Mon Bouquet du Jour

Rose dal mio Giardino per voi

Roses from my Garden ... for you

Roses, Salpiglossis and Anenomies

I'm still painting, for another two weeks.
Want to see?

Have a great weekend my Dear Blogging Friends.

I'll be checking in, now and then.

Gina

Mon Bouquet du Jour

Mein Wochenende Strauss

Painting is going well, kiln firing is going well...need to continue painting but wanted to check in and wish you a wonderful weekend.

This little Ladybug has changed colors to fit into its Tarahumara Sunflower environment,  that is what I'm doing, disappearing from blogging...but only for a  little while.

My garden is bursting with flowers and vegetables.

Have a great weekend, my dear Blogging Friends.

Gina

Need to Paint

My Dear Blogging Friends.

I'm going to take a couple of weeks away from blogging.

I will be preparing for an Exhibit at the Springville Art Museum.

Also, I need to replenish my studio for the Annual Artist Studio Tour early next month.

I will miss you, but I will be checking in now and then.

Cheers, Gina

Mon Bouquet du jour

Mein Sonntag Blumenstrauss

Hollyhocks and Roses from my Garden 

Have a great weekend my dear Blogging Friends

Gina

Shall I show you my favorite Sweet Peas?

I love all Sweet Peas, especially the old fashioned odoratus type.

The kind that make you swoon.

Their fragrance is intoxicating, the name is 'Mollie Rilestone'. 

In a group or by itself, my favorite Sweet Pea of them all.

'Wiltshire Ripples' is a must have.

Martha Stewart made a special trip to England every year so she could have 'Ripples' growing in her garden.

Of all odoratus Sweet Peas, 'Chatsworth  Blue'  has the most intense perfume.

You will find all of the above and many more at Thompson & Morgan Seeds

Gina

I want to keep them

But so does my client

My hand painted tiles, just out of the kiln this morning

I have a rod iron table which needs a few tiles

Yes, I painted them but now they don't belong to me anymore

That reminds me of a story

A story about a bicycle, a bicycle I almost owned when I was eight years old

We were refugees from East Prussia,

(part of Germany before WW II).

We had very little.  Certainly not extra money for a bike.

I knew that I would never have a bicycle

But one evening, at the dinner table, my Father told me that he had a 50/50 chance of getting a bicycle for me.   I really, really wanted one.  What eight year old wouldn't? 

He had asked the man, with the beautiful bicycle,  if he would give it to him.  The man said NO.

 

I was disappointed in my Dad for telling this not so funny story. 

I've had fancier bikes but this is my favorite, the kind of bike an eight year old would have loved to own. 

So, why don't I just paint a few more tiles.  My very own tiles for my rod iron table. 

Gina  

Note: All ceramics hand painted  by Gina

Mon bouquet du jour

Mein Sonntag Strauss

For a candlelight Dinner...

and for a Sunday Brunch

Have a most wonderful weekend my dear Blogging Friends,

Gina

My Walkabouts

My Hollyhocks walk all over my Garden

Remains of Hollyhocks have been found in a Neanderthal burial site near Shanidor, Kuristan.

Hollyhocks belong to the Mallow Family.

It is a biennial or a short lived perennial.

It wasn't until I planted a few "Negro" Hollyhock seeds that peach and lavender colors showed up in my garden.

The bees do the pollinating and the deer, the wind and the birds do the scattering of seeds.

I never cease to be amazed by the sheer volume of color and shapes.

They will often plant themselves by a water spout.

In the Fall, when seeds have dried, lay the entire stalk in a place where you want them to grow.

Seeds need light to germinate.  Hollyhocks are difficult to transplant unless they are under 2 inches tall.

Hollyhocks are very easy to dry in sand.

Yes, my Salpiglossis are still going strong.

Thanks for asking.

But which is my favorite color?

Now my Sweet Peas are also blooming.

And my roses, how could I put them last? 

Gina

It rained Sunday but we went on a picnic anyway

But first, there were chores to finish

Red Currants needed to be picked

And put up in jars to be served with Game, a European tradition.

 Labels have to be affixed

The owl is still watching over my cherry tree

(hey, look out little fellow)

Still so many cherries to pick.  I canned some of them for winter pies.

Some went into little tartlets for our picnic in the mountains

Three bites and they're gone.

Two Quiches made with Zucchini, Onions, Bacon, Curly Kale, Provolone cheese and eggs from the chicken coop.

All done by 11:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning.

Christine

So we could go to the mountains and have a wonderful and rainy Sunday picnic with our charming friends, Christine and Steven.

We're all under there (minus the photographer Christine) holding up the paper roof with sticks...sharing a happy afternoon.

Gina

https://betweennapsontheporch.net/