Working in a Fog

How can it be Friday already? 

Seriously?

Well my phone, radio and calendar tell me it is, but I'm finding it hard to believe. 

One of the reasons could be because I've been in a fog over the last three days... quite literally.

Although the temperatures have been unseasonably warm this week, they've been accompanied by thick fog. Sometimes so much so that we could hardly see the garden fence. 

So I took that as a great excuse to indulge in a painting. 

After finishing the Inktober challenge I needed some colour.

The grapevine provided me with that fix. 

I apologise for the poor quality of this photograph... but foggy conditions certainly make photography challenging. 

Hopefully, the sun will come up tomorrow...(that sounds like a musical).

If that's the case, then I'll be certain to replace the photo with a better one.
I'm off to join in with the Paint Party over at Kristin and Eva's place.

Have fun and Happy Painting to you all.

Reading, robins and reminders

As soon as I saw Tracey Fletcher King's instagram illustration recently of her comfy reading chair, I knew that I needed to draw my own reading corner. 

It's been incredibly neglected over the whole summer, so it's time it got a little attention. 

Now winter is coming towards us, I hope that I'll be curled up here with a mass of great books to plough through. Bliss!

Obviously with the roaring fire toasting my toes... ahh... I never thought I'd say it but now I think about it... roll on winter if that's the case. 

(by the way if you have any recommendations please just pop them into the comments below)  

I'm still managing to add to my Inktober Challenge, although I'm still not up to date. 

I thought I'd take a photo of the reading corner so that you can see what I was using as a reference. 

I've not drawn it exactly, otherwise I'd be here until October 2016, so let's say it's my artistic license. 

Here are a few other sketches just in case you didn't see them on my Instagram or Facebook accounts.

If you did, then I apologise... you must be fed up seeing these designs yet again, but we're near to the end of the month.
I'll leave you in peace then.

I've got a thing about Highland Cows.
This one isn't Hetty (drawn last year) but maybe Hilda perhaps?

I had a request to include a grapevine in this challenge... I'm pleased with this one which if you know me is unusual. I think it would be better with a nice glass of red, but maybe I'll have one later!

I like the swirly whirly grapes.

Now here's a very simple design of a fuschia that is still actually blooming in my garden. 

It's a beautiful pink puffy ballerina tutu.

And finally, I wasn't going anywhere near Christmas but I've got a few robins in my garden and they're singing beautifully. 

I think they want to be drawn.

I'm heading off to the PPF party now to check out other artists and they're amazing work. 

If you'd like to join me then click on the link below. 

Have a brilliant weekend everyone

Happy painting too xx

How Dare They....?

It was a beautiful morning with sun, blue sky and a perfect temperature....

just what we need before the start of autumn next week.

It certainly wasn't the sort of morning that you would want spoiling by an invasion!

I'm not talking of the little green men or the body-snatching kind - no just small, wrinkly, furry greedy insatiable hungry grubby kind!

I've been painstakingly taking tender care of my plants over the summer months, and none more so than my vine. Call me naive but I'm hoping that I might actually produce a grape from it one day soon. (It might well be ONE grape if I'm lucky) Hope springs eternal....

Anyway, but look what horrors I found....

It's necessary to just comment here that I can appreciate the beautiful colours, patterns etc of these creatures - BUT NOT ON MY VINE

I love to have butterflies hovering around the garden and so therefore a small thought passed through my head, that perhaps I should leave them to evolve, but then there are so many my plant would be stripped. They've got to go!
I know we share this planet but please not my vine.....

I tried to identify them by going online, but unfortunately the more I looked at numerous photo's the more sickly I began to feel. Breakfast began to talk back to me. Especially after watching so many of them inch there way along the leaves....gulp.
If anyone knows more about them, or what I can do to evict them, other than snipping off all the munched leaves, please let me know.