Small Observations Walking With Rusty Pups

We walk before the Day Lillies awaken

We walk past tree stumps

reminding me of those years long ago

when people were talking about insects taking over the world!

Perhaps they will.

We walk past grasses arching gracefully 

from what used to be our veggie beds.

We've given up on veggies

now it is left to nature for the butterflies and bees.

And then of course

there is always the favourite huge stick of the day 

that has to accompany us around!

This hot sunshiny summer makes the stream 

a very inviting cooling spot for Rusty Pups

who often dive in and splash their way downstream

disrupting the quiet, still beauty of reflections!

To my surprise I discovered 

there are tiny rusty critters who live close to the stream!

Everything is attracted to our quieter Rusty Pup, Brandy!

Others like the horrible deerfly really bother her

But beautiful butterflies, not so much!

LET me go inside pleeeease.

Rusty Pup, Ginger, is not a fan of the heat

When we sit out on the front porch

She likes to go inside and lie under an open window.

Close enough to still feel part of the pack!

Sometimes the small observations of daily life

are the most important.

The Evolution of a Piece

Chasing the Moon  50 1/2" w x 40" h

Part of the enjoyment of hand stitching is the time it allows for a piece to evolve and tell me it's story.

In the beginning I started making a piece about the marshlands

after the beavers have left

when sticks and chewed off trees litter the landscape.

The sky called to me but it didn't want to be too clear

and so scraps and bits and pieces of colour interrupts the flow

adding a feeling of blowing in the wind....I hope.

Then the grasses reminded me they had to be included

because they are growing back with renewed vigour

since the flooded beaver ponds have dried up.

I wove them into the running stitch sky.

The Moon asked to be included in the story

among the flotsam and jetsam in the sky

and the title Chasing the Moon popped into my head.

Then the ground demanded attention and so

 I turned to enjoying the luxury of stitching through silk velvet.

 A delicious gift from my dear friend Judy Martin.

And so it is finished

the story is complete

Do you ever feel sad when you've finished?

No more to add

No more days of stitching.

But then a new piece grabs your imagination and off you go again

a new story starts.

I received a delightful addition to Stevie's story this week.

At the age of three she is stitching clothes for her mermaid!

 

With all this distancing I'm missing so many firsts!

Well done sweetheart!

Stitching Calmly

I have been bringing elements together for a larger piece.

I am thinking of the Basin

Water that flows in and out with the tides

Mud flats that shimmer on a sunny day

The dikes and waving grasses

and trees.

Stitching on my favourite browns and greys.

Couching yards of wool

which in my mind's eye are trees,

probably deciduous.

The wool had been intended for a scarf

but I just don't have knitting fingers...

or the time....

or the inclination.

Stitching is where I choose to spend my time.

There is Always Something That Inspires on Those Morning Walks

The grasses are slipping into Winter hibernation

Waves of autumnal colour

warm the cooling landscape.

Some grasses have been flattened by the rains

Others still manage to stand tall.

A grassy piece is on my to do list

in the studio.

At Work on the Dyke

Early mist still rising

Down on the dike

The RP's and I weren't the only ones up and about

Some were already working on the edge. 

A spider with a sense of design...

that centre...

some stitching to be done  me thinks.

Not such beautiful web work

but home to thousands!

Some webs are just strands of thread
wandering here and there between swaying grasses.

Okay I'm Hooked

Still photographing frost.

I'm fascinated with the lack of colour

and how the distant trees introduce just a little bit of colour.

Wonder if any work will come out of these crispy morning walks

I stop every few steps for yet another photograph

Makes me think of Christmas

Sugar plums

those delicious sugar coated candied fruits

we used to nibble on years ago.

Soft beige leaves and a scattering of alder cones.

Gosh I have to work out how to stitch a scene like this.

I just love it!

The sun slowly bringing colour back into my world.

Jack Frost

Jack Frost
By C.E. Pike
Look out! Look out!
Jack Frost is about!|
He's after our fingers and toes;
And all through the night,
The happy little sprite
Is working where nobody knows.
He'll climb each tree,
So nimble is he,
His silvery powder he'll shake.
To windows he'll creep
And while we're asleep
Such wonderful pictures he'll make.
Across the grass
He'll merrily pass,
And change all its greenness to white.
Then home he will go
And laugh ho, ho ho!
What fun I have had in the night.

A Crispy Crunchy Morning

Early winter mornings

bring crisp and crunchy frosts

and blanched landscapes.

Even my two favourite rusty posts have lost colour.

The rusty pups and I are surrounded by gentle muted colours

except the top of the mountain 

is coloured by the rising sun.

I even love this monochrome scene

It is the layers 

each one a different texture

and grasses bent over with the weight of frosty crystals.

As we walk the rising sun looks warmer than it is.

I thought my finger tips would never stop tingling!