February 12, 2019

February 12, 2019

February 12, 2019

I always find it hard to be brave enough to paint outside when everything is familiar. In a foreign country with a different language, this always takes huge fortitude. And everyone always thinks I am so brave. Nothing could be further from the truth and it usually ends up that my most memorable times are inevitably when I suck it up and put myself “out there”.  Since we landed in Sri Lanka two weeks ago, I have been half heartedly looking for something that would inspire me to want to paint it. Jim knows that painting always makes me happy and today he sort of nudged me to begin. I was tempted to try to hide away and do some flowers. But first the two of us went looking to buy me a folding chair since it scares me that I have trouble getting up off my stool. We didn’t find a chair but I spied some baked goods in a shop window. I stood in the full sun and did this sketch of them. While I was working a chap kneaded a humongous ball of bread dough on the other side of the window, and the shop keeper invited me to come inside out of the sun!  Then I thought I might be able to find a shady spot in the market area for a painting. I sat on a table and was just about to start, when people started gathering round. Pretty soon, I was set up with a chair in the shade. What a wonderful time I had. Hard to get much work done as folks kept feeding me and wanting me to sketch them! It was great!

I always find it hard to be brave enough to paint outside when everything is familiar. In a foreign country with a different language, this always takes huge fortitude. everuone always thinks I am so brave but nothing could be further from the truth. However,

it usually ends up that my most memorable times are inevitably when I suck it up and put myself “out there”.  Since we landed in Sri Lanka two weeks ago, I have been half heartedly looking for something that would inspire me to want to paint it. Jim knows that painting always makes me happy and today he sort of nudged me to begin. I was tempted to try to hide away and do some flowers. But first the two of us went looking to buy me a folding chair since it scares me that I have trouble getting up off my stool. We didn’t find a chair but I spied some baked goods in a shop window. I stood in the full sun and did this sketch of them. While I was working a chap kneaded a humongous ball of bread dough on the other side of the window, and the shop keeper invited me to come inside out of the sun!  Then I thought I might be able to find a shady spot in the market area for a painting. I sat on a table and was just about to start, when people started gathering round. Pretty soon, I was set up with a chair in the shade. What a wonderful time I had. Hard to get much work done as folks kept feeding me and wanting me to sketch them! It was great!

I always find it hard to be brave enough to paint outside when everything is familiar. In a foreign country with a different language, this always takes huge fortitude. And everyone always thinks I am so brave. Nothing could be further from the truth and it usually ends up that my most memorable times are inevitably when I suck it up and put myself “out there”.  Since we landed in Sri Lanka two weeks ago, I have been half heartedly looking for something that would inspire me to want to paint it. Jim knows that painting always makes me happy and today he sort of nudged me to begin. I was tempted to try to hide away and do some flowers. But first the two of us went looking to buy me a folding chair since it scares me that I have trouble getting up off my stool. We didn’t find a chair but I spied some baked goods in a shop window. I stood in the full sun and did this sketch of them. While I was working a chap kneaded a humongous ball of bread dough on the other side of the window, and the shop keeper invited me to come inside out of the sun!  Then I thought I might be able to find a shady spot in the market area for a painting. I sat on a table and was just about to start, when people started gathering round. Pretty soon, I was set up with a chair in the shade. What a wonderful time I had. Hard to get much work done as folks kept feeding me and wanting me to sketch them! It was great!

YOLO National Park

Up at 4:30 to catch our safari tour by four by four to Yolo National Park. It seemed odd to put on sun screen when it was still dark outside. Coming home at noon was a huge relief. ( thanks goodness I only booked the half day tour). Our tour was hour after hour of jarring jostling, jumping and jiggling, all to a cacophony of banging, bumping and scrapping. No wonder the leopards remained allusive. 

We did see a jackal, lots of elephants, water buffalo, wild pigs, deer, lizards, crocodiles and monkeys. And many wonderful birds; jungle fowl, peacocks, herons, Ibis, eagles and my newest favourite the tiny green bee eater.

February 9, 2019

Yesterday we took a mini taxi several hours up the coast of Sri Lanka and today we woke up to a breakfast of tea, samosas, fruit, eggs, and rice rolls filled with fresh coconut and sugar. Afterwards since my camera is definitely dead, we took a tuk yuk to a camera shop in a nearby town. Eight hours from now, before tomorrow’s safari, when the new battery in the new camera is fully charged, I should be able to take photos again!

In the mean time, we took a fabulous boat tour of the man made lake of Tissamharama. No swimming here because of crocodiles, although we did see fishermen standing in the water and clean washes strewn on lakeside brush to dry. The boat ride was quiet and peaceful as we drifted along the marshy lake edges, filled with mauve water hyacinths and giant lily pads.

The plethora of birds was glorious!

Flocks of ducks that rose and land landed together in orange clouds.

Glowing small brilliant turquoise king fishers.

Herons of all sizes and colours.

Along with familiar cormorants and swallows,

The “rain” trees were filled with black- headed Ibis.

Smaller all-white ibis wandered everywhere

Including sitting a top the water buffalo.

Bitterns were all sizes and colours.

The teeny tiny bee eaters were hard to spot

But our young guide was patient with us.

The giant eagle wearing what looked to be very fluffy white leggings

And the enormous pelican were impossible to miss.

Feb 8 2019

This morning we had a lovely swim in the ocean and a walk on the beach. Then I 

sat in the shade and did this little painting of coconuts and all was right with the old.  This afternoon, The problems struck. We went for a walk on the beach and because we weren’t going swimming, I wore long trousers and took my camera in my pocket. The tide was running high and the ankles of my trousers got wet and heavy and then I tripped on a cuff and fell over in the water. I was carrying my sandals and they floated off. My camera did a nose dive in the salt water AND worst of all I couldn’t get back up.  Jim rescued my sandals and tried to get me upright but I was a dead weight with nothing solid to push on. Finally a young chap saw my predicament and ran over and picked me up. I was totally humiliated and mad at my own stupidity and the ruination of my camera, but we were both also grateful for the help of a stranger. So then we decided to drink beer until I felt happier. The first beach bar we stopped at was so expensive we left without ordering and went back to yesterday’s cheap place. Somehow, it wasn’t until we finished two huge Lion beers each that I noticed that my sandals were no where to be found. By then we had no idea which of the hundreds of tables we had initially stopped at. Jim went back to our room and got my sneakers and we again pursued all the beach bars looking for the one that I had left my sandals at. Suddenly eureka! Perhaps because enough of the beer had worn off or my emotional state was not so precarious, we located the missing shoes!