Writing Daily Pages

I'm trying to write daily pages because it's supposed to be a way to find out who you are, and why you're here, and all of those deep questions that only have answers deep inside of us all.

Being somebody who loves to procrastinate I've spent many happy hours trying to find the best way of doing these daily pages. Should I be a purist and write them out in a brand new Moleskine with a fine fountain pen filled with a wonderful shade of forest green ink? Or should I tackle it on the keyboard which, to be frank is the best way I can keep up with my thoughts once I get into the groove. If I try to write fast it ends up illegible and you never know - I may want to read them again one day.

So I considered Evernote (on the internet), OneNote (on my PC), MacJournal (on my Mac), LiveJournal on the internet (didn't like this - too much like a social networking thing) and all sorts of other methods of recording my innermost thoughts. Both OneNote and MacJournal are great apps but I really wanted something I could access from anything. And then I stumbled on a site called 750words.com. The idea is, obviously, to write 750 words each day. It keeps an ongoing word count for you and lets you know when you've passed the 750 words and it keeps a record of what you've done each day. You can lock your words so no-one else can get at them (great if you write the sort of drivel I do!). I'm really trying to keep it up and am failing miserably so far, but at least I know it's there and I need to do it! And no-one can smack my hand for forgetting a day (or three).

I wonder if it will have the desired effect and give me the answers to those deep questions. Probably not...

Pine Tree

I did this quick ink and watercolour sketch of some pine trees in my garden after reading a chapter of The Zen of Seeing by Frederick Franck. He was writing that the only way to get the hang of drawing anything is close and prolonged observation to the extent where you almost become the object you're drawing.

It's a lovely book and tells me I have a long way to go. But I've started on the journey which is good. And I'm enjoying the way closely observing things slows my thought processes down and leads me nearer to experiencing 'now'.

Macrobiotic Chaffinch

The other day I decided I need to sort out my diet (as in nutrition rather than slimming, although that would be a nice bi-product!). I got hold of Macrobiotics for Dummies and stocked the larder up with GRAINS. Grains seem to be the foundation of macrobiotic eating!

Before starting out with the cooking (see utensils at the ready) I decided to paint the packets as they're all so colourful. It was another way of procrastinating on the healthy eating, but the espressos and chocolates consumed during the art process helped soothe my guilt. (Are espressos and chocolates yin and yang? I'm sure they must be).

I did make a Quinoa Salad afterwards though. It was the first time I'd cooked the stuff and I have to confess I was completely unprepared for the way it bulked up when cooked. What started out easily fitting into the saucepan finished up barely fitting into the kitchen. I'm gonna be eating it for the next month! Wonder if my husband will help me out with that. Hmm.

Oh for a chocolate bar...

Kitchen Stuff

These are my lovely, colourful silicone kitchen spatulas and spoons. They live in my chicken pot which is my favourite utensil pot. I wonder what they're going to cook tonight!

Colours of June

These are my Colours for June. What a lovely month it is. So colourful and full-blown - fecund! Wonderful word - describes June beautifully! These are the chives which run riot each year in one of my small herb areas (to call it a herb garden would be a bit too grand!)

This is a honeysuckle which grows over an obelisk in the front flower bed. It's been there for years and always produces the most amazing display of flowers. I have another one at the other end of the flower bed and although it grows like mad and needs cutting back really hard, it produces very little in the way of flowers. Very strange.

I'm so pleased this close-up shot came out so well. It just sums up the frothy, pretty peony and this flower was at its absolute best when I took the picture. Now they're finished and looking sad and pale with brown edges.

This is my hydrangea with almost black leaves. I can't remember its name but I looked long and hard to find one and over the years it has rewarded me with better and better displays of flowers. It won't grow in the direction I want it to and it's a nuisance to mow around, but I just love it to pieces.

EDM 278 - P is for...

This is my drawing for EDM 278 - draw something beginning with your first name. So this is my can of polish. I really wish I hadn't chosen this because my least favourite colours are brown and yellow and it just won't go with my blog design. So I guess I'll have to post something new soon!

I've got one eye on the football as I write this post - England v. Slovenia, the last of our opening group matches. Football really isn't my thing, except at World Cup time and I'm completely connected. Especially because at last our side are playing like the professionals they really should be. So far it's 1-0 to England...

Sketching again at last!

Yes - I've started sketching again. And how I've enjoyed it! We're not talking great skill here but the only way to get that is to keep at it. Apparently!

This is a sketch of a couple of the pots on my patio. The large one is a lily which is almost ready to flower now but nowhere near that when I sketched it. The smaller one is a patio rose which is also now almost in flower. It's done with Letraset Trio markers which I loved using but they bleed so badly in my sketching book that I've stopped using them for now. If only someone made a bound sketching pad in bleed-proof board. If anyone knows of one please let me know.

This was a sprig of lovely, delicate little orange flowers that a neighbour brought in to show me. I can't remember what she said it was but it was definitely worth sketching. The little trumpet shaped flowers are so pretty.

This is my latest sketch, of a half-eaten bunch of grapes. They were very good! Both this and the flower above are ink and watercolours.