An African Bird

I know that most people have seen a Guinea Fowl in pictures, but many haven't actually seen one in the flesh.

They are quite large birds, they can fly for short stretches, like up into a tree. Their feathers are so strong that if you try and shoot one side on with a 22 the bullet will bounce off.... well that's what I've been told. :-D

If they happen to become road kill it's more likely that your car will be the one that dies not the bird. It can do great damage to a vehicle. So if you see one, don't try and run it over, you'll regret it.

This video shows the sounds that the male Guinea Fowl make... They don't make this noise all the time :-) They do sleep sometimes .. lol.... They love to eat ticks, so farmers love to have them on their farms :-) They'll wake you up early in the morning.

Anyway the reason I'm writing this is because A little while ago I was asked if I would paint a picture with Guinea Fowl and eventually this past week I got down to it.

All sorts of captions come to mind :-)

So cute, you just gotta love him. :-)

This is what I could see in my head, so I'm happy that it came out the way I thought it should be. Come visit me on  http://www.etsy.com/shop/sylviesdesigns

All things bright and Beautiful

Whilst we were sailing from the Cook Islands to New Zealand via Tonga I drew and painted a Flame Lilly. The plant is indigenous to Zimbabwe, Africa and is in fact the country's national flower. Every person who has lived there and seen it growing in the wild is forever effected by it. the plant's colours are vibrant and the plant is wonderfully unusual, so I had a marvelous time painting it. I may paint others, because there are various types of the plant that produce an interesting range of different shaped flowers. So keep checking my shop to see the updates. :-D

A close-up of some of the petals

A close-up of the stamens.

Thanks for having a look. I'll be back soon. :-D

Flowers and books

Well it seems that things have been quiet here on the blog for a while.....seems we've all been rushing around doing others stuff and ignoring all you wonderful readers...shame on us!!! As you probably know I've been sailing from Panama to the Marquises...actually we are in Tahiti now...and have finally found a cafe where you can buy a beer and then go online..up till now we have been paying between USD$5.00 and E 5.50 an hour for internet, so I think that my excuse for not blogging is a great one...still I'll try and be a bit more active.... :-

So when we were sailing across that huge expanse of water I managed to find the time (it was quite an exhausting trip) to actually get some painting done....I had posted either on here or my other blog called ...umm what is it now...oh yes, it's Quilters, Creative Art and Sewing... :-D, a picture of a rose I was thinking of painting...well after a few abortive attempts I finally managed a few different paintings...so I thought 'd post them for you all to see...and criticise.. :-D

Other than these I haven't done anything new....oh I lie...I've written a fun little book that helps a person provision their boat, van, 5th wheel, land rover, whatever, for long trips...along with tips on how to keep fruit and veg free of mould without a fridge....and also some nice simple easy recipes that absolutely anyone can follow and enjoy.

It's called...Feeding the Skipper! :-D

Cheers all, hope you enjoyed this one :-D

Welcome to Mossy Rock Designs!

Just in Time! That's what it is. She emailed me last night...and we are setting sail today..finally..:-D So here we have our newest member of the blog.
Have you seen her ART? Great Water colours! Water colours is the hardest medium to conquer ..I should know because I'm an artist and I'm still trying to get it right...

There you have it....some more interesting stuff is going to be posted for your entertainment. :-D
now what picture can I post here..hmmmmmmm.......
My favourite of her pictures is the Chamelion ...I love it..I think I'll post a picture of an African Lizard...they grow to about 12 inches long.

Lovely pretty lizard. ;-)

Welcome!  we're looking forward to your blogs.