Robin eating cheese, Cape robin-chat, Cossypha caffraSilvermere farm road after rainBlue flowers in my garden. Lavender, Plumbago & Rosemary.Mountain Reedbuck, (Redunca Fulvorufula) on a misty & rainy day on Buffelskloof Nature Reserve, Mpumalanga.Tree by the roadside. Acacia Sieberiana.Portrait of John on his BirthdayGrey Crowned Crane, Balearica regulorum,Gate on the HillAutumn fruits and leaves. Tomatoes, Chillis, Rose-hips & Leaves of the Virginia Creeper.Lone sheep in Karoo VeldBuffelskloof Pine Forest. MpumalangaRemembering dear Uncle Tony FittMum’s Blue Tea-set, Mother’s Day.Silvermere Sunset and puddles after rainChloë and John’s Birthday Portrait. Grand daughter and Grandpa sharing a tender moment.Expectant Ewe, lambing season, Silvermere.Secretary Bird, Sagittarius serpentariusFarm Road with Gumtree shadowsMana & Rufus, my brother’s cats.The Doves of PentecostKaroo, Road through Veld to the Windmill.Sketchbook, Old Farm BootsCommemorating Chelsea Flower Show 2018. Floral wallpaper. On homemade paper.Hansie Lambs, Orphans.The forgotten houses on Buitekant St. BurgersdorpWhite-breasted Cormorant, drying his wings, Loch Logan, Bloemfontein.Sunset over Farm Dam. SilvermereWindmill Repairs, on SilvermereFeeding Guinea FowlClown-faced cow and calfKalahari Karoo, between Prieska & Vanwyksvlei
In 2015 I took up the “Everyday in May” challenge, and when May 2016 rolled around, I was keen to give it another try. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey, and hope you will too; while scrolling through these 31 sketches.
Day 1 of the Everyday in May 2016 challenge. EDM 1.Day 2. Everyday in May challenge 2016. Benjamin visited recently.Day 3 of the Every Day in May Challenge 2016. Sunset from my kitchenCommon Waxbills in my garden yesterday. Love the way they wag their tails like dogs.Day 5, Everyday in May Challenge 2016. Little Karoo scene north of Bethulie in the Freestate.Day 6, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, A little marmalade farm cat.
Day 7, Everyday in May challenge 2016. One of the two shearers we had last week, to shear a few grown lambs.
Day 8, Every day in May challenge 2016,. The second of the 2 shearers that came to shear a few grown lambs.
Day 9, Every day in May Challenge, colourful farm fowls seen recently.For those who would like to add their own colours, I added this original line drawing.Day 10, Every Day in May 2016, a little misty scene on Silvermere.Day 11, Every Dayin May challenge, sheep portrait from one of our Afrino flockDay 12, Everyday in May Challenge, a detail of one of the Acacias we have on Silvermere.
Day 13, Everyday in May Challenge, Eggs in three of my favourite old eggcups.
Day 14, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, The informal settlement on the edge of Aliwal North.Day 15, Everyday in May challenge 2016, “Happy Birthday” to Grandpa & Granddaughter who share the 15th May Birthday.
Day 16, Everyday in May challenge 2016, I used a turtle dove and my Bible to illustrate the commemoration of Pentecost.
Day 17, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, lovely view of the autumn-leafed trees from the bridge over the Stormberg Spruit.
Day 18, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, While taking photos of a herd of Sable Antelope recently, I noticed all the young ones in a group together.Day 19, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, Autumn trees beside the road at Sonskyn.Day 20, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, We have employed two fencers to make repairs to all the Silvermere fences that have deteriorated.
Day 21, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, The second of our two fencers working here since April.
Day 22, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, three of the Sable Antelope that I photographed on a neighbouring farm recently.
Day 23, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, A little view of our farmyard buildings, as seen when driving down our road.Day 24, Everyday in May Challenge 2016. Very few roses left in my autumn rose garden, except these two, in celebration of the start of the Chelsea Flower Show that started today.Day 25, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, three of our orphaned lambs.Day 26, Everyday in May Challenge, 2016, In 2008 we had a devastating veld fire that burnt some of our veld and our neighbour’s farm too.Day 27, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, A little farm road with gate and windmill, below the dam wall.Day 28, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, A little winter scene, from 2014, early in the morning with frosty sheep.Day 29, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, One of my favourite birds that is now nesting in the trees nearby. Such lovely chatty and cheerful charactersDay 30, Everyday in May Challenge 2016, A view of rain falling over the Kramberg mountain, from the Knapdaar to Burgersdorp Road.Day 31, of the Everyday in May Challenge 2016. Decided to do some calligraphy for this final day of the challenge, with an encouraging message to end off with !
Those of you who have followed my Blog from the beginning may remember the 20th January 2009 post entitled, “All the way my Saviour Leads Me” ; well that post referred to one of the pages from this project that has now come to an end. In 1992, after being named as Amy’s Godmother, I decided to send her a poem every year on her birthday, starting at age one. I tried to choose poetry that was either fun or inspirational, and ultimately to support her growing faith. I wrote all of them with my normal italic nibbed fountain pen. Sometimes they included illustrations and all were done on watercolour paper that measured 320 x 210 mm in size. Three of the poems were too long for one page, so they were continued on the reverse. Here below are most of them, all except the last 2 which were more personal in nature. The last one was mailed to her for her 20th birthday, and this year she turned 21. For this special occasion, the pages were all returned to me for them to be bound into a book. I made the cover this weekend and will be posting it off to her soon. It is not a professionally bound book, and has many of the hallmarks of a very home-made effort; however there is a whole lot of love bound in to its imperfect simplicity.
I quite realize that these pages are hard to read with the reduced size and dpi, necessary for posting on this page. If, however anyone would like a better copy of a particular page, please send me an email and specify which one you would like. I will gladly forward it to you. Send your request to : silvermere@gmail.com
I love this Hymn that my Uncle (Tony) recommended for the recent Book that I wrote; ‘A Family History Timeline, 1950-2008′ and have used it in the calligraphy page here as one of another book I am making for my God-daughter, Amy. It is precious for all the heartfelt sentiments that Fanny Crosby felt when she wrote it despite her blindness, she never blamed Christ, but praised Him instead. So as this year dawns, with all the uncertainties, the hopes and fears, it is good to remember; “For I know whatever happens, Jesus does all things well“!
As I spent some time reading John Piper’s Blog on Desiring God, I had time to reflect on how much ‘Our Saviour leads us all the way. John Piper’s interview in his post on the Economic Downturn expresses the way God leads us back to all the important things in life and this crisis is just one way that He may be doing that for people around the world.
And finally, as we forgo the New Year Resolutions which can be difficult to maintain, here are some lists that replace them. I LOVE lists !! Keep these near to your prayer bench. I plan to :