Morning walk

I'd been watching the lilies over the last couple of days.  Their heads were up but closed and with all the rain we have had through the last two nights, I wondered whether they would survive.. our roof didn't since we woke up to water in the kitchen yesterday morning.  But Nature surprised me on two fronts:  one, that the stems held what seems like disproportionately large flower heads;  and two, they bloomed this morning.  The sun was shining right on them and since I have them in a rather obscure part of the garden, they were a tonic to the eyes as they stood proud.  I was reminded though that they deserve to be on display a little more so once they have died back, I plan to put them in the 'birthday garden'.

Talking of the 'birthday garden', the black eyed susans have bloomed in profusion year.  They propagate wildly and last year I was picking the seedlings up out of the gravel of the driveway and replanting them.  I had also made an effort to centralize them in one area so that we could enjoy this splash of amazing colour for the weeks of August.

And then to my surprise, I noticed that my one rose bush gave off yet another bloom.  Usually this tiny bush which I protect from the ravages of our Quebec winters by swaddling it in burlap, then hiding it under a styrofoam cone and covering all with a mound of autumn leaves, looks pretty feeble when I uncover it in the Spring.  This year though I cut it back a few times as the branches grew and to my joy I have now two blooms and several buds.   As if to snub the rose, the pink flox also bloomed through the night or early this morning.  The rose and the phlox were like delicate pink parentheses on this long skinny stretch of garden. 

 

There will be more rain later in the day, but in the meantime, the sun was out and I had quiet morning stroll amongst my flower buddies as I waited for the return of a jogging husband before eating breakfast.


At the risk of repeating myself, the garden is an never-ending source of inspiration, if only for colour associations.  If ever I have a query as I embroider,  I make mental reference to what  Nature offers as a palette and usually find the answer.

Asian Violets - in context

The Roger's Cup is on television right now.  My mother is an avid tennis fan.  I had put this new piece up over her television on Saturday evening in the hopes that she would notice it.  It was placed in a clear line of vision as she prepared to watch the tennis.


In fact, she didn't notice the addition of the piece.  When I pointed it out,   she explained that it blended with the other pieces of my work in the room that she felt it had always been on the wall.    And in a way she is right.  It did find its place comfortably in the large vacant space over the television which has existed for the last 5 years.


Monfils was playing Troicka and won with the flourish Monfils is known for after a difficult match.


The Asian Violet will be a silent witness to the competition.

Asian Violets - finished and framed

I've been calling this project 'asian violets' for the lack of a better name, but as I walked my garden this morning, there was one pink spiderwort left after the flowering the others, and I felt that its form was similar to the embroidery.  I was thrilled to know that there exists a blue spiderwort (transcendentia), so I think I shall rename this.  I suspected I might a little while ago.

This piece was of a very spontaneous nature;  the drawing had been sitting in a drawer for some time and with this empty week of projects, it was a gift I made myself to start and finish this simple subject.

My mother is visiting with us for the month of August.  She has always liked simple, clean designs and when she read my recent blogs, she contemplated the photos of this project a little longer than the others.

I have framed the piece and will place it in her room.  She may like to take it home with her when she leaves.  I hope so.