Travels through found sketchbooks #2

 Hello m' handsome hollies,

Long Mizzle Garden

Today I'll be sharing a few of the more wintry drawings in the found Watling bag of sketch books. But before that, it is with great joy that I can announce... HOUSTON WE HAVE LIFT OFF!!! One of the hyacinth bulbs that mam and I started off in her cold October garage, has this week started to flower. After weeks of roots expansion, and a slowly emerging shoot, the flower rocketed quite quickly and suddenly, at precisely 32 minutes past the hour.

 

It still yet has to extend its full flower. We think some of the others will not be long behind -

 

And what of our red-onion-that-escaped-the-soup-pot ? It is looking very Chrismassy on the window ledge in our Snub (home office) back at Long Mizzle -

 

 In my last post here , I wrote about finding sketchbooks by an unknown artist called 'Mr LJ Watling'. Last week I shared the summery landscapes, this week, here are some of the wintry ones -

[Saltsjöbaden (Sweden) January 2nd, 1982]

 
[Tattbyvägen (Sweden), 19th February 1983 | Algo , 17th January 1982]

[Saltsjöbaden (Sweden), Nov 1982 & Mödling (Austria) Nov 1981]

Whereas most are ink and chalk, these ones are water colour and have no date or place reference. They look like England to me -

Ducking about (this one's quite different to the others) - 


 As mentioned in my last post, it is the nordic houses and landscapes that are my favourites -

[Saltsjö-Duvnäs (Sweden), 16th January 1982]

Because of the coastal micro climate, we don't tend to get much snow or ice on the Cornish riviera. Everything grinds to a halt here at the slightest sniff of it. Being a northern lass, I have seen proper snow, but my kids dream of it and absolutely flipped out on the two occasions it did actually snow.

As you can see from these pictures taken in Tremough Gardens last week, it is still looking a bit tropical down here -

[Tree ferns, tree echiums and monkey puzzles ]

Onto something completely un-related to gardening now... some of you crazy folk wanted to see me wearing last week's chazza shop find. Well, are you ready for the Manc Mush Fashion Show?! 

I had to wait for my official photographer to return from school before taking these -

[Holding trashy snow globes]

This is how I would stand, and look, if I were ever allowed to give a TED Talk, or Christmas Lecture, on 'The anatomical value (perceived and non-perceived) of dunking ginger biscuits at elevenses'-

That's our weird Druid tree. I let the kids decorate it. I will not be rearranging ornaments once they go to bed...it is important that they learn some tinsel responsibility... and to be honest I have better things to do... such as learning 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' by Iron Butterfly, on the organ. 

The skirt doubles up as a tent / den...

That's all from me for 2020. The Long Mizzle sign has been brought indoors and it will have a two week break and small touch up job ready for whatever 2021 beholds.

I'll still be blog reading, but not blog posting until the new year. I hope you have a wonderful festive time. See you on the other side!

Please say hello in the comments section below, I always love a natter.

 

Lulu xXx


See Travels through found sketchbooks PART ONE here  -

 
 
 

Thank you for visiting!

Most recent posts can be found here -

https://longmizzle.blogspot.com/


 

 

 







Comments

  1. Vix18 December 2020 at 00:47

    Morning. Lulu! That skirt looks absolutely fabulous on you, such lovely colours and how useful that it doubles up as a tent, hours of fun for the whole family! That little scamp peeking out is adorable. Well done, official blog photographer!
    I'm excited about the hyacinth blooming already, how lovely your windowsill looks overlooking your gorgeous garden.
    Thanks for letting us have another peep into the sketchbook, the Swedish scenes are absolutely gorgeous. You can imagine Saga and her Porsche parked up next to that pink house about to bust some homicidal maniac lurking within.
    Tremough Gardens look lovely. I was thrilled to spot palm trees at Calke Abbey yesterday.
    Sending you and yours lots of Yuletide cheer! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu21 December 2020 at 01:55

      Thank you Vix, it is amazing how an indoor ‘tent’ can create hours of entertainment. We have an emergency entertainment box, full of random material and pegs, but the skirt did not escape!

      Haha, yes, those Swedish scenes are missing Saga kicking some ass… and maybe even the lovely Henrik in the mix too. I could quite easily live in the pink house, but Saga would have to flush the areas of homicidal maniacs first… which there seem to be an awful lot of in ‘The Bridge’!

      Tinsel tidings to you, Lulu xXx

      Delete
  2. Catmac18 December 2020 at 04:17

    Lulu. you look lovely in that outfit! Thank you for dressing up for us AND supporting small photography businesses. There is a hint of green at the top of my bulb which I'm pretty excited about. Yours looks great but I know it will be even more fabulous when you have a shelf-full of gorgeous, scented bulbs. The Christmas camper underneath the skirt-tent is just adorable! Like Vix, I enjoyed looking through your kitchen window to enjoy the garden joy beyond. I agree with you, the Swedish watercolours are charming and evocative. Mr Watling was a well-travelled and talented gent. All the best to you and your family for the festive, Lulu. I look forward to rejoining your blog in 2021 - which surely, will be a better year than awful 2020. Stay safe and well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu21 December 2020 at 01:56

      Thanks Catmac! ;) The Christmas camper is a little cheeky firecracker. Another two hyacinths vases have burst out in flower in the last couple of days. (The garden with the green fence is my mam & dad’s…my lawn never looks that good!). The Christmas onion is getting a bit smelly now!

      It would be great to find out more about Watling… I am formulating a plan….

      I hope you have a lovely relaxing Christmas, and I look forward to seeing you again in 2021!

      Lulu xXx

      Delete
  3. Elderberry-Rob18 December 2020 at 05:24

    Well that skirt is very pretty and also makes a very exotic gypsy tent as well, I am left wondering what it looks like when you shine a torch from inside of it .... it's clearly going to be much more than just a skirt. I had a green one of similar style which fell apart, literally, it was old and had come via Oxfam so it's preloved life was unknown. Yay to the windowsill bulbs - I love hyacinth but can't grow them indoors as hubby is allergic to their aroma (itchy nose syndrome)... I loved seeing more from the satchel of sketches. The pagan tree is interesting - I am all for children decorating trees and parents not tweeking their efforts, good for you - my neighbours little girl usually comes in to do the tree for me (as it seems ridiculous for a grown woman to hog that little ritual when a small person could be doing it with so much more enthusiasm and flourish - she pinches a bauble every year, so I am one up this year :) Will look forward to your posts the other side of Christmas - Have a good one x Betty (the wood fairy)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu21 December 2020 at 01:58

      Hello Betty, what a good idea for the torch! We are big fans of shadow puppet shows in this house. The skirt’s construction is rather clever: strips of old silk sari material, cut on the bias and sewn in diagonal panels, which make it very twirly. I do have a couple of little repair jobs to do, but if would be very hard to create a template pattern from it...and as you discovered, very hard to fix if it falls apart!

      I remember you mentioning your husband is allergic to the smell of hyacinths. I know the touch of them can be a skin irritant. I hired the kids out at the weekend to decorate my mam & dad’s tree and they did a pretty good job.

      Have a lovely Christmas Betty. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  4. The Small Fabric Of My Life18 December 2020 at 05:54

    The hyacinth is so lovely. I bet it smells divine.
    Great photo shoot - what an ace photographer.
    I do so love those sketches.
    Like you I now live by the coast and we rarely get snow but I can still hope.
    Merry Christmas to you all.
    Jane X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu21 December 2020 at 01:59

      Hello Jane, the hyacinth does smell gorgeous, and the whole house honks when they are all in flower. My eldest daughter is the official photographer of the house. She has a good eye and steady hand, and is always making crazy movies with her dolls. No snow, no wonder the kids body board down the sand dunes!

      Have a great Christmas. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  5. bahnwärterin18 December 2020 at 08:19

    the "new" clothes look fabulous on - perfect colorway for you! love the hairbow!
    horray for the first hyacinth!!
    when i was little, my granny growed hyacinths and cyclamen in her only on high events used & heated sitting room (the fam lived in the huge kitchen, there even was a sofa). loved all the flowers in our very cold and snowy winters - back then there was not much in the sense of shop bought flowers, esp. in wintertime (behind the iron curtain).
    it looks indeed tropical at your corner of the world - very lush!
    thanks for sharing more of the beautiful drawings <3
    have a wonderful time "between the years" - see you on the other side!
    xxxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu21 December 2020 at 02:01

      Thank you Beate! Hair scarfs and bows save my bad hair days… so I have quite a collection and they are worn most days!!! Interesting story about your granny’s house in East Germany (?). Ooh, it must have been cold if they lived in the big kitchen. Best place to be often though. I think that’s when indoor bulbs look their best…against a window to a backdrop of snow. I love cyclamen too, but don’t have any.

      Our Christmases tend to be wet and windy, and a lot of the locals go for a swim in the sea (not I!).

      Have a great one Beate. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  6. Flowerpot21 December 2020 at 04:08

    I agree the skirt is terrific and very impressed by the bulbs and also those gorgeous paintings. Do keep well and safe and thinking of you X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu22 December 2020 at 12:35

      Thank you Sue, I just left a message on your Flowerpot blog but the page went all funny (technical speak) so not sure if it worked (?) I hope you and Lainey have a lovely relaxing Christmas, full of nice food and good walks. See you on the other side. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  7. Jess 23 December 2020 at 15:49

    Hi Lulu, lovely to see your outfit pic and decorated tree. I do love a good snow globe and your plants are looking so happy! It is such a joy to have a peak into those vintage art journals.

    Have a merry, merry Christmas and see you in the new year. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu24 December 2020 at 11:55

      Thanks Jess! For some reason we have a whole box of snow globes, which ridiculously hog wardrobe space for most of the year. It is always worth it though; the kids absolutely love it when they come out, as it is often their only way of seeing snow!

      Hope you have a wonderful Christmas Jess, Lulu xXx

      Delete
  8. SAM28 December 2020 at 14:45

    Gorgeous charity shop find. I am envious of your bulbs. I think I need to throw the two plant cuttings I tried to propagate. I have nothing going on, two and 1/2 months later. Now, all the green is drained.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu31 December 2020 at 13:34

      Thank you Sam! Oh dear, those cuttings may not have worked, but my motto is keep on sticking them & sooner or later one is bound to strike!!! Happy new year to you. Lulu xXx

      Delete

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