summer solstice

Ohhhhh, not much summer right now :

a cold north wind and no sun.

So I made a bit of  "summer" myself !

Little bits and pieces for a new necklace.

Daughter and I also did the last brushstrokes

on the window next to the door at school.

(looks like a bit of summer here ...)

 So, HAPPY  SOLSTICE ! 

*

(Oh yes, totally forgot my special date post on the 18th,

well ... what about it ... not very important,

that's how days rush by sometimes !)

colours ...

This week daughter and I were busy at school.

It's the school where I worked,

where daughter went,

and the grandchildren

(now only the youngest)

When I worked at school, I loved to use the windows

as a third (fourth) wall, and painted on them

whenever I needed it in a theme.

Later on, others asked me to decorate their windows as well !

When daughter "took over" that task I always helped her out.

The painting at the entrance door was damaged

(by scratchy little fingers)

and because the white paint we used

for some unknown cause started to peel ...

So, time to do the painting once again.

Some background, and then it's done !

*

The garden thrives ...

not only the flowers, but the tiny visitors as well !

Each year the Polygonatum is attacked by caterpillars,

it was no different this year

They start at the juicy seedpods

and then work from the top down ...

Well,

if you want butterflies ...

you have to endure these little buggers !

Of all the plants I bought through the years

a  LOT  disappeared, while others thrived

(and became too many sometimes)

I thought I'd lost this beauty

a Sanguisorba (menziesii, I think)

until I found it here again on the stairs to the water !

Must leave it there, I can't move it !

(NO .... my stairs are not very tidy !!!)

And in the water :

another beauty struggling ...

This Campanula lactiflora "Prichard's variety" is slowly getting bigger !

*

When Man is too busy with his "colours"

Bella surely has her ways to persuade him

to pay more attention to her !

"You have to pet me ..."

friends and family in summer

We have a summer that is wetter

than we hoped for .....

but days with friends and family

are always good !

Two months ago a loooooong time friend from Germany

said she could make a bus trip to Holland

if we were home then ...

YES

We met in Austria when we were 12 (!)

and both with our parents on holiday, camping.

Our parents kept the friendship alive

for as long as they lived ...

and we are still going strong !

(the last time we saw each other was ten years ago)

Lots of rain earlier last week

but guess what : we had sunshine on Sunday

after we picked her and a friend up in their hotel

and took them home with us  ;-)

We had so much to talk about
but
of course we had to (re)visit the windmills.

It was a magnificent day !

(we promised not to wait thát long again

to see each other )

*

In this week was the last day of elementary school
for our biggest grandson,
so we took an extra day off
to go to the  "Efteling"
For the youngest is was the very first time.

We went in at five past ten  ;-)

And after some time together, our ways separated ...

Hmmmm ..... everything lóóks real .....

but : isn't !
(that was a problem for the little one sometimes)

Pinocchio ...

And THIS is not my kind of pleasure !!!!!
(brrrrrrr)

*

The week before last daughter and I
made the last window paintings
(perhaps two more next year, because of some changes in school)

*

Today we visited some good friends in Schoonhoven
the "silver" town of Holland
I took a plant from our garden ... and got one in return,
and took the felted jewel I made for her birthday

(ha, I just see the magenta Geranium I took with me
for them, is in this picture too !)

These friends are both professional artists
and I always come back inspired by them !
;-)

"window" Sunday

The BIG task daughter (and I as helper)

has for the window painting at school

is nearly completed..

The last few weeks the big full size drawings

we use as templates were finished,

so today (on this last day of the "crocus"holidays)

we went to school and started on the last two classrooms.

(we didn't like this one very much,

but the children could choose ...)

In grandson's classroom there will be a lot of birds

In fact it will be our saying :

WINGS  AND  ROOTS

a good theme for the last (8th) year of elementary school !

He was very proud to be part of it !

The rest of the work will be done during school time.

*

In the garden the snowdrops are still going strong !

Mmmmm I love spring 

bits and pieces .....

At the very end of the year

there are always

those little bits and pieces 

that need to be said, shown, or finished ...

Here are some of mine.

Only tiny bits of this little felted heart

were shown, because it was a present to daughter's best friend

who had her 50th birthday yesterday.

Lots of family and friends were asked

to make a little heart,

and a whole bunch came and were placed

on a "wild" piece of wood,

making it into a wonderful birthday present !

*

Winter isn't really winter (yet ?)

but it is great fun to help granddad to prepare

the bird feeder in case the cold suddenly arrives !

*

Making selfies is a silly business !

*

Two friends came for a felting workshop

just before christmas

A late start, too much talking and planning

made that they need to finish it all later

(uhhhm ... next year ...)

*

This :

was the perhaps most special (almost) full moon I saw this year

on the 24th of December,

(except the eclipse moon of course) 

There was this awesome ring around it !

*

But there was also a  B I G  piece that we did :

today we used this second last day of the year 2015

for some serious window painting business !!!

This picture from the net was the start

Enlarged using a grid,

to almost 2 x 1 meter.

The start of the other choice of this class : a "minion"

Me starting with number two : "Rio"

But we weren't the only "idiots" working during the school holidays ...

(they are painting again the little house that was built in my classroom

some 19 years ago to make room for more possibilities to play

in the rather small classroom)

Minion in progress ...

Daughter and me started with "Blue"

and granddaughter ...

steps into the family's footsteps

;-)

Almost done !!!

HA !

I think this is a nice present for the teacher 

when she starts school again on Monday

!!! 

And to ALL my dear friends out there in the world

who visit here in blogland :

I wish you a

peaceful

happy

healthy

creative

and colourful

2016

*

See you next year !