Beans, peas, Dr Who, big bits of metal and a hyacynth in graphite.

On Thursday I was at work and C & D caught the train into Southampton and walked the walls.  Before they left C decided it would be good idea to begin hardening off my beans and courgettes as the weather was nice.  However, it was quite windy and when they came back my plants were very battered, bruised and the beans in particular beyond help. 

They look much healthier in the photo than they are.

On their way home they had stopped in at Aldi and bought salmon to cook for dinner.  While C cooked, the Engineer and I went and cast our votes.  Dinner was delicious; salmon in sweet chilli sauce with red peppers, mushrooms and noodles.  Yum. 
After such a nice meal we all sat and played Monopoloy, Dr Who Monopoloy which was a little confusing for C & D, but C still managed to win.

Extra TARDISs and sonic screwdriver not included.

C & D also bought me a bunch of hyacinths of the lightest violet colour so I am doing a quick sketch in graphite.  I don't think they will last long enough for a colour pencil attempt, and the unfinished sketch below isn't that brilliant as I have hard edges making it more of a line drawing really.  When I initially sketched it the flowers of the hyacinth were closed and now they are open so I am having to use a little guess work and the other flowers to do the shading from. 

I also need more tonal value in my flowers or that thick black line on the stem will stand out like a sore thumb.  My work area is smelling lovely though.

Speaking of edges, the postman delivered a pack of Prismacolour Verithin pencils today.  These are harder and thinner than my usual Faber Castells which means I can sharpen them to a very fine point to enable me to deal with "furry" edges of my bean leaf.

On Friday after a quick look at the election results we went out for lunch at Lilly's in Wickham and browsed through the shops.  When we got home C went into the garden and planted some more beans and courgettes for me.

Then she put some bamboo canes with string around them for my peas to grow up.

D and the Engineer spent time in the garage drilling holes in big bits of metal.  They were happy boys.

 

Saturday we all went out to have look around some more of the Chichester Art trail.  Although the day started with rain, it cleared up and became quite warm. There are so many talented people out there; the Teen was very taken with a life sized hedgehog that had been done in needle felt and even its spines were prickly.  We then had a look at some beautiful jewellery, some of which was hammered silver and some cast.  At this point we lost D who had asked the jeweller if he could see her workshop; this was a theme carried throughout the day - C, the Teen and I looked at and enjoyed the art.  D and the Engineer looked in workshops and asked how things were made.

We ate lunch at The Anchor Bleu in Bosham; a lovely meal with a wonderful view as the tide came in over Bosham.  


The Engineer & D enjoying the view

We decided we didn't need pudding but the Teen asked for an icecream from a van and got a rather spectacularly coloured ice lolly and yes, it did turn her tongue blue.

Blue Tongue Lolly

The Teen also made friends with a cat that seemed to live in one of the shops in Bosham. 

We saw everything from sculpture to botanical art, from fused glass to paintings in a tiny terraced house.  It was a good day out and I feel inspired to get out my needle felting tools.  But then I also want to finish my hyacinth and get on with the quilt I am part way through and carry on with cross stitch.  As I finish off this post the Engineer is doing something creative with grinding wheels and sticky tape, the Teen is in her bedroom being anti social and the sound of gentle snoring is coming from the sofa where C & D have fallen asleep reading their magazines.