WOYWW

Morning, so a bit different workdesk this week.  This was last night (as today my desk is covered with work so cant show that) and its the allotment!  

This is my 2nd plot (I have 2 half size plots) and I took this one on this year after being on the list for over 2 years.  It hadnt been cultivated for over a year so was thick in weeds so I decided to only cultivate half of it and cover the top half and plant through it (to allow the weeds below the covering to die back) and planted my squash through there, also there was a row of what looked potentially like flowers so I kept these (in the middle of the photo) and there are viola's, mulliens (tall spiky flower) and some floppy tall yellow ones (no idea what they are) and some lovely purple spikey ones too - either way they look lovely and the bee's love them!

after my tatties I then had a bed of strawberries.  To protect them a bit I covered them in old net curtains to keep the birds off!  Looks odd but is free and seems to work ok.  I placed my "man bites dog" cards on there and dealt "Dog weeps for Crazy Model" - well, bless the dog!

These are the tatties, some flowers, onions and sweetcorn.  At the back of the plot are some autumn raspberries and a VERY large red currant bush!

 hence this was last nights harvest.  Radish, spicy salad leaves, garlic scrapes, strawberries and red currants.  I also had a large bag of broad beans from my other plot I harvested yesterday so this will keep me going for a while.

So, like I said, a bit of a different update from me, but with work being super busy in the past year the allotment is a great break from work and time out (hence I even had a plot in my 20's when we rented a flat in Bath back in the early 90's)

So, What's on YOUR workdesk this Wednesday?

kyla

WOYWW

Happy What's on your workdesk Wednesday!  So, on my desk this week is STILL my journal to be finished for June (yes, I know....I will finish it this week honest!) and my bullet journal needs the june page constructing (I will do this later after work).

Not much else has changed on the desk (as is the way this time of year as the allotments keep me super busy outside of work).  My "man bites dog" cards actually make sense this week though! "Psychic tricks crazy lawyer!"

 

Thought I would share some photos from the jubilee weekend, we were lucky enough in the next village (about 20 mins walk from ours) to have the flypast of the Hurricane, Spitfire and  Lancaster planes and they circled overhead twice!

there was also some old buses being used to ferry people to a local parking area (we are lucky that we have a steam railway at the end of our estate so often see vintage vehicles around here)

and this is what my crafting in the past couple of weeks have been-first double batch of this years elderflower cordial made and bottled

and 14 jars of rhubarb chutney made (last year I made 42 jars of jams and chutneys, not to mention dried herbs, pickled nasturtium seeds, wild garlic salts, elderberry brandy and sloe gins) so that is this years harvesting off to a good start

I thought I would also share with you a recent urban sketch i did manage to do, sat on the seafront of sidmouth sketching buskers.

So, What's on your workdesk this wednesday?

kyla

WOYWW

 Hello, things are still manic so i am rather behind. On my desk is my 365 journal, it isn't ready for the start of June and to be honest i doubt i will get a chance to do any more until the bank holiday when i get some time off work so hoping i can catch up on outstanding tasks, though there are so many!

Also on my desk is a lovely ATC from Christine aka Bishopsmate. So chuffed to get this, especially at the moment and loving the stamp used it says 'precious moments in time' love it, thanks Christine  

My 'man bites dog' cards this week are 'thousands brave downsize lover', nope no idea, some weeks they just don't make sense!  

So, what's on your workdesk Wednesday?

Kyla 

Woyww

Happy hump day and what's on your workdesk Wednesday. Really sorry I have gotten rather behind too much to do and not enough time. Anyhoo, on my desk (which currently has no room for crafting) are two lovely 13th Anniversary ATCs from Julia and Lunch lady Jan, love them and both so different yet totally clever with the 'connection ' theme. 

 Only a short one today as need to crack on and sorry i wasnt able to make all the returns this week.

Kyla 

WOYWW 13th Anniversary

 Hello peeps, hope you are all well and been able to get some crafting in?  Well, the lovely Queen of desks Julia has been running this weekly get together for 13 years! Thanks to Julia over the (i think) roughly 11-12 yrs i have taken part i have met virtually and physically some amazing friends and learnt so much. 

Anyway back to the desk, been a bit absent recently what with work and the allotment there hasnt been as much time for crafting or blogging (apart from a trip to Birmingham to see Blondie after 2 years of waiting! It was brilliant).  On my desk this week is my "so called" "one sketch a day" book, this is the first sketch in over 3 weeks!  But its a sketch so that is something! Also the pens and brushes are STILL on the desk waiting for me to start the "watercolour for relaxation" course in the library book I blogged about previously!  Looks like I will have to renew the book again as STILL havent started!  To the right of my sketch book are 2 new badges I bought 1 says "Trust me I'm left handed!" and the other "I may be left handed but I'm always right!!" I couldn't resist these!  Having been called "cack handed" throughout my childhood and forced at school to write with a right handed fountain pen and then get told off for scratching the paper as I tried to write with my left hand!

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are "Cruel Convict Revealed Missing lover!"  well, thats an odd one!  Mind you they often are!

I thought I would also share a couple of sketches i did on location recently too.  On a day trip to Lyme Regis (my travel sketch kit is the black book with a homemade mini pallet and the white (well it was once) was a free sweat band I got from some council event that I use to mop up paint, clean the brush and hold all the kit together.  This was a fabulous sculpture of a juggling hare I came across in a park whilst over looking the sea.

This one was another day trip, this time to Seaton and I sketched this sat in a cafe outside overlooking this amazing sculpture on the sea wall made from metal with a wildflower meadow below and the sea behind, such a fabulous view from our table and the weather stayed nice too!

So, that's all from me, what's on your workdesk wednesday?  Later will be a couple ATCs i will be making to mark the occasion 

kyla

WOYWW

 Happy hump day where we share what's on your workdesk Wednesday with the Queen of Desks the lovely Julia (and I can't believe its almost 13 years since she started it, I think I have been taking part for almost 12 years, it is amazing what a fantastic community she created).

So, on my desk this week is my 365 journal, a bit late in starting my May page so I am going to finish it today so that I am not too far behind.

Also on the desk (on the left) is my ATC die to remind me to make one for the 13th anniversary!  I must admit I forgot to get my "Man Bites Dog" cards out this week, I will try and remember for next week.

So, What's on Your Workdesk? 

Happy crafting

kyla

WOYWW

 Happy Whats on you  workdesk Wednesday.  Hope you all had a fabulous week?  We were lucky in the UK as the weather wasnt too bad at all, so lots done on the allotment.

Been a bit slow making my return visits, I will try harder, honest!  On my desk this week is a card I need to make for a upcoming birthday and also some paint brushes!  I bought 2 new brushes at the weekend (well I had to walk past the art shop to get to the Bristol Urban Sketcher meet up at the weekend so it seemed like the ideal opportunity!

The reason I was looking for a couple of brushes is that I borrowed this art book from the library.  I looked through my brush roll (mainly filled with my Dad's brushes when I sorted out his kit after he died a few years back) and it didnt look like I had them (the author suggest  synthetic round No 2 and No 6 being the most useful for the 25 techniques in the book).  So, now I have the brushes I dont really have any excuse not to a least make a start on the techniques!!

At the weekend we also had another Bristol Urban Sketchers meet up (physical rather than the zoom ones we have been doing over the past couple of years).  This time it was in Berkley Square, a lovely outdoors venue, nice and quiet with tree cover (in case we had some showers).  There was about 17 of us sketching at various places across the park, some on the grass (some really organised who brought their own small fold up seats)

This was my sketch, I tried something different this time as I splashed some colour down on the page first in the general areas and then added the detail after.  Something I think I will try again as it wasnt as daunting as an empty page!

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week - well, new prez!  You couldnt make this up!  These are random cards, honest!!  Anyhoo, are you sharing your desk?  What have you been up to?

Happy crafting

kyla

WOYWW

Hello peeps, hope you had a fabulous Easter, Passover, Vaisakhi, or just time out etc over the past few days?  In the UK it was unusual a bank holiday and weekend where nice weather was forecast!!!  Most unusual I can tell you!  So, needless to say it was filled with gardening and sorting stuff out (as there just isn't much time with the pay the bills job and things taking me a bit longer with my rheumatoid arthritis) BUT it was successful as I borrowed from Share Bristol (a great charity where you borrow tools etc) electric screwdriver, drills etc and it enabled me to fix my garden gate and also make a raised bed!  On the downside was finding a rat had eaten a hole in the side of the shed so we had to clear the entire shed out to check no nest and clear the droppings!  But, it was lovely weather so it was all piled up on the wee lawn (goodness knows what our neighbours thought!) and I already had the tools borrowed for the week so I could fix it (we need a new shed as this one is over 10 years old!).  The positive is that the shed is now nice and tidy inside and I have room!!  Unlike my craft room, which at the moment is a split between day stuff, mending hubbies slippers (hence the glue in the blue box and the clips on the right)  a quick sketch and general stuff!

However, I did get a chance to make a card, this is from a speedball lino carving I did, a bit basic but I quite like the simplicity of the hills and fence.

 So that's what's on my workdesk this Wednesday?  What about you?

Happy crafting

kyla

WOYWW

 Hello peeps, and I need to start with an apology as I wasnt able to make it round all the desks last week, time just ran away, after days of meetings and several hours in the dentist chair before I knew it the week had passed!

Anyway, just time for  a really quick update this week.  A few weeks ago a good friend's parents both died within a day of each other.  Really sad and I cant imagine how that was (it was 9 years ago yesterday that my dad died and I cant imagine going through it with both parents).

She is slowly going through their belongings and her mum was a wonderful crafter (even though she was partially sighted, an amazing lady).  So when it came to sorting out her crafting stash a couple of coven members popped up to help her sort through it all.  They kindly sent me photos with "we have put this aside for you!" notes-so I popped over to help (no where near as much help as they had been) and was kindly gifted some new stash!   

How wonderful is this? Some of these items I can think straight away how to use them, others I am going to have to do some research to work out (there is a pack of Tim Holtz distress crayons so will pop over to his page to see how best to play with them).  

A huge thanks and hug to my mate for this and everything she is going through.

Kyla

WOYWW

Morning all, and another What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday thanks to the lovely Julia the Queen of desks (full details are on her blog here).  This was my desk last night it has stuff on it!!!  Some of you may know I have been a member of Bristol Urban Sketchers for many years and we used to have monthly live sketches as a group in various locations around the city.  Over lockdown this moved to Zoom, which was great as we could still see each other and chat and we could sketch all over the globe!  But, it was lovely on Saturday to be able to do a physical sketch crawl, this time at Bristol Beacon.  Its a fantastic airy space and lots of interest outside and seats too so it was a great place to be.

I haven't had time to post the photo of my sketches on the urban sketchers group or indeed clear out my travel sketch kit until tonight, hence its all over my desk!  Also I have new stash!  Well, one of my fineliners ran out whilst sketching and since CASS Art is about 10 mins walk away from where we were sketching it seemed fate to pop up!  They didnt have the type I was looking for BUT they did have a special offer of a set of 5 pens and a free sketch book so it seemed like fate!  I also bought some more watercolour postcards as they are a great item to take with me for art abandonment when I am out and about, also I have recently borrowed a book on technique exercises for watercolour from the library so I thought I could use these as my testing pages.

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are 'Brave Angel Wanted Thousands', well I think we can all think of thousands of brave angels at the moment!

So, What's on Your Workdesk this Wednesday?

Happy crafting

kyla