Portrait of Alice

This portrait  has been a long time coming....

My husband lost his mother when he was 12 years old, leaving him, and an elder brother and sister behind.
she lost her battle with cancer at quite a young age{42 I believe} All a very sad business.

We had a family get together with B's sister this week who is over from Australia, and presented her with the portrait,  in memory of her mother. She was thrilled! It was indeed a very emotional moment, and I for one am so glad she loved it,  as it has been one of those very' difficult 'ones to get right. Had me cursing and swearing a fair bit! But the challenge did me good, and it improves ones skills to have to keep persevering.

Ref pic of Alice

For one thing we didn't have any photographs of her to reference from except this one{above} where she is holding Bill the eldest brother, it is very  faint, and hard to make out her features properly, but it's the best  I had to  had work from, here are the stages of the painting. It is all done in oil.

Drawing

Blocking in  colours



 



Creating shadows



Building up layers of colour and definition



Almost there!



Final stage

It is such a  wonderful feeling being able to capture someones spirit in a painting.

I really love the sepia finish too.

So onto my next project now....:)

Beltane

The beginning of Summer!!



Beltane was an important festival in the Celtic calendar. The name originates from the Celtic god, Bel - the 'bright one', and the Gaelic word 'teine' meaning fire, giving the name 'bealttainn', meaning 'bright fire'.


This is the beginning of the 'lighted half' of the year when the Sun begins to set later in the evening and the hawthorn blossoms. To our ancestors Beltane was the coming of summer and fertility. Nature is in bloom and the earth is full of fecundity and life.Beltane is a time of partnerships and fertility. New couples proclaim their love for each other on this day. It is also the perfect time to begin new projects.




The maypole - a phallic pole planted deep in the earth representing the potency and fecundity of the God, its unwinding ribbons symbolized the unwinding of the spiral of life and the union of male and female - the Goddess and God. It is usually topped by a ring of flowers to represent the fertile Goddess.


Beltane cakes or bannocks - oatcakes coated with a baked on custard made of cream, eggs and butter - were cooked over open fires and anyone who chose a misshapen piece or a piece with a black spot was likely to suffer bad luck in the coming months. They were also offered to the spirits who protect the livestock, by facing the Beltane fire and casting them over their shoulders



This is a lovely time of the year, and will always remind me of my wedding day, anniversary on the 14th,the promise of summer.....

Don't think I will be dancing around a maypole though, sure I can think of something else ;)

Fun in the sun ☼ Apple tree's and Roses

I have been really busy the last few weeks, not even caught up on reading my fave blogs.

My children have have a busy time too, my little girl  attends ballet classes, and performed in a show for 3 nights on the trot and did amazingly well, considering she's still 3, never got stage fright at all, she was in her element, she dressed up as bumble bee, and sung and danced to the ugly bug ball {Disney} and Chu Chi Face, I was SO SO proud if her!!

Elder son went away to Dorset for his rugby tour, all lads and dads together, :O They had good weather and a great time,  and they won the tournament, so he was a happy bunny! Then both  of my sons went on to Oxford for more camping with there dad, no pool on site though, don't think they were too impressed with swimming in the lake....and youngest son cannot get by without Laptop, PS3, Ipod etc, don't think they are keen on charades for entertainment!

We have had the most amazing weather here in the south East, it has been like mid July,  we already have our gazebo up on our decking{can't sit in full sun!} looks very pretty at night with all the fairy lights.

We made many trips to the garden centre over the weekend, and bought tomatoes, strawberries, chillies and a variety of herbs. I'm not growing them outside this year, as fed up with the slugs eaten them, so am keeping them in my conservatory, wish we had room for more in here though.

Homegrown tiers

We also bought some roses, I love them, and can't be bothered with planting annuals as the slugs munch through them too,  waste of money. I  bought 3 different colours which are stunning can't wait to see them bloom, one is a a silvery lilac colour, another a peachy pink, and a burgundy, all will look gorgeous together. A good investment as they will come up every year. I also have climbing pink rose which has gone mad this year, will post some pics when in bloom.



Beautiful roses


Our most special purchase was our very own apple tree, its 'Lord Derby' variety, it is a cooking apple, and is four years old and has loads of blossoms which means lots of fruit this year!! It is said to be very hardy and disease resistant, and will  produce crops up to November -December, I can't tell you how excited we are about watching her grow, B has always wanted an apple tree since he was a child, and it was him that went on and on, we saw this one and thought that is the one!! Here she is.. I'm going to have to paint that ugly wall being it though, very grotty looking, and next doors fence has seen better days, hoping he will replace this year.

Miss Derby

She doesn't look like much at the moment, but will flourish in 2-3 years:) We don't have a very large garden but we had a perfect space to plant it, and will control the size.

 I have been most jealous of Mrs Quince Tree {one of my fave bloggers} she has masses of fruits from her Quince tree and gets to make all kinds of delicious things, so I think I will post on progress once in a while too :)

We had a lovely Easter weekend spent with family and friends, had 2 BBQ's, drinks, all in all very enjoyable. The very early egg hunt {6. 30 am!!}took  daughter nearly 3 hours! Little one then  preceded to spend most of the weekend in her cossie in the paddling pool, and  running through the sprinkler!!

Fun in the sun!



Happy with her stash :)

Here are lots of pics of my beautiful tulips : most impressive this year, I especially like the black ones, lovely colour combos,and other parts of my garden, the Tamarix looks like candyfloss!

A blaze of gold at the local park







Candyfloss pink

Easter flowers

I love my garden and feel very lucky to have one :)

Here's to another sunny weekend!

Restorative weekend

We have spent our weekend restoring this lovely dresser picked up from a  local charity shop for a bargain price, I did manage to haggle them down :) The sanding down was a pain, and the paint was a one coat satin which took forever to dry, but I'm so pleased with the result, I LOVE it so much, makes my kitchen feel very cosy and welcoming, more of a farmhouse feel, and has given me loads of much needed storage space.

These dressers are really expensive to buy this way, done up, NO WAY was I paying what they are charging in out local trendy Shabby Chic Emporium type shops, just a bit of graft and a tin of paint, VOILA!

Before






After...TA DAH!!

    I have been scouring bootsales for the past few weeks to find some old vintage plates and jugs to dress it, and have been lucky every week that I have gone,  got most bits and bobs for 20p ,50p.

I have some lovely pieces left to me by my two departed grandmothers, which i've been waiting to display for ages, like this gorgeous 1930's coffee set which belonged to my great grandmother, I have the whole set, but just put a few pieces of it out.

Royal doulton 1930's coffee set

My  younger son bought me this plate from a boot sale yesterday, which I love, and this little table, which got attacked with the paint aswell yesterday.

Mothers day plate

Bootsale find

I had a 'funny' mother's card from eldest son, and a lovely card from my little one, and a handmade heart, don't  these handmade cards just make you melt...

It's cherry blossom, Love it!! With her little message inside.:) We all had a lovely lunch out.




 

Bless...

All in all a productive and  most enjoyble weekend! Hope you had a good one too. xx

Goodbye dearest Nana ♥

My lovely Nana died on  Saturday 19th March, she was 83 years old.  It was expected, as she had been very ill and in hospital for some weeks before, but she came home a few days before she died. Nonetheless it was still very sudden, sad and emotional.
She was my last remaining grandparent, and the last of her generation, so it feels very strange, that there won't be any old folks in my life any more..

My grandparents have been such a massive part of my life for as long as I can remember, I talked about this in a blog last spring here  strangely a year to the day that I posted that blog, that was the last time I saw her. I can't imagine not ever being able to go and visit either of them again, My grandad died 8 years ago, so the house must be so empty, now she has gone too.

So it is with great sadness I make my way to the house for the last time tomorrow for the funeral , it's going to be so emotional, I will need plenty of tissues, my mum has seen to it that she has the send off that she wanted.

My grandparents were childhood sweethearts, and at the end of the service they're song 'Always' by  Harry Nilsson will be played.

I made my own flowers for her today, in her favorite colours, and I felt so sad that this will be the very last thing I ever do for her :(

I hope she approves, always thrifty she never wasted money and loved a bargain, she will be pleased that I didn't line a florists pocket {these wreaths can cost up to £75} and my own love and thought went into it..

She loved her garden so much and had  requested  that it be kept up until the house was sold. The though of it going to wrack and ruin upset her deeply. I will take whatever I can, and keep it alive in my garden.

I already have lots of her treasures to remember her by, as in last years post I mentioned she was always giving me stuff every time I visited her. These things are a great comfort to have, and will be handed down to future generations in my family, namely girls!  But most of all  my head will always be filled with happy memories of her and my grandad , throughout my childhood and a big part of my adulthood, I'm so grateful to have been blessed with that.

Treasure your grandparents while you have them, they are precious and there is much you can learn from them.

Thank you so much  Nana, till we meet again... RIP XX

Spring wreath

Blossom and blue skies...

What a gorgeous week its been here in the South East, so much sunshine, has put a spring back in my step.

Little daughter and I marvel at the leaves getting bigger  in the hedgerows on the way to school, in the mornings, and these gorgeous Cherry tree blossoms lining the school gates in the mornings, as well as an abundance of rosemary, which smells so aromatic when we brush past it.  We play spot the Forsythias on each side of the road, S always wins of course! she calls them Vasyhthia, oh well she's on the right track to knowing her plant names....

School walk

This other little tree is just outside the nursery doors, in the children's play yard, it still has its Christmas baubles, they glitter and twinkle in the sun...

Christmas Cherry

We could smell freshly cut grass too, such a wonderful hit, that first whiff of proper spring makes you yearn for the summer days ahead. Little S has been drawing hearts and spring flowers, I thought this was a pretty good tulip , considering she is still 3!

Spring doodles

I am still enjoying the flourish from my pink orchid, on its 3rd year now, so beautiful and  intricate the detail in these flowers, I think they look like an alien species, all clones!

Even got some washing hung out this week, such simple pleasures, watching my curtains billowing away, in the strong winds we had yesterday.

First line dry of the year

So with these warmer days, lighter days ahead of us, I need to come out of my slothdom, and get out more, walking, gardening {can't wait to get out to clear my garden} I don't go out much in the winter, unless I have too.

Need to shift some of the winter weight too :O It is much easier in the warmer weather, I will no longer be craving typical winter comfort foods. BBQ's salads and more salads all the way for me! Bring it on!

Do have a  happy, sunny weekend wherever you are :)

Old Rye Town

I get transported  back in time when I visit this charming old town...


The Mint



Crooked houses and streets...






Antiques centre

Old Bell pub

Pottering around the antique shops, old fashioned sweet jar shops,{real memories of childhood in those jars}

Colourful window display

Art works, kitchen and pottery shops, cosy candlelit restaurants, beautiful churches..

Love this local's artwork

 Strolling along it's quaint cobbled streets,  relaxing with a nice glass of wine, by cosy pub fires in deep winter, or sitting sheltered under the gnarled and twisted Wisteria outside the Old Bell pub on a balmy evening in midsummer...





Beautiful church

Cosy pub fire

 






Proper bakers -Simon the Pieman

Valentines steak dinner

B and I went two weeks ago for Valentines day, it wasn't  planned that way, but was nice all the same to have a child free day and night. Nice? it was BLISS! To do what you want when you want, I forget the feeling of freedom, as I have 3 year old in tow 24/7.



I have been in all weathers, and its my secret romantic hidey hole, and I will revisit again and again...


As I was away for valentines day, daughter and I made these as a belated marker the following day

Happy hearts

                                       Happy times!