NaPoWriMo 2023 Day 28

Little helpful hint for you: if you decide to clean off some of your palette, and specifically, decide to wipe down the paint-sticky edges of it… make sure that your finished painting is somewhere far away and your clothes are all washable because I managed to disconnect the lid, drop the bottom with all the newly wet and cleaned out sections of paint which basically threw drops of bright color paint everywhere onto me and the newly done painting. Yeah, I meant to do that. Honestly, it’s a thing and I’ve never managed to get good dots of paint like this before!

Pencil width rolls of
Lily of The Valley leaves
Spiking the lawn edge

the light is fading
the robins take to the shrubs
reciting their day

all the fresh green leaves
fade to silver and blue
and everything sleeps

NaPoWriMo 2023 Day 28

NaPoWriMo 2023 Day 27

It’s hard not to bend down to look at what’s coming up when I go outside these days. There’s always something new and a hope that something will appear in some places. They usually wait til I’m not looking or I’ve given up. In the area that I cut down the old shrubs, there’s a delicate carpet of tiny green leaflets, no doubt due to more sunlight, looking to get a foothold.

In other news – quick trip to the art supply store (Arlene’s!!) for a roll of tape and well… I replaced all the hot press paper I’d used so I have some more to cut up and use!

Bent over the ground
this is how we welcome spring
looking for new life.

Small familiar shoots
poking through the fragrant earth
unfolding greens

a forgiving eye
the sprawl of leaflets – all weeds –
insisting on life.

This was either a second cuppa coffee and/or “gotta let this dry a little” break early on. While this painting is perhaps more frantic seeming than the actual jar of stems, I think it sort of captures a lot about them and the season. When I looked at the photo in my phone it offered to ID the plant for me, pointing at the actual leaves, and it did identify the main plant there correctly as garlic mustard.

One’s art goes as far and as deep as one’s love goes. — Andrew Wyeth

NaPoWriMo 2023 Day 27

Last day in NZ

I’m uploading photos and such while sitting in LAX airport – what better way to spend a long layover than enjoying the photos of your trip?

Our last day, Marge and I took a walk down to the beach. Started down the Goat Track and got a little whiff os something. Something’s dead, commented Marge. Sure were! All those gazillion velellas that had come to Wellington area beaches to no good end.

Besides the interesting houses and plants, there were views of the escarpment trail we took previously.

More photos starting here: (expect a little date order confusion as I moved just a few time zones!)

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