Zucchini #AtoZChallenge

A bit of a cheat since I’m British but, since lots of you are American and know this veg as Zucchini, I thought I could get away with it as the end to my AtoZ.

I’d have used it for C but didn’t have any in the house. I go through phases of eating courgettes/zucchini. It’s a veg I love growing but the early stages struggle with the slugs and snails as they love the plants as much as I love the veg.

On the years my veg plot’s busy I like to grow yellow and green zucchini and enjoy the different colours on the plate. I’ve found myself grating it more in recent years as zucchini cake’s delicious. It’s such a versatile veg. I used to confuse it for little Marrows but, apparently, it’s quite different. I’m sure you’ll let me know more about that.

Zucchini

Well, that’s all for this year. I know I’ve had more viewers than commenters and that’s fine. I hope you’ve enjoyed the sketches. I’m sure I’ll be doing more again next year. Although I’ve struggled to visit others with my poorly computer and broadband I’ve had a great time sketching and HUGE thanks to those who’ve carried on visiting here and liking and commenting knowing I couldn’t return the favour immediately.

My 2016 AtoZ Blogging Challenge was mostly all about sketching vegetables.

I look forward to seeing you back here next year though, once again, I’ll try not to leave it that many months before posting again. We’ll see.

TaTa for now.

Lynne x

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Yellow fruit and vegetables #AtoZchallenge

When I think of yoga I think of salute to the sun and when I think of vetetables I also think of saluting to the sun. Without the sun we would have few fruit and veg. no more to be said..

Or maybe I could say a few more words since this is my penultimate blog for April. I was going to write about yoga vegetables hence that bizarre opening paragraph. I changed it to Yellow fruit and veg as you can see..

I thought I’d already sketched a lemon, obviously not so I’ll add one to the one solitary rather brown than yellow banana I’m about to sketch. The lemon looks a bit old too. The courgettes (ooh spoiler..) for tomorrow are green not yellow and I was going to cheat and sketch yellow courgettes and use them on two days but I’d only be cheating myself out of some time for drawing. The place I get my Plantain from is the other side of town and I’ve not been there recently so no yellow plantain in the house at the moment. What else is yellow? Grapefruit, not one of my favourites, tomatoes before they ripen, Yellow peppers, you’ve already had a red pepper, and sweetcorn, If I’d thought of it, but I didn’t, the sketch could have been a sweetcorn with a banana and a yellow pepper for today.

yellow fruit and veg

 

My AtoZ Blogging Challenge is all about err, I had every post topic then I changed my mind. This year I have no official theme, however, I do seem to be sketching vegetables quickly..

Even if you’ve not enjoyed reading this post why not see what others are doing too during 2016 AtoZ Blogging challenge. I look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow though you have a little idea of what it will say..

X #AtoZchallenge

Hmm, I have no idea what to put here yet. Maybe a picture of vegetables laid out in an x or vegetables and fruit I love. Or.. yes got it. There’s a sketch I missed using for P and it might work here. It’s not quite finished so I’ll put a bit of paint on it, get it photographed in time for Thursday’s X is for kisses and love.

A few hours later than I like if I’m honest  but I’ve got there within the day. I love fruit and veg but often chocolate seems to get ahead of them. This month I’ve been enjoying lots more fruit and veg than usual and I’m sure it’s becoming habit forming.

What do you love and are passionate about – get it? Passion fruit! I know, a bit tenuous but I’ve loved and been passionate about sketching fruit and veg and the P I originally drew I used for Queen Katharine then didn’t sketch the passion fruit in time. Oh well, if you’re doing your AtoZ on the day you get what I’m talking about and, if not, well why not try the AtoZ next year with nothing prescheduled..

passion fruit x

What passions have you formed during AtoZ and what do you love about the challenge and the topic you’ve chosen?

My AtoZ Blogging Challenge is nearly over and I’ve loved sketching vegetables and fruit.

Even if you’ve not enjoyed reading this post why not see what others are doing too during 2016 AtoZ Blogging challenge. I look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow and I’ve just figured out what it might say. The sketch isn’t done yet..

Watermelon or Winter Veg #AtoZchallenge

I forgot I’d sketched this and decided to write about winter veg. There’s no sketch for winter veg as I’ve already sketched a watermelon. As you do.

Winter veg.. A strange one to come up with in spring but it is beginning to feel a bit like winter. Our diet changes and we want more comforting food. Potatoes, stodge and starch. Parsnips and carrots and swede. I’ve still not worked out the difference between swede and turnip. I’m sure they’re the same but when they’re small I call them turnip and when they’re large and orange I call them swede. I must go try to but a large turnip and see what I come home with.

Watermelon

What’s with the watermelon? I was at a friends sketching as she worked. Trying to get as many of my sketches done as I could in one day I raided her fridge and found enough fruit and veg for my last week or so. W had been eluding me as I stared at the water melon and suddenly realised what it was. Hilarious how often our brains don’t seem to connect things together. It took a while. Her family are so used to me that seeing me wander through the house with half a watermelon, then sitting and sketching it didn’t phase them. Gotta love friends who love watermelons.

My AtoZ Blogging Challenge is all about err, I had every post topic then I changed my mind. It was going to be about Peterborough Cathedral since that’s my current obsession. You’ve got those posts to look forward to. This year my theme became sketching vegetables and sometimes fruit with the occasional randomness..

Even if you’ve not enjoyed reading this post why not see what others are doing too during 2016 AtoZ Blogging challenge. I look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow though I have little idea of what it will say..

Vegetables #AtoZChallenge

During this last week I’m doing a bit of early reflection. I love veg. I don’t eat enough veg and focussing on it for a whole month has reminded me how great vegetables are. Here’s a selction I found in a friends fridge.

I can remember being shown how to cook peppers at school. It involved a lot of boiling.. I know.. what do we ever learn in schools? Don’t get me started. I learnt a lot just little of what they probably thought they should be teaching me.

Sweet corn is something I love buying from the side of the road in season fresh from the field. Whenever I grow it, it seems to be rather small.

What else have we got in this sketch? Cauliflower floret and a carrot I wouldn’t normally eat those together but love both in a cheesy sauce. Then there’s a broccoli floret, I have to admit I prefer the taste of purple sprouting broccoli to this type. I love home grown freshly picked and the taste of vitamins and minerals you get from a quick blanche.

Vegetables

I’ve loved getting reacquainted with fresh veg. What have you got reacquainted with during this years AtoZ?

My AtoZ Blogging Challenge is all about err, I had every post topic then I changed my mind. This year my theme became, mainly, vegetables.

Even if you’ve not enjoyed reading this post why not see what others are doing too during 2016 AtoZ Blogging challenge. I look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow and, once again, I know exactly what it will say.

Unevenly undecided #AtoZchallenge

Talking with friends about these difficult letters we realised every veg could be under-ripe. Some even unappealing. There’s one in particular I find very unappealing mainly as I have no idea how to cook it, do you peel it or not. Does it matter which bit you eat? I’ll try to find one to sketch as I don’t know what it’s called even. Kerula I think.

Now I remember why I sketched this.. Uneven.. sort of. I liked the difference of the colours of one red grape next to an uneven number of cherry tomatoes. I might use this image again..

uneven

 

Yes I could have used Ugli fruit or ugly veg. I finally decided no veg is ugly in my eyes and I couldn’t find any ugli fruit in my local supermarket.

My AtoZ Blogging Challenge is coming to an end. I’m still sketching vegetables..

Even if you’ve not enjoyed reading this post why not see what others are doing too during 2016 AtoZ Blogging challenge. I look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow though, for once, the post is finished and pre-scheduled!

Tomato and turnip #AtoZchallenge

I liked doing this sketch. There’s something about circular fruit and veg. Not sure what but definitely something. It’s rare that I cook turnip and definitely not this small.

tomato and turnip

I hope you don’t mind. It’s been a long week and I’m going to enjoy my weekend and look forward to enjoying the last week of the AtoZ. Hopefully my computer will manage a go faster stripe and I’ll get to visit more amazing blogs.

My AtoZ Blogging Challenge is all about err, I had every post topic then I changed my mind. This year I have no official theme, however, I do seem to be sketching vegetables quickly..

Even if you’ve not enjoyed reading this post why not see what others are doing too during 2016 AtoZ Blogging challenge. I look forward to seeing you back here on Monday for my last week of 2016 AtoZ challenge though I have little idea of what it will say..

Spring onions and strawberries #AtoZchallenge

As you do. These two item’s aren’t usually seen together. It’s made me sort of wish I’d gone for a fruit and veg theme sketching fruit with veg as they give an interesting image.

I loved this sketch when it was pencil and struggled to get the red on the strawberries to my taste. Strawberry plants seem to love my garden, they move around the place every few years. Presumably as the soil changes. I used to try to garden in veg plots but soon realised the fruit and veg know where they want to grow better than I do so I tend to let things self seed these days. It’s much more interesting to see what chooses to grow where.

Spring onions and strawberries

I think the spring onions have given up on me but the strawberry plants haven’t they’ve just chosen one of the darkest places in the garden so there’s little chance of enough sun for them to have lovely fruit.

My AtoZ Blogging Challenge is all about err, I had every post topic then I changed my mind. This year I have no official theme, however, I do seem to be sketching vegetables quickly..

Even if you’ve not enjoyed reading this post why not see what others are doing too during 2016 AtoZ Blogging challenge. I look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow though I have little idea of what it will say..

Red Onion #AtoZchallenge

Given the day I really should have done Royal celebrations or come up with a royal veg.. Happy 90th birthday to Queen Elizabeth II and anyone else who’s birthday is today.

Back to vegetable AtoZ..I do like my onions. Red onions used to be only used in salads for me but I’m using them more in everything.

Think that’s all I’ve got to say today.

red onion

 

I’m struggling with the challenge this year as I really need to buy a new computer and get faster broadband so I can participate easier.

What do you think of my red onion sketch and do you use them often?

My AtoZ Blogging Challenge is all about err, I had every post topic then I changed my mind. This year I have no official theme, however, I do seem to be sketching vegetables.

Even if you’ve not enjoyed reading this post why not see what others are doing too during 2016 AtoZ Blogging challenge. I look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow though I have little idea of what it will say..

Queen Katharine #AtoZChallenge

I drew this for P then, pondering on Q and the image I’d use for queens, I realised this had to be the picture I’d use for Queen instead. In a few weeks Queen Elizabeth II will be 90. We’ve been incredibly fortunate in our lifetime that we’ve had a stable monarchy. (just a reminder. views here my own)

Try to ignore the physalis, that was added when this was going to be my sketch for p, and focus on the pomegranate. What’s the link between the pomegranate and Queen Elizabeth II? I doubt I’ve got my history right by I think if you add fifteen greats to Aunt Katharine, by marriage, that’s the link.

The pomegranate represents one of the most amazing stories in history. That of Queen Katharine. If only one of her sons had lived who knows what would have happened. The pomegranate and Katharine’s story changed history in such a major way. Her story caused the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII. The Church of England was created due to the dreadful fate of her sons. I know, I’m paraphrasing big time, please read up on it if you want a more in-depth version.

Pomegranate and physalis

And, partly because of the ever presence of Pomegranates adorning Katharine’s Tomb, I wanted to learn more about Peterborough Cathedral, which, in turn, brought history to life for me. Ten minutes walk from here, where, 480 years after Katharine of Aragon was buried, I’m writing about Queens for the AtoZ and showing you my version of a pomegranate, the fruit Queen Katharine chose as her badge. Presumably to remind her of Spain.

My AtoZ Blogging Challenge is all about err, I had every post topic then I changed my mind. This year I have no official theme, however, I do seem to be sketching vegetables quickly and fruit quickly. Sometimes the theme’s a bit tenuous or random..

Even if you’ve not enjoyed reading this post why not see what others are doing too during 2016 AtoZ Blogging challenge. I look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow though I have little idea of what it will say..