autumn is almost here. that means it’s time to paint thick swatches of velvety earth tones into my sketchbook. time to start sketching and watercoloring burgundy, walnut, russet, and sage things. i am officially on the lookout. eyes cast downward on my weekend walks. scanning the ground for nature bits to bring home and add to my pages.
i’m back to regular weekend rambles.
this morning i found soft furry petals covering the ground, from an aussie tree, the name of which i’ve forgotten.
giant sprinklers arc through the air and i always like to stick out my arms and catch some of the cool drops. utter bliss to walk in solitude with no one around.
while i walked i thought of the book i just finished about a forgotten victorian garden. i didn’t think i was the type to read books with pensive heroines on the covers staring out to sea. but apparently… i am.
i am! and i’m not even reading. i’m listening people. listening!
what sheer pleasure. i highly happily recommend all 3.
my television set is gathering dust since i’ve fallen under this massive storytelling spell.
gardens. books. walks. art. travel. my requirements are simple.
i love the light at this desk in early evening. golden shafts of sunlight on the walls, the whole room glowing. windows open. birds calling back and forth in the oak trees.
i’ve been busy with school. arriving early staying late. i make a cup of tea with the little electric kettle i got for my classroom and drink linn’s olallieberry tea after school. one of you sent me that box of tea awhile ago and i love it. i wish i could remember who… anyway it’s a ritual i enjoy now and will relish even more when the weather cools. the light that streams through the old west-facing windows into my classroom is lovely.
we’ve been receiving our donor’s choose packages. among them these watercolors and sketchbooks. most of the kids have never painted before. see that bluetooth speaker on the desk? it’s fabulous! i can actually play music in class. very cool.
i think i mentioned i have 4 russian speakers. 1 from russia and 3 from kazakhstan. i have all 3 of them sitting together right up front and next to one of my “stations.” their english is limited. they are so proud of their country. you should see them smile and light up when i ask them questions about kazakhstan. delightful boys.
i got my “stans” mixed up in an earlier post – i think i wrote kyrgyzstan.
thankfully my enrollment has been reduced so i now have 30 students instead of 32. hurray!
now that i’ve had my students for nearly a month i can say i am very lucky to have ZERO behavior problems. after so many years of having at least 1 serious behavior issue (usually more) in every class, it is such a huge relief to have none. they aren’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but for the most part they are calm & happy children.
hope you’re well. hope you’re happy. hope you’re doing things that please you.
see you soon.
hi mary ann! it was me with the olallieberry tea 🙂 SOO glad you are enjoying it!!
i’ve been away for awhile … with exhausting hubbub!!
how funny i was able to read your always wonderful post on the day you mentioned the tea 🙂
SOOO glad you have a happy class this year!
happy trails miss moss!!
jayne
I love rambling with you! Gardens, quiet creative rooms, school, books. Doesn’t matter – love it all. Kate Morton is a favorite of mine too.
I’love tell you what pleases me. This ramble. It pleases me v.v.v. much. Good visit on a Sunday morning, I had coffee while we “talked” and wished for a piece of apple streudal like at that little cafe that wasn’t open very often in …. Portugal I think. Let’s eat lots of streudal in Germany.
Hi mm,
Loved the leaf with all the babies on the edge. Fascinating.
Also the shot of your desk , so beautiful.
Happy your school year is off and running and it’s a good group of kids. They’re so lucky.
Love reading about your rentrée, as the French call back to school. Happy to hear about your reduced (?!) class size and all that. But it still makes me angry, after all these years, that teachers have to buy their own supplies, or have generous friends to do so. I know this has been going on for years now in public school in America, but today I had a spell of rage about it all over again. It wasn’t that way in my day. . . . I guess states are too busy putting money into . . . I will forbear to speculate 😉 Bon dimanche from France!
Thank you for taking me on your beautiful walk with you, so inspiring, both you and nature! Your classroom looks and sounds lovely! One of these days I will break out the paints again, I miss it so much. How do I add hours to my day? I need to find a way to make it work.