Week 45

Week 45.  We had our first frost last Monday night.  It made me realise I still had bulbs to plant, so I quickly organised a trip to buy some spring bulbs and get them planted before it gets too late.  After a busy session and lots of gardening I am hoping to have a lovely display of colour in Spring 2012.  There is still a lot more to plant but they are going in pots and can be done later.   Then we have had many  nights with disturbed sleep due to the new railway bridge, more on that later. 
My double page has been hard to complete due to the poor light and my tired eyes.  On Saturday I was busy with more jobs and left it a little late for my walk at quarter to four in the afternoon.  The sun was really low and I realised it would be dark very soon.  I felt a sense of urgency as I walked briskly along the banks of the tidal river.  The sun was in my eyes and it was hard to see as the reflection in the water was very bright.   The sun was a beautiful buttery yellow and the sky had long wisps of creamy coloured clouds.  The sun was so low,  it cast long thin shadows across the shore, mine was about ten feet long.  When I turned around and had the sun behind me I could then search for things to draw.  I found feathers but what a tatty selection of specimens they were,  but all the better for drawing I thought.  The seaweeds were equally worn and torn.  It reminded me of when I was drawing the hedgerow objects, the way the leaves and plants all start to decay at this time of the year.

Our bridge wrapped up like a parcel.  It is a dark sky over the shore.

It was getting darker by the minute as the sun sank out of sight.  The sky was a pale pink and the town across the estuary looked like a little toy town as it  silhouetted against the sky, the tall church spire standing out so clear.    The grasses on the shore seemed to glow,  the shapes of their pale cream stems and drooping leaves suddenly stood out in the greyness.   I walked close to the fence by the railway line as I made  my way  back to the railway station.   A loud train rattled by with its lights on and as I glanced across I caught sight of all the structures of the plants and seed heads as they silhouetted against the sky.   I reached and picked several different stems.   I met a local dog walker with his three dogs, as we exchanged hellos he remarked it was not so easy with three black dogs in the dark.  The lights were bright on the station.   We have a new temporary bridge whilst our old metal bridge gets repaired and painted.   The new bridge looked huge,  a huge towering structure  which  has taken many nights to build.
The men worked through the nights  on a bright floodlit  station,  to make sure we are safe crossing the lines.  The little lights twinkle everywhere in the darkness as I glance around the dark dark estuary.  


painting the dock leaves



I have used my acrylic inks and a fine number 3 sable brush.  All colours mixed from sepia, yellow ochre, green , brown umber, red and a little white.   Hope you like it.  It feels like a true reflection of the time of year and a few more wobbly lines because of the poor light and my poor eyes!

As always, thank you to the kind people who leave such lovely comments.                Millyx