Dressed for Dinner

This cheery fellow was zipping around a local nursery while we were there the other day. He looks like he has his best flashy green waistcoat on.

Pencil Power

Since I describe myself as an artist, I thought it might be time to post some of my art on my blog.

Excuse the poor quality of the pictures but I have done it on purpose to prevent people from copying them.

These drawings are from one of my sketchbooks. It's a good way to make waiting time less tedious.
This sketchbook is from an English company called Derwent who also make the coloured pencils I use. It's a pretty strong book. It survived being dropped into a toilet bowl (not on purpose) at a roadside rest. Some of the pencils I use are water soluble so I was convinced the colours would run, but the elasticated closure kept the pages so firmly together the water didn't penetrate. A monumental relief after all that work.

This and the next picture are from another sketchbook.

Sometimes these drawings prompt a painting and sometimes they are just fun to do and an excuse to document something beautiful.

Liquid Gold

Hubby and I love to watch sunsets at the beach. You never know how it will turn out.

Much depends on the amount of clouds (or their absence) and their position in the sky.

Two nights ago we struck gold (and red).

Spring!

Despite not suffering anything like harsh winter weather (which is why I live in So Cal) I was delighted to see my favourite sign of spring yesterday on a trip inland to visit a paving stone company.

Garden Notes

Some weeks ago, I mentioned that we had been visiting local nurseries to look at plants for our garden makeover.

Many nurseries create small garden vignettes to demonstrate various possible arrangements of plants and landscaping features like rocks, ponds, statues, and pathways to give customers some ideas and to better showcase the products.

Since we are planning a tropical-look garden a lot of the ideas we saw didn’t suit us but sometimes you can take something from this and that and make something new. Plus we both love creative ideas so it’s always fun to look.

One of our favourite visits was to Laguna Beach Nursery on PCH in Laguna Beach. From the street, it looks small but interesting. Inside it is anything but small and is a visual feast.

Every item seems to have been placed to maximum design effect.

This amazing fountain was quite large and stunning but would overwhelm our garden space (and I think our budget).

If you are seeking an English-style cemetery-look for your garden then your search has ended.

Just when we thought we had seen everything, there were stairs or a doorway leading to more delights.

A rare sighting of a three-headed husband.

Since we are at the beach, there are plenty of ocean-inspired decorations.

We got some useful ideas among these items.

Spoilt Fruit

While it is true that America has a strong car-centric culture, here in south Orange County we like to go one better ensuring that all drivers are catered for.