Pen-y-ghent - the purple saxifrage pilgrimage!

It's always hard to decide when to make the annual pilgrimage to see the purple saxifrage on Pen-y-ghent. It was going to be late this year and then we couldn't make the last couple of weekends, so it was a bit of an all or nothing trip - but we were not disappointed! The plants were really dessicated - through snow cover and wind ....but spectacular as ever clinging to the cliffs.  A glorious day ...........

Enjoying the sun ................

Pen-y-ghent views ...........

The iconic purple saxifrage ........

Carrifran Wildwood ...and inspiration

Following our visit to Carrifran juliagarner1.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/carrifran-wildwood.html  I was bold and decided to attempt a painting of the mist clearing from the valley. It's 60 x 60 cm and an oil; all done with a palette knife.

Spring has sprung in North Cumbria

What a glorious day! The swallows and house martins are back as is the sun. The tulips in the greenhouse are all out - at the same time; the garden is beginning to show some colour. The soil is still best regarded as mud though!

Great Cockup ............a snowy painting

Following our walk up Great Cockup - see www.juliagarner1.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/great-cockup-in-snow.html - on February 4th - here's an interpretation of the view looking across the northern fells of the Lake District. Not the easiest of paintings - but I loved the sky and the clarity of the snow.

Drypoint etching on plastic

Here's a little drypoint that I did - the photograph was formatted as 'wash out', so that I could shade over it and then use this as my design. 

The waterfall - typically I can't find the exact original photo - but you get the idea!

The greyscale photo and sketch over a wash out image. ......printing the plate at different pressures and then colouring with watercolour. 

The lighthouses of Islay...

Here are another two lighthouses to add to the original one of Port Charlotte - they're lino cuts and all will be hand-coloured to fit onto cards. Rather nicely the paper is just spare offcuts from my longer lino cuts and so use up bits. Only four more lighthouses to go - think I'll just do the one on Oronsay though, so I have a set of four and can do sets at a reduced price!

Port Charlotte

Mc Arthur's 

Port Ellen

Celandines and spring flowers

It's so lovely to finally see spring arriving...we've had: the odd swallow; a couple of house martins; the celandines are out;  primroses are out too; barren strawberry are blooming and for a couple of hours there was some warmth in the air! ...then it rained! Fortunately I took my celandine with me on the dog walk....as you do....and took a few photos, of which this is my favourite.