Friend Spider

" What tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive"

Sir Walter Scott

This quote came to mind , when I came across a photo of a spider web I took early one morning  at a time of season I  long for just now.

I find it amusing ,that just merely the sight of a spider in the house sends people running for a weapon to kill it. This is sad, because spiders are really our friends.They are beautiful. And they are , along with birds and bees and other valuable wild life, declining.

Spiders are eight-legged,silk-spinning critters that can kill up to a million biting, bloodsucking bugs a year.

There are more than 30,000 known species in the world , 2,000 of them living in Canada.

While the idea  , that you might  never be more than a meter away from a spider will  certainly increase your arachnophobia, it delights me.

Spiders are not insects. They have 8 legs instead of 6. That makes them a class of their own: Arachnids.

....and what a beautiful web they weave!!

Autumn Tree

                                         

It is always rewarding to me to take a nice photo.My ultimate goal is to paint this photo.

Rarely does it happen , that this marriage between photo and painting takes place in a satisfactory way.

I am still a novice in painting and usually need books to refer to.

This time I solely relied on nature and my feelings.

I practiced  tree trunks and leaves.

I took photos of whole trees,

                                                  

part of trees

and leaves

     


After all of this I finally decided it's time to start painting.

 

 

 
                  Funny thing is, that my painting turned out to be upside down. But that is after all the liberty of the artist.
                                   


                                     

Summer Dreams

"Over the winter glaciers I see the summer glow

and through the wild piled snow drifts

the warm rose buds below"

R. Waldo Emerson

 

As I look at my rose bush above, devoid of it's beautiful roses I do not despair.

I can see new life.I can envision new buds and flowers.

And while I am waiting , I have my many Photos to refer to and to dream on......

 

 

" Thou art the Iris"

      " Thou art the Iris, fair among the fairest,
         who, armed with golden rod and winged
         with celestial azure, bearest the message
         of a God."

                            H. W.  Longfellow


                                 

I am not sure, which God Longfellow refers to, but I dare hope, that he would refer

to our Creator, the Creator of all things, even the beautiful Iris.

Poets, artists and aspiring Photographers like me cannot help but see the hand of God

in the beauty around us, especially in the splendid creation of flowers.

I stand in awe, admiring the uniqueness of each flower, their colour, their scent, their shape.

God is indeed the greatest artist we know.

Of all creations, I think flowers in their abundant

differences, and which ,despite their fragile natures,  defy the harshness of their environment,

bear the message of God.

                         

The "mighty" thistle

This donkey obviously loves thistles , and so do I. Perhaps that's because I am not a big time farmer.
To them thistles are a scourge. They propagate by the millions, have painfully sharp thorns, and have underground runners that are impossible to irradicate.

I love them , because birds, bees and butterflies love them  and they are very photogenic and controllable in my little garden. I am not sure what kind of thistles are growing in my garden.According to my research one might be a scotch thistle and something else. I have tall ones and small ones and they are all beautiful

                                                       

                

Seasons

" To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

                                                                                        Ecclesiastes 3:1

Immersed in snow, cold winter winds twisting bare branches, I am wondering about the purpose of winter for my slunbering rose.

From an artistic point of view, I find trees , shrubs and perennials very interesting in winter. Their true shapes are not obstructed by leaves. They lend themselves to great photography and paintings.

The purpose of winter is to create new life. Already visible now ,in tiny buds, is the life of a new rose.

And should there be any bad bugs hibernating beneath the thick blanket of snow , they might be hopefully eradicated.

The loveliest purpose is the DREAM of a new arbour in it's splendour, just like last year's,

with it's magnificent little roses.

                                                              

Amy's fantastic life captured in photos

On December 12th Amy was one inch tall. It was exciting watching her rapid growth. I have never observed watching another plant grow at such a fast rate. On the 25th she was 26 inches tall, that is 25 inches growth in  14 days.As she grew, her twin was trying to catch up with her. On the 31st of December her 4 magnificent blooms were open.
Her twin did catch up and is 7 inches taller than she is. Amys blooms are fading but she is still beautiful.

Amy's twin has caught up and will be as beautiful as she is.