Blog Archives

Simply..larks ascending....

31/5/2016

A short stay with dear friends, some good sleep and some glorious weather have combined to refresh me somewhat, and I am taken up with a delightful bird watching experience.

A skylark has nested just by our path to the shore. In sixteen years here we have not heard or seen skylarks. Sitting on the shore last week I thought I heard one faintly, but said to myself No, it can't be, we don't get them here. But then I spotted one and patiently observed it and found the nest with two speckled eggs. They should hatch any day now.

I am being very quiet around it (and will probably be very quiet on the blog for a bit too).

Perhaps you will enjoy the sound of the skylark on this page , and the sound of Nicola Benedetti playing The Lark Ascending.

Are there any birds nesting near you?

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Simply..trying to be Twyla Tharp....

24/5/2016

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Only joking of course but choreographing my grief is proving challenging!

I am spinning so fast on my own axis that I have hit the wall.

Excuse me please, I may just have to sleep for a week.

And leave the floor to the amazing Twyla...

(Windows 10 is proving challenging too - Weebly and it are not on speaking terms. Please click on italicised words above for links - suddenly it won't do colour. Or pictures. Sigh.)

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Simply..in praise of bookishness....

22/5/2016

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I grew dozens of pink campion from seed to plant in Coronation Wood - a little bit of woodland in the village that some of us look after, and was about to Google to see just what conditions suit them best.

But something made me stop.

Instead I made up a tray of coffee and biscuits, went into the study, lit the lamp and took down a few lovely books on wildflowers of Britain. (There are some gorgeous books of this type in bargain book shops.) I had a leisurely, peaceful browse for half an hour. No ads, no distracting links; when I went away and came back the book was still open at the same page and the text and photographs were on the same position on the page.

It was so enjoyable! I had quite forgotten how nice it could be.

There are photographs but....I've not had time to figure out how to post them yet.

Windows 10? It hasn't solved the problems I hoped it would....

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Simply..windows 10....

21/5/2016

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Tell me I did the right thing.

I photographed a beautiful sky to share with you tonight but they have changed everything and I haven't figured out how to upload it.....I may be gone for some time!

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Simply..Maggie's....

20/5/2016

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..
Do you know about Maggie's Centres? See how they came about here.

I visited Maggie's in Glasgow yesterday. A beautiful oasis in the midst of a huge hospital complex. Green, elegant, tranquil, friendly and brilliantly designed.

What a legacy. We are so lucky to have such wonderful places and people.

At this point in the year, before the riot of summer colour, my own garden goes through a rather tranquil phase. I am enjoying the interweaving of the vertical and horizontal elements....white bark birch (10) and cornus controversa (3). A few days rain have made it very lush.

The long term plan of a lower maintenance garden is becoming visible...

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Simply..too many....

18/5/2016

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I can relate to the poster which says

My brain has too many tabs open at once.

I enjoyed this sweet post from Lotta's blog....

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Simply..small....

17/5/2016

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....and quite well behaved, as clematis go. Just like me then. Also described as ladylike! I give you clematis 'Freda'.

It grows to about 12 feet and the leaves are tinged with bronze. Another favourite is Elizabeth for it's vanilla scent, though it is much more vigorous. It is growing wonderfully on the back (?) of the shed (what were we thinking?)

'Freda' lasts well in a glass

It also looks pretty from inside. I am so thrilled to have bluebells in the wood visible from the study window.

Have you noticed that everything seems to be flowering wonderfully this year?

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Simply..music hath charms....

16/5/2016

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A packed Glasgow Cathedral was the setting for a concert by London Concertante - a birthday gift from my daughter. Mellow acoustics, virtuosic playing, and a classical programme with the odd surprise like this new-to-me piece.

Thrilling.

Thank you Laura!

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Simply..tears and joys....

15/5/2016

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I am doing a lot of crying, but there is always something to make you laugh, like Extreme Knitting (scroll down as well as across), or to make you relax like the heatwave we have been having, or to make you gasp in delight, like the bluebells on the path to the shore..

and the clematis round the window with more flowers than ever before.

The tears come even with good news as the first thing I do is to look round for Barry to tell him, to share it with him.

I find some of these meditations helpful and this article, and this piece on heartbreak...If you are also grieving after a loss I hope they help you too.

Thank you Karen and Angela for leading me to these websites!
More on the garden coming soon....

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Simply..some favourite things....

6/5/2016

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First swallow, first cuckoo and first orange tip butterfly - all in one day with warmth and sunshine too!

I am taking a little blog break and leave you with a few recent pictures and a piece of music (forget Julie whatshername) by the wonderful Stephen Hough....

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Simply drawing..in public....

5/5/2016

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Linda mentioned in yesterday's comments how hard it is to sketch in public!

I used to tell my students on the Drawing for Non-Artists course that it is a good idea to sit with your back against a wall or fence or hedge. People are less likely to approach you and you can at least see them coming. And although you might enjoy folks chatting to you, if you don't want to talk, do not make eye contact and try just to keep saying Mmmm and continue drawing - they usually take the hint after a minute or so.

One student sketching in the centre of York where you can easily find a little crowd gathered around you if you are drawing, got fed up wrote WORKING. DO NOT DISTURB. in large letters at the top of his drawing board!

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Simply..drawing....

4/5/2016

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I loved this attitude of the Rijksmuseim in Amsterdam and rather deplored the recent 'No photography. No sketching sign' which appeared at a recent exhibition at London's V&A

I've been clearing space in the studio...

and found a giant (A1) sketchbook

and a stick of graphite which glides so smoothly on the paper

as I try to capture the character of the jugs of flowers... and things.

It's like a kind of meditation.

What do you think about sketching in museums?

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Simply..before and after....

3/5/2016

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One of the most fun and most encouraging things about photographing your garden is looking at before and after shots! See here

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Simply..photography and your garden....

2/5/2016

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As well as recording the loveliness of the garden the camera can be a very useful design tool.

Yesterdays photograph showed me that the narrow borders I was cutting around the front lawn look mean and pinched - I only realised it when I looked at the photograph. The camera is completely objective. Next time I cut I will make them twice the width of the mower.

I have in the past recommended photographing your garden in the snow for the way it shows up the form of everything - the contrasts between solid and lacy, between clipped and loose, between bold and delicate - variety and balance in these things make for all year interest. Unless you are reading this in the southern hemisphere you may have to wait a while to try this (though you never know!).

Apart from grass cutting, what would you say are the most time-consuming and labour intensive jobs in your garden?

Roll on summer!

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Simply..cutting....

1/5/2016

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Cutting herbs, cutting grass and cutting down on work in the garden....

I like these multi blade scissors for cutting herbs. The parsley is destined for a tasty kedgeree.

I am working on how to cut down time mowing grass and am experimenting with 'differential mowing' ie cutting different areas at different heights. I have begun by mowing only the edges and the outline of the meadow (which will be allowed to grow uncut till autumn). The other areas will be cut every third week or so, but the edges of the lawn will be cut every week, very short, and the edging shears will be used frequently. My theory being that this will make the garden look well cared for and not neglected which would be the result if I let all the grass grow longer.

Watch this space and check out this post , and this post

There are a lot of posts under Simply Grow if you have time to browse....

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Simply..larks ascending....

Simply..trying to be Twyla Tharp....

Simply..in praise of bookishness....

Simply..windows 10....

Simply..Maggie's....

Simply..too many....

Simply..small....

Simply..music hath charms....

Simply..tears and joys....

Simply..some favourite things....

Simply drawing..in public....

Simply..drawing....

Simply..before and after....

Simply..photography and your garden....

Simply..cutting....

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