O O Oh...Obama!

Bara(ck) Obama! I natt håller vi inte bara valvaka utan även tummarna för Obama i detta historiska val i USA! Kl.01.00 bör vi veta utgången..

Söndag morgon - första frosten..

Gotland - 07.00 söndag morgon i soluppgången. Rimfrost över fälten där man hittade den stora silverskatten för några år sedan..

Gotland 1:a november

The 1:st of November in lovely Gotland - the largest island in the Baltic..
The roses of which Gotland is wellknown, are still in bloom. Gotland boasts the warmest climate in Sweden and scores top rate as to hours of sunshine in our northern country. Grapes are cultivated here and some wine is actually produced on the island´s calciferous soils.

Fruits are in abundance and apple pies are baked in the rustic kitchen..

The grand chandelier is decorated with silk flowers..

The fish nets are brought indoors for the winter..

The gorgeous sun of November leaves long shadows..

The faithful Gotland roses are still there.. for a while more..

Fleamarket bargains: copper pots hang from the kitchen celing..

The horses are out enjoying the sun after two days in the stable after heavy rains..

We pick the ripe pumpkins and when the sun sets it gets really chilly. And it is nice to sneak into a warm bath in a luxurious tub with lions feet!

Happiness is a warm. soft kiss on a sunny November day!

Happy halloween!

I wish you all a great and creepy halloween from the scary
island of Gotland..

- right in the middle of the dark and stormy Baltic!!
Boooooooh!

Catnap..

The rain is pouring down at Gotland! Stop. Fall is here! Stop. There will be no blogg today.
The horses, peacocks, dogs , geese and roosters and cats are all wet and sleepy..Stop.
I can´t use my computer. Stop. You can see why!
I am seriously considering a siesta myself! ZZZZZ! Full stop!

Autumn is the time..

..for a perfecty lovely little cup of tea - or two..

And to drink this healthy beverage from a beautifully decorated cup..

The English are so skilled in creating those lovely cups. This (above) is a Royal Albert cup.
And this a "Royal Swan"
And this is "Charlotte". And this is the Bavarian Rose. They are all very romantic and feminine and I have a hard time imagine Prince Albert drinking from his cup above ( with his little finger raised??) They can all be found and ordered from www.tableandhome.com
Now, the cups below are pieces of art and was designed by the Catalan architect Gaudi.

Marvellous, aren´t they?
As for great teas? Well some of my favourites are from Mariage frères in Paris whose lovely Salon du Thé in Le Marais certainly is worth a detour. (30 Rue de Bourg-Tibourg) And their pastry! You can order their new 2008 "flushes" from their home page. Reports are increasing about the benefits of regular tea consumption. And they are not talking about "the perfectly lovely cup of tea" that John Brown - her Scottish personal servant - used to serve the late Queen Victoria. Because that one was surely laced with Scotch! (Perhaps it worked wonders after all because of the age the Queen reached!) They even had a teapot modelled after her.
See this humoristic monster-wounder below! I have never seen anything like it..
Awesome! How I would love to have one!

The Young Queen Victoria Limited Edition Teapot
from the
Maureen Berry Collection

Tröttnade..

..ett ögonblick på att måla skärgårdsmotiv. Och målade
två dockmotiv igår kväll i stället.

Den översta är en antik buktalardocka blev litet förälskad i på en antikauktion jag besökte en gång. Och minns så här ungefär. (Undrar vad den gick för? Hade så gärna velat ha den!) Den andra dockan måste vara från första hälften av förra seklet. Bullkindad och "Gretchenaktig". Målad efter en docka jag hade en gång som kom från Tyskland och hette Gisela. Som hade tennisracket, läderskor och smycken och stickade vantar och annat lyxigt tillbehör..Tyckte egentigen aldrig om den dockan. Den var för fin för mig och man kunde liksom inte riktigt leva upp till att vara en sån "tjusig frökens" mamma när man var 8 år..
Nu blir det skärgård igen efter dockpausen..

I needed a break from all the marine/archipelago painting I am doing at present. So last night I painted these two dolls out of memory. They lurch deep in my memory from the past. Watercolors. But - Now back to the old track of sea, boats and cliffs and pretty cottages..

Målarlust! The urge to paint!

Vaknade upp denna måndagsmorgon med målarlust! Höstens färger inspirerar!

Det är hög tid att producera akvareller inför Sandhamns julmarknad - tiden går fortare man tror. Gjorde den här i morse som var ett beställningsjobb men just denna är inte från Sandhamn utan från en annan del av skärgården. Men på julmarknaden blir det bara akvareller från vår ö förstås! :-)

Inspiration! Woke up this sunny Monday morning in the Stockholm archipelago and felt the urge to paint! It must surely be the gorgeous colors of fall that are so very inspiring. Now is high time to start producing all the watercolors needed for the Xmas Market Days that will take place on the island of Sandhamn in December. Here above is one I made this morning - still in my nightie. This particular one is not from my island though but from another part of the lovely archipelago that surrounds Stockholm.

Höstfärger i skärgården med det där speciella, intensiva ljuset..

Renovering av Seglarresturangens fasad har pågått hela hösten.
Nu är det det välkända tornets tur..

Än blommar rosorna på ön..

Avd. "Aktuell info. för sandhamnsbor & andra"