Naomi has been spending a lot of time on my shoulder lately!
She likes to help me draw. I was working on a coloured-pencil drawing for our Art Fayre show June 23 & 24th. I was drawing with a reference photo to look at, but it was a photo taken by me in our garden. I can hear my high school art teacher telling me "Draw from life!" A bit hard to draw from life when it's April and you're working on an Autumn Beauty sunflower complete with bumble bee. However, I spend a lot of time observing bees, so that helps me.
Finished this one. Next I want to do a honeybee drawing.
And onto other things...
Driving by Casselman last week, we saw some kids flying a HUGE kite! I mean, really huge. One of those ten-feet-across jobs with two people holding two sets of strings.
And we are fixing up our upstairs, so the gest bed is in the piano room. All the cats are taking turns perching atop it...
Of course, Julius is also very fond of my printer...
That looks says it all. DO NOT DISTURB!
He's a pretty happy old guy. Loves that toasty-warm Xerox.
In other news, one of my two beehives went belly-up after the cold snap this week. It was weak anyway but I thought I might be able to build it up. But there weren't enough bees to cluster and keep warm when it snowed Monday. Sigh. The other hive is exploding. I added a third brood box to keep them from swarming before I can split the hive. I also ordered three nucs (starter hives) so that I can try to get my bee empire up past two hives this year! I keep going backwards and it's a little frustrating.
And Ronna the mama-duck is doing very well. I steeled myself to take away one of the marked eggs today, so I've got her down to nine. That means we'll have 24 ducks if all those hatch. Still too many! :)
When I went down to put the ducks and chickens away tonight, I took a bowl of water and food over to Ronna-duck so that she could have a snack and drink from the comfort of her own nest. Muscovy ducks sit on their eggs for up to about 36 days, leaving perhaps once or twice a day to perform their ablutions, so I try to take her a snack at least once a day. I didn't do that for Eugenia when she was on the nest last year and she managed just fine!
I had a spectacular wipe-out in the duck run this evening. I was wearing my rubber boots and slipped on the wet wood planks at the doorway. Fell on on my knee and wrist but didn't break anything. Just ouchy. I'm glad I still bounce!
That's all the news that's fit to print for today.
Gorgeous artwork. I need an inhaler just to draw breath, so anyone who can draw...I'm in awe!
ReplyDeleteJane x
Thanks Jane! :)
DeleteI'm so glad you didn't break anything. To have you go clopin-clopan, or with one arm in a cast, would be a disaster for the whole household. Let the ducks be, a day or two. They'll manage!
ReplyDeleteThat drawing is so beautiful. Of course, we all know it's Naomi's right paw which did the work...
I bounce well! :) But no, I don't need an arm in a cast! ANd Naomi loves to help me.
DeleteFlower art is impressive. Is it pencil?
ReplyDeleteIt is! Layers upon layers of coloured pencil. I build it up until it's very opaque. Prismacolors!
DeleteYou work your cats too hard!
ReplyDeleteI know, I know. One day the SPCA is going to come arrest us!
DeleteIs that the water for your brush to your right? Next to your mug of tea/coffee ... ripe for the wrong dunking!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could like bees but something primal repels me. It's sad, because every bee I meet circles me and wants to make friends and all I can do is grit my teeth, avoid flailing around and move on as fast as I can!
Oh, I have dunked a paintbrush in my tea before!!!!
DeleteI bet I could get you to love bees. I'd suit you up and take you to the hive and have you lovin' them in no time! :D
Nice that you are feeding Ronna-duck at the nest. And happy you call her Ronna-duck from time-to-time. Every time I read my name I think, what have I done now?
ReplyDeleteAnd BE CAREFUL on wet wood with rubber boots. Our little bridge on the side can be deadly when wet. I've taken a tumble once or twice so now tip toe across when it's wet! You should put up a sign "Slipper when wet!"
I will try to remember to call her Ronna-Duck to avoid confusion. You will have the cutest little grand-duckies.
DeleteYou know, i was very careful on that wood all winter and the other night, wham, totally forgot. It's deadly! And yes, I should put up a sign to remind myself!
Cats choice your favorite nap places!
ReplyDeleteYour artwork is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Willie!
DeleteHey, dontcha break anything! I don't want to read about your broken arm next! I somehow hurt my arm, the tendon, have what's called "golfer's elbow". It's been bothering me for months. It's getting better, but it's been painful. I am now EXTREMELY careful with my arms so as not to bump it or even touch it on anything that may hurt it. My goal is for it to be better in a year. Doc tells me to stop using my arm, but that's impossible...
ReplyDeleteYour drawing is awesome, BTW.
Sorry about the bees. If one hive is too full can't you put the extra bees in the hive that has less bees to even them out? (I know nada about bees).
Take care, Nat!
~Lynn
Ugh, these arm things suck! I have tennis elbow, and how the heck do I stop using my right arm? I mean really! I feel your pain. Hope you can get yours to heal up.
DeleteYou are right about the bees. I am going to split my one booming hive into two (unless they swarm first. Let's hope not!)
Have a good one, Lynn!
The bee really makes the sunflower picture, it's lovely.
ReplyDeleteWhen you said you had a wipe-out in the duck run, my first thought was that you meant you were getting too many ducks so you culled some!