Blue

Blue is the colour I most associate with summer.  Which is perhaps a bit surprising as blue is usually regarded as a cool or even cold colour.  However a bit of cooling and relaxing blue is most welcome in the heat of summer.  And even up here in Scotland we have had our fair share of warm summer days lately.  This is the sort of thing I mean.

Now of course we do not normally get that kind of peaceful sea around Scotland nor do we get it that hot.  Nevertheless blue is definitely a summer colour for me. 

Especially in the garden, where blues can be found in abundance during the summer months.  Here are some cornflowers, one of my favourite flowers.  These are the annual variety and part of this photo can be found at the top of this blog.

Next up are these lovely light blue irises.  T’is a pity they only bloom for such a short time.  But worth it though.

Here are some more blue blooms from the garden, though the delphiniums are from Falkland Palace gardens.

Also in the garden are these delightful ornamental ceramic balls.  We have to watch them closely though as our grandchildren still think they are just unusual mini footballs and like nothing better than to pick them up and play with them.

We are both very fond of ceramics and have acquired a few pieces here and there on our holiday travels.   Below are some examples.  The first is an original modern piece which we bought in Tarragona in a little studio just off the cathedral.  

The next collage shows some of the plates we bought in Sitges.  Most are modern reproductions of traditional Catalan designs.  The one on the bottom right though is from Mexico and I do not know if it is an original or a reproduction.  I just like it.

Blue also features in our table ware and here is an assortment of cups and mugs.

We have one or two rather special pieces.  The following photos show a couple of our Wemyss ware collection.  These are all modern pieces based on the traditions of the original Wemyss ware process.  The owner and main designer of the company is an acquaintance of ours, Griselda Hill.  Her workshop and studio can be found in the little village of Ceres in North East Fife.  Well worth a visit.

The one above is a loving cup and is one of a pair that we bought to celebrate the birth of our second grandchild, Jamie.  This has my lovely cornflowers painted on the surface.  For the birth of our other grandchildren we bought pairs of cats.  Below is an example of a Wemyss ware cat. 

Blue of course features prominently in my stitching projects.  There are so many wonderful shades of blue to choose from.  Below is a few of my current stash of blue threads in cotton.

In an effort to expand my horizons in my stitching work I have just acquired a couple of skeins of silk thread, one of which is an exhilarating light blue.  I have still to work out how to use these threads.  Any ideas welcome.

Below is one of finished pieces, part of my Five Easy Pieces collection.  Each little panel is stitched in a Bargello design.  Apart from the rectangle in greys, the other panels are all stitched in various shades of blue.

To end with a couple of photos from the outdoors.  The first is this night scene from our recent trip to Berlin.  There is an ultra modern glass building in there, but I like the darkening night blue sky.

The final photo is of Emma and Cosimo sporting two lovely fleece jackets.  This was on their trip to the Isle of Skye.  Here they are at a wonderful viewpoint looking over Loch Garry towards the rugged mountains of Knoydart.