Native Plants of Texas - Vicky's book, Angela entry

Where I spent the final day of wrapping up my entry, while dog sitting for my Aunt & Uncle. Their place is just around the corner from where I'm living with my mom & brosky, but they are in a back corner lot, with twice the land, a bayou, and no road noise. :) it's pretty peaceful & there are loads of birds this time of year. Makes me happy. 

I was copying your entries by setting the book up outside, trying to take a picture of it in it's setting, but it was a windy day and it fell over the edge of the elevated porch. Oooopsies (as Vicky says)!! No injuries to the beautiful book, thank goodness! 

My bro is painting my uncle's place for him & so he was at the scene of the crime. He said I wasn't being very smart, with my photo set up. ;p

Anyway, here are my additions to Wickal's wonderfully gorgeous book. 

I was surprised to see the similarities in the color and texture of the dirt! Our backyard is very clayeee.

Dream Seeding

Hello beautiful and daft monkeys..at last I have a moment to catch up with posting the first pages of my sketchbook so now we are up to date and ready for Vicky to continue these pages with her addition to 'Dream Seeding' of thoughts and love and laughter. I have literally been planting many vegetable seeds, either saved or bought from the heirloom collection of the Real Seed Co. in Pembrokeshire; squash from the saved Harlequins bought from Chiou at Falmouth Market last year, beetroot our favourite pink wee!, rainbow chard, spinach, kale, radish, mangetout, peas, 5 varieties of beans, basil, lemon basil, curly parsley, flat leafed parsley, courgette, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, nasturtium and calendula, just for starters. The peas and radish are in the ground and this week I am planting up the chard, beetroot, courgette, and squash. Now that all the 8 beds are well and truly dug over with a good mix of mushroom compost and locally collected horse manure, my babies can be transferred from their germinating cloche and grow mighty in the rich soil, full of wriggly life! And I will be able to take a rest from the hard graft of preparation. I can also get some salad leaves and land cress on the go. The huge polytunnel will be completed in 2 weeks time, with a team of 8 of us putting the 9x15m plastic skin over the cemented in poles. My big son is coming to help and put his carpentry skills to use by making doors for it and then the 10 raised beds that will be inside this giant grow house. All the soil needs sifting through to take out unwanted marsh grass roots and then heaps of compost added, so much to do before it is ready for planting up with an abundance of salad varieties. It is all very exciting, a lot of work, but step by step everything is coming together and will keep going for years ahead. I am in my element, my dream is coming true. Best wishes for all 3 of us are placed within the earth here and in our sketches for each other. With love and laughter and courage and magic..... <3 <3 <3

Spring Equinox in the Forest of Dean

Watch out for the Mole coming up for the forest breath, joined by faery folk and wood sprites immersed with the delicious scent of wild garlic! Celebrate life and new sproutings my lovelies :)

Vicky's Guide to Hippo House Shamba Plants

I've been intending to learn more about the flora and fauna native to my new home country since i was bought this book, a good year ago...

Bougainvillea

Acacia Thorn

Creating this book has spurred me on to make a dent (although very little) into what i hope will be a hunk of knowledge one day!  

Pencil sketch of just a few of the plants

A little bit of the MA stuck with me and since it is the year of soil... I though we could all share a print of the soil that is nourishing our souls at the moment. We've got seeds ready to plant after we've finished building our wall, but we're reaping the benefits of the old avocado tree and some tomatoes are on their way... if they ripen before them cheeky monkeys snatch them all!!!


And here is the finished accordion book...

The front and back are covered with kanga fabric from the local market! I love all the funky bright patters, makes a change to my normal dull choice of colours! I've made some cushion covers and curtains from fabric with a similar pattern but teal and green... happy colours!


I hope this book finds your well all the way over there Angela! Happy creating monkeys xxx i wish the ones here where more like you both!

Angela's book of Nature

I came across two words while looking at themes surrounding nature. Friluftsliv (free air life) is a Norwegian idea and Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) is from Japan. I loved the idea of both! I've pasted in the text below, from the article that inspired me.

Because my shipping container has yet to arrive (next week!!) I ended up making my own concertina book. It'll probably be done before yours since there are less pages, but I can make another at some point - we are flexible lassies.

Love you both, dear Wicky & Jaxxy.

Can't wait to see your books.

Outside covers

Inside covers

Shinrin-yoku is a Japanese term that means "forest bathing"... The idea being that spending time in the forest and natural areas is good preventitive medicine, since it lowers stress, which causes or exacerbates some of our most intractable health issues. As MNN's Catie Leary details, this isn't just a nice idea—there's science behind it: "The "magic" behind forest bathing boils down to the naturally produced allelochemic substances known as phytoncides, which are kind of like pheromones for plants. Their job is to help ward off pesky insects and slow the growth of fungi and bacteria. When humans are exposed to phytoncides, these chemicals are scientifically proven to lower blood pressure, relieve stress and boost the growth of cancer-fighting white blood cells. Some common examples of plants that give off phytoncides include garlic, onion, pine, tea tree and oak, which makes sense considering their potent aromas."

 

Friluftsliv translates directly from Norwegian as "free air life," which doesn't quite do it justice as an idea. Coined relatively recently, in 1859, it is the concept that being outside is good for human beings' mind and spirit. "It is a term in Norway that is used often to describe a way of life that is spent exploring and appreciating nature," Anna Stoltenberg, culture coordinator for Sons of Norway, a U.S.-based Norwegian heritage group, told MNN. Other than that, it's not a strict definition: it can include sleeping outside, hiking, taking photographs or meditating, playing or dancing outside, for adults or kids. It doesn't require any special equipment, includes all four seasons, and needn't cost much money. Practicing Friluftsliv could be as simple as making a commitment to walking in a natural area 5 days a week, or doing a day-long hike once a month. 

      --Starre Vartan, from mnn.com

Let's Do This! How three daft monkeys intend to stay together while apart...

This blog is a virtual connection between three best mates, living in three different countries. It is an attempt to remain together, through art. Each monkey will have a themed book, and these three books will make their way from one pal to the next, until all three books are full. At that time, the three daft monkeys will drop everything, throw their hands up into the air, and hop into their teleport-time-machines to reconvene and return sketchbooks. With the parcels safely back in the hands of the owner, the books' entries will be discussed and savored over sips of dark, magical rum; then, dance floors, laughter and good-hearted mischief will be enjoyed - once again.