Lemon a day

for sale on Etsy   3.5″x3.5″ 8.5cm x 8.5cm watercolour on heavyweight rag paper

Not at all sure at this point what I will paint, the sky is a milky blue with the balance favouring the milk. I think that it would be the perfect weather for some digging up and replanting as it will rain on Tuesday (I think they said). As things warm up I try not to disturb plants unless there is rain forecast.

I want to do some more culinary pictures. I noticed that the garlic was not the most popular image I have done so far, but I still think that there is much more to see in a head of garlic than in a rose. It certainly has hidden strengths!

There are some bits of the garden coming on that I am pleased with, the new bed has been given a cheeky line with mowing stones ,or rather recycled concrete slabs that were in the garden already, they have the advantage of looking weathered. The bit by the front door which was drab and pinched a very short time ago has started to work again, there are primulas and primroses all the same shade, Pulmonaria and coming through from underneath are the striped leaves of Tulip’ New Design’.

Thus there are spots and stripes on the leaves and a limited colour range, I love it, when the tulips flower it reaches its peak, they have a pink cream and yellow colour mix which is so subtle you don’t really register what is there.

The whole shed business rolls on, we took the shed apart yesterday afternoon, the area it sits in is actually flat and it will be great to see it liberated and tidied up. It will form the pathway into the woody part of the garden. The path will lead past two hazels coppiced and my favourite holly. The holly tree was growing in the gloom made by the leylandii plantation, it has a trunk which has formed from two melded in several places leaving holes which go right through. One of the first things we did when we moved here was to start cutting down the thickets of 30’ high leylandii cypress trees which the previous owner had hidden behind. It’s a suburban garden and I swear we have taken out 50 of the dull green monsters, I know they are cheap to buy but 50 was insane. We have left one which is golden higher up and a landmark tree for the surrounding houses. There is one other straggly one but its days are numbered. We are still burning the wood from this mammoth tidy up and have enough for another winter.

It’s a lemon part zested, I am making rice pudding with sultanas and lemon zest, its cold enough for that I think.

Alison

#18 a painting a day by Alison Warner on her lemon a day art blog