I've been off the internet for a couple of weeks visiting family and doing some sketching along the way but before I scan all the new pictures I decided to share what I was up to before I left.
Anyone who lives in England can't help but know what this is a sketch of. The field of ceramic poppies is almost complete around the Tower of London now and has been seen by millions of people, in life by my sister in law who took the photos that inspired this, as well as on TV. I think it's a shame that the installation will be dismantled on Nov 11th as I'm sure many more people would love to see this amazing spectacle.
The amazing weather we've been having lately has kept many plants growing in the garden long after their normal time although the hydrangeas always keep their flowers till I cut them off in the winter. Compare this one with the summer version I drew for my 'Mad about Hydrangeas' post from July this year.
Every year I pick a flower head to try and find as many colours as possible from a single plant and this year is no exception with the outer flowers going purple and the underneath ones pale greens, pinks and blues.
Our Sunday lunchtime treat occasionally is to get 18 oysters from the local producer to eat with a glass or 2 of bubbly followed by a tasty cheese and a bit of salad. We usually get some for our friend Stephanie, the baker, as she's always too busy working to go and collect them herself and anyway we need to pop in for a fresh 'baguette tradition' to have with them.
Another of our locals is the creperie, Ty Breizh, where we've been going on and off since before we moved here. The latest owners are a charming couple who insisted we inspect their garden last time we ate there. They have an amazing datura plant, covered in flowers, growing on the compost heap. I took a couple of blooms home to draw and having checked the plant out I discovered it's poisonous so I was very careful to wash my hands after handling it. I hadn't counted on the lovely fragrance which developed in the evening though, which after a couple of hours made Bob and me feel rather ill. I put the flower outside and soon we began to feel better but I don't think I'll accept their kind offer of cuttings!
On our walk back from the port we pass through a lovely chestnut wood and I recently picked up a pure white eggshell which I identified as a wood pigeon's. When I later posted this on
www.naturesketchers.blogspot.com . I found out that it was most likely that the fledgling had been eaten rather than survived to grow into an adult bird.
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