Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Poppies everywhere


Poppies everywhere

Last year in the Spring, we had a mystery plant appear. At first we thought it might be a cabbage or just a large weed,oh excuse me, a natural exotic plant of this area!  After a lot of research including talking to the new BRIT, Botanical Research Institute of Texas, we found out it was a poppy. I was delighted as the pretty pink flowers looked so good in the yard. Found it even better when we went to lovely Clark garden in our area and found they were growing them in huge beds.
Poppy 20 12

Well I dutifully collected the seeds as they formed and in the Autumn went around sprinkling the seeds all over the garden, hoping that at least a few would come up again.

Poppy 2013

Certainly some have come up. In fact lots have come up. They are all over the place but they are changed. This year's poppies are redder and have a black splodge on the petals. They are also not so tall but then our rain has been a lot less this year.
They are so pretty and indeed looks like I have more flowers to paint now. Who can resist painting poppies?

Monday, April 29, 2013

The Plant that keeps on growing.


The Plant that keeps on growing.
Our everlasting Swiss chard

Do you remember the fairy story of the oil jug that was never empty because that was one of the wishes the old lady made when she was granted 3 wishes?
 Well I am an old lady and we have one plant in our garden that keeps on growing and growing and growing and I never even made a wish!!
About  3 years ago I planted a row of Swiss chard seeds in my veggie garden in the spring. They came up  and we had about 5 nice chard plants to eat until the summer came and they looked like they were finished. So I  just forgot about them. 
 One plant however decided it hadn't finished and somehow kept alive until that fall. We didn't eat any of it, it looked too dried up and withered but it just kept growing. 
By the following spring among the dead leaves of the plant I spotted some green growth and saw that it was still alive. So I transplanted it into the front flower garden among the larksburs and poppies . So all last summer we kept "giving it a hair cut and eating the leaves". Along came winter again and it took a sleep as before but as soon as this spring came along  out sprung all the fresh leaves. We have already this year had 2 or 3 good meals from this one plant and there is no sign of it letting up.
It is always very tasty and doesn't lose its color like the shop bought green veggies do when they are cooked.So it is very green and verdant. 
So we just hope it continues to keep growing and we will keep cutting.....
Maybe it's an everlasting plant!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

The Magnificent Larkspur


The Magnificent Larkspur

Photo by Mike


I just love the look of larkspur. It has such a country garden feel about it.
Last year I had a few that plants that were in a mixed packet of seeds that I put down but only a few came up . So in the fall just about November , I bought a large packet of Rocket larkspur and sprinkled them rather liberally over my main flower bed hoping at least ½ would do well.
Well they performed very well , except most of the seeds and therefore the plants, have migrated to the front of the beds so I have a big crop of gorgeous tall larkspurs coming up.
I don't mind .
I just love the vivid blues and purples white and pinks on this beautiful plant. 

Saturday, April 27, 2013

A Lucky Chance Meeting with a Butterfly


A Lucky Chance Meeting with a Butterfly
Butterfly and Poppy by Mike


So I said to Mike, “While I am out helping at the Garage Sale, please go round the garden and take some photos of the new flowers that are coming into bloom”.
Well he did and he has some excellent photos but this one was very special.
He set up his camera to take close up photo of a lovely red blooming poppy.
(More on poppies in a later plog).
Then just as he was going to take the photo ,an very large black & yellow butterfly fluttered in for lunch.
So Mike got this most excellent shot.
I don't know names of butterflies but I think this is a large swallowtail.
Please let me know if I am wrong.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Cheers for Neil Diamond


Cheers for Neil Diamond 

I just heard on the news that Neil Diamond has given all the royalties from his song “ Sweet Caroline” to Boston to help in their recent tragedy. He had already raised their spirit by going to sing at Fenway Park and it seems there has been a swell of people buying his songs again especially “Sweet Caroline”.
He has always been one of my favorite singers and songwriters so I am very happy about this and especially his generosity.
I found this clip on You tube of his original version
It has photos with how I remember him when he was a young man just becoming famous. I have some of his records and they always put a smile on your face and a lift in your step.
Way to go Neil Diamond!!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Stay Close by Harlan Coben


Stay Close by Harlan Coben

This is the book I have been reading for the last week or so. Mr Coben has written many books and if you haven't read any yet and like a good intriguing mystery I am sure you will enjoy his books.
This book just published was no exception. It has a mystery that is very involved with a middle aged middle class lady who was once frequented bars and had a lower form of life. She ran away from that life under mysterious circumstances and made a good new life for herself. Then out of the blue , that life is threatened by a nasty murder which will involve her again. The tale then spins into one of a series of murders , a wily detective and the way it all works out is a typical Coben surprise. I never guess right to the end of the story how it would end and to my mind . that is a good mystery story.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

OUR ANNUAL METROPORT HUMANE SOCIETY GARAGE SALE


OUR ANNUAL METROPORT HUMANE SOCIETY GARAGE SALE



You either love them or hate them but either way there are a LOT of garage sales at this time of the year. The weather is just about right for a sale-warm and hopefully not too windy . One of the main problems if you are having a big garage sale and you have lots of stuff outside is the sudden storm . Hopefully we won't get that when we hold our Annual Metroport Humane Society sale this Friday and Saturday. April 26 and 27

Our members , friends and the general public always help us a lot by bringing all kinds of things for the sale . We always have so much that at the end of the sale there is usually loads of unsold stuff for us to donate to another worthy cause. There are bargains galore.

We have held our sales in all kinds of places. The first one was held at an old feed store in the middle of Grapevine which is now gone. It was great fun and we had people sleeping outside to guard our “stuff” the night before. It was quite a party!! Then the best one I remember was an unused store with loads of room and lots of cover. That was a great place as we had room for storage and it also rained on the day so we had excellent cover as well. Throughout the years we have held the sale in the forecourt of the local bank, at various churches and schools and also some kind members have also volunteered their front yards and garages.
That is what will happen this year. Our President is holding the sale at her house in Colleyville and because of this we can hold the sale on 2 days. Always a better thing to do.3420 ROLLING HILLS LANE off of Pool Rd (between Hwy. 26 and Hall Johnson Rd).

The great thing about garage sales are the strange objects that appear. There is always at least one that no one knows what it is but it usually get sold anyway. People are very generous and they know the money we make is for a good cause . We often have people that just come by , buy little but give a good donation anyhow. We thank them all.
Last years' sale


Our volunteers spend a lot of time getting the sale ready,but also spend time talking with the customers and letting them know about our mission which is to help animals , especially in the local area and to provide low cost spay and neuter so no puppies and kittens get born that are unwanted.                          
Bailey waiting for adoption

So if you are in the area please drop by and see us
You might even find a treasure but if not you will be helping some animal and that's a treasure in itself.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Challenging Cup and Saucer


The Challenging Cup and Saucer
My painting in water color 


The April Paint and Draw Together Challenge is a lovely photo of a cup and saucer, 2 cookies and a coffee pot. Just a simple set up, However the lighting on the photo is such that the coffee pot is in semi darkness and has lots of reflections. So pretty difficult to paint. Add to that I am not really used to the intricacies of using water color paints yet so I can truly say this was a CHALLENGE.

The original photo challenge

Still you can see the results. Not too bad. I do think a study done in acrylic paint would have allowed for a denser color in the background but then the cup would not have turned out so well.
It will be very interesting to see how the other artists paint the study. You can see these at http://paintanddrawtogether.blogspot.com/. I hope to lean a lot by looking at their studies.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Earthday 2013


Earthday 2013
I am very fortunate and grateful that I still live in an environment where I can look outside my window and see green grasses and trees blowing in the wind and hear birds singing. Not everyone is so fortunate. This is the environment that calms the soul,and refreshes the mind and we are in danger in much of the world in losing this due to the indifference of not only businesses and large corporations but of average people as well.
I try to do my bit to help by composting , recycling and fully utilizing our limited resources but you can see by just looking around how much trash is generated, how much water is wasted, how natural ways like solar and wind are not being fully used, how much the environment needs help of everyday people.
I shudder as I drive pass a piece of land that was once an open space and see the machines and construction stakes being placed.More buildings, more people , more cars, more dirty air= less trees, less grass, less nature.
Poor earth. 
Pray for change.
Joni Mitchell one of the great folk singer of the 70s said it best,in her song, Big Yellow taxi. Hear it here on You-tube.
Here are the lyrics.
"Big Yellow Taxi" Lyrics
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot,
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot.
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone—
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot!

They took all the trees,
Put 'em in a tree museum;
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em.
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone—
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot!

Hey farmer, farmer,
Put away the DDT now;
Give me spots on my apples,
But leave me the birds and the bees—
Please!
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone—
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot!


Sunday, April 21, 2013

A Thought for Sunday


Sunday Evening


On Sunday evening I usually watch television because it is the one night when I find the programs are those that I really like.
I usually watch 60 minutes, and find the stories very interesting and thought provoking. I don't always believe all that is presented but good to ponder.
That is followed by 2 very interesting programs on PBS. Just lately it has been Call the Midwife and then that is followed by the Masterpiece Theater- Mr Selfridge. Both are great programs and done extremely well . Both my boys were born at home and just seeing Call the Midwife program brings back all sorts of memories. As does Mr Selfridge. One of the highlights of a visit to London when I was young was a visit to the large department stores in the West End and of course Selfridges was one of them.
So given that I have spent most of the evening watching TV , I have had little time to think about blogging. So here is a nice thought instead.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

One Hundred Plogs !!!




So this is my 100th plog since I started keeping track since the start of the year. I have written a new one each day and tried to think of different subjects.I tried to get some kind of visual aspect as well so it isn't a plain blog. It hasn't always been easy but I was determined to keep on going. This was my challenge and if you have enjoyed reading, looking and thinking about the subjects from time to time, thank you. If you sent me comments or emails thank you . It all helped to keep me going and I appreciate it.
I shall continue for another 100 days and try to think of some different plogs to do and experiment with. It's just another challenge and makes life interesting.
This visual image I made on a computer program Paint Shop Pro that I have had for ages but just never really learned how to use. It is very complicated. Far easier to paint things!!
Guess how many stars there are?

Friday, April 19, 2013

Landscape painting begins


The Landscape painting


So I decided I would attempt a landscape watercolor next as often when we go on vacation we both take photo of lots of lovely places and scenes. It also so very nice to have a remembrance of a place and especially so if you paint it.
A photo you take in a fairly short time. Then occasionally you may look at it on your computer or even print it out. We don't do much of that these days. it is often put away and forgotten.
However if you paint a landscape especially one you have been to visit. a lot of memories come back while you are painting it and if it is halfway good you will frame it and put it out for the world to see.
Now to figure which one to choose. Both photos are of DeGray lake in Arkansas

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Painting Decisions

Painting Decisions


So what to paint next? I am presently working on a still life from the painting challenge Painting and Draw together. It will be finished soon so i am looking for a new subject.
 I really liked painting the iris; the colors were so beautiful.
The cat was great fun, The still life is difficult and as it should be, challenging.
So shall it be more irises, I have lots of photos now and the irises will soon be finished?
Maybe I will try a landscape. I have photos of those as well but I'll have to watch a few You- tube videos first to get some tips on watercolor landscapes.
What a quandry?

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

An Evening at Home.


An Evening at Home.

When Mike was a busy working man always on the go, I came across this poem that I think my friend Hazel found and gave it to him as a present.
Very appropriate for the hurly burly of modern living.
(Also kind of nice for stormy evenings!!)

                            No Place to Go by Edgar Guest

The happiest nights I ever know
Are those when I've no place to go.
And the missus says when the day is through
Tonight we haven't a thing to do”

Oh the joy of it and the peace untold
Of sitting round in my slippers old
With my pipe and book in my easy chair
Knowing I needn't go anywhere.

Needn't hurry my evening meal
Nor force the smiles that I do not feel,
But can grab a book from a near-by shelf
And drop all sham and be myself

Oh the charm of it and the comforts rare;
Nothing on earth with it can compare;
And I'm sorry for him who does't know
The joy of having no place to go.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Zippo in Paint

Zippo in Paint
My painting of Zippo


As part of my learning to paint with watercolors , I selected a photo of my Granddaughter's cat Zippo. This is a lovely photo she took. It had just the right elements that I wanted to practice- it was a simple head shot, not many colors, simple background and lots of hair.
Zippo is actually a black long hair but in this photo he looks grey because of the light.
Zippo, photo by Chrissy
Now I have put them together I can see I should have made the head wider and the ears pointed forward a bit more. 
It was fun to do.I will try a dog next time. Lots to choose from.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Puzzle it out


Puzzle it out
While we were out shopping the other day. We saw this. I thought it was very clever so I took a photo.
Can you guess where I saw it?
 And don't say Denton.That's not what I mean. What was it on? I'll tell you on my next plog.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Evening Primrose


The Evening Primrose   


When we first moved into this house 6 years ago one of the first flowers that we saw in the Spring was a whole bunch of these pretty pink flowers. I looked them up and figured they were called Mexican Evening Primrose. They were growing under some trees in a shady area. For a few years each Spring we would have a couple of small areas that had sometimes a few flowers and sometimes a few more.
This year for some reason whether it is our peculiar weather patterns we are having those areas have no evening primroses growing .
Don't be sad though as this is made up by the many that are coming up in my main flower beds in such profusion that they are wiping some of the other small seedlings out. So although they are pretty when they are on mass, some just had to go so that is what I did today -spent a good amount of time just pulling some out.


I figured out that they must have seeds that spread by being flung out the farthest from where they were or we had some really good winds that blew the seeds. They also have roots that travel underground and come up as a new plant where I don't want them to.
So now I know how they produce new plants I'll make sure next year to look for them before they try to take over.
Must try to paint them..

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Catkin Time


Catkin Time
Catkins and pussy willow

Lambs tails and Pussy Willow!! As a child how I loved those strange things that came in the Spring in England. We knew once we saw the lambs tails dangling from the trees and the furry buds on the willow trees that winter was finally going. Never could resist picking them and taking them home to show Mum.
Now when I first see the catkins forming on the oak trees I shudder because soon I know they will be yellow pollen dust covering everything and heaps of brown squiggles all over the yard. They will be sticking on our shoes and mangled in the pet's coats and just about everywhere. I sweep them up , blow them off the decks and do you know by the next day there's another lot blown down by the wind. 

Still with a good rain things will get back to normal and then all we will have to worry about are the green inchworm caterpillars hanging from threads from the trees. Yes Spring really is lovely. Thank goodness for the flowers.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Sweetwater Grill and Tavern, Denton, TX


Sweetwater Grill and Tavern, Denton, TX


Our old friends Bernie and Jean have come down from Canada for a few days to stay with us and today we went up to Denton. The idea was for the men to visit Harbor Freight and browse among all the goodies there while Jean and I visited next door at Hobby Lobby to pick up supplies for her knitting and my art work.
We did spend rather a lot of time doing that but still had time to sit for a while in the great sunshine up on the square and drink coffee and then visit the lovely book store before we ended up at the Sweetwater Grill and Tavern. This is a favorite restaurant of ours, just off the square. Friday's they serve an excellent prime rib for lunch so that is what we had. It was lovely. 


Just a lovely welcoming place and I always love the paintings on the wall of musicians. A place we will go to again and again.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Spring flowers

Spring flowers
Spring flowers What are they?


When we visited Fredericksburg last Fall we went to the Wild Seed farm   where they have acres of land that produce lots of Texas flowers and as it was the fall we bought some packages of wild seeds. I bought a large packet of larkspur and also a large packet of assorted wild flowers. The sometime in December I went around the yard sprinkling the seeds on bare spaces  but in drifts so if they actually grew in the Spring I might actually be able to find them in the grasses and leaves.
Well the larkspur definitely grew. They are everywhere. I think the seeds must have blown all over the place. There are no blooms as yet but they will be wonderful when they come into flower.

The mixed flowers have just started to bloom and they look so delicate and pretty. I wish I had bought more now as they have done so well given that I did NOTHING except sprinkle them on the ground. I let Mother Nature take over and she did well

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Painting with watercolors The Iris


Painting with watercolors The Iris



As I mentioned before I have never really used real watercolor paints so having now tried I find it difficult, absorbing, very different to oil and acrylic painting and very interesting.
I say this because when I painted the iris I tried to follow the technique's I saw on a couple of you- tube videos and it really is more difficult than it looks when a master painter is painting.
My paints are old tubes that I have had for a long time but I managed to find enough in them to use but if I want to get better colors I will have to buy newer fresher paints I think. My brushes were just fine as I have already a complete selection of brushes.
 I did find out that the paper you use is a challenge and had to try a different couple of things to make it less wavy when finished. The masking techniques were hard to do successfully but it is intriguing to do and I can see how it would be really helpful in some paintings.
I do like that it is far easier to set up and get going that the other kinds of painting plus you use only a very little paint. I guess the big expense would be to get the best kind of paper especially if you were to do a large painting.
I think the thing I found most interesting is that because of the water on both the paper and the paint you never can quite tell what effect you will get so it's always a surprise...at least to me.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The Beauty of the Iris

The Beauty of the Iris
Photo by Mike


We have lots of Iris plants in our garden. Most of them were there before we bought the house and I do very little for the plants except rake out the leaves from around them in the Spring and occasionally in the summer give them a burst of water from the hose when it gets really dry.
Last year with all the plants even the ones I had recently replanted did nothing. No flowers at all.I wondered if what I had researched was true. irises only bloom once on each plant and you have to wait until the baby corms develop before you get new flowers.
Well this year all I can say is that the baby boom in Iris flowers is just getting underway here. The colors and flowers are just amazing.
All we have to hope for now is no storm coming through and blowing them all down before they flower!!

Monday, April 8, 2013

GREEN everywhere


GREEN everywhere


It seems that all of a sudden Texas greens up!! we go from a dull brownish landscape to a bright green one. It looks so pretty especially when here and there you can see a burst of color where one of the new flowers are poking through. My Irises are just about to make a great show IF the storm doesn't blow them away.

Have you ever looked closely at the various color greens. I find them the most difficult color to paint . I can never quite get the right tone. The green I make is always too crude, too bright or just too dull. I start with blue and yellow but it's never quite right.
That's why when I look outside at my yard in the Spring , I figure I'll never paint it as it is just too green.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Soul Survivor


Soul Survivor by Bruce and Andrea Leininger with Ken Gross


I picked up this paperback book at a book sale. I thought it sounded interesting and I saw it involved airplanes so I even thought Mike, who doesn't read many books might also like to read it. He did actually read it .
It is a true story of a young toddler who has terrible nightmares and when his parents take notice , they hear him say that a man is crashing in an airplane. It is the same nightmare each night and through the next few months they get to understand that the boy thinks he is the man in the airplane and not only that, he knows the name of the airplane and eventually comes up with the name of the man and where it has crashed. The man is called James 2 and he is James 3.
The parents are intrigued with the story and can't believe their little boy can possibly know some of the things he is saying and so the story begins with the conclusion that the boy is a reincarnation of a young fighter pilot that died in WW 11.
Whether you believe in this story or indeed in reincarnation, the story is gripping. The husband is fighting the belief of reincarnation which challenges his Christian belief system So is determined to prove there is another reason for this and starts to research the details the young boy utters. This brings him into meeting up with old WW11 pilots and researching in great details the pacific war theater, the name of the boat the Natoma Bay and the men who served on her. The research is painstaking and very detailed and so this book would be very interesting to people who study that field of interest as well.
If you get a chance, read it it will make you think.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Sundrops trailing in a Winecup


Sundrops trailing in a Winecup


Today was a lovely Spring day in Texas. The wind was blowing a bit but not too bad, blue skies and sunshine makes up for that. So off I went to one of the many plant sales held at this time of the year.
This was a sale that sells nothing but native plants that are native to this specific part of Texas where I live. It is run by a good organization of very knowledgeable people and they are all too willing to share their wisdom. So wandering up and down I bought about 4 different plants. One Sundrops is supposed to be a low growing perennial with showy yellow blossoms. I sure hope this one grows well.I need some color .
 Another was a trailing winecup and this is supposed to be a plant with beautiful red flowers. I can just visualize this beautiful display of red and yellow flowers with butterflies flying around. Maybe just a dream but a nice one
Every year I put in a few more plants  and I am always quite surprised at what returns after the winter. Equally surprising are the plants that not only return but want to take over the whole yard and because I just hate to pull up anything that is actually growing, I have quite a dilemma on my hands.
You see I am not a good gardener like my 2 sisters are. I am a pottering gardener. I love to get out on a nice day and just potter around, digging here and there without too much planning ahead. I start and dig up a plant to put somewhere else only to find there's too much in there and then I don't know what to do with it. I am also very capricious because if it looks like it will get too hot , dreary or even cold outside, forget the gardening , I'll go and paint instead or read a book.
A true gardener would battle on whatever the weather.
Anyhow please keep reading my plog and if and when my new plants flower , I'll probably do a blog with a picture of them. Of course if it turns to summer heat too fast, it might just be a painting.

Friday, April 5, 2013

The Beautiful Bluebell Woods

My bluebells


When I was young , I mean very young. possibly about 7 or 8,one of the great pleasures was to go with a group of other kids to the bluebell woods in the spring. I can still remember the masses of bluebells and the new green of the trees. Strangely enough I can't remember any scent from the flowers .
There were so many bluebells growing that you would have to walk through them. We would pick armfuls of them to take home with us. I just hope they have survived the sprawl of suburbia. It was creeping ever close to the woods when we left over 40 years ago so who know now.


That is probably why last year I picked some bulbs from a catalog that sort of looked like English wood bluebells. I was pretty disappointed last year when all I got was some spindly green leaves.
This year they have done much better although I have only a few growing. Still they were enough to remind me of the beautiful Bluebell woods.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Today I met Barney

Barney


Today was my shelter visit day. I do this about every 2 weeks or so to take photos of the cats and dogs waiting to be adopted.
I have to guard my emotions very carefully as I do this as it is very easy to become overwhelmed by the future I know awaits many of these creatures.
Many pets that were dumped ,badly treated or just pushed aside after the novelty of pet ownership wore off probably feel that this shelter is a good refuge .At least they are in a dry warm place and get food and water.
Pretty soon though they must feel very disappointed ,as days go by and they sit and wait for an owner who never comes.
I see this when I arrive to take their photos. As we get each dog out of the run you can see them almost thinking , "Finally I'm going somewhere. Outside .I haven't been forgotten after all”. How sad they must feel when we put them back in the runs after a just a few moments outside.
Today I took a photos of a little dog we called Barney. He is just a mixed mutt, labeled shepherd mix, just a term used for the mix breed you often see in shelters. Barney was sitting almost shivering with fear as we open the gate of the run. I asked what his story was and was told a lady with kids had found him and although he was great with the kids she couldn't keep him. I bent down to pet him and saw that this little fellow was desperate for some love and attention. He brightened up and even stood up while we fussed him and told him what a good dog he was.
I wondered what his real story was? Was he one of these cute pups that someone took from a friend and when he got bigger,  got tired of him and put him outside even though the kids loved to play with him.So he just wandered off looking for some attention and company.

I also wondered what would become of him. He doesn't show well. Most people looking for a new dog want a status dog or a cutesy fluff ball or a pure bred.
Poor Barney will probably not even get a glance and he might just possibly be the best dog that anyone could ever have.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Happy 40th Birthday Cell Phone


Happy 40th Birthday Cell Phone
From This

Amazing isn't it that nowadays the major way of communication is via cell phone a device that wasn't even invented until 1973. Just look around you at any public or come to that any private place and you will see people talking and texting and communicating with invisible people. But at least they're communicating which to me is a good thing.
At the time the cellular phone was invented there was no personal computer, no wide world web , no internet and really no way you would have known they were even coming.
The first experience we had with this new device was when Mike got one for his business. At that time he was a marketing man and spent a lot of his time traveling around calling on people to talk the business of airplane engines. The cell phone, heavy and cumbersome as it was in those early days made life a lot easier to keep in touch with his clients. Before that he had to either get in touch with his office by regular pay phone or wait until his secretary would Beep him on his beeper and then find a payphone to call. You still had to use the cell phone with caution as it was heavy due to the very large battery. Talking was limited as the battery although huge ran out of power and took 10 hours to recharge At first the service area was very limited and only grew gradually.
To this
Well as we all know things developed fairly rapidly over the years. The device got smaller and smaller, the batteries did the same with more power becoming available and the service areas got so good that now you can call most anywhere you want to.
Now the next step, never even thought about when the first cellular phone was invented, came about. You can, if you have a smart phone ,be linked at to the internet and can use your phone as a miniature computer with all the power that goes with this form of communication.
So we certainly should wish Happy Birthday to the cell phone.
After all many of us would be lost without it.
To this
Where to next I wonder.....

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Painting the Puppies in Watercolor

Lola and Stella



So I thought I'd try a new thing. Painting using water colors. I had never done that before except as a child I had a box of paints and a paintbrush and I guess those were watercolors. At that time I was more intrigued by the lovely names of the colors ; vermillion red and emerald green and other exotic names.
I had already bought a lovely box of water color crayons and found those interesting to use and wanted to find out more. So I looked on You Tube where you can find videos on nearly anything these days. Sure enough there were masses of videos on different types of watercolor painting techniques. I watched a few of them. Some are very detailed . Some are useless in as much as they have no commentary, or at least have no commentary that you can understand and some are too quick and short for you to get helpful details.
But armed with a few techniques from watching. I got out my tubes of watercolor paints. Threw a few out they had dried up. Then got Mike to open the rest for me as some of the tops had dried on. Found a sheet of watercolor paper. Sketched Chrissy and Ben's new puppies and started.
Original photo

Well it is harder than it looks but very enjoyable. You have to work to get the right color and to get texture and light in the painting. You have to keep adding layers and you have to make sure the first layer is completely dry. Those were the main techniques I learned in this first painting. I also learned that you use very little paint, quite different than using acrylic or oil paints.
I felt the painting was good enough to give as a present for Easter to the grand kids and will serve to remind them in future how cute their grown dogs were as pups.
Puppies grow up so fast !!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Easter Celebrations.


Easter Celebrations.
Lola and Stella

The weather men had been forecasting storms and rain and cloudy skies but none of this happened. We even managed to have our Easter lunch outside on the patio at Chrissy and Ben's house. Ben cooked some lovely spare ribs with a great sauce and Chrissy and Laura made all kinds of veggie dishes. Both Mikes, old and younger and Trevor all ate well and we were so full that my carrot cake had to be eaten later.
Easter lunch

Introduced to the family were Chrissy and Ben's 2 new puppies, a German shepherd called Lola and a boxer called Stella. Laura and Trevor brought their 2 golden retrievers Chloe and Natalie with them so there was lots of fun all around. Chrissy even managed to get a picture of all us  dogs as well with her new camera. I hope we get to see it sometime !!


Family group minus youger Mike and me.