February flew in on the wings of a Robin or two – in fact – a ‘Round of Robins’ made their first appearance on my sketchpad. As the trio of cheeky chirpy chappies took shape, my biggest dilemma was whether to use gold colouring in the background, or whether to keep the image crisp and white. It’s such a subjective thing and when you are the one creating, you can find you’re too close to be able to ‘see’ the illustration objectively. In the end, I put it to the vote, and the majority of you liked the gold background. It turned out to be a wonderful, warming choice that brought the Robins together on their bough of ivy. If you’d like to buy a print head over to our Online Store or, if you don’t see the print you’d like, simply message Bumbumbee on Facebook and we’ll sort the rest.
We also popped in to restock a few illustrations at the gorgeous Gallery at Culross Pottery. I’m always so grateful to our stockists and to the wonderful customers who support these unique local businesses. We are so lucky to have such a vibrant community of creatives in the area – all supporting one another.
Those of you who are Scottish born and bred, will know February is an ‘in between’ time of year. You are so close to Spring you can nearly taste it, but winter holds on for a few last hurrahs. Sometimes it’s just a case of getting through it, particularly when you are still getting up in the dark to go to work. Back to school after New Year was all a bit of a blur for us, so we made sure we made the most of mid-term.
The Bumbumbee family headed to the Aberfolyle, a gorgeous village in Stirling for the full immersion in nature experience. It was, as you would expect, decidedly dreich, but that didn’t spoil the fun. Time well spent just being a family and soaking up (quite literally) natures’ colours, textures and noises and smells. There were thundering waterfalls, the smells of moss and atmospheric mists and low clouds washing our faces and nipping our noses. Even the youngest crazy child returned to our lodgings beaming, cleansed and happy.
On that note, I hope you are all beginning to emerge from your winter hibernations (now that would be nice wouldn’t it?). It’s a good time to start planning new projects and thinking about a new creative pursuits or just think about refreshing the energy around your home. Look out for the messengers of Spring in the shape of delicate flowers and beautiful birds. And if the rain is stoatin off the pavement or a smizzle on your cheeks, try to remember there are parts of the world who are praying for rain. I know – it’s hard to imagine isn’t it? But living in beautiful Scotland – we sometimes forget just how lucky we are.
Until next time