A little sparrow.

Just a little post this time. I painted this sparrow today and did not feel too good about it, but I think at the end it's acceptable. Right now I'm working at an owl and it's quite difficult so we'll see whether I show it off.
Have a great weekend.

Some more cuties.

I have really fallen in love with my watercolours. They are easy to use,but of course the colour mixing is not easy. (as you can see.)
This first image is a lovely sunbird which makes me smile every time I see it. Unfortunatly it don't exist in my environments, so images of it is the closest I can get. Now when I have painted it, perhaps it could hang on my wall so that I could meet it every morning when out of bed.



The next one is a nice bird too. I'm quite satisfied with my result here even if it's not all correct. My bird turned out a little too "fat", compared to the image I used to draw it from. But, it's just me who can see that. This one don't live in my surroundings either.



This last one is pure fantasy. When studying it for a while, I could see a bird on his way home from the market.(you can see that can't you?) His expression looks like he has sold butter but didn't get any money. Can you see? Like he's saying: Oh no, not again...


I would love to hear your comment, so feel free to leave some.

Testing my new watercolours.

During the last days I've been testing my new watercolours. I can see that one needs a lot of practicing to become a worthy painter.
One have to know a lot about colours to achieve the right nuance when mixing the colours. (I only know a little of this.)
Not only do one mix two or several colours to gain a new one, but this new one can also be adjusted with more or less water. I guess this is a whole study for those who are really skilled.
For my own part I can say that I really enjoy doing this, and thats all. I'll show you some of my doings here. This first one is a Peregrine falcon. I drew it from a picture in one of my books about birds. It's not correct, but I'm quite satisfied after all.




The next one is a thrush, and I was not quite sure whether to show it off. I 've been talking about Geninne's art blog and I have been looking quite a lot into it so someone might think that I've been stealing her idea. But I have not. When studying in my book of birds, using a magnifying glass, this is the way it looks. The next thrush I paint I will do a little different though. The belly dots are Geninnes and I want my own twist on that. This one is also drawn from an image in my book. What you can't see in my picture, is a worm the thrush is going to eat.
My colours are, oh so far away from my wishes, but I will get to learn it.

Michi and " The Bridalstone". no.7

- Laila, what are we going to do today? Michi asked me one morning. The weather was cold and a bit rainy and we did not feel like going out. This kind of mornings are really good for storytelling so I offered her to tell her a story.
- Yes, she said I love stories.
- Michi, the story I'll tell you is a very very old story, and it is more like an old saying, or a myth or a legend. I'm not quite sure what to call it, perhaps something in between these three.
- What is a myth and a legend? she asked.
- They are stories, told over and over again, and there are not anyone who knows what really happened any more. But still they are told, over and over again.
- But why do you know the story? she asked me.
- Well, my father told it to me when I was a little girl, just like you, and now I'm telling you.
- Are you going to tell now? she could not wait to hear the story.
- Sit down then, and I will tell.
- Where my home was, when I grew up, we had a very big stone in our garden.
- How big was it then, she asked.
- It's still there, and I don't know exactly how big it is, but if one man stood on top of another mans shoulders, he still couldn't reach the top.
- WOW, thats big! she said.
- Yes, it's quite big, and that stone has a very special name too.
- Why, what's it called then? she asked.
- It's called "The Bridalstone" I said, and knew her next question before it was asked. I could see on her face that she imagined a stone full of brides.
- Why, - are there so many brides there?


She imagined a stone full of brides.


- No, there's not, but in very very old times people had faith in trolls and such things, have you heard of trolls? I asked her.
- Do you mean the trolls in the fairytales, she asked?
- Yes, that's what I meant.
- Didn't they know that trolls are only in fairytales, she asked.
- No, it was not a fairytale to them, they had faith in these things and behaved thereafter.
- What does that mean? she asked.
- Well, they took some precautions to avoid trolls and such things.
- I'll continue the story and I hope you'll understand then.
- When a bridal procession was on their way to church, they used to stop and take a rest next to this stone.
- Why did they do that? she asked.
- Because their way to church could be rather long and they had to pause, you know, there were no cars to run them in those days.
- Why wouldn't anyone like to drive them to church? she asked.
- It was not that nobody didn't want to drive them, but there were no cars. The car was not invented yet. People didn't know what a car was, I said.
- Oh....??? she said and looked like she couldn't quite understand this.
- Usually, it was not dangerous to pause there, because every bridal procession had two men with guns in front of the procession, and the same at the end. The gunmen fired their guns every now and then to scare off any trolls.
- Oh, she said a little bit scared.
- But on this particular day, that this story is about, the gunmen forgot firing their guns, and the trolls, one or several I don't know, caught the bride and disappeared. Nobody has ever seen that bride again.
- And that's why that stone is called "The Bridalstone" - because a bride disappeared right there.
- What about her boyfriend then? she asked.
- Well, this story does not tell anything about him. The story explains how that particular stone got its name.
- Oh ... she seemed a bit scared, and I could see she was thinking.
- This was back in really old times, you know, and nowadays people don't believe in such things.
- When I was little, we used to climb the stone and play around it. There's nothing scary about that stone.
- We can go have a look if you like, I said.
- Yes, do you know where it is?
- Yes, of course - it's my sister who owns the place now, and she is not allowed to remove the stone.
- Why not, Michi asked.
- It's because of that old story, and as long as anyone remembers it she will not be allowed to remove the stone.
- And, my dad gave the landowner his promise to never remove it. Besides, that stone is quite nice where it lies in the garden, just below the mountain.
- Can we go now? she asked.
- Don't you think we should wait until my sister is back from work, so we could pay her a visit too?
- YES, she almost shouted, cause her chocolate cake tastes sooo good!
- Well, thats for sure, "I said.
Later on we drove to my sisters place and Michi had a look at the stone. Before I knew she was sitting on top of it.
What I do know though, is that it's quite easy to climb the top, but far more difficult to come back down again. So I was preparing to help her down when my sister called out from a window,
- Anyone who want some chocolate cake?
- YES, " Michi answered back, Laila, will you please help me back down again?!



And finally she got some chocolate cake.

Michi,does your cat have a name yet? no. 6

The next days I did neither hear nor see her. Perhaps now she will act like a normal cartoon figure. I am wondering about all this dew stuff. All the time, she has appeared as a japanese girl to me but she won't speak of it. She just came from the dew, that's her statement so far. I hope some day she will tell me more about this.
And all this talk of an old saying, an old saying from where?
I have no idea how to research this and it might as well be a joke.
In any case, she loved the new clothes I drew for her before she left me.

She loved her new clothes.


A few days later she was back as if she never had been gone. She helped me to tidy up a bit, and she's quite a clever girl, I have to say.
I wonder how old she might be? Somewhere between 3 and 4 years old I guess.
- Michi, I asked, how old are you?
- Old, what does that mean? she asked me in return.
- Well, how many years since you were born, I said realising that this wouldn't bring us any closer to the answer.
- A hundred? she said and looked like she hoped that this was the answer I was waiting for.
- No, I said - I think more like 3 or 4 years.
- Okay, she said, starting to play with her cat.
- Michi, does your cat have a name ? (Uhaa, this could lead me into trouble.)
- Yes, don't you know? she said , her name is Misty.
- Oh, that's a cute name for a cat, I said relieved that this was already solved.
- Mm...she said
She seemed to be too occupied with the cat to further discussion, so I left them.
I could hear Michi running across the room, banging into the wall, turn and run to the oposite wall. Probably Misty was running too. In any case they had fun, cause I could hear Michi was laughing.
When I returned later on they were both fallen asleep. Michi right on the floor with Misty close to her.

They were both out worn.

Today.

Today have been a rather busy day. After the usual morning doings in the house, I had to write and edit the next post about Michi. That post will be published tomorrow. And, there is this huge laundry job to be done so I won't be short for work.
Coming weekend Sandra is coming to stay by us again, so I won't have much time for bloging. Sandras room needs a hand too, she loves it when it's neat and klean.
I have to figure out Michis next doings too, so tomorrow morning will also be a busy morning. I've just been to the grocery store and while down town I bought myself a brand new palette of watercolours.
I am so inspired by Geninne's art blog that I'll have to try it myself.
Most of all that's what I want to do just now, but in a short while I have to start preparations for our dinner so I'll have to wait untill after that.
Today I've tried to figure out how to add a 'contact me' gadget to my blog, but I'll have to ask my darling husband he is more in to this stuff.
I WAS able to do the linking job though, so I'm quite proud of myself.

Michi - the girl from the dew. no.5

My kitchen was all messed up. Michi in the middle of it, and she was all messed up too, with strawberry jam all over. And she had this big fat smile on her face.
- Look, she said - I've made us lunch.
I lost myself for a moment, and yelled at her.
- You're not supposed to make anything!! - You're a cartoon figure and you're supposed to be in my sketchbook!! - Oh no, how could you do this to me!!?
I could see her smile dissapear and her lips start shivering. I had hurt her feelings.
Oh Michi I said, kneeling down, - I'm so sorry it wasn't ment to hurt you, but I'm so scared of all this.
- You, living like a normal human beeing and besides, you could have hurt yourself with all these knives.
I gave her a big hug. After a short while she twisted herself free, and started to giggle.
- I'm from the dew, you know, she said.
- Yes, you came from the dew, I said looking around in my messy kitchen.
- Don't you know, Michi asked
- Know what?
- The old saying.
- What old saying, what are you talking about? I was not paying her any attention I was thinking of the cleaning job ahead.
- About coming from the dew, she said.
- What is all this talk about the dew?
- About COMING from the dew, she corrected me. - Don't you know the old saying?
- What ARE you talking about? - I don't know anything about an old saying and dew. Can you tell me?
- Yes, she said: "All of those who CAME from the dew, can do WHATEVER THEY WANT to do"
- Well, Michi I've never heard it before and let me ask you, exactly where do you come from?
- ? ? ? - From the DEW, she said a bit irritated now.
- Okay I said, I had no intention getting into a quarrel again, so I accepted that for now.

- I've made us lunch, she said.



- Are we going to eat now? Michi asked.
- Yes of course we are, but what did you do to the bread and the slices, I asked her because they didn't look quite normal.
- I've had chocolate on them, she said, cause I love chocolate!
- Alright then, lets eat.
To describe this meal, I'll just say that this is my most uncommon lunch ever. And luckily, I didn't have to eat any raw eggs.
When finished eating we had to get the kitchen cleaned up. Michi had to clean up herself too and surprisingly she showed up in some clothes from her existing wardrobe.
The rest of the day she spent out of my sight, and that was a relief for both of us I think.