beautiful day

Oh we needed today so much, a beautiful sunny day, and to be outside most of the day without being cold - what bliss. We packed a picnic and headed for Boscawen-Un, a stone circle only a few miles from us and a place I always used to walk to growing up. 

We took watercolours and sketchpads and even Roghan obliged by not trying to throw the water everywhere and rip up all the paper (a rare event I assure you). There is something so good about painting outside, it is an entirely different experience to painting indoors, the movement and the air and the smells and sounds make their way into the painting too and it all just seems freer and more - well - more natural.

This is Faiths painting of the gorse (pictured below), I so love the way children paint, they really get to the essence of their subject and are not so rigid about the form. Faith's painting doesn't look like a photo of the gorse but it really feels like the gorse and the way it was moving slightly in the breeze.

So, while the children were happily occupied with painting and sonny was happily creating a pile of woodchips (see below), I of course did something productive like knitting or tidying away the picnic leftovers..... er, no.....

... I lay down in the grass and watched the clouds go by. Time well spent I think.

Quote from Faith: This grass isn't green, its light green and dark green and yellow and orange and gold and brown.

She then got the paints back out and carried on painting.

I'm going to make an effort to learn from her and look a little closer.

Below, Roghan's not entirely sure if he approves of my new flapjack recipe.

Time to go.... I think we shall be returning here many times this summer. 

(wow, 11 photos! Can you tell I enjoyed myself today.)

Jo x