Day #281 Greenbottle

Hundreds of these everywhere in the garden this year, eurgh. We think we spread slightly underdone compost around the veggies earlier in the year when it was really hot and the result was an infestation.... Clever plastic bottles with, ahem, bait have done the trick and now the flies have abated. They do have a pretty green body though!

Day #280 Blackberry

More foraging tonight, is time it was still daylight so we could actually see the black berries this time.

Day #279 Cob Nuts

We went a foraging and found black berries and a nice little surprise of a load of the cob nuts... Yum yum.

Day #278 Sunflower

I don't remember Van Gogh's sunflowers ignoring him. All of our sunflowers have grown facing the sun like you would expect, but that means they all face away from the house and patio. Just like they are ignoring you!

Day #277 Banana

Apparently it is national Banana Lovers day, possibly in the US. William Shatner told me so it must be true.

Day #276 Dot Markers

It is bank holiday Monday so, I'm having a little holiday, nearly. I've been working on my ukulele project this weekend so painting has gone down a gear. Today's task was cut the fret grooves and install the little white dot markers you see on the painting. A tricky little task that has been more or less successful! 

Day #275 Ants

On honour of all of the infestations that we have had this week, here are some ants.

Day #274 Brown tailed moth caterpillar

We have a brilliant division of labour in our house, Debbie clears an infestation of moth caterpillers that can apparently cause a rash. And I go off and paint one!

Day #273 Bayleaf

We have a dark week in e garden this week. A chicken death on Wednesday and a bug infested bay tree. The bay tree has now had a hair cut and the chicken a memorial service. I was going to paint a Bayleaf to mark its prune and it reminded me of a Chardin painting of a brioche with a chamelia stuck in it. Well, here is a French baguette with a bay leaf stuck in it.

Day #272 Plum

We bought a bag of juicy ripe plums today. So according to Dan Young daily law I have to paint one of them. You may notice it is the only thing in the painting that is truly defying gravity. Lets see what happens but between you and me I think it's going to stay hovering. Lets see if anyone notices.

Day #271 Banana Sticker

I used to stick these all over my toolbox when I was at art school, sort of proof of how many bananas I ate. I peeled one off today and had the overwhelming urge to stick it on my picture. But. Painted it instead.

Day #270 Ghost Moth

I like to paint things that catch my eye, I especially like it when I can paint that thing on this big ole painting. I like it even more if there is a bit of narrative in there. This poor little moth appears to have impaled himself on a cactus (in truth it was a different cactus, but Constable 'moved' an entire church!)  it caught my painterly eye almost exactly as I decided to paint today's instalment. I remember reading something about cacti being Carnivourous here is the proof.

Day #269 Cicken Feather

It is wing clipping time again, and as with all auspicious days here at 'daily mansions' I have commemorated it in the painting.

Day #268 Hook

A paint encrusted hook. When we moved into our house, about 7 years ago, there were these hooks everywhere,and I mean everywhere, the previous owners used them for everything from tidying wires, hanging flannels and soap, hanging toys, hanging plants and lots of other things I couldn't work out. I felt this one, I found decorating the spare room, had to be put in the painting.

Day #267 Cooking Apple

We collected a bag of cooking apples from a lady on freecycle (google it there will be one in your neck of e woods) I have hidden one behind the flowers.

Day #266 Rosehip

We went to visit Debbie's Mum and Dad today, and the first thing we noticed when we pulled up were the huge rosehips in the front garden. Hairier than you expect too. Terrible photo I'm afraid, it's really tricky at the top of the painting because it is closer to the lights. You will see it better when it is dry.

Day #265 Raspberry

I picked the last raspberry and painted!

This is yesterday's... Forgot to post! Whoops. Now I have to go and do today's....

Day #264 Flick of paint

Don't you hate when you are decorating and you splash a bit of paint but don't notice it until it is dry...... I do. So I have painted a painting of a splash of paint on my painting. Clear?

Day #263 Giraffe Poo

After a day at the zoo with my three nephews, all under 10, obviously my life has been punctuated by poo. Bird poo, mammal poo, reptile poo. As their favourite animal is the giraffe I thought I would put some giraffe feaces in the picture!

Day #262 Spider

I've been hard at work Uncling my three young nephews today, so what sort of Uncle would I be if I didn't paint a dirty great big spider?

Day #261 Yellow Ladybrd

I've been laying floor and glossing doors today but in a brief lull I spotted one of these little chaps, a yellow ladybird. 

Day #260 Caterpillar

I bet this is one of them cabbage whites going after my broccoli...oh no this one likes sweets!

Day #259 Two shells and a piece of ocean glass

Objects courtesy of my good friend Lee B from his cornish travels, two ocean shells and a piece of ocean glass.

Day #258 Paint Swatch

This is pretty close to the colour we are painting our spare room. I should crack on and paint it really...

Day #257 Cactus

This is Debbie's barrel cactus and she has had for ... More years than anyone cares to remember ;) suffice to say its quite large and threatening to topple. A bit like me.

Day #256 Cabbage White Butterlfy Decoy

There are an inordinate amount of cabbage whites butterflies at the minute, must be the hot weather. Whatever the reason we don't want them laying their eggs on our broccoli so we made a load of these plastic decoys because apparently they don't like crowds! There seem to be less damage so hopefully it's working. 

Day #255 Dead Bee

I could paint dead insects all day! If they makes me odd then so be it!

Day #254 The White Horse at Uffington

We went to visit the white horse on Uffington hill in Oxfordshire today. So, naturally I have painted my own white horse on a bread roll.

Day #253 Wine Cork

My mind isn't on painting tonight, I can't stop thinking about the bottle of wine we are about to consume.

Day #252 Cucumber

It transpires that five cucumber plants is rather a lot! We have them all over the place so it only seemed right and proper that I put one of them into my 'big ole painting of the year' so here it is lurking behind some sweets.

Day #251 hole in the wall

It's the first day of my two week hols and I found myself emptying out the spare room, ripping off bits of wood and pulling out nails screws and picture hooks. Bit warm for it mind you! So I made a few holes, he is one of them, right at the top there near the kangaroo head! I liked it because it looks a bit like an elephant.