This is my first contribution to the weekly art-themed Scribble Picnic (follow the link to see the other member's art contributions). :) My favourite medium these days is watercolour so that's what I'll be doing, even though it really did start as a "scribble"! It's so hard to take a good photo of a watercolour...the sky is actually a lot darker than it looks, but I'm happy with it! It graduates to the watercolour wall now. :)
The theme is "Tie It Up" this week. I was inspired by the weather and my garden. My pumpkins are really doing well...(as far as I know since it's the first year I've grown them!) The tendrils and vines curl up and get all tied up on one another, so that's what inspired me for my watercolour this week. :) Last week's theme was "Curly" so I guess my idea could have applied to both! :)
Cheese Making Update
The Colby and Mozzarella were finally dry enough for me to seal, but the Colby was too big for my bag! So I cut it in half, and lo and behold...HOLES!! Is it me or am I crazy? Colby DOESN'T have holes does it??? Did I accidentally make a Swiss-style cheese lol?
Me thinks it didn't get pressed with enough weight long enough...I'll have to confirm with the folks on the Cheese Forum. Oh my, it smelled SO GOOD...Alex and I kept looking at each other with that tempting look in our eyes...but in the end we were good and the cheeses got sealed for more aging!
With some leftover Italian sausages, I made Polish Kolaches, courtesy of Joyce from October Farm! They turned out delicious! We had them with some Cheddar cheese spread; and Joyce, that pastry is amazing! I have half left so I might make croissants out of them! Thanks for the recipe! :)
Walking the dogs on the mountain has been so wonderful the last few days. No tourists and some nice fall weather. Our summer was so chilly and rainy that Alex and I didn't get to fish more than a few times, which is sad for us! We have higher hopes for next summer, that lake is full of wonderful trout! I took this photo yesterday.
And I took this photo just this morning, it was so foggy you couldn't even see the lake! Gave the woods a bit of a creepy feel to them! :) Even though I crave the heat and humidity each summer, likely due to overly long winters; I have to say that Fall is my favourite time of year!
Cheese Making Update
The Colby and Mozzarella were finally dry enough for me to seal, but the Colby was too big for my bag! So I cut it in half, and lo and behold...HOLES!! Is it me or am I crazy? Colby DOESN'T have holes does it??? Did I accidentally make a Swiss-style cheese lol?
Me thinks it didn't get pressed with enough weight long enough...I'll have to confirm with the folks on the Cheese Forum. Oh my, it smelled SO GOOD...Alex and I kept looking at each other with that tempting look in our eyes...but in the end we were good and the cheeses got sealed for more aging!
With some leftover Italian sausages, I made Polish Kolaches, courtesy of Joyce from October Farm! They turned out delicious! We had them with some Cheddar cheese spread; and Joyce, that pastry is amazing! I have half left so I might make croissants out of them! Thanks for the recipe! :)
Walking the dogs on the mountain has been so wonderful the last few days. No tourists and some nice fall weather. Our summer was so chilly and rainy that Alex and I didn't get to fish more than a few times, which is sad for us! We have higher hopes for next summer, that lake is full of wonderful trout! I took this photo yesterday.
And I took this photo just this morning, it was so foggy you couldn't even see the lake! Gave the woods a bit of a creepy feel to them! :) Even though I crave the heat and humidity each summer, likely due to overly long winters; I have to say that Fall is my favourite time of year!
I'm with you - I could do two seasons, Fall and Spring. Do you get a lot of weekenders in the fall? That cheese - holes and all - looks fabulous!
ReplyDeleteHi Susan :) No, it's not too bad in the fall around here, KNOCK ON WOOD. The weekenders come on Labour Day weekend, then our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend (Oct 9th this year)...then it's quiet until snowfall because this area has a lot of snowmobile/quad trails, ick. Yeah, the cheese...my gosh it looks and smells amazing...I'll eat it with holes! :)
ReplyDeleteWelcome...so glad you joined us. And a perfect watercolor for Fall, too.
ReplyDeleteThank you Latane :) I'm just hoping my own pumpkins get that orange soon! :)
ReplyDeletelovely halloween theme piece, I like how the vines curl and tangle together and also the trees with their curly branches as if they want to be like the pumpkins. great take on this week's theme
ReplyDeletehave a lovely day.
Hi Lissa :) Thanks! I wanted everything connected and all tied up together. :) I am a big fan of Halloween and the fall. I hope to do more fun paintings like this one!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful watercolour with your tied up pumpkins! Welcome to Scribble Picnic! Your sausages and cheese look delicious and the dogs look happy!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely a spring and fall gal. Both are beautiful weather seasons. Sort of a happy time too. The cheese looks great.
ReplyDeleteYour art is making me long for Halloween!
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine :) We have a pretty happy home here, lots of love and lots of good food!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Kristina :) I love how autumn smells in the mountains...time to fire up the fireplace too! I love this season but I wouldn't say no to a heat wave to get my tomatoes ripe!!
ReplyDeleteOh thanks Debra :) Me too! But we have to get through Thanksgiving first! :)
ReplyDeleteYour watercolor is very dramatic in theme and color. Those pumpkins just jump off the page. I love how nature does such great themes, like tied up, and curly Q's. This is perfect since Fall is just around the corner...I'm ready for it.
ReplyDeleteHi Wanda :)) Thank you! :) I'm on the fence about fall only because we had such a chilly summer this year. But I'm already planning our Canadian Thanksgiving...and I'm looking at pumpkin carving stencils...so maybe I'm ready after all! :)
ReplyDeleteNothing gets more tied up than vines! Love your painting, Halloween will be here before we know it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Paula :)) It's one of my favourite times of the year!! :)
ReplyDeleteI love your creative idea for: tie it up. Of course pumpkins do that.
ReplyDeleteYou pumpkins look magical the way they pop with their color and the scene looks so Autumny and wonderful.
Wow to that cheese!
Your foggy day looks like our smoky days, but ours has an orange tint.
Hi Tammie Lee :)) Thank you! :) I think the feature of the painting is certainly the pumpkins :)) I'm happy to say that the fog we are having is simply due to the rain and humidity. I can't wait to try my cheese!!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Scribble Picnic!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful watercolour for fall and for the Scribble Picnic theme! Pumpkin vines certainly do love to spread themselves around. As you are in Fall, we are now in our Spring after the warmest winter on record.
Your doggies are so cute!
hi rain! really good colby has lots of holes! yours loks soooo good. i would have cheated and tasted it! glad you like the kolache recipe. i have to make them again next week for my daughter to take to work. her co-workers love them.
ReplyDeleteHi Rain! So nice to meet you! Sooo glad you joined us too and linked back etc for others as we like for the co-op. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic idea adn take on the theme. I love your watercolour--that sky is brill and the whole concept very good. It's perfectly autumnal too. Well done!
then you go and add those yum pic of homemade cheese, no less. Wow! Aren't you creative? It's enough for us jsut to make eggs around here!
I think your pumpkins looks smashing (haha, pun intended) but, like you, I've never grown them either as 1. never had a lot big enough and 2. don't own a place where I could grow something, and finally, 3. don;t like the taste of pumpkin anyway. I will leave it to the new pros like yourself then. But, hey, please bring one to the picnic for the next week weeks. Perfect for this Autumnal season soon to come!
I've posted my colour version now btw and will be changing out the themes either tonight or tomorrow, so stay tuned! :)
Thanks again, so much, for finding us, visiting others and joining along. I hope we see you next week too.
Love that newest picture. Obviously, very appropriate for the season!
ReplyDeleteI think the holey cheese looks like the holes are supposed to be in it. Even if they aren't!
Girl, you're making me hungry! Seems most of my hard cheeses have some holes (I agree it's from not enough pressure) but who cares?!?!!? Love the water color. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThe picture is lovely, Rain. And I have had some cheeses do very odd things - but fortunately, it can be a very forgiving medium.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy you joined Scribble Picnic Rain and that I now can follow your blog! I love where you live and the way you live from what I've had time to read so far. Your art is delightful and I look forward to your weekly endeavor.
ReplyDeleteBTW - I'm a cheeseaholic, so I will be drooling over the ones you make, they look, sound, and I'm sure taste wonderful.
Happy week.
Mary (A Breath of Fresh Air) in North Carolina.
Your pumpkin painting should be a set of cards!! I'd buy em!
ReplyDeleteAlso I have never heard of Polish Kolaches, but they look amazing.
I LOVE your watercolour piece. So many great colours in it. And that view on your walks. HOLYMOLY...that is spectacular. Very peaceful and meditative.
ReplyDeleteI've never had (or even heard of) Polish Kolaches but they look delicious. I'm going to pop over to that blog page and take a look right now. I'm always hungry when I visit your blog. I wonder why? haha
I LOVE that painting!! I want to buy it!!! :) :)
ReplyDeleteLove the pics of the dogs sitting so very patiently. I wish ours would do that!!! I would LOVE to walk in the woods when its foggy. We don't get fog here often. Maybe 2 or 3 times a year.
Your cheese looks great - I don't think it matters if the Colby has holes? As long as it tastes delicious!!
I am guessing your holey cheese will taste just the way you want it too after a little aging. I am not sure I would have the will power to wait ... it makes my mouth water just looking at it in your picture. Love you art ... my DIL is growing cucumbers and they are climbing and tying themselves up just like your pumpkins. Love the little curlicues. I took pictures of mine too ... they are so neat. I like your life's plan and you are living in a place where you can make it happen. Love it all, Rain (and the dogs that I forgot to mention :)
ReplyDeleteAndrea @ From The Sol
Hi Rain, your artwork is really nice. You're definitely talented and the more you try, the better you will get. You're such an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteYou live in such a beautiful place. My pups are jealous of those walks (and their adorable coats!). I am also envious that you have pumpkins! I can't wait to watch them grow and see what you make of them.:)
ReplyDeleteYour watercolor is beautiful. I love the contrast of the sky and the pumpkins, and those tendrils...... perfect for the theme. We love to fish also, for snappers off the dock across the street on the bay. The fish are getting bigger and the season is winding down. It's a bit of a competition between my husband and I and currently I'm ahead, but that usually changes! Good luck with your cheese. I have to think if it smells delicious it should taste delicious! Oh, and welcome to the picnic - guess I should have said that first.
ReplyDeleteHi Serena :) Thank you! :) I do hope we have a warm winter here...last year the amount of snow was unbelievable! What a nice time of year for you! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Joyce :)) You can't believe how much we enjoyed your recipe...I only made 4 of them and they were gone in 12 hours lol...AFTER we ate dinner too! I'm so close to cheating on the new Cheddars...it's getting harder lol...
ReplyDeleteHi Michael! :) Thank you, it's so nice to meet you too! :) I'm glad you like the watercolour :) I have pumpkins on the brain lately. Lol at your eggs...I started cheese making in July because the "cheese" at the grocery store has become more and more disappointing over the last few years. I'm loading up the bar fridge aka the cheese cave...and hopefully I'll get into a rotation where we'll never have to buy cheese again...unless it's from the cheese shop that has the real stuff.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first garden. We're renting so I couldn't dig up too much of the yard, all the other stuff is in containers. But the pumpkin patch is my baby this year...there is one obvious pumpkin growing...but the leaves are so thick, I honestly have no clue what's going on in there lol...there could be more pumpkins, I'll just have to wait and see! The ones I'm growing are strictly for Halloween carving...but next year I might try some pie pumpkins.
I'll definitely be joining in on a weekly basis to the picnic...it motivates my creativity. I've been good with my other hobbies and projects, but I found it hard to get back into painting, no clue why because I love it so much, so joining has already done a lot of good for me! :) And I really am inspired by seeing what everyone else comes up with!
Thanks Mama Pea! :) Even if they aren't, I welcome the holes lol...I think it'll be just as good. We'll find out in about a month or so! Thanks for your support as always with my paintings :))
ReplyDeleteHi Leigh :) Lol...who does care...I'm not a "super geeky cheese making hobbyist" as the Cheese Forum people call them...so holes it is. Thanks for your nice comment about the painting. :))
ReplyDeleteHi TB :) Thank you! I love that most of the time I can eat my mistakes when it comes to the cheese lol!
ReplyDeleteHi Mary :) Oooh a fellow cheesaholic! :)) I like that! I used to just eat the good stuff before, but now that I'm making it...it's become an omnipresent force in my life, which feeds the addiction even more lol...Thanks for your sweet comment! I'm so glad I joined the picnic. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Jenn :) You're very sweet, thank you! :) The Kolaches are really nice...more like a glamoured up version of a sausage roll...but Joyce used different sausages, while I used the thicker Italian ones...it worked really well! Nice to have for a snack. I might make a bunch of them and freeze them individually.
ReplyDeleteHi Martha :)) Thank you so much!! :) I can't wait to see your art!! LOL...and whenever I visit Joyce, I'M hungry...she is a master in the kitchen! I got a lot of recipes from her and she loves pumpkins too so it's a perfect match! :) This area of the Laurentians is gorgeous...if only we could just thin out the population a little bit, it would be perfect! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Dianna :)) You're so sweet thank you! :) No sale! :) I don't think the holes matter much with the cheese either. I think it's more about me wanting to make it look more authentic, but that's fine. At some point I'll have to invest in a good cheese press. My brick/dumbbell solution is working for now, but I don't have the set up that I really want! I wonder if my Cheddars will have holes too when I open them! We get a lot of fog around here because of the lakes and mountain climate and I just love it. That's one thing we'll get a lot of if we end up in Nova Scotia! I remember the fog when I visited Cape Breton...thick as pea soup, beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea :) Thank you! :) The area we live in is just wonderful, but we will be leaving it in a few years, mainly because we are English living in a French province, which makes for some frustrations. But we'll be moving to a place that is similar in nature...mountains, lakes, woods...I can't be without them! It really is peaceful and my spirit is so content here. We're fortunate! We only got a few cucumbers this year, it's been a chilly summer, but I saw the little vines growing up and curling around...I love seeing it! Stay tuned for more mouth watering lol...one of our cheeses will be ready to try soon! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Terry :)) Thank you so much! You're always so supportive! I think being part of this weekly group will help motivate me even more to be creative and try new styles and things! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel :) Ha ha...you know the coats are so easy to knit. You could stitch some nice designs too :) I do know how lucky we are to be able to walk the dogs in the woods and up the mountain every day. That's one of the reasons we left the city, we wanted lots of pets and to be able to be in nature. I really can't wait to see how the pumpkins turn out! The one I can see at the moment looks more like a watermelon lol!
ReplyDeleteHi Lorraine :) Thank you! :) I feel very welcome with the Scribble Picnic group! :) The cheese...the photo cannot even do justice to how delicious it smells!!! Oh lucky you to have snappers...we mostly fish for trout, bass and perch. At this point we rarely keep them though, it's mostly catch and release. Once in a while we'll keep a trout if it's big enough to be legal. Fresh fish is a big blessing, so delicious! Alex is more of a competitive fisher than I am. I love just being out in the sun, on the lake, and if I catch one, great! Alex loves the challenge. He's caught some big muskies and bass. It's hard for us to fish though. The docks here are littered with people smoking and drinking, so it's not pleasant to be there. We don't have a boat, so we have to rely on taking a chance shore fishing. We have a few spots, but they are far away now and we don't get to them often.
ReplyDeleteYour watercolor looks very nice! I like your vines, I used this idea for the theme Curly this past week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Trina :) I went back to look at your drawing from last week, very curly vines! :)
ReplyDeleteI am with you on the FALL....my fav time. I am not a summer person which is odd cause when I was younger I was! So much changes in your outlook, your body, and your thoughts when you get older. Some times for the better, some times not. Love the watercolor. I bought some cheap ones to play with and have yet to try them. My medium is oil and acrylics.
ReplyDeleteLove the last picture. I was just saying to G today...I would love it if it was fall all year round. No bugs no sweat no humidity ... sunshine, always a cool breeze. Everything smells so good...lots of harvesting in the garden...I love it !
ReplyDeleteI also love that painting of yours ;)
This is beautiful art dear Rain!!!
ReplyDeleteI am really impressed you are amazing lady with so many talents really (i envy lol) .
I absolutely respect and adore your love for life and to all it's belongings !
This is so inspiring indeed!
Loved the art ,so colorful and interesting.
walk with pets sounds wonderful though unlike here you had mild summers still i am glad you enjoyed each bit of your moments my friend.
View looks captivating!
i find your cheese remarkable ,looks so "inviting" (though i am not cheese fan)
Glad you turned leftover into another delicious dish as you do magic :)
Wow! Rain, I love that painting, it's gorgeous :D Your cheese making is amazing and I'll be using more of your recipes for food planning. My BF brought back lots of meat and cheese from the UK as we struggle to get a strong cheese that doesn't break the bank! Our freezer is now stuffed so I just have to get planning now :D I think we're having the same weather as you! Take care.xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Pam :) I think that I'm so wishy washy with seasons! I am in love with summer...but then in September, I'm in love with fall and so on...I think that living in this climate, I really am grateful for the four seasons, but sometimes they get a little long and I'm ready for change!! :) I saw that you will join the Scribble Picnic next week, that's great! I started with oils, following Bob Ross, then I moved to acrylics. I changed to watercolour frankly because it was less expensive than buying canvas and I ended up loving it!
ReplyDeleteHi Nik :) Hope you had a great time away and ate lots of good cheese! :) You're right...everything in fall smells so wonderful! I wish though that I had more to harvest this year! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Baili :) Oh that's too bad you're not a cheese fan...I don't know if I could live without it lol...I just love it so much! And thank you for your nice comment, you're always very supportive :) One thing I realize is that I don't feel very good if I can't get out on the mountain with the dogs. It's such a pleasure and I love being in the forest...usually alone. Well, alone from other people, the forest is full of critters and the dogs always listen for them! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Yarrow :) I'm glad your BF is back with you and your freezer is full! You are living in the land of amazing cheese now aren't you? :) Lucky!! :) I can't wait to read more about your new home and everything France has to offer you! xx
ReplyDeleteI'm rather late getting around, but welcome to Scribble Picnic! Garden vines certainly do have a way of tying themselves up, and it looks and sounds like yours are doing just that! We always have a garden, but the summer was so hot and dry I'm not sure that we'll have many pumpkins this year.
ReplyDeleteThere's some more good food I'd like to try.
ReplyDeleteA soft, dry autumn is pretty hard to beat, the stillness, the colour, the knowledge that it will soon be gone. What a lovely post this is; painting, terrific looking home-made cheese and walks with dogs - it surely can't get much better than this!!
ReplyDeleteHi Joeks :) Thank you for the welcome! :) I'm really hoping for a better gardening season next year. At least I know the root veggies will do well! I think a lot of us had disappointing gardening seasons! But I'm really betting on these pumpkins! :)
ReplyDeleteHi John :) I hope I'm giving you ideas! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Rosemary :) Thank you :) I think that I found the secret to my happy life. I don't need much more. This time of year makes me feel so cozy. :) I just wish I had your apples!!!
ReplyDeleteWELCOME! First off...I LOVE LOVE cheese! hee Yumm and your art is fabulous. LOVE your idea and am looking forward to getting to know you more. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Alexandra :)) I'm always happy to meet a fellow cheese lover! :) I think the weekly art challenge will be so much fun! :)
ReplyDeleteWow welcome. You have a zillion replies. I had to scroll and scroll. What a great picture and welcome to #scribblepicnic.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Janis
Hi Janis :) Thanks for you welcome!! :)
ReplyDeleteAll I saw was your beautiful watercolor and your beautiful dogs! What a great place to live and the cheese is awesome...holes or no holes! Those kolaches looked really tasty too and I might have to give them a try! I have rally missed you...I know...my own fault but so glad to get my Rain inspiration once again! Hugs ~ Sam
ReplyDeleteOh Sam :))) I know how busy you've been! I'm so glad to hear from you! If you like sausage rolls I think those kolaches will be a hit. We loved them dipped in Dijon too. I can't wait to try that Colby...my gosh it's HUGE, I have so much of it! Wish I could ship it! :)
ReplyDelete