Week 27

Here is my week 27 page.   It is a strange mix of objects all found on the shore line yesterday.   We went down for our walk about 8pm.  It was a cool evening and the light was  poor. The sky was heavy with large white Cumulus clouds, all swelling and somehow filling the sky, blocking both the light and the view.  The place had an unusual atmosphere,  helped by a red hue of the long grass and a  stillness.   We walked along and as usual followed the fresh tide line,   I don't know what causes it,  but the sea had left brown frothy foamy over a foot deep in some places,  and large pieces of it were scattered about.   There were lots of little shrimps, tiny crabs and feathers stuck in or around the tide line and just a few small pieces of sea weed to be found.   I instantly stopped in my tracks when I saw the sycamore seeds and I had to have them to draw.   Then,  so many different leaves, fresh yellow and acid green trapped in the sandy foam line.   The colours were so bright in this dull light.  I collected many lovely feathers, lots of striped ones, my favourites.  I found just one black mermaids purse, it has been a while since I have seen any, and I picked up a single tiny pink shell.
It has been a week of mixed weather, hot sticky days and then on Thursday a heavy thunderstorm with thunder and lightning.  We have had really heavy rain showers and a strong breeze so it explains how the leaves and seeds could have ended up on the shore. 
We heard a real squabble going on in the sky above us as a black headed gull chased a  Heron, as  they both shouted back at each other.  The swifts and swallows were skimming the water and as usual and the ducks were swimming  near to where they always congregate.  We could see the railway workers getting ready for another weekend on our bridge.  As we walked back through the long grass I picked two pieces of the  coloured stems, which are making the whole shore appear  as a red drift.  I don't ever think I have seen this before.  The evening sky was mostly hidden by the clouds, but as the sun set,   thin  bands of red peeped through.  The huge billowing white clouds sank lower into the gaps between the hills.  The clouds dominated the sky,  no stars tonight but the sound of the railway men and their bright lights  on the line as they work through the night to finish our bridge.
My page contains some of  my finds from yesterday.  I used acrylic inks and a fine paintbrush. 
I set the task of choosing the giveaway with my husband,  he put all 21 names on a ticket,  put the names in a hat, and with eyes closed chose    .........Michelle Palmer.   She will get the little painting of the two feathers.  Thank you for all the comments and kind wishes, I am feeling better.
Hope you like the page and seeing the real objects.                                          Millyx  

Week 24

Here is my page for week 24.  Last week after the high tide I went searching for objects left behind.  It was a dull grey day with a stormy sky.   I stumbled across a huge jellyfish,  the biggest one I have ever seen here.  I prodded it with my foot and as I lifted the thick jelly body I could see all the long coiled tentacles.   The centre of this circular body was orange and brown umber,  I wished I had taken the camera.  I later read that a jellyfish can still sting when out of the water and dying,  a lesson to be learnt,  never touch them.   The seaweed was glowing,  shades of orange on this grey day.  It was so strange to see so much orangey brown seaweeds,  different shapes but all orange. And then several lengths of bright orange rope and pieces of orange tangled fish net.   It was a colour theme I could not ignore and then the crabs and even some plants with pale orangey leaves.   I have noticed that  the seaweed can appear all the same shades  on a certain day, rather like the seasons it seems to bring a certain colour group. 
Although I am not really a fan of the colour orange I could not resist my orange collection and even a feather to match.   I  found a lovely black and rusty orange oak leaf to add to my bag of treasures and enjoyed using these bright colours on a rainy day.  I used yellow and red for the orange,  sepia and white.  It is painted with acrylic inks and then I decided to just stipple a little with a sepia ink pen.
I had a lovely walk on the shore yesterday,and crossed over the tidal river to walk along  the other side of the bank.  We saw a  pair of Oyster catchers who  flew around very excited making loud noises  and did not want us there.  I wanted to go to where all the ducks congregate, the large flock which we have been watching over the weeks.   They  all got up and flew as we approached,  the ground was scattered with hundreds of feathers,  guess what I was doing while my husband sat and watched other birds.   I also found lots of Curlew feathers, the brown and white striped ones, different sizes and shapes.   Just along the shore we saw a pair fly up from the ground.  I found it hard to believe these two large birds would nest here but the expert insisted they do.   It was just by luck that we decided to go across the grass and find a broken egg shell, a hatched curlew egg.  There isn't much of it,  the pointed end  and enough to estimate and indicate the size of this large egg.  
The reason we went this way was because we saw a duck, a beautiful brown speckled duck with an unusual beak sitting in the long grass.  It pretended it had not seen us,  it kept very still and was so well camouflaged, sitting on a nest.  We quietly altered our path,  as luck had it to find the  Curlew egg shell.  We now know it was a Eider duck,  we read "she is a devoted mother seldom leaving  her eggs and sometimes going without food  for  three to four weeks", quote from  The Observers' Book of Birds.   It was a beautiful sight, and one that has in the past provided us with "eider down", her nesting feathers .....to stuff our quilts... Eiderdowns.  A piece of social history too for you.
Hope you enjoy my week  24.  Thank you for your comments and welcome to my new followers.
Millyx      

Week 23

"The markings are grey and brown or near-black: they are variable, consisting of a mixture of specks, spots, streaks, blotches and scribbles scattered evenly the shell, or sometimes clustered more densely towards the larger end" is the description in, " The Observers Book of Birds' Eggs". " The ground colour varies from a creamy stone or buff to a more yellowish shade , and is occasionally suffused with a greenish tinge."
As I was drawing the egg in pencil I tried to record the patterns and shapes accurately. I think the book explained it beautifully as specks, spots, streaks, blotches and scribbles.  My painted egg shell  also shows the colour with a greenish tinge so  we are fairly certain it is the egg of an Oyster catcher.   Then  I selected five of the striped feathers also collected from the shore  last weekend.   I used my acrylic inks and a sable brush again.  It is a nice collection and makes a lovely page for week 23.
Today is wet and grey,  with the wind whistling through the house.  The tide has been up and  as it is such a wet afternoon I am glad to be sat by the fire,  yes a fire in June!   There is little or no view as the low mist hangs over the shore.   I just added the finishing touches to my feathers and photographed the page. 
It made me think about all the birds here in the estuary, each one starting their life as an egg.  It is hard to believe how this egg survived in a nest on the ground, with dangers of other birds, dogs, sheep, humans and the weather.  Of course the sea eventually washed this egg and left it in the tide line where it was found.  We hope it had hatched and survived.
 In the past we have stumbled  upon a nest,  usually in a slight hollow in the ground and there we would be delighted to see three or four eggs.  This is when you realise how those specks, spots, and blotches are so important as camouflage,  the eggs just disappear into the background with such clever colouring.  When we were younger,  we found many more than we do today.  Despite the dangers,  young chicks must survive as we have a  healthy population here. 
As the sun was shining,  I did my walk on Friday evening and  saw  many different birds, bird calls filled the air.   I collected a handful of feathers,  black and white ones from the Oyster catchers and lots of different duck feathers,  the striped Curlew feathers and long grey ones with black tips belonging to the gulls.
The feathers are evidence of the many birds which live and visit here.  Again I find it fascinating to think of how the birds fly with the aid of their feathers.  Each feather specially shaped to be part of  the intricately shaped  wing, each one beautifully coloured to make up patterns on the birds.  So when I find them I marvel at nature, so clever,  so perfect how it designs.
Hope you like my little design for week 23.
Thank you for the lovely comments,  I love to read them and appreciate you spending the time writing them.  So if you are visiting let me know.            Millyx      
ps. I have just opened an Etsy shop, I intend to put some little originals for sale soon.

Week 22

We have had some beautiful hot sunny days and I have enjoyed sitting in the garden drawing feathers for my Week 22 page.  I listened to the birds singing and the bees buzzing as I  sat on the grass, sometimes chasing my feathers as they blew away in the breeze.   The larger feathers were drawn and painted at the kitchen table, with the sun streaming in and good light which helps with the details.  A birds skull found by my husband on one of our walks on the shore was added to the page.  It has an unusual beak and after a search he has found it to be a "Razorbill", the white marks on the beak helped identify it.  We often find dead birds and the sea can also wash them up onto the shore.  This skull was just as he found it  with the lower beak  missing .   I used my acrylic inks for the feathers and after drawing the skull gave it a light wash with ink to seal the pencil.   I chose some of the many feathers I found on the shore last week  and filled a double spread in my sketchbook.
Today we went for our walk about five o'clock.  Sadly the sunshine has gone and we have returned to a cold breezy day again. We had to wrap up against the chilly north east wind.   The shore was empty and we walked along the edge of the tidal river watching all the birds.  It was a high tide about one o'clock and now the birds were feeding in the water.  There was a huge group of ducks, I counted to  fifty so estimated there was about a hundred.  Large Heron gulls, black headed gulls and Oyster catchers were all searching for food at the waters edge.  Then the magnificent sight as the Heron flew over and landed in the water.  
I  searched  along the sandy banks to see what the tide had left in the tangles of seaweed and grass.  More crabs, whelks egg cases, feathers, oak leaves, different coloured sea weeds and bits of branches and leaves.  The jelly fish are now  thin round plastic looking discs  moulded to the grass,  dried out with the hot days. The grass has grown and the pink thrift is taller with out the sheep to eat it.  Suddenly my husband discovered  the find of the day, a beautiful spotted birds egg, an empty shell washed up by the sea.   A lovely subject for my week 23 page,  so look out for it.
We walked our usual route and talked about the high tide expected next Saturday,  what might it bring for my next page, something interesting I hope.   The two swallows followed us,  darting in front of us at high speed but no sign of the swan today.    As it started spitting, the rain made circles on the water and so we headed for home.  It was because of the rain I nearly smashed my precious find,  I had placed the egg in my hood to keep it safe, and forgetting about it being there I started to pulled it up!  It did arrive home safely ready to draw.  I hope the chick which hatched from it is also safe, as we think it is the egg of an oyster catcher.
Hope you like the pages.  As always, thank you for your comments, it is lovely to read them.  So  if you have time I would love to hear from you.                 Millyx.

week 21

How quickly the weeks fly by.   I wondered what to choose for week 21.  The shore is littered with so many crabs and crab legs and other body parts, all different sizes and colours. I find them fascinating each time I see them.   I decided I would like to draw a really detailed study of a crab.  It is when you really have to look  that you get to know the subject.  To do the close observational drawing I used  a  pencil,  and tried to capture all the wonderful details on the body and legs.  Then I did a line drawing of the underside which I discovered  is so intricately designed and I learnt so much about the structure of the legs.   I used a sepia ink pen and a paint brush and ink to shade.  See the photographs  to  see the drawings evolve.   Hope you enjoy seeing  the lovely colours of the real crabs.
Yesterday I went for my walk after the morning tide.    As we opened the gate to the shore we could feel the power of the wind.  We walked towards the water and what a lovely sight, the swan swimming.  It has been several weeks since we have seen her and I said how nice it was to be greeted by her.  The tide line was full of crabs,  seaweeds and feathers and ten jelly fish which were about as large as a dinner plate.  We saw the swallows,  a pied wagtail, oyster catchers and gulls.  The group of shelducks looked really pretty with their green heads and white chests,  as they sat together on the opposite bank.  The sheep were huddled together, the lambs crying for their mothers  and  they looked so miserable on this wild and windy shore.  I always know it is an unfriendly day when we have the place to ourselves.
 As we walked along the waters edge looking for objects we found lots of pieces of old china, disturbed from the sand by the tide.   With a  pocket full of  treasures  that will be added to my already huge collection of china,   a handful of pure white feathers from the swan,  and a bag of finds from the tide line we headed home.   The pink thrift is  now in large swathes across the grassy shore,  a welcome contrast to the grey sky. We had been there two hours and then  just as we were leaving the sun decides to shine and the day brightens up.   
Thank you for the lovely comments.  Hope you like the crabs, lets hope the sun continues to shine for this half term holiday week and you can enjoy a walk where you  are.         Millyx                                    

Week 20

This weeks page turned out rather different from what I expected.   It started with the live beetle in the jam jar.  I watched it moving around and made the three sketches at the top of my page.   He has now  been safely returned onto the shore to roam as free as he likes.  I looked it up in an insect book to find it is a Cockchafer, which likes to live in oak trees and feed on oak leaves.  That does make sense as I found it on the large oak leaf in the tide line.  So I placed them together and was interested to realise the leaf was eaten, even had a serrated edge,  I think made by my friend.  Actually I was a little uncomfortable with it,  it was big and I kept it  tightly sealed in a container as I sketched it.  The flowers are Thrift,  growing on the shore and looked so bright in last weeks greyness.  I picked them during the week and decided to put them all in, buds and flowers.  I chose a pink coloured crab and some green seaweed and I just loved this twisted brown piece of seaweed so had to include it.  So that is Week 20 completed and all painted with my acrylic inks and a little sable brush.
It has been a cold wet and windy week.  As the tide comes into the estuary it gets stormy and we have had some really heavy rain.  I chose my window of opportunity and went for my walk and collecting yesterday after seeing the weather forecast.  And as I am writing this it is really windy, cold, with a stormy grey sky and it has poured with rain all afternoon,  so I am glad I did go yesterday.  
There were lots of feathers,  the striped ones which belong to the curlew.  Lots of black ones too which is no surprise as there are many Crows, Rooks  and Magpies on the shore. We were also followed by two Swallows which kept swooping right in front of us, we think to collect the insects which we disturb as we walk through the grass.  We were amazed at their speed and agility and enjoyed watching them.   I found a black mermaids purse and a ball of  whelks egg cases  which was washed up.   There were so many crabs which had been eaten,  their backs opened like a hinged lid and the contents removed.  We saw oyster catchers, gulls, a curlew and shelducks in the sand by the water,  the tide was just coming in and the water was quite rough with the strong  south westerly wind.  It felt really cold and we were well wrapped up.  The sky was getting darker and warned that the rain showers were heading our way.  So we made our way back and shortly after reaching  home we had a really heavy shower.   Of course I still  found plenty of objects to choose from  for next weeks page.
Thank you for all the lovely comments.  "Ibisbill"  the striped feathers are Curlew feathers.  I was pleased to read that a school art group is following my blog....Hope the children are being inspired and are doing some lovely drawings.   The three giveaways have been posted. See Carrie has posted on her blog, thank you Carrie.  Hope you all enjoy my page for week 20.
Millyx

Week 17

I am pleased to say this is week 17, that means a third of the year has been completed and that must mean a give- away.  So to enter tell me which week you like the most and why,  and please let me know where you are from.....I am curious to know which countries are following this blog.   The winner will be picked 15th May  and  will receive a little prize.  
My drawing is of a beautiful shell I found last week,  with the limpet growing on the side and the other swirling shaped growths.  I thought this was a great subject to draw and the other flat shell matched with  similar colours.   I added the little piece of seaweed,  all found together as I walked along the shore.  I did collect other objects but decided I liked these best.   I have let you see my first pencil  sketch and then the finished page.  I used the acrylic inks and a little help with colouring using Derwent signature pencils.  I am wearing out my fine number one sable brush.
Yesterday I went for my Saturday walk.  I have been away this week so as I stepped onto the shore I could tell how dry it has been by the pale coloured sand.  It was very white in patches where the salt has dried on top of the sand by the hot sun.   The sheep had gone,  all was quiet except for two girls dressed in shorts and vests  splashing around and kicking the water up,  their dog equally enjoying the fun and  making lots of noise as it bounced around in the water.   I was wearing a jumper and scarf with my hat in hand!  There was actually a strong  breeze blowing  from the North,  I was glad to be warm.  The sand was covered in sheep footprints and the shore in sheep poo.  The green grass has been enjoyed by the sheep, who will be brought back  next week to graze again on the grass.  I noticed although we had quite a full tide that filled the tidal river the sand was cracking in places and some more huge chunks had fallen from the banks,  the ground was so dry.    Lots and lots of crabs,  the large ones broken up and eaten with legs and empty shells discarded.  I found lots of little shells and some rather battered feathers.  I saw patches of white feathers on the sand and then discovered the remains of a bird,  almost certain the work of a hawk or other bird of prey.  A second dead bird on the grassy shore has been there slowly rotting for a couple of weeks.    No sign of the swan but I did find one of her feathers, so she is around somewhere.
It is a pleasure to walk with the clear blue sky and crisp views of the hills.   The fields and surrounding country side  is all looking green and lush.   All the pools of water have dried up,  hard to believe the swan was swimming on water on the grass just a week  ago.  Wild flowers and plants have filled the edges by the railway lines and attract butterflies and bees,  I spotted an orange tipped butterfly.   Birds calling out, others move around the sand looking for food.   We are crossing our fingers this lovely sunny weather lasts.  I reluctantly head for home,  nearly time for tea,  the sky is blue and the views are  beautiful,  another pretty  sunset to enjoy.
Thank you for the lovely comments.  Hope you like page 17, press for close up.       Millyx

Week 16

We have had such lovely sunny weather all week and I have had several walks on the shore.  On Tuesday we were aware that it was near tide time but what we witnessed was a complete surprise.  We heard a sudden sound of rushing water,  the water was coming up the tidal river with such speed and it just took seconds for it to spread and fill the river to the sides of the sandy banks.  It was a tidal bore.  We watched at the frightening speed of the incoming water,  we stood by the railway bridge and watched the water rise up, counting the bricks on the  bridge support,  as our shore was soon covered in water.  As we walked back close to the fence at the edge of the shore,  huge pools which were empty were now filling up as the water tipped over the banks.   It was here I found my fish, stranded in a pool but dead.  I was sorry for the fish but thrilled to be able to draw it, a great find for my page.  I quickly sketched it in pencil and captured some colours in crayons. There is no way I can tell you how much this fish started to smell on this hot evening as I sat outside drawing it, but it was a lovely find and fun to draw.  We had heard fish jumping last week,  it is a young salmon, they swim in the estuary and in the river which runs into the sea.
The shore has many crabs, see the photograph of a few we found, different colours and sizes.  The bigger crabs are found with the backs opened and ended up as tea for the birds. The two crabs I chose,  the green one with the dark markings and a pinky orangey one were rather smelly too.  The snail shells were two I found but I did see some climbing up plants.   And my feather was definitely  from an oyster catcher.   I keep adding the oak leaves because they are always on the sand,  now showing signs of aging.  I hope you like the page, it is a mixture of things I found and makes me realise what lovely colours and interesting natural objects can be found here.

My collecting day is usually Saturday, so I kept my rule and went for a walk at 6pm.  The noises were different today, a farmer has put his flock of white sheep and many lambs to graze on the fast growing green grass. A notice to owners to keep dogs on leads meant the shore was empty, with just a couple of people walking.  It was getting a little cool but we were rewarded with the sight of a heron ,  it landed and we sat and watched it slowly step through the shallow waters left after the tide.  As the sun was getting low it made such a beautiful silhouette against the sky. We saw the first two swallows dipping and swooping in front of us as they flew around and circled in the sky.  The oyster catchers in pairs and so were the shell ducks, all calling out their own bird calls.  A pied wagtail was sitting on the railway bridge supports and kept disappearing under the bridge, perhaps nesting.  I must confess I have all these bird names and calls given to me by the expert, thank you,  I am always grateful.   Of course I know the seagulls but I had a lesson on the herring gulls and the black backed gulls,  lets hope I can remember them all.  No sign of the swan tonight but we saw her through the week gliding on the water covering the shore at high tide, see photograph.   I just love walking along listening to all the bird calls,  and hearing them drift through my windows at night.
All too soon the sun went down and we left the shore to the sounds of  crying lambs looking for mothers.  I collected some soft curly lambs wool caught on the fence,  to stuff a pin cushion.  I bet you do he said.  Well I bet I do,  so now another job for my list,  just to prove him wrong!
Thank you for the lovely comments, I  love to read them,  so do stop and let me know how you are enjoying my shore finds.     Millyx

Week 15

                                  Me and my little friend today searching for crabs.

Here is my week 15 page with drawings of the crabs and seaweed collected  last week.  You can enlarge to see the details of the crab and the colours and a pencil drawing of a leg.   Today just as I was photographing the  picture above,   I had a little  visitor. He was so interested and curious about the crabs.  I gave him a magnifying glass so he could see the details,  and then he wanted to know where I had found them.   So we went for a walk this afternoon and found a whole plastic box full of crabs for him,  ranging from a big long legged beast to lots of smaller less frightening specimens.   So many questions from a 4 year old,  is it moving?  is it dead,? where are the eyes?  After I reassured him they were all dead,  can we find one alive?    I love the way young children are so interested, and he made me smile the way he said, "do you think we have found all the family? "   It reminded me of when I was teaching.   We got home, rather muddy,  with his very precious  box of  crabs.  I washed them and then my little friend examined them all,  decided which he was taking home and which I could keep.   Somewhere in this transaction he managed to "choose" my crab off the page and it mysteriously ended up going home with him...good job I had finished drawing it.   To capture the details I painted with my coloured acrylic ink,  a fine black ink pen for the stippling and a pencil study of the leg.

I had my usual Saturday walk collecting for week 16.  It has been a bit of a damp week,  but yesterday was fine and sunny.   I went with my husband around 5pm and we left the shore at nearly 7.   There was a cold breeze from the west,  but we were prepared and well wrapped up.   It was a lovely bright and sunny evening,  birds singing and we had the shore to ourselves.  The full moon means the tides are quite high, we could see the water line by the brown bubbly foam,  a frothy scum which floats on top of the incoming tide.  Lots of tiny shells, crabs, shrimp bodies, feathers and bits and pieces of broken sea creatures were mixed up in this brown wavy line on the shore.  The grass looks so green after heavy morning dews and the new fresh growth.   I noticed dandelions and yellow gorse  flowering, bothgrowing against the railway fence. A tiny white flowering plant sprinkled amongst the grass.   Several bees buzzed past,  my husband pointed out a freshly dug rabbit hole.  A group of black headed gulls pick in the wet sand searching for food.  We saw a dead gull,  it had been attacked at the throat and left on its back feet in the air,  soft tufts of white feathers blowing around.  The bird expert pointed out a curlews call, the air was full of bird sounds.  The two ducks, the green headed male and the brown female swam close together.   Poor swan, she looks so lonely sitting on the muddy bank in her usual place.  As we walked by and stopped a little fish jumped from the water.  I collected objects and ideas for next weeks page, things I have seen  and would like to record.
On Friday evening we saw a  bright light,  drifting across the dark sky.  We guessed it was a lantern and the answer was there caught in the fence, a large white paper structure still intact.  I held it up to the breeze and it billowed up as it became full of air. I couldn't resist bringing it home,  maybe I will paint on it. 

We sat on the boulders and enjoyed the stillness, the views and last hours of this lovely day, the sun dropping low ready to disappear behind the hills. Making our way home  over the railway bridge,  we glance back at the hills and watch the mist  creeping over the hilltops.  My head was already planning next weeks page.
Thank you for the comments, I enjoy finding them,  and it is always lovely to read them.  
Hope you like the picture.                 Millyx