T stands for....rhubarb syrup!

 Yesterday I read about Nicole's gardening and her delicious veggie harvest. So I thought I'd share my own, as gardening is in full swing over here.

The first row of potatoes with six plants brought almost 6 kgs of huge potatoes. Yum! And six more rows to go.

We have neighbors which own over 60 fruit trees. Most of them, lke apples and pears go into juice making, which you can then buy from local shops. But others are so delicious like these pears he brought us. We usually pay back in tomato sauce, lettuce and zucchini, as they don't have a veggie garden. 

We had a very rainy (much needed) July, so the tomatoes only start to ripen by now. This was the first from last week, but I picked about 15 more of this variety yesterday.

Since the climate gets milder and warmer, I can now grow plants, which wouldn't grow without a greenhouse some years ago. Like these eggplants/aubergines. Left is a variety called "Blauhilde", right is called "Little Green". I will try and make veggie "Schnitzel" from them. A co-worker gave me the recipe.

I grow lots of different veggies and fruits in my garden in mixed cultivation beds and sometimes it looks like a big jungle and there's always something to pick. Sometimes it's all green: zucchini, cucumbers, bush and runner beans, basil.

I also got some berry bushes, as gifts or bought end of seasons for little money. Berries are incredibly expensive, when you have to buy them at the grocery store, so growing them in the garden also saves money. I have blueberries (not the native variety, but the American), blackberries, raspberries, black currants and wild strawberries. 

And once everything is harvested, the canning starts. This weekend I canned: Pesto alla Genovese, dill pickles from the mini cucumbers, pears for dessert or cake, rhubarb sauce and syrup. The beans don't get canned, but blanched and frozen.

And the rhubard syrup buys me the ticket for T stands for...., hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth. Get well soon!

T stands for....cold brew tea time!

 Hello and Happy T Day!

I got some new cold brew tea for the hot summer days. I wasn't expecting much from this one, as it smelled like sun lotion at first. But I like it and it tastes very refreshing.

What on the drawing table? I tested some bamboo paper by Calirefontaine and I reallly like it. Painted a bird, that I already painted an dozen times, so that's perfect for testing new papers.

The garden is doing great so far and besides some peas I already harvested some garlic. Also gave some to family and friends.

I was invited by a dear friend on Bluesky to join a "#wildkräuterreise" (wild herb trip), which leads us to find and get to know 12 wild herbs around the summer solstice. The fun thing is, that I have most of them in my garden, but also found some during my lunch break walks.

Common Mugwort

St. John's-wort

Yarrow

Stinging Nettle

Bought myself some new sketching pencils from Caran d'Ache, which are invisible, if you copy a sketch. So you can sketch something and then draw over it with ink or a dark pencil . 

I often used colored pencils for my sketches, but these are much better, as they are erasable. Did this Little Owl as a test.

Sharing this blog post with T stands for.... by Bleubeard and Elisabeth!

T stands for....fine tea from Harrods!

 Hello! A little bit late to the T party, but here I am. Found this beautiful poppy on one of my lunch break walks.

Of course there must be some bird paintings. Some will find a place in my 2026 bird calendar. Here's a portrait of an Eurasian Jay.

I fell in love with terns lately. I mean....some individuals of Arctic Terns travel up to 90.000 km in ONE year. Without navigation gear and lunchbox. I mean....WOW!

How does the garden grow? My neighbour planted and elder bush three years ago. Look at it! She said to cut off any flowers or berries I want for juice or syrup. Yum!

Here in my area it was still cold during the nights, so I waited with planting tomatoes, eggplants etc. But the potatoes are in since end of April and they are doing great. Mulched with straw.

Peppers and tomatoes are in by now, but still very small.

I bought this little tin years back in London, when I visited family there. Still have it and keep fine teas in it. Nice memories!

Sharing with Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T stands for....

T stands for....Franconian beer!

Hey there and I hope you are all well! I'm just back from a beautiful vacation on the farnconian lakes near Nuremberg and found the time to create some nature journal pages. Yes, they got beavers there!

Also lots of water birds.

They also leave lots of meadows unmown during spring and summer, so the animals, especially field hares, have a  place to hide.

This page is actually not from my vacation, but from my lunch break at work, where I usually visit the local cemetary, as it is so nice there sitting on bench in the shade, listening to birds and watching the lizards.

We also enjoyed some tasty Franconian beer (Franconian, NOT Bavarian, that is very important! ;)).

Sharing with T stands for.... hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth!

T stands for....long Easter weekend!

Hello there and welcome to the T Party! 

I have some lovely spring photos and some coffee for you.

Here's a White Spotted Rose Beetle enjoying the sun on the rhubarb flowers.

The Cowslips in the meadow behind the house are beautiful this year.

Alyssum montanum and Carpet Phlox is a nice color combination.

Hopefully we don't get late frost, as the black currant bushes are starting to bloom. Bumblebees love these little flowers.

Saturday was a warm and sunny day and we sat outside for grilled sausages, steaks and veggies and had a nice cup of coffee afterwards. We used our Petromax Perkolator, but I forgot to take a pic of it simmering on the fire. 

Happy T Day! Sharing with Bleubeard and Elizabeth!

T stands for....spring or not?

 I missed out last week for the T party, as my car decided it's time for a new one. But here I am with last week's post.

I met dragons during my lunchbreak last week. I love spending my break in the local cemetary. it seems weird, but it's really nice there: quiet (dead people don't talk ;)), lots of birds and lizards to watch, nice benches in the sun or in the shadow, where I can sit and draw/paint.

This time I tried a Chaffinch with minimal watercolor equipment. Love how it turned out.

Although we got some very cold temps, the hedgehogs woke up from hibernation and are back on the terrace to feed on mealworms.

And here's the proof, that I also paint other things than birds. *LOL*

These will be made into greeting cards.

During the few warm days last week, I tested some new BBQ equipment and it worked great. Tasty meat, sausages and veggies.Yum! Love to use this BBQ table like an outdoor kitchen.

And after the BBQ is finished, there is still enough heat to make a nice coffee. The Bialetti works great for that, too, although one has to be careful with the plastic handle, so it doesn't melt.

Sharing with T stands for.... by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

T stands for....steam juicer!

 Welcome and Happy T Day!

Just for the protocol, that I also draw other things than just birds. *LOL*  I got myself two very nice books about drawing flowers with fineliner and I really like them. Here's a Foxglove.

A dear friend brought me a stack of worn-out jeans in some lovely colors. That's perfect, as I plan on some Christmas gifts made from recycled jeans.

I love jeans, as they are sturdy and you can make so many things from them. Here are some examples. That was a wall hanging for my niece, made from her favorite jeans. It has pockets to put in small things, so it's also a kind of organizer.

I love this cushion pattern and have sewn it several times.

Denim fabric is the perfect fabric for thick oven mitts.

I also made many bags from old jeans, spiced up with details made from colorful fabric.

You can also use it for sturdy quilts and blankets. I also made several of these blankets and gave them away as gifts.

I really love sewing things from hexagons, but sadly I couldn't find pictures of the seat cushion I made for our garden bank. But you get the idea.

And for qualifying for the T party, I share something drink related. I got my self a steam juicer. Why? With the new garden and its berry bushes and neighbors with lots of fruit trees, I get a lot of fruit during summer and fall. Yes, one can make jam and jelly, give it away to family and friends, but who should eat all the jam? So my thought was to make juice from most of the fruit, as I drink a lot of it, mixed with water.

Sharing with T stands for....by Bleubeard and Elizabeth!

T stands for....wasps and willows!

Monday morning and I needed a "real coffee", I mean one from a Moka Express, with the typical noise and heavenly smell and all. 

Not much on the drawing table lately, but I finished this little bookmark. I had it sketched out for quite a while, but only colored it last week. It's Grey Heron. I love to make bookmarks from paper cutoffs, which otherwise would go to the bin.

While I'm not much at the drawing table, I spent a lot of time in the garden, as the weather was nice and warm last week. I spotted the first wild bee burrows. I have a slope in my garden and during spring and summer, the whole slope is covered with burrows and a cloud of flying bees in all sizes. Amazing how these small creatures can dig these holes into our clay soil, which is hard as concrete, when dry.

And for those, who aren't already in love with those little souls: Here's a male Hairy-Footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes). Isn't he gorgeous and cute? And it's perfectly clear, why they are called "hairy-footed".

And since these beauties fly very early in spring, it's essential that they find something to eat. Besides crocus and many other early bloomers, willows offer lots of food. Gladly I planted some of them in my hedgerow. Look at these colors!

And there are lots of other species foraging on the willows. And yes, that's a wasp. But one of the Polistinae family, which are much more relaxed than the pesty little members of the Vespinae family. "Feldwespen", as they are called in German, don't go after your breakfast. ;)

Sharing this post with Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T stands for.... Happy T Day!