Watercolor 554

An Old One Finally Finished 

This was one of those busy-hands-during-calls little paintings.

Delicious

Rhubarb-Berry Cookies

Perfect for the season, warm from the oven. Better Half found some wild strawberries, which added a fine flavor, along with some blueberries. 

Here is the recipe if you have a metric scale. Volume measurements in blue pen. Or use a Sugar Cookie recipe, omit milk, and add fruits. 

The Glories of May

Floral, That is.

Despite the weeds….






Luscious 

Simple and sweet


Even the wild roses are charming.

Of my dozen plus kinds of roses, some are exuberant, and some just peek through.

And one lone Dutch iris braved the strangling ivy. 

Do we love this gorgeous color? Yes, we do! 

Watercolor 553

Old Quarter

An imaginary scene, based on someone else’s picture. Painted for the fun colors.

Watercolor 552

Nightscape  

Blessed Ascension Day

He Ascended into Heaven

And intercedes for us. 

In the principal of “Use it or lose it,” we observed this holiday and holy day with a morning devotion and Bible study - this prepared and led by youngest son. Very edifying in all regards. 

“I ascend to My Father and Your Father, and I send you the Comforter, and, lo, I am with you alway.” 

Watercolor 551

More Tonal

Watercolor 550

Misty

Watercolor 549

Tonal Sketch

I read an article on tonal paintings, and decided to semi-copy some of the included works. They make interesting color studies.

Watercolors Coming

Next

Garden Weeds

….Will Work

When the garden is not quite ready with cut-able  flowers, but one needs some arrangements for Sunday, weeds will do, with grasses, ivy, Spirea, and a judicious iris or two. 

MayFlowers

Not the Ship

But my blooms. The garden is a mess, but it is growing many wild flowers, and the roses are coming, peonies are pushing, and irises are out. 

Time to get some boys busy - in a week or so. 

Borage, a very healthful and medicinal plant. And the flowers are lovely garnishes on food. 

Wild weeds, but pretty. And those five-petal pinks are wild geranium, which makes an excellent tincture for many ailments, including blood problems, sores, bowel, and lowering inflammation and stress. 

Very first roses, with yellow climbers to follow closely. 

And….. I spent a day potting and pruning and placing my pretties. 

It is not all done, but the start is satisfying. 

Happy Mother’s Day

Blessings 

Today was.a full day, with visiting the the wedding venue for the first time - a month before the festivities. It was foggy today, but the mountain vistas are spectacular. 

Then family church service at Philippe’s house in Glattfelden. Little granddaughter Mieka took her first steps at Singrüeni last Sunday when they came, and this week she has started toddling all over. So fun. 

Then we went for a walk to an old Spinnery turned into a hotel/restaurant for Mother’s Day dinner.

Good Hugo apéritifs.

Good wine, good food, good times…..

Asparagus season - my choice.

And a GOOD BURGER! A seriously huge burger. The young men said, “Challenge accepted.” 

It was 1400 grams, about 3 1/2 pounds. 

And it was finished. They got some help from the rest of us, but it wasn’t easy. It was tasty though. 

Fortunately, there was a walk, or waddle, back to settle all that. 

The May wildflowers are blooming beautifully.

And two days ago we celebrated the first anniversary of the wedding of Maria and Philippe. Their reception was in this little shooting house (the dark building beyond the foreground targets - and, yes, the walking path is closed off on shooting days). 

The after dinner path


…back to town







These gardens are blooming earlier than ours.




And so was a lovely day. 

Watercolor 548

Painting While Listening

This is very small.

Hello May

Alpine Cozy

This week Better Half and I went to daughter’s chalet in the mountains, so we could get moor dirt to plant new blueberries. This consisted of digging out the muck from an overfull drainage ditch, and carrying big buckets down to the car. But this mama was exempt. I built the fire, looked at the pretties, and got a small dinner ready. We hadn’t been there in quite awhile, and I haven’t shown you pictures in quite awhile, so here is a reminder. 

Yes, snow left. 

Obviously one should keep her tomatoes in a hand turned stone bowl. 

And one should put food stuffs and teas in pretty pots. 

And one should hang the friend’s sculpted dragon from the shelf. 

And one might want Springbok hides on the couch.

And one wants one’s favorite things around the dining table, which is also work table, and everything table.

And a fire to take the chill off the evening.

The THE BEST reading corner in the coziest library ever….

…for after a little dinner and conversation with a fine bottle of Australian wine.

Books? Yes.