Tuesday 26 July 2011

Week 29






On a beautiful Saturday afternoon I set off to walk on the shore and to collect for week 29.   I had a wonderful surprise,  the steam train was about to pass through our village.   Along with many other people, many armed with cameras and video recorders, I took my position on the railway bridge hoping for a great view.  The smoke billowing and a loud hoot hoot had everyone excited as we all watched the beautiful old steam engine approaching  and then pass under the bridge.   It seemed so appropriate to see this after talking about the railway line last week.  I have a photograph,  for the moment trapped in my camera,  due to a lost connection lead!  It is quite an attraction for tourists, locals and the train enthusiasts,  everyone gathers to watch as we have such a perfect view as the train snakes around the estuary.
It was a lovely bright day.   I walked my usual route and  timed it to see the tide pouring in and quickly filling up the wide tidal river.   I was amazed at all the feathers I saw,  there seemed to be hundreds. Then I found the place at the edge of the bank where the geese have returned to,  the evidence left was the many pellet shaped poos, small fluffy feathers and the flat edged larger goose feathers scattered all around.  We heard the geese one morning through the week so I  knew they had returned although there was no sign of them now.  Each morning we hear their familiar calling.
The sheep are also back with the lambs now grown to a teenage size,  soon they will catch up to their parents as they eat the lush grass.  I kept thinking of my Dad, seeing all the sheep muck which we used to collect with a garden trowel and place in a sack to make a fertiliser for Dads tomatoes.  It also reminded me of the mushrooms which grow on this grassy shore in the summer months.  A pastime we enjoy each year collecting them.   I don't like them to eat but love to draw them. They grow tall in the grass and have such lovely patterns on the underside.   All alone on my walk I had lots of thoughts of the past,  as a child in the school summer holidays  when I spent lots of time on this shore, we all did.
Just as I was leaving the shore with my collection of objects...feathers, sycamore, snail shell, a crab apple, a piece of china and some plants .....there it was,  a single mushroom.  I bent  down and picked it,   yes,  that will go nicely on my page. 
I sat outside in the garden on Sunday and drew it in pencil and then added white ink with a paintbrush. I have tried to capture this lovely opening flower head picked by the railway line, using black ink.  I  placed it in an old bottle found on the shore last year at low tide.   A few other little finds on the page  were drawn in pencil and then painted with acrylic ink.  Hope you like it.  Mean while, I have been washing some of my feathers and drying them in the hot sun today.
Thank you for your lovely comments.                                 Millyx      

11 comments:

martinealison said...

J'adore la précision et la délicatesse de tes dessins... Un grand sens de l'observation et l'amour de la nature en page...
Gros bisous

Dan said...

What fantastic pictures and words Milly. I love the mushroom you've recreated, and the flower in ink. It must have been great to see the steam train too.
Dan
-x-

sea-blue-sky & abstracts said...

Love this week's themes Milly, especially the 'prickly umbellifer' - what is it? You have captured every line, and the detail, perfectly. x

Carol Creech said...

Oh Milly! What a fantastic array of objects for this week. I love the variety. And I especially love the detail of the flower head and mushroom. All of the items are terrific! What a treat for my eyes. :) I thought of you this morning when I had another feather find ! I posted some sketches on my blog if you want to stop by. You are the feather-expert in my mind!
Carol

Melody said...

Ahhhh, pottery bit with blue designs ~ love it! I'm so happy to hear I'm not the only one who likes to look at and draw mushrooms, but NOT eat them! :)))))
Good luck with finding your camera connection; will be looking forward to seeing your train!

Frances said...

Milly, I have read this marvelous week 29 post of yours this evening, after going to see the latest and final Harry Potter movie this afternoon. It is still hot in New York, and I treat myself to airconditioning in various places.

The film features the wonders of steam trains, and also, in its own stylistic way, celebrates nature.

It's a treat to see what you found on your walk and to see how you have made use of these treasures.

Every week seems to provide a differing mix of inspirations. I do hope that you are giving thought to how to give this rich sketchbook a wider audience.

xo

Michelle Palmer said...

Love, love, LOVE!
Thank you for sharing your walks and treasures...

Pondside said...

I enjoyed learning about your day - in word and drawing.

Teresa said...

Hi Milly,

I do so enjoy visiting your blog to see what treasures you've found and admiring your lovely artwork.... it's a refreshing break in my day :-)

Mary said...

Surely that's Queen Anne's Lace - one of my favorite wildflowers - and the one from which present day carrots are descended from! Some people still eat the tap root which is a carrot of sorts. This plant is quite invasive in the US and the leaves are toxic, can irritate the skin.

Your lovely find is the fruit of the plant that curls inward and looks like a bird's nest - your drawing of it is amazing Eileen - it needs to be reproduced in large format as it would be a stunning piece of art to hang.....and I have just the wall!

Enjoyed reading about your lovely day - and all the interesting finds.

Hugs from torrid North Carolina. 1:00 PM here and just about to hit 100F again today. Thankfully I'm off to cooler parts on Sat., can't wait!

Mary X

Diana said...

love your mushroom and the flower--all your lovely details.. your work is gorgeous love, Diana