Categories for Gardening

My first watercolour in the garden

I had to think about it. I was a bit hesitant. But i did it. I took my new watercolour paints to the garden and made a watercolour painting. I had thought about it before. I knew i was going to use only two colours. Prussian blue and yellow ochre. I like limitations. I need to get to know the different paints.

The result is a sketch. A learning tool. But also a report of this hour sitting at the table and watching the area i had chosen to paint. The end result is nowhere near what i saw. Of course.

After i stopped painting i did do some work in the garden. I joined the others. A good day.

Published on January 31, 2018 at 6:00 by Ellen

Categorised in: Drawing and watercolour, Gardening

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Pruning in the garden

Published on January 29, 2018 at 6:00 by Ellen

Categorised in: Gardening

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Drawing in the garden

It wasn’t a premonition to draw more this year. But this is what i am doing. The past two days in the garden i did make drawings. With pencil, charcoal, conte carré. It is not really about the drawing itself. Not about making something beautiful. It is about looking intensely around me. Basically, i can draw anything.

It does remind me of a time a long while ago, before i went to art school. I would like to get that back. That feeling of discovery. Of looking around. Intensely. Measuring with my eyes. All the distances which are elements of what i am looking at. Being quiet within myself.

I also walked about the garden. I saw these roots with tiny green leaves popping out. Supposedly chicory. Also some tiny apples still on the trees. Four or five centimeters wide. Wonderful.

Published on January 10, 2018 at 6:00 by Ellen

Categorised in: Gardening

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A cold winter’s day

Laughing gas capsules left on the square in front of the garden. Sad to see the mess some people leave behind.

It was cold. Two degrees Celsius. Drinking warm coffee to get a bit warmer. And eating cake. The chocolate beetroot cake, the orange cake. All baked by the volunteers working in the garden.

Yesterday i made fat balls for the birds. One part seeds and raisins, one part warmed up lard mixed together. I used old plastic pots to pour the mixture in and let it get cold.

Another shape of fat ball.

A bright blue sky, the sun really low. Beautiful weather. Cold, yes.

I made a drawing. Looking out on the garden and tracing what i saw. I will try and draw more in the garden. The date is wrong by the way. Today, Sunday is the seventh of January.

Published on January 8, 2018 at 6:00 by Ellen

Categorised in: Gardening

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Snow

Published on December 11, 2017 at 6:00 by Ellen

Categorised in: Gardening

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Talks

There were intensive talks in the gardens the past weeks. Last Friday i had a talk with Ronald about capitalism. He came along with a friend of him, Carl. And a piece of speculaas. We talked about how long capitalism exists. Since the late middle ages according to Ronald. The week before i said that i was a genius. Ho ho! Such a brazen expression. Hollow. Not that i’m not intelligent, but i still need to learn so many things about so many different areas. Today we talked about the bitcoin economy. It is becoming a bit clearer to me, but i still need to read more about it. I did bring up the war against the current leaders of our financial industrial economy. The banks. The investors. People making money from money. I am learning that discussions have their own momentum and direction. I am learning to adapt to that and not trying to pull into another direction.

I love all the many more talks we have in the garden, varying from the fun and frivolous to deeply serious. I can not contribute to every talk. I don’t know enough about every single subject, i’m afraid to say. But that is not the most important thing. I love this aspect of our garden. I love the brightness and interest and passion from each person participating. I don’t agree with everybody. Of course not. I remember the talks about Mars and terraforming it and the plans of Elon Musk to get people to go to Mars, a plan ludricous to me. We talk. And thoroughly enjoy it.

As for me, my situation. I am selling my house. And i plan to do something with the money i will get. The quite large amount of overvalue in my house. To make it work. The next two years will be important to me. As were the the past three years. And well, to be honest, the past fifty three years of my life. Which i love so much.

Salute!

Published on December 6, 2017 at 6:00 by Ellen

Categorised in: Gardening, World

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Drizzle

Nasturtium flowers - still going in December!

Chicorei

Amsoy, an Asian mustard leave vegetable

Beetroot and scorzonera

Chervil

Spring onions

Winter radish - rammenas in Dutch

Endive and parsley

Parsnips

No idea!

But still lovely 🙂

Lettuce

Swiss chard

The courgette beds of this year covered with straw

Kale

Rhubarb plants we planted last Friday

Cavolo nero

Looks like red cabbage - not sure though

Published on December 4, 2017 at 6:00 by Ellen

Categorised in: Gardening

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Market

A Harvest Market on the Peace Garden today. I sold the coffee, tea, lemonade, cakes and chocolate chip coookies. It felt busy. It wasn’t really, but with all the people we knew who came by it still felt busy. Tomorrow morning i’ll be going back to clean up, together with other people. For now, i’m tired. Really tired.

Salute!

Published on November 27, 2017 at 6:00 by Ellen

Categorised in: Gardening

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Sunday 5 November 2017

I still feel extraordinarily happy. In the garden i welcomed everyone i knew coming in with a big hug. And with the apple and pear cake i baked this morning. We worked on the other side of the garden most of the afternoon. Half weeded the cabbages and kale. The other half started on clearing the courgette/zucchini beds and digging out the paths between them. We got a fair bit done. Not all of it, but we can finish it next week. Weeding the next bit, clearing the other bit of the courgettes, and filling up the paths between with wood chips.

It was a good day!