Last Weekend With My Family

My family came to me last weekend. They congratulated me on my birthday. The cake turned out to be very tasty, just the way I like it. But so many candles did not fit on the cake. Therefore, we have set and only 7 candles were lit. 

 

The evening was magical, we remembered many funny moments that were decades ago. What a pity that we can not meet with friends until now, as in the old days.
Beautiful white lilies bloom and are fragrant in the house so far.

 

 

I have already shown you my Christmas cards. I told you that I started learning watercolor, I like that one can choose a teacher and practice watercolor while listening to his explanations and advice on the Internet. I enjoy learning to paint landscape, trees, sky and sea. I will show you some of my training watercolors on the Port and Landscape themes.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

While there is no work in the garden other than snow removal, I will study watercolors and I hope my works will be more successful.

 

 

 

Winter Scenes by artist Jo Grundy

The artist Josephine Grundy. She was born and raised on a farm in England. Jo's love for nature and the English landscape is evident in her charming acrylic paintings. Quirky cottages nestled among rolling hills and flowery landscapes are some of her favorite subjects.
 

Jo Grundy writes about her art:
“I have always been creative and it was inevitable that I would choose an art-based career, so I was educated as a graphic designer, who at the time was an easier way to make a living than being a great artist. I've been in graphics for about 14 years and it has definitely influenced the way I use color and composition.
My main inspiration comes from the ever-changing seasons of the English landscape, and my favorite season is winter as I love seeing the structure and detail of trees and hedges. My winter scenes are very popular. ''

I would like to introduce you to Jo's paintings of winter scenes.

 

When I got acquainted with the Josephine Grundy's paintings, it seems to me that they could perfectly illustrate children's books about nature. You see birds, fox, horses, deer in her paintings. Pictures could be placed in books with fairy tales or poems about winter or stories of wildlife in winter for children.

source 

January, Orthodox Christmas, Snow

We have a long vacation in January. There are holidays: January 1st and 2nd is New Year, January 7th is Orthodox Christmas. Many people don't work or study until January 10th. 

The Hermitage, Winter palace

The weather is quite frosty, but sometimes frosty days give way to thaws. I like to go to the garden, see how plants winter, birds eat seeds and lard. Of course, there is not a lot of work there, just clean the paths of snow and add seeds to the bird feeder. 

 

 

Frosty sky

My pine-niwaki

 

After the end of the holidays, there is another unofficial holiday. It is called Old New Year (what is it?), because before the calendar in Russia was changed, this day was January 1st.

 

Christmas Fair

Earlier, in the pre-Covid19 years, I visited museums, new exhibitions, watched new performances, met with friends, we went skiing or toboggan on holidays. Now, in a pandemic, everyone is trying to follow the rules so as not to get infected.

 

 

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in Christmas season

 

I made a Christmas 2022 cake with biscuits, whipped cream, black currant jam and fresh frozen currants from our garden. It may not seem attractive to you, but in fact the cake turned out to be delicious and not too sweet.

 

I hope you had a pleasant Christmas and New Year 2022 holidays and I wish you to stay healthy and vigorous, because  spring always comes after winter.