Batch of buns and back to the drawing board....

Greeting friends!

I hope you are enjoying your June

Usually, by this time in the summer, we have dozens of wee babes waddling round the Hollow.

 BUT... this has been a bad year for babies. Not a single gosling egg hatched out of 21 eggs, poor Alice and Mathila...they tried so hard. No ducklings have hatched despite 3 sitting ducks. My peahen, although she sat on 3 eggs for over 30 days, only hatched one baby pea-chick which died the next day.

To top it all off, My favorite gander, whom I have had for 8 years, died of unknown causes.

 GEEEZ!

Okay, enough gloomy stuff, we get enough of THAT in this world.
Thank goodness for blogs, they are a wonderful escape. Now, I will keep it light.

Despite all the losses, our animal family is growing, as you can see below....

ALL NEW, but none are finished!
 
We did, however, finish the Dovecote, just need a bit more thatch roofing.

The top is for the doves, the bee-skeps open up to store seed and sunflowers,

which is put in the open bird feeder.

Doves are seed eaters, not bug eaters, else I would not have designed in this manner.

The 3rd shelf holds a bar bee hive for honey bees and beneath that is a feeder full of corn 

for my ducks and geese.

The bug haven stands at the end of the structure.

 The gardens are all weeded.

 I even had enough success with my Lavender to actually spare a bundle of it

without trimming it off all of the plants. I am very stingy about plucking flowers. I like to leave them in the garden for all to see. How about you?

I planted 24 Lavenders this year and all are producing blooms, although still youngsters.

 It is time to get back to illustration. There is a new book in the works which I actually started late last year. Thus far, 7 drawing are complete.

I am happy to get out the pencils once again. I miss my pencils when I am away from them for too long, for I love to draw!
So do tell, how are you spending your summer?

Bring out the power tools...

Part 1 

Your ever changing Garden

There is a constant and amazing metamorphosis taking place in yours and my garden, each and every day.

We are treated to a changing palette of color and form each week. In fact, you must keep on your toes in case you miss something; the little pink primroses that were here last week, may have completely gone to seed this week. The Peonies that burst into an exuberant mass of bloom will soon be dropping their sweet scented petals all over the tiny Dianthus that have just begun to open  up in 20 shades of pink. And best enjoy the foxglove  whilst they last, they are fleeting beauties.

 It is all so exciting!

Part 2

Power tools; Building something COOL

This week, I put away my needles, wool and thread and pulled out my wood and power tools. I am a woman with a mission.

This is an old nesting box that has been up in our barn for ages. 

I am going to reinvent it  

  I started by turning the 4 compartments into 8 compartments, adding a shelf in the center of each.

Each section is a spacious 10'x10' and the interior is re-painted white.

 Next, I cut piece a of wood to enclose the front completely.

  Using my Bosche jigsaw I cut doorways, 8 of them.
I sanded all round each doorway, giving it a smooth surface and a bit of age.

Next, I made little corbels and "porches" for each doorway;

painted them and securely screwed corbel to porch. (  I put to use James's flea market find, the antique vice!)

   Somehow, I ended up with 2 extra corbels, I will keep them...just in case.

After painting the front GREEN< my best color, I attached the landing porches beneath each door. By now I am sure you know this has something to do with a rather large bird.

 Green paint... a red tin roof, a bit of trim...

 It is not the most elegant DOVECOTE,
 in fact it is a plain Jane,
 but my carpentry skills are quite limited AND

 there IS a method to my madness...

 Remember this from 2 weeks ago?

James built it for me, and I asked my readers to guess it's purpose.

He needs only to roof it.

 The English Reed thatch, (underneath Aretha and the bee hive roofing),

will be layered on the roof. James will add 3 shelves beneath the roof.

My Dovecote will be on the top shelf right beneath the eaves....nice perching areas for these:

 

 (Photo courtesy of Pinterest)

 It is my fondest wish that the Mourning Doves that visit our place will use these apartments to nest.
 OOPS! UPDATE:
(I just changed the White paint on the trim and porches to "Belgium Waffle" it is more of a cream color.)

Tomorrow, I am building the item that goes on the second shelf.

When it all comes together, you will know why I made such a simple Dovecote.

 Until then, happy Gardens to you!

,

P.S.

 Here is a nice article that was written about me this week in a Pennsylvania Gazette:

http://www.heraldstandard.com/gcm/news/local_news/artbeat-s-new-artist-combines-writing-with-illustration-to-create/article_018311f3-2560-547c-a935-ea2a49d4773c.html?mode=story