meadow

although i know i'll miss lighting the fireplace, it's spring we've all been waiting for and here in california it's spring, almost. new life hinting, peeking through the soil and branches, lots of daily sunshine, less and less foggy, gloomy days and all is focused on the garden, dreamt or otherwise.

my lilac ever gratifying

snapdragons, always a must for color

and the canterbury bells in innocent white amidst the camomille

shammrock & chives

this one was an intuituitive find since i love white flowers, it's called bridal wreath and turns out to be an esay grower in any soil and/or spot

bachelor's buttons

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& the ready to be planted betty white and queen elizabeth roses

a california native

and a great idea from good ol martha stewart

lots of blisters on my hands now due to the ever invasive weeds

so for sure you will find me in the garden or at the local garden center ever closer to my dream meadow, preparing for that pre-summer party overlooking the city lights.  bring out the mimosa's.

saturday, a time for going to trader joe's to pick up the weekly groceries, a bit of cleanup around the house, laundry and time to enjoy the afternoon.  i always try to treat myself to something when i grocery shop, a sort of prize giving for a chore that is becoming less and less attractive as the years go by. trader joe's and whole foods always have that little something different to make it worth while and three of my favorite things ended up in the shopping basket today: pink roses, lemonade and raspberries. i am now almost settled in, having decided to keep my place after all and not introduce any changes into my life after the instability of eight months abroad. i must avoid the emotional roller coaster. i just want to be stable and protect what may seem to others as "my make believe world".  it suits me just fine for the moment.

we are so lucky with the weather here, still warm days and balmy evenings before the much dreaded daylight savings time switches coming up.  i love spring and summer because the light is with us longer and our days seem more filled with visual delights.  hybernation is not for me: i'm a doer and i have to delve into as many things as i can. so many plans in the back of my head now that i feel stronger to work on my online shop, bring back more antiques from chile when i go in november and maybe try my hand at the larger and bigger antiques i found there with my friend maria cecilia.  i miss her so much already.  i have many solid friends, but it is the first time in my life that i have found a soul sister.  and that's an understatement, we think, dress, drive, buy, decorate, relate to others in the same way.  we even have the same nasty habit, something that doesn't quite fit with our love for nature and natural beauty, but we are both fidgety and with high interior energy although we are calm on the outside. i wonder what she's up to all the time, especially today that chile is celebrating it's bicentennial.  besitos y abrazos chichi junto a tu vasito de chicha.

and all the while my loyal panda 'gilbert" observes me with his pensive look.

isn't he the dandiest?

AT LAST, my paints and brushes!  Finally taking them out and playing with them is sort of like being born again.  When I don't create, I feel my flame slowly extinguishing.  So watching a You Tube Video today by Marjorie Harris Clark, I set to paint my first pink roses.  Harder than it looks but worth another try.  The leaves are actually harder to paint than the roses.  I tried a few and then to give them my own personal twist, washed them over with a watered down purple color once they were dry.  I love how they turned out.  Not bad for a first try I think.  I'll try some yellow and lilac roses next.