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.