2012 Scratched

A Christmassy Week



Hope your stockings were filled to the brim



and that Christmas day was spent in the warm embrace of family.

For us it was our first Christmas without any of our boys around

but so full of friends

and enjoyable FaceTime!



The pheasants came to feast on our abundant seed banquet

and then the snow started



One of my favourite books is "The History of Writing"

ancient scratchings fascinate me



For today, December 31, 2012,

I took all my scraps of thread and finished them



2012 has been a lovely, lovely year



I had planned on photographing the whole year ourside

but the winds are blowing.



I hope 2012 was good for you too



and here's wishing that 2013 is magnificent



Every year I try and stay awake to welcome in the New Year

Every year I fail miserably!



Christmas Wishes to You and Yours

 



The Week Before Christmas Scratched

Just doodling inspired by the frozen puddles



We live in a gem of a community.

So many talented people.

This evening we listened to the music of the community band

and the dulcet tones of the choir.

(Woops, I see I forgot half their mouths!)



It snowed all day



Out on the basin scooters caught our eye

they were staying in the same spot

..... must be good food about.

Then we spied the eagle above them

He fought strong winds to stay motionless

then dove into the waters near the birds

Three times

What a privilege



Grocery bags bulging

only two of us this Christmas

amazing how much food we buy



A glorious sunshiney day



but on Sunday it snowed all day



A week stretched back



and nearly another six months are done.

I hope your stockings are hanging by the chimney with care

in hopes that St Nicholas soon will be there!



Marked Pages

 

With pen and ink one can become a doodlebug!



Just getting started on thoughts

for a series I think will be called I am an island

 

I'm liking the scratchiness of pen and ink

 



Felt markers seem so heavy

compared to the uneven coveraage

I get with a nib

 



eeeeeeee!

 



Looks too much like a leopard skin for my liking.

 



 

When your nib drops a blob on a page

it can still be made into something!

 

Just marking page after page is fun

but I expect it will take many days of making marks

to come up with something meaningful.

We shall see.

 

 

 



Chilly Puddles and Frozen Computers

Chilly Lines



Icey drawings

 



 

Captive threads

 



See the apples frozen beneath the ice?

 

Frozen puddle islands

 

Just to warn you...computers are freezing and misbehaving here

So if I disappear...

my computer has blown up

and I'm off to find a new one!

 



I'm Late, I'm Late ....

A week recorded.

Photographed very late last night

so apologies for the quality. 

Remembering the sight of that heron swooping over the rusty pups.

For Tuesday that is supposed to be Handy Hubby flying

back home over the Atlantic.

The big circle is supposed to be the London Eye

Not too good!

On  Wednesday Judy's 'Heart to Heart' returned in the mail

and she included this lovely stripy thread.

On Thursday this doodle got stranger and stranger

with every stitch!

This morning we wrapped Christmas presents and packaged them into parcels for the boys.

After stitching joyful parcels the airwaves filled with tragedy.

With a heavy heart twenty stars for those little innocents

and six stars for their devoted teachers were added.

Finding comfort in the trees that surround me.

In this creative community

the Christmas musical events have started.

Company for Tea

Making a pot of tea

I glanced up

and saw him right there outside the window

He was there in the pouring rain

Never seen one so close to the house in broad daylight.

He knew every time I moved!

There was a flurry when he flew towards the window

and back onto another branch.

They have quite a wingspan don't they.

I enjoyed his company and forgot about tea!

Have All the Heron's Gone?

Surprising how some apples still cling on.

We met a man on the dike gathering fallen apples.

He said it was for feeding the deer who visit his place.

What he didn't say is that he probably shoots those deer.

I hope the deer keep away.

Another damaged tree.

Towards the end of our walk the rising sun turned the sky red

and it's rays travelled westward over the basin warming the woods behind my house.

That's not my house by the way

Mine is back in the woods.

Nowadays I walk with my head down against the wind.

At one point on the walk I realized a very large bird was sailing along beside me

about ten feet away.

He travelled past me and then swooped down over the RP's

I thought he was the biggest hawk I'd ever seen

but then realized it was a heron just saying hello to the pups.

The first heron I've seen in weeks.

According to Nature Nova Scotia the herons

are gathering on our southernmost tip and are leaving for the winter.

Funny that last year we had Harry the Heron hang around until February.

Do you think they know something we don't?

Scratching Through The Layers of One Week

Sometimes a week takes on a completely different character.

It seems to have been a week about applying layers.

I suppose I am multi layered!

The art of throwing bleach around!

I added a piece of knitting

and wove more threads into it to bring it under control

Friday turned into a doodle day

Finally cut into a favourite old shirt and threw a strip on my scratchings.

Thinking of how Christmas will soon be upon us

I cut baubles out of luscious red velvet.