2018 . . . . full of surprises . . . . 

and totally in love with the poems of Mary Oliver

“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body 
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.” 
― Mary Oliver

Worked on it a bit more . . .
It is done now - leaving it as is . . .

Online portrait course in acrylics by Chantel Lynn Barber

My first assignment for Chantel Lynn Barber's online course.

A huge learning experience. Very happy and excited for the privilege to do the course.

Chantel gives valuable comments and critique. 

A first in acrylics for me.
Think I started off too dark?
No drawing. Attention on shapes and colour. This is a colour study.

Thanks Chantel for your comments and critique. Think I must do another study after a few days. Hopefully it is better than this one.

"Acrylic does dry darker and it is easy to start off too dark. I find that beginning with the middle values and then working in to the dark and light value makes it much easier to keep the darks from getting too dark. 
You have lovely colors in her lips and pretty blue tones in her hair. Nice job! 
The warm darks are missing in her hair, which would create a wonderful contrast with the blues in her hair. She does have orange tones in her face, and you have captured those, but you are missing the warm pinks that soften all the orange tones. It is a lot to think about, but the good news is it gets easier with practice :)"

I love Chantel's work, specially the mosaic effect she so beautifully conveys in her paintings.

Hallo Autumn - 2016

Vakansiedae is wonderlik om agtergeblewe take uit te sorteer soos kaste regpak, broodbak, stukkende klere lap en stop, en so meer.

Gister se dinge : broodbak en 'n eenvoudige waterverf (kersfees pointsettia vasverf op papier).

Februarie 2015

'n nuwe jaar wat vinnig uit die wegspring blok glip ... dit is al weer februarie

gedurende die week oppad skool toe neem ons hierdie foto

die drie wakker pragtige hondegesigte het ons aandag getrek -- kalm, rustig en gehoorsaam wag hulle ...

Welcome September

i made some quick schetches and water colors while waiting at school and after school at tennis / music / just waiting for Lize . . .

* abstract --  tulips

* kyk in truspieel terwyl ek wag by skool

apples & beetroot

apples are not only for eating and keeping the doctor away

beetroot is not limited to salad

lize cut an apple swan befor she savoured the apple

i wanted to make beetroot chips as a snack to ordinary potato chips but was not very successful. it was not crisp as i would have liked it, instead was rewarded with a beautiful paper on which i placed the chips to dry out.

aronskelke of te wel varkblomme

Die velde is oortrek met hierdie pragtige lelie -- in die volksmond bekend as varkblomme. Ek wonder nogal waarom "varkblomme".

Dit is verbode om te pluk as gevolg van 'n paddatjie wat die lelies as skuiling gebruik en ook om te keer dat ander fynbosspesies gepluk en gesmous word. Dit sou kon lei tot die uitwissing van die plante.

Maar wie kan die versoeking weerstaan wanneer langs die paaie die lelies te koop aangebied word deur plaaswerkers of werkloses wat so 'n geldjie priobeer in.

Botanical water colour workshop

Herfswind draai . . . en waai
die droe blare alles netjies bymekaar. 

Hierdie was begin by die werkswinkel aangebied deur die Drakenstein Kunsvereniging. By die werkswinkel het ek gewerk net aan die 4 blare (protea- en olyfblare). Die aarbei- en malvablaar het later by die huis bygekom.

Persimons

Persimons -- 'n stroopsoet vrug met die helderste oranje kleur wat herinner aan laat herfs.

Die bome by Babilonstoren hang vol daarvan -'n mooi gesig.

Father's day

Father's day started off with a healthy breakfast. As it is a windy rainy day we had breakfast before the fireplace. Lize made the fire and breakfast while I attended to the animals and  Claude wake up to ease into the day in comfort.

After breakfast I started on a hoody for Lize. About a month ago she asked me to make her one. She ordered a navy one and a grey one. Yesterday we drove to Somerset West to buy some fabric. As we drove back we took a picture of the sunset. It was a beautiful day.

Garden therapy

All a teenager (girl) sometimes need is some garden therapy to discover some things of herself and life around her. It is a sunny winter morning with an icey edge, no running water and the living is easy.

Snippets of my winter garden

Dis heerlik om na 'n dag se werk tuis te kom en deur die tuin te stap.
Na die dag se sagte reen is die plante, gras, bome en lug skoongewas.
Elke lewe (plant en dier) adem die vreugde van die reen en die varsheid van die grond . . .

En ons - ons verwarm onsself saans voor die kaggel met 'n boek in die hand. En voed ons  liggame met warm heilsame sop en vars brood - koningskos.

For Annie

To keep warm early morning attending the sheep on a Karoo farm.

Pattern found in Ravelry by Krentu.
Yarn : Softie by Sirdar

a few things . . .

eerste winterreen van die jaar
eerste kaggelvuur van die seisoen
'n paar klein werkies gedoen voor die vuur
'n pot vol wit rose
en 'n gelukkige gesin vol draadwerk

Moedersdag / Mother's day 2014

Hanlies Properties se voorbereiding vir moedersdag . . . vir almal wat al 'n eiendom by Hanlies gekoop het, en daar 'n moeder is . . . die mooiste kruie-bakkies.

'n lawwe bosvers

Diep in die woud
Waar dit reen is en nat en koud
Fluister die bome geheime vir mekaar
Oor die mense, blomme en 'n akkerblaar.

Hulle skinder oor gebeure
En oor bekende, muwwerige geure
Oor die reen en son en dou
En oor die duif en die Piet-my-vrou.

Hulle praat oor die seisoene en son
En oor die somer wat hopenlik kom
Hulle kla oor die nat reenweke
En praat oor familie wat hul blare mors in  geute.

Hulle praat oor die skoolbome
Wat akkers gooi op kinders se tone
En oor die tuinboom wat kan raak aan 'n opgewonde kleuter se roksoom.

Want al die inligting waarvan hulle so praat
Hoor hulle by die mens, hul eie spanmaat
Hulle luister as die mense deur die bos kom loop
Of om iets by die boswinkel te koop

So gaan die dae verby, die week le op sy rug
En so bring dit my ook aan die einde
Van my lawwe bosgedig.

- woorde deur lize -

Winter on the way

Knitting while waiting for L at school or tennis or music lesson or maths lesson. I always keep something in the car to do - either knitting or reading.

Fitted cardigan by Jo Sharp -

home made quince jelly

I am not a cook - I make simple, easy, healthy food for everyday living.
I am not a baker - do not bake cake, cookies or pudding -- it's not my forte.
But once in a while I make something out of the orfinary.

Sister in law gave me a basket filled with freshly picked quinces. I made it into quince jelly . . . beautiful colour, delicious taste and lovely to look at.

Hier is my aanwysings vir die mooiste, heerlikste en lieflikste kweperjellie :

Sny kwepers in stukke met skil en al - weeg 2 kg af na gesny
Gooi in groot kastrol saam met 2.5 liter water
Was 1 suurlemoen af en sny middeldeur, druk sap uit in kastrol, en gooi in kastrol saam met kweperstukke
Prut vir 1 uur tot goed sag

Gooi deur vergietes sodat sap en pulp apart is
Hou sap eenkant, skep pulp terug in pot
Voeg 1.25 liter water by en prut vir 30 minute
Gooi weer deur vergietes.
Gooi pulp en suurlemoen weg

Meet die sap af en gooi in groot pot
Gooi vir elke 500 ml sap een en 'n kwart koppie wit suiker by
Verhit tot kookpunt, roer totdat al die suiker opgelos het
Kook nou vinnig (ongeveer 1 uur)
Moenie roer nie
Toets op koue piering - skep sap op piering en wanneer afkoel, moet dit jel