Boris

10 April. Boris is the name of the little train which operates in Hotham park weekends and holidays and now the winter is over and tracks are no longer waterlogged he has come out of hibernation.  Children love him.

Spring hair cut.

I have admired and photographed willows and dogwoods in the winter garden and have paintings  in mind waiting  to be done. When I returned, I found the gardeners giving them their annual hair cut. Here are a few before and after shots.

After the Great Storm

The hurricane force winds of February 14th brought down some lovely trees in Hotham Park. During the winter several Holm oaks have fallen these being particularly vulnerable as they remain in full leaf. A huge blue cedar was another victim which will be missed by the nesting birds in the spring.

February Fill dyke

The old saying goes, February fill dyke black or white. I had hoped for a bit of white but snow has been replaced by wind and rain this year. I went into the park on a very windy day not long before the great Valentine’s Day storm. I wanted to see what it was like…

Misty

On January 20 mist was forecast for the following day. I had wanted to paint the park misty so went early in the morning to take photos before it was gone. There had been so much rain during the month that the ground was waterlogged with pools of water under the trees. The mist and…

January sun

Dry calm sunny days have been rare this winter but on January 11 it was fine enough for me draw this lovely old tree. I have a small trifold mat such as campers use which I sometimes take to sit on instead of my folding stool and I sat on the ground to draw. The…