession mode, might as well admit that I would also really love to have a MacBook Pro. You know, the one with the biggest screen and biggest memory (and biggest price but what the heck, it's only money). Oh yes, and an ipad and an ipod would be lovely too. Just to complete the set.

You see, I've been trying for so long to tell myself that my old Nokia does me just fine. Which is does. It's serves me well, my little Nokia. Very reliable. But then you see everyone around you with their shiny new phones. My phone is now so ashamed that it rarely makes an appearance these days. It just can't compete with the new cool phones with all their bells and whistles - 'apps' I think they're called.  No wonder they are called smart phones - they seem to do everything! People are utterly enthralled by them. Can't live their lives without them in fact.  And until recently I didn't want to be like that. I didn't want to hand over my entire life to a phone. I kept telling myself that really my life wasn't that complex that I needed a phone to organise it.  I worried that I would buy one and become just as fascinated, just as addicted as everyone else and then... Well, then my life would be over.  My life as I currently know it that is. Once I had 'crossed over' into that world I knew there would be no return.

Then one day I found myself inside the Apple store. This was a place I had passed by many times and never felt drawn to enter.  I don't know what was different this particular day. Maybe my resistance was weaker, maybe it was a full moon. I just don't know. Anyway I did 'cross over' and once inside all was lost. Resistance was futile. I capitulated and asked for a demo on the MacBook Air. I'm not sure what happened after that. It's all a bit of a blur (do the assistants use mind-bending tricks?) but since then I can't stop thinking about iphones and ipads and ipods and gosh just thinking about them makes me go all funny inside. I need to have one of these gadgets. No, I need to have ALL the Apple merchandise. Not just the MacBooks but everything. Even the phone covers and headphones. I want to paint my world APPLE!

Strangely there is still a tiny part of me fighting this overwhelming desire. Last night I got as far as putting in my credit card details for my beautiful new white iphone 4s (which also came with free headphones worth £60 and other goodies!) but then something stopped me clicking that submit button. It could have a lot to do with my already enormous credit card bill and the fact that it's only a week until Christmas with all the madness that brings.  So maybe I haven't lost all sanity - maybe there is still hope. 

But then again...

Happy Accidents

My recent art class had us working with ink and bamboo pens and I loved the effects so much I came home and ordered a selection of inks and different sizes of pens.  

I've been playing around with the inks on different papers using the bamboo pens and brushes. This painting was another of those happy accidents which I love so much. I had initially planned to try doing a very black sky using ink on wet paper. The paper was a bit too wet so the ink ran but it produced what looked like a tree when the paper was turned upside down. It made me think of a bleak and snowy landscape so I did a wintry sky using watercolours and used a white ink pen and liquid ink with a brush to create the snow. 

I don't think I would have produced anything like this if I had set out to do it and I am definitely experimenting much more these days rather than working on anything specific. I'm feeling a lot more confident in being able to create my impression of a scene and as a result I'm starting to produce more 'abstract' work.  However the art class was great for helping me brush up on my drawing skills while also challenging me to be more expressive.    

I am angry.

I am sad.

I go within.

I forgive myself.

 

Lost

I type this from hubby's laptop, I suppose in that slightly numb state you feel before reality hits. I lost the entire contents of my computer hard drive last night. Had been meaning to do a back-up for weeks but you know hindsight is a wonderful thing. Trying not to think about what has been lost as there madness lies. But believe I'll be counting the cost of this for some time.  Thankfully I still have all my original artwork, journals etc but the loss of photographs is always painful, particularly those images that can never be re-created. Anyway, I'm trying to be philosphical about it all and view it as an opportunity to create lots of new images and artwork. A new hard drive arrives next week, double the size of the old one, and this time I will be taking the time to back everything up!

Another beautiful spring day, cloudless blue sky, warm breeze... just perfect.

Been re-aquainting myself the art of portrait drawing, making a few pencil sketches of images in newspapers and magazines. It's been a long time since I did sketches of the face (quite obvious from the results thus far!) but it's still great fun trying to get a likeness. And a great feeling when, with one tiny mark, the person you are trying to capture stares back at you from the paper!  Somehow you've managed to get the exact tilt of their nose, the shape of their mouth or the turn of their head.

Much harder will be drawing from life. Who is going to sit still long enough I wonder...

Well they've had their best ever performance this spring, continuing to give a fabulous display week after week and well past their allotted time. But after many encores my tulips have now sadly taken their last bow.  I can't be too sad because ready to make an entrance is the rambling rose, accompanied by the lavender, the gentiana and the aguilegia.  A welcome return year after year but a new act waiting in the wings is the Gerbera 'Forever Daisies' Collection and I can't wait to see how Crista, Pam, Piroska, Rachel and Sunny will fare among the other stars of the garden.

 

 

A tranquil oasis with trees, waterfalls and bridges, where ducks swim, children play and dogs are walked. Located in a quiet residential area, the noises of everyday life won't disturb you here. There are plenty of quiet spots where you can sit and contemplate, water and birdsong the only soundtrack to your dreams.

The bridges and winding pathways guide you over and around a deep pool which is fed from above by a small waterfall which gurgles and gushes over rocks and stones.

This garden paradise is only a brief walk from our home - we are truly blessed!  Today it was sparkling in the sunshine, a kaleidescope of colours.  The water was like a mill pond creating the most beautiful reflections.

Sketchbook and pencils remained in my bag as the camera was definitely the favoured medium for capturing all this vibrancy. 

The name of this paradise is Johnston Gardens.  More images can be found in this album.

 My efforts (so far) with my new Canon Ixus 130.

I'm loving the colour accent function on this camera where you can highlight one colour while leaving the rest of the image black and white.

And there definitely was a painting in that photograph!

I have tried to capture the shadows that were created by the very strong sunlight. The initial result was actually pretty insipid so I added watercolours straight from their tubes and worked them with a palette knife to create the leaf shapes.

"The tulips stand arrayed. Here infantry wheels out into the sunlight." Amy Lowell

Small but beautifully formed

My new camera is here! Still getting to grips with the basics but am excited about all the quirky things this little digital device can do and the fact that it is small enough to carry around in my pocket.  Have already seen the results using both the fish-eye effect and miniature effect (you knew I was sold Jen B when you showed me what it could do and of course you were lucky that I let you keep it!) but I'm also loving the colour accent and colour swap modes which I can't wait to try out.

Meanwhile, remembering to walk before I can run, I grabbed a few simple shots today to get the feel of it.

This is one of the entrances to Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen.  I love the design of these gates and it's clear to see that with just a little care and attention they would look beautiful again.

This is Tulip 'Madonna' again. I can't resist taking photographs of it.

Liking the black shadows and the background. Could be a painting in this one...

However, I've still got a 176 page manual to read so won't be running anytime soon!

Repeat daily until better

"Today I will sow the seeds of the fruits I wish to harvest by thinking juicy, good, fun, fresh, new, positive, beautiful, loving thoughts." Mystical Sunflower - Dorothy Mendoza Row

Had lunch out yesterday at The Alford Bistro as it was our wedding anniversary.  Enjoyed smoked haddock risotto and cranachan for dessert. Hubby had mInce, tatties and skirlie - very Scottish. It was all yummy!  The cranachan was a nice surprise as this dessert was on our wedding menu.  I'm quite predictable in my choices. I know if there's risotto on a menu than I'll be eating it and if I had to choose my last ever meal then smoked haddock risotto would definitely be part of it.

Today we have been garden shopping. Yippee!  Bought four lavenders ('Hidcote', 'Munstead', 'French' and 'Bella' Purple) and a Euphorbia which I will have to very careful with as apparently it has a poisonous sap. Yikes! The grass has had its first cut and today was given a liquid lawn feed.  I've also tried Miracle-Gro Patch Magic Grass Seed on a few bare patches.  Our circular lawn is not a patch ('scuse the pun) on my grandfather's lawn which was as smooth as a bowling green. I'm sure he would be giving me great tips if he were still here but the least I can do is try to give it a bit of a feed and a cut now and then!  The said plants have been given a soaking, placed on top of the beds in final location until I put them in the ground tomorrow.  However, I'm still looking for a bird bath. Two garden centres we visited today didn't have anything remotely bird bathish but there are a few others we can try.  Garden shopping is expensive!