Last December, I travelled with my husband Patrick to join his family in a private game reserve so that we could scatter Dad Fossey's ashes (rip beautiful soul whom I loved so much) amongst all that is wild and free AND REAL .... rock, wild grass, antelope, elephant, lion, cheetah, rhino .... sunsets and dust.

It was a special time. The luxury of the lodge was impressive, but not nearly as impressive as nature. She always is.

Our earth provides us with all we need, and I wish we not only respected her much MUCH more, but that we more regularly thought to partnering with her in simple ways of enjoyment. Sitting under a tree with (real) grass and dust beneath our feet and between our toes is far more rejuvenating and enjoyable than spending a few hundred at a spa under a man-made canopy that holds out the light and the air with some employed person massaging our feet.

I took along my little case of oils and a few small-size prepared canvases to paint as gifts for the family members that were there to mark the occassion.

I'd sneak off daily to paint as many strokes as I could before my company was missed and my lack of presence questioned. The solitude was particularly special as I sat beneath a living work of art enclosed in the wooden window frame at my 'studio' desk. With each new hour and passing light, it evolved to something new.

I'd packed simple tissue paper as wrapping, knowing that I'd have at my disposal a wide choice of material to decorate and finish off the gifts. I might just have had more fun wrapping the artworks than making them :-)

We don't have to travel into nature reserves to find beautiful treasures. They can be found anywhere ... well, anywhere where Mother Earth is still allowed to 'be'.

These sold works were parcelled for a buyer, who bought them as gifts for her friends. They were finished-off from special finds found in my own Melrose garden.

The Earth is a generous mother.

You can see a few more photos of the beautiful reserve here: