Absence and hearts

I have been enjoying the glorious glories of the once mighty Venice for the past month. Be back to Cape town soon, but not too soon. see you then.



The Lotus

"The lotus fruits and flowers were the primary food of the island and were narcotic, causing the people to sleep in peaceful apathy."

Red and green

The bunny could be wound up and (in ideal circumstances) would unsteadily push its wheelbarrow. I say unsteadily because it would often fall over and  start flailing around in a rather disturbing manner. The forest family hedgehog didn't do anything special besides look fabulous in its polka dot dress.

Small beginnings

We all start small, even the elephant in the room :)

Spring leaves...

...and an exercise in patience.

Sun-kissed

Put your pinkies in the air like you just don't care.

Tulips and other secrets

Stop me if you know this already, but I just discovered inside purple tulips is a bright blue pattern, like a little secret message. Obviously I need to look closer at the things around me. 

For Julia

I have too many of these plastic creatures, way more than is socially acceptable for an adult. I keep thinking I'll pass them on to children of friends and family , but I know in my heart I'll be that crazy old lady surrounded by jam jars full of useless things. I'm actually surprisingly okay with that.

I just can't help myself

I seem to have come across all spring feverish. 

Procrastination

I'm liking geometric patterns at the moment.It must be their undemanding nature.

Tentative

I feel hopeful about spring.

Small joys

I am a firm believer in the magic of hot beverages to calm any situation. More tea should be served at war cabinets, peace talks and saloon gun battles. When combined with a chocolaty looking biscuit the effect can be very civilizing. Plus no one can pull a gun or make a rude gesture when you have a biscuit in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, at least not without getting a withering look from the hard working tea-lady...and no one wants that.

Deer duel

Flame lily

Pretty but poisonous.

Mini chickee

My teeny-tiny chicken figurine. It is so little it must have been made by elves or fairies...or small children in a factory. It all depends on how whimsical I'm feeling. Today: no very.  

Tasseography

Go on, have some tea, I bet you've earned it... but make sure to watch out for any ominous shapes at the bottom of your cup. they could be signs of imminent disaster! Although Wikipedia assures me there is no scientific evidence that the future can be predicated through these patterns. So rest easy...unless you get a raven-shaped tea blob, then it's all death and despair and dead puppies. Okay maybe not the puppies, but I'm pretty certain about the rest.

Rainbow

It's been raining a lot here recently. Biblical amounts , I'm pretty sure I've been seeing more animals going around in pairs with smug ' I know something you don't know' expressions on their whiskered faces ...and then there's that big boat... Anyhoo , the upside to all this rain is you get some pretty spectacular rainbows. No CGI, WIFI , or 3D glasses required just your eyeballs , a little sunlight and some rain. Everyday ordinary magic.

Something unexpected

An inkblot I did for a book about reading tea-leaves and telling fortunes.

On closer inspection

I used to like pigeons...

Baby blackbird

Mint

I like the minty colour in the background. I'm sure she likes it too.

Orchid

Some sort of ridiculously extravagant orchid.That blooms once every hundred years...but only if no ones looking.

Milk and flowers

 Tiny flower pattern I found on the side of a milk jug. 

see gulls

Wildlife photographer

A gift from my lovely husband and butterfly stalker extraordinaire.

Flowers for a Grand lady

What ? Not Edgy enough you say ? In this case, that's probably for the best. I don't know the last time my gran knitted me a skull festooned jumper, or commented on how much she 'digs' neck tattoos - which would be awesome but realistically is never going to happen. So...yes, she gets flowers. I feel it's a solid choice.

Coco loco

I have been obsessed with cuckoo clocks for a while now, it's something I don't really talk about. I like to lure people in with a false sense of normality before I release my quirks upon them. It's worked for me so far. *Please note : I did in fact act play a cuckoo in my preschool Nativity production. I was not aware that there was a cuckoo at the birth of Christ , but the outfit was bright blue with workable wings ( it was the wings that sold it ! )  so I let the historical inaccuracies slide.

Birds birds birds birds

This is a pattern I made ages and ages ago, when dinosaurs roamed and it was safe to drink the water. Ah good times.

Bonsai!

Tiny trees, one day I will free you.

Strange camouflage

Totally invisible.

Camelhorse

The giraffe is one of my favourite creatures. When we meet it is always on good terms.

Parakeeting

Two tiny, foul-mouthed and irreverent parrots, executed in the age-old tradition of nail varnish and enamel. Classic yet timeless.

White horse

I seem to draw a lot of horses.

Kwaak-kwaak

How do ducks stay so white ? Even when they swim in muddy water. Is there a midnight duck dry-cleaning service? I really hope so, wouldn't that be wonderful.

Dear fly

I think the deer feels slightly confused.

Little kings

The sparrow surveys his miniature kingdom. This is a daily occurrence in my garden, it seems that the smaller the bird, the more arrogant they are. Maybe that's why they hang out in the bonsais. It makes them feel large like eagles or condors or airplanes.

A long time ago...

Some pen and ink from the past. 

Sunday somethings

 

Pink poodle perhaps?

My deer dear

A bit of silly prettiness or pretty silliness.

Tiger, tiger burning bright

 

I have always loved carousals, although the older I get the more I notice the unhappy expressions on the animals' faces. Maybe a lifetime of going in circles will do that to you.

An animal intervention

Some people drink, some people smoke...I collect porcelain animal figurines. These are a few of them. It hasn't reached anti-social proportions just yet, but give it another couple of months.

Nautical views

Sails and blue skies!. It makes my heart happy to see you both...from the safety of the shore, and until someone invents a fool-proof shark repellant/ anti-drowning device that is where I shall remain.

Orange hands

I think orangutans give the best hugs.

Leaf-eaters

 

Work from a show I did in December. When I see it I imagine quiet leaf-munching noises, like hungry caterpillars  

fishy wishes

On a scorching day like today the only logical thing to do ( in order to avoid heatstroke ) is to turn into a fish and join my brethren beneath the cold Atlantic sea.

Bunny slippers

 

 Never in the same place as where you left them.

Nonsense and other important things.

All hail the Pug-King !

Fri-neigh!

 

My favourite thing about Lego has always been the horses.

Just because because

The poor male weaver bird lives a life of house-building and is inevitably hen-pecked for his troubles.Lessons to be learned from this dear men-folk : keep the expectations medium to low or to be more precise don't build a girl a house on the first date, she will expect a palace tomorrow.

Flowers and and a certain saltiness

 The space I currently occupy, complete with mountain and sea views...