Gordon Setter.

I have been busy working on Easter artwork and a couple of commissioned pieces, none of which I can show you yet. This piece is something I did to illustrate a poem by Robert Burn’s; it was published by Kingfisher and appeared in “A Little Book of Dogs”. I am not entirely sure if the dog in question was actually a Gordon Setter but that was what I was instructed to paint by the editor at the time.

On Friday I hope to take it over to Chester where I will meet up with “Books Illustrated”, and so, in preparation for handing over the original I had the image scanned at my local repro house where they have a wonderful drum scanner. The repro house used to serve many of the local pottery companies; it is a sad sign of the times that in the last six months I was the only artist who used this facility. I dread to think what will happen if this scanner fails, it will be too expensive to repair and I have been unable to find another in my area. Of course I have a scanner here but there is no comparison in image quality. Before the world went digital I used to have my artwork photographed and put onto three inch by five inch transparencies, the problem now is the photographer cannot find suppliers of large format film. It is all very worrying and very sad, especially as I have to drive past so many closed down factories in what used to be the very heart of our pottery industry, poor old Stoke-on Trent!

On A Dog Of Lord Eglinton’s

I never barked when out of season,
I never bit without a reason;
I ne'er insulted weaker brother,
Nor wronged by force or fraud another.
We brutes are placed a rank below;
Happy for man could he say so.

Robert Burns

When life gets me down I find great solace in dogs especially my own little Jack Russell Ted. He makes me smile without fail; he lifts my spirits and keeps me fit. He gives me unconditional love and devotion and asks nothing in return except his keep. A dog that belonged to Lord Eglinton inspired this poem by Robert Burns but I think it will strike a chord with many dog owners.

A bright and frosty beginning.

click to see more detail.

I have not ventured out of the house today as my wellington boots are in my car and my car is buried in snow! So much for my girl guide training to be prepared.

I took these photographs yesterday when the ground was hard and covered with frost, the fields looked so pretty, It brought to mind this song.

"Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel."

It is a pity that we do not burn logs because Ted just loves to collect firewood.

Caution, scary plant!

The little field of “set aside” where Ted and I often walk is remarkable in that it supports so many different kinds of plant life. Most of these plants are common grasses, clovers, vetches etc, however, just look what we found last week. I am not sure if you will be able to judge the height of this plant from my photograph but it is almost certainly over twelve feet tall. My learned friend informed me that it is a Giant Hogweed, Apiaceae Umbelliferea, beautiful but very dangerous.

It is a member of the parsley and carrot family but can reach heights of twenty feet. The sap from this plant can cause severe burns to the skin so care must be taken when handling any part of it. Ted and I kept well clear!

Marsh Marigolds.

Did someone mention going for a W.A.L.K.? We have taken to spelling certain words in our house because there is always the chance that somebody will hear!

After the doom and gloom of my earlier posts I am delighted to report that we have just spotted a water vole in the little stream which runs close by here. Everyone feared that we had seen the last of this native but now scarce creature.

The photographs show a little patch of woodland which is a mere hop, skip and a jump away from our house. Nobody ventures too far into this little patch because it is very boggy and home to the odd snake. I believe them to be grass snakes but others say they are adders. As you can see the environment provides the perfect place for Marsh Marigolds which is believed to be one of our most ancient native plants. It seems that as the glaciers retreated after the last ice age the landscape became inundated by glacial meltwaters which provided a perfect home for these moisture loving plants, sometimes referred to as Kingcups. I think they belong to the same group of plants as the buttercup and can be a mild irritant to the skin if picked, perhaps this has helped them survive so long?

Bluebell wood

I had plans this week to paint bluebells, as you can see they are at their best right now. Sunday was so mild and pleasant, walking through our local wood with birds busy nesting and bumblebees humming. Everywhere great drifts of bluebells as far as the eye could see.

Instead I am painting holly and poinsettia for a client in a hurry. These are the joys of being a freelancer, still, where would we be without Christmas? So whilst I am away please feel free to wander through our little wood, but please don't tell anyone else because it's our secret!

Walking with Ted

As I have enjoyed visiting my guests' blogs and glimpsing everyday life in countries near and far, I thought you might like to join Ted and I on our morning walk. You will need your Wellington boots and a winter coat today as it's a bit chilly and damp under foot.

Within a stone's throw of our door lies a couple of fields of fallow land. The path you see in the photograph has been fashioned by feet; dogs, people, rabbits and foxes have all helped to keep the path closely cropped. The middle of the path is mainly grass and tiny clover leaves, on the margin the plants grow longer and more luxuriant; buttercups, clovers, vetches give way to ox-eye daisies, ragwort, thistles and grasses Every day is different, the fields team with life as the wild and diverse plant species attract many varieties of birds, animals and butterflies. The path reminds me of an embroidery and the field - a firework display, in the sense that one beautiful display is replaced by another spectacle throughout the year.

We often see toads and frogs, not today - we found huge, black slugs enjoying the damp grass. On the bindweed tiny banded snails clung onto the tendrils and leaves. One summer Ted came across a grass snake and adders have been spotted near the stream.

I don't normally take my camera with me which is just as well, everywhere I look there is something wonderful to photograph, very distracting and time consuming when there is work to be done!