A difficult time.

My Mother died on the 8th June, she was 85 years old and was happy until the last couple of days. She was a wonderful person, my best friend and I miss her. This year has been a difficult year for me, my relationship with my partner has broken up, my cat died in June and I have been attacked at work a couple of times. Many people write their way out of this on their blog, my reaction has been to close down for a while and go inward. I love doing my blogs and it has been strange for me that I have not had the need or the surplus energy to express myself, definitely this post is one that I have not been looking forward to writing. I have neglected posting and looking through your inspiring blogs, I am very sorry for this.

The picture above is from one of my journals, done in early summer.Here are a couple of photo's from my garden taken in the midst of this colourful autumn. It has really been wonderful this year and I have enjoyed all the motives that have appreared while driving, really wanting to capture them all on camera.

Flowers Galore

Flowers from my garden, they are such a delight!
I created the tag last year, I thought it matched perfectly with the photos .-)

My cat Trisha has died, she lived to be 15 years old and was not well the last month. I had her at the vet three times but in the end she died of kidney failure. I will miss my little fur ball.

I have been away in England sorting out help for my Mum in various ways, she is getting old and has had her 85th birthday on the 17th June. This is the reason why I have not blogged for a month, havn't had time! I try to get over as much as possible and I ring her twice daily now.
This is an amazing flower field about a 3 minutes drive away from my home. I was in heaven when I first say this and it still has the same effect every time I pass it!
The colours are much better in the original photos. I reduce the file size in Photoshop and get them just right and then when I upload them Blogger ruins them by converting them again ... sigh!

Painted cards

The above picture is a card I created for a good friend's birthday. The bottom card I call 'Healing Tree' and I have used as a motive for a mandala that you can find posted here ... http://mandala-art.blogspot.com/2009/05/healing-tree-mandala.html. It's always satisfying developing my work further :-)

Booklet cover & photo's from home

I love crystals, and everything shiny :-) Here is a close up of an angel statue and an Indian Statue of Krishna ...Birds in the nest collage which I will make into a booklet. I have used a stencil, a German sticker and Danish stickers that are a collectable item especially by children. I have also painted with golden paint to highlight certain areas.
I brought this back from England, it is a closeup of a table mat that is old and sctratched but I love it....and the inside cover of the booklet.

What have I been up to?

I have been working on hand made mandala's. The two pictures at the bottom under the circle are finished, the rest are not. The painting is not finished either, there is lacy blob on it has to be glued on the painting in another area.
I am knitting a scarf, I was lucky enough to buy the yarn cheap in Bury Market last time I was in England. It is going to be nice and warm when it is finished.
I have been working on an evening shift, when I got back home I was delighted to hear a nightingale singing it's heart out, one of the joys of living in the countryside :-)

Spring blooming in pinks

Been making a couple of bracelets. It's all my friend's fault, she showed me some the jewelry she had made and I was 'sold'. So I have got one more hobby .... help!!!!

Almost neutrals.

I have bought myself a new screen, got tired of my old small one. The only problem is that the colours are screaming at me and I am wondering how you see the colours from my blog on your screen. I cannot find Adobe's Gamma calibration in my computer even though I have used lots of time on the net trying to find instructions. I think I am going to give up for today.

I've taken these photos around the house. The bracelet around the Madonna statue is one I made myself.

Spring and Handmade cards again.

The angel painting is a card I did for a friend who sent me beautiful words of encouragement.I have been away from my blog for a whole month. Been very busy, I am working more often than not in the evenings, which was the time I devoted to blogging. At the same time Mum's been in hospital. I went to England two weeks ago and found her weak, gasping for breath at the slightist effort and got her to the doctor in the nick of time. She is coming home tomorrow and is now OK but it has been a worry. So I hope you all forgive me for not posting!Yesterday I got my first day off in Easter and we drove off in the countryside with food enough for two meals in a picnik basket. I really needed this day away and enjoyed every minuite of it!
There are signs of spring all over the place, the trees have not shown their lime green foliage yet.