Scribble Picnic - FOREST

Hi fellow Scribblers!

It's been one of those weeks and I very nearly didn't participate.  However, I caught a lucky break because there were some issues with the Mr Linky gadget on Michael's blog so he extended the time for us. Phew!  I swear I had nothing to do with it!

So this week's prompt is FOREST.

I LOVE hiking through the rain forests at Mount Tamborine here in South East Queensland so I figured I'd depict a forest walk.

Initial ink pen sketch and watercolour

And then to give it a bit of oomph by bumping up the contrasts between lights and darks. I used Sumi ink for the darks.

To see what everyone else did for this week's prompt, click HERE.
To find out how to join in on the fortnightly fun, click HERE.

The next prompt will be GOODBYE AUTUMN.  Not sure that it applies to me though as we will be saying goodbye to spring soon.

a day trip to the mountain and a birthday

A few weeks ago, 

Beau, Aaron, and I went on a day trip 

to Mount Tamborine. 

Beau had heard there was a 

Local Artisan Fayre 

and wanted to go along for some inspiration. 

We did connect with one lovely artist,
Sharon McLeod,
a Bohemian faery artist. 

I bought a set of Sharon's Animal Tarot cards

as well as some of her gift cards. 

I liked her style.

Afterwards, we had veggie burgers 

and hot chips at a local eatery. 

SO yummy!

Then we decided to take a walk 

through the rainforest.

Aaron (youngest son) was such a sweetie,
he kept looking back to see if I was okay.

A downed tree still clutching a big boulder in its roots.

This is a male Australian Scrub/Brush Turkey
I was SO close to him but all he was focused on
was building his mound (the slope behind him).
The males build huge mounds of leaf litter and debris
to attract a female scrub turkey.
The female will then dig a hole in her chosen mound,
lay the eggs,
and the male will cover it over
and maintain the mound until the chicks hatch.
The mound also acts as a safe haven for the chicks as they grow.

We walked to Curtis Falls

Aaron and Beau

The rainforest has LOTS of tall trees
which act as a canopy and protection
keeping the temperature within the rainforest
much lower than outside.
Perfect for a hot day!

the tree below made me think of Celtic knots

and this tree had formed a ring with its above ground root system

a perfect place to nestle in for the night

here I am
sitting on the edge

**************************************

Today, December 23rd, is Aaron's 17th birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AARON! 

You make me very proud to be your Mum.
Love you heaps, my son. xoxo