Painting feathers....on a windy day.

I love the whole process of painting in nature. I love
wandering around looking for the perfect spot.



I love gathering potential subjects....(I always dream of
painting a pine cone-but lack the courage yet...)



And finally settling on a subject, then beginning to paint.




I love the whole process, the watery beginnings (pictured above),
before the the darks go on and the finishing off.

And painting a feather on a windy day you ask? Well....the
paint dries quickly in the wind- and there is something
humorous about scurrying after your feather and trying to
secure it with erasers and paint brushes.

But more than anything it is the luxury of losing yourself in
in concentration, on mossy ground, by a lake. Feeling the wind
and being so glad to be out and a part of it.

:: Morning Goodness::

Imagine waking up to these. Dashing out first thing....
to see if any more have opened, barefoot through the
wet grass. Hurrying to take some pictures, before their
colours change in the sun.

And all this....from just a tiny packet of mail order seeds,

tentatively scattered in early spring...wondering if they

would come to anything....hoping, watering and watching.

I am you may have guessed fond of poppies. I love the whole

process the seedlings, the flowers and now I wait in anticipation

for the beautiful seed pods, full of more seeds to scatter.

Surely little delights are the best.

:: Little Joys::

Sometimes, in this Christmas celebration of ours I have to
stop and think, amidst it all, of the things that I find beautiful.
And for me it is the little details, the small joys which I
really love:
How we build the nativity through out advent, beginning
with minerals in the first week...



And how this year, Mary and Joseph have begun their
long journey on top of the piano, moving a little each day,
(to my children's delight...)until some time in the third
week they will reach the nativity display.



And how at the Op shop, I discovered something
I had been wishing for-but never thought I would actually
own. Which has, in its own way brought joy and wonder
to our house.




Just little things, but so lovely. I hope that as time goes on
I have the courage to focus more on these little things that
I love about Christmas and somehow scale down the parts
that I find more difficult. To create a celebration that is
beautiful in its simplicity......