Frogs in the Backyard

I was heading out the back door to lock the chickens up for the night. It was already dark. 

Just as I was about to take a step off the step I noticed something on the doormat. Sitting there quite calmly was a brown frog. He sat still while I went to get my camera, waited kindly until I had taken some photos, and in a flash, quicker than a blink, he was gone. He was so quick, I did not see him go, only heard the rustle of a sound as he jumped into the plants. 

Little Aussie brown garden frog come for an evening visit

Frogs in the garden

I always like to see frogs in my garden because I know that the garden is healthy when this happens. The absence of frogs is one of the first signs to let us know when the land is sick. 

Froggy Restaurant

Many years ago when we lived in another house we had frogs climb up on the windows in the evening. The bottom of the windows were about 120cm (4 feet) off the ground. When the lights were on in the evening, the insects were attracted to it. The frog thought this was a free for all and enjoyed climbing up the windows and having their fill.  

When we were in China we were served a plate piled high with small mountain frogs. Not for me thank you!

The Crafty Frog

I was given this lovely frog that has had mosaics lovingly applied to it. He doesn't get outside much though. I'm afraid he might hop away.

China frog with beautiful mosaics on his back

Frogs in Literature

Frogs have featured in literature for hundreds of years. We have the famous story of The Frog Prince by Brothers Grimm and the Chinese story of The Frog in the Well. Aesop, who was a great Greek teller of fables from long ago told of The Scorpion and the Frog. The Wind in the Willows is another famous English story by Kenneth Grahame that has become famous with Toad and other characters living at Toad Hall. A toad is a variety of frog. 

In the Australian aboriginal history, the Dreamtime story of Tiddalick The Frog is an important and famous story.

Frogs are also remembered in music

A Frog went Walking

A frog went walking on a summers day

A hum, a hum

A frog went walking on a summers day

He met Miss Mousey on the way

A hum, a hum, a hum, a hum, a hum.  etc

See if you can find some frogs today.

Tree Lace

Have you ever looked, really looked, at trees when they have lost all their leaves? I was sixteen when I came out of school one grey wintery day.

The girl's college was on one side of the road and the boy's college was on the other side of the road. The boy's college was a poshy private school and had the buildings, grounds and trees to prove it.

The trees had all lost their leaves and I saw for the first time, while waiting for the bus, the beauty of a tree without leaves. Tree lace.

Patrick White, the great Australian Author and Poet noticed it too and wrote about it in his poem 'The swan flies over the lace corals of the trees'.

John Updike, the American poet, also wrote in his poem 'January' about 'The trees’ black lace.'

Blue Lace

Recently I looked up into the winter sky again to see Blue Lace.

Blue Lace Silver Birch Tree

 

 We are used to seeing bare trees against a grey sky, but here was my lovely silver birch tree giving me a delightful display of blue lace.

Save the Environment

Our environment is so important to us. It is where we live. We need clean air to breathe. We need to be free from pollution.

Art works help us to focus our mind on different aspects of the world

In my artwork I have depicted my protest at the way our environment is polluted.

I have created a series of art work for display. It features the pollution in out world. I have used acrylic paints and printmaking as a means to express my concern. Please view this thoughtfully.

 

If you are interested in these, please contact me.

Cheers