I haven't painted birds before really ! Anyway, I now sell bird seed in the farm shop, so I thought I'd do a sort of poster showing the types of bird that would eat our bird food mix ! It is also a learning aid for myself as I'm hopeless at birds names, both Swedish and English, so I have written names in both languages.

So that was Christmas been and gone !

I can't believe how fast the weeks are flying past me just now ! Christmas has been and gone and now it's 2009 !

Here's Shiny anyway with his Christmas hat on ! We all had a splendid Christmas, even if it was over far too fast !

November already. It has been quite a busy time here, and what with internet problems and moving, my blogspot has been badly ignored !

We now have Moorbridge and Shiny ! They seem happy in their new home. Don't know much about horses, but I'm learning ! Glad my daughter is only too happy to take care of them anyway !

I have been doing some painting, not as much as I wish. These watercolours of fruit from the garden were fun to do, but I wish I could be a bit more free !! Sorry, these aren't very good photo's.

I did some oil pastel views out of the windows. The hill behind the farm has a couple of burial mounds on it.

I always like the patterns left in the fields from farming.

I'm starting to get the farm shop ready for Christmas. I painted some simple dolls houses and little wooden people. I thought they would look decorative and hopefully I might sell one or two !

After the summer !

It's been a busy summer ! We've moved house and we are now happily ( after a fair amount of tantrums and tears ) living on the farm. The house is in need of a complete face lift, but we'll get there eventually.

Our youngest has spent all summer playing Lucy in the stage version of "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" it was a terrific experience for her and the whole family. She has been so lucky to have spent so much time with such thoroughly wonderful people, actors, musicians etc.

Being lulled to sleep by Mr Tumnus and his beautiful singing.

She's hooked to theatre now !

Flying on Aslans back

My computer crashed just before we moved house, had I backed up the last few months of photo's....no !!! I have now learnt my lesson and wont be so lazy again.

My farm shop has gone fairly well this summer and I'm still gathering more produce to sell. I had a good honey harvest ( beginers luck ) and people seem keen to buy local honey, so I'm very pleased I took on the beehives. I have so much to learn though !!

I'm working on some late summer landscapes at the moment. I'll scan some in soon.

Wishing anyone who reads this blessings and well wishes

Summer has arrived !

Wow...hot summer sun ! Lovely days, I hope this continues.

My bees are as busy as....well, bees ! My instructor tells me we'll be ready for honey extraction around Midsummer.

We now have Moorbridge, a sweet d pony, he seems so good natured.

We have sold our house, and will now be steadily moving over to the farm...phew...it's all go here !

I have some pictures in a local exhibition which is always fun.

These aren't very good photo's, taken at odd angles, chopping bits off and glare from the sun ! But, you get the idea !

Bees !

It's been far too long since I added to my blog ! We are having a busy time here though. Our house is now for sale....sniff sniff ! We will be moving to the farm, which is lovely, but there is so much work to be done there !

Anyway, it is spring here and the cherry blossom is bursting into bloom, so I could bring some into the house yesterday to decorate before people came to look around.

The cranes arrived some weeks ago, they are wonderful birds, so tall, and very noisey ! I love hearing them in the early mornings, very positive, means winter is well and truely over !

I took delivery of two bee hives on Saturday ! Vey exciting, I am under the guidence of an expert bee keeper, who is going to teach me about the ways of the bee ! I hope to get some honey out of it for my farm shop too ! Keep thinking of Winnie the Pooh

Isn't it funny

How a bear likes honey

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

I wonder why he does

Easter, snow and a sore throat !

We had a lovely Easter. Plenty of colourful Easter decorations. The tradition here is to decorate birch twigs with feathers. In the old days they used to beat each other with the twigs on Good Friday...but I'm glad to say that is not done anymore....not in our house anyway !!










We spent the day with some friends who keep hens, so I made some extra hens to go in their hen house, filled them with sweets and chocolates for the children !

We had snow brrrr, but that soon melted away !

Today I have a poorly daughter with a sore throat, but Chutney is looking after her....sloppy old cat !

Easter

Easter at my farm shop, an exhibition of spring flowers !

Little baskets with folded flannels to look like bunnies, lovely soaps, Joannas cards with hens are perfect!

Easter biscuits with coffee

and I'm thrilled to have Eileen's beautiful cards (drawingsfromnature.com) on display and for sale....unfortunately I can't get my blogger to upload the better photo's I took of Eileen's cards on display. I will try taking more, they are so beautiful and full of texture and detail.

Spring flowers

I've been working on some Spring flowers paintings. I love the bright colours of daff's, tulips, crocuses that arrive in the shops at this time of year. I've noticed snowdrops coming up in the garden, otherwise, it's a bit early here for flowers to grow in the garden.

Anyway, here are some sketches, I'll post the paintings when I've finished them....as long as they turn out ok. I'm enjoying painting them. It's colour therapy !

Birthday

I had a lovely birthday with beautiful flowers.....

...and a yummy "smörgåstårta" (sandwich cake)

My farm shop is ticking over. More customers now than in Jan'anyway! I now have some more ecco friendly and organic soaps and household cleaners, ecco/fairtrade t shirts etc. The shelves are stocked with chutneys and jams, so it's starting to look busy which I like !
Any advice on unusual things to stock would be great. I read that you should try to suprise your customer...maybe I should hide behind the door and when they come in, jump out and say "BOO!" ?

I'm actually painting again !

I've been inspired by seeing some lovely folkarty rooms here in Sweden, and I've been working on some little watercolour ideas.

A friend wanted a painting done of her friends cat for a 50th birthday present, so I did my best to capture the cat from photo's, I never find that easy.

I tried scanning the painting in before I'd actually finished it, then forgot to scan the finished painting in before handing it over ! But, anyway,it was nearly finshed ! My scanner seems to have problems with greens and makes them browns !

Christmas and back again !

That was a lovely Christmas ! We flew back to the UK for a Christmas with my family and our friends. It was great to meet up with people even if it was far too brief.

We met up with good mates and took all the children to a pantomime. Beauty and the Beast. It was fun " Oh Yes it Was...!" for everyone. The girls loved it, and so did we. Great to see a good old British " It's behind you...!" Panto' !! Sorry, it's not a good photo, we weren't allowed to take while they were acting, so I took a photo in the interval, just for a memory !

The Christmas curtains and candles have been put away now. We had a bit of snow when we came back to Sweden, enough for the girls to sledge and do a little skiing. It's gone now and it is strangely mild with reports of spring flowers growing. I don't know what's happening to our climate ! I can't say I enjoy snow, but I like the seasons to do as they should !

Poor old Chutney the cat has been in the wars, and right now feels very sorry for himself. He has a rubber tube in his head to drain out an infection, and a plastic collar thing on to stop him from pulling at it ! He looks quite gruesome. I was going to put a photo on my blog, but I don't think he'd appreciate it ! He keeps walking backwards to try and get the collar off. I think he's very cross with me for taking him to the vets ! Here's a picture of him as he should be, a big snuggly, lazy cat !

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ANYONE WHO READS THIS !! XXXXXX

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year XXXXXXX