Round here
I can't believe how fast the month of July has trickled thru my fingers!Where did it go? I also can't believe that a whole month has past here at West Cottage. Sometimes I wish I could make the time stand still.Spoke to Chloe today on Skype. I miss that girl of ours so much, but isn't it a wonderful world we live in that I can see her live whenever I want to? I also love that she's finally (after I threatened to not renew her web space if she didn't do something with it), keeping her blog. And, can I just say that her photography skills are so amazing now! She's got my professional Canon in Van and has learned to use the tripod and timed shutter release and some of the photos are taken that way. But all are taken by her!So lately I've been gardening weeding waging total war on weeds in some pretty impressive heat, while watching the beautiful Oxfordshire skies for approaching thunderstorms, and having silly fun; like raiding Catherine's pebble drive and collecting odd pebbles and flints and designing prehistoric families. (My prehistoric man had an impressive cod piece for a while but Robbie waved the subtlety flag.) :D
This morning R had to run some chores just very close to Oxford and so I begged a ride into town. Thursday is the antique market in town and I was dying to visit the map seller. I usually buy a lot of damaged old maps form him that I can paint on.Things worked out pretty well as R was going to be about an hour, and so we agreed to meet in 50 minutes and I hoofed it the last mile into town. Good thing I did too. The traffic was a morning grid lock and, despite the ridiculous number of students clogging the sidewalk, (for the summer months), I got to the market in ten minutes.
OMG! So many beautiful things to see! I want to come back and buy some lovely blue and white plates for Kerstie's collection, and this dress! If I were to get married I'd so chose a 1940s gold embroidered beauty like this rather than any new gown in the world. (Oh, and also have a couple ribs removed to fit into it! LOL)
But mustn't get sidetracked by the shiny sparklies. (I swear I'm half magpie)
Here is what I came for. This wonderful seller has a box of damaged maps. Just perfect for me and my art. I never want to use perfect old maps. I love the broken, ripped, drawn and written on ones. You know, the ones which have a history; which have been loved to pieces.Unfortunately, before I got to the map bloke, I came past a tool bloke and got seduced by a sexy chisel. I did have £30 to spend, but, after my chisel I only had £24 left. I chose the maps I wanted and explained to the nice map man about how I couldn't help myself with the chisel and he laughed and said, "Let's see what you want and I'll give you a deal." Then he totalled up my maps, which came to £30, and said he'd take £20 for the lot! Wow! So I went to a used book stall and spent the last £4 on some more maps! Hooray! Now I have loads of maps to paint on. :DSo happy.
Later this aft, I took a couple of hours to do some work on the blackbirds. I walked out to the fields and picked some fireweeds and drew them around my blackbirds and began painting them in. Lot's more work to do still, but I like the way this little painting is coming along.
And, the village flower and veg show is coming up, so I might enter the blackbirds into the painting competition.So tomorrow is August. Welcome August! I'm settling into the summer grove and loving life.And speaking of love, I'm crazy in love with the beech forests right now and R has promised me a walk thru them. Can't wait. But first we'll go for a walk beside the Whomping Willow, (which is really a huge chestnut, but C called it that about 10 years ago). I love it there. We always see some deer. Actually, I surprised a muntjac deer yesterday evening. He walked out of some tall grass right in front of me, got scared, ran off and barked at me from the trees. Boy are those little creatures loud!I think I might go for a walk this evening again to see if I can find him under that amazing sliver of a new moon out there. :DBig hugs to everyone. Hope your last July day is a sunny and warm one filled with beautiful moments.:D