Uploads from mr moor, tagged yard

couleur locale

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:05:40 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

I can't remember the last time I just posted a photo of some pretty flowers, so there you have it; some pretty magenta daisies in a planter on our terrace, no more no less;-)

I'm sorry (again) for my absence friends, what can I say, Spring is a busy time at Foppe's Acre. It took a long time before it warmed up in Fryslân, still not perfect Spring weather though (lots of rain and wind, a few nice sunny days but all in all too cold for the time of year). Nature does what nature wants, we have to settle with what's given to us so we're making the best of it. It's a shame though that when everything is so beautiful outside we can't fully enjoy it yet, working in the yard between rain showers and even though the days are longer and it's getting dark around ten in the evening we don't spend time late in the garden because it's too cold.

A recap of the happenings at Foppe's of the past few weeks:
The Canada geese have started their second round of laying this season (which is normal), I don't let them have goslings so after they've finished nesting they will be done with mating season this year and start molt in a few weeks.
I still haven't found a partner for Hans, I'm looking around but haven't found the perfect partner for him. He's doing well though, he's happy, not lonely and has his Canada family in the pen next to him to keep him occupied.
Snowy (who got injured by a goose attack) is still inside the Duck Pavillion (with her sister Spirit). Her wound has healed (as it should after two months) but it's still raw and I don't trust her to be in the yard again with Sieb (our drake), he might injure her again with his sharp talons when mating. I'll keep her inside for a couple more weeks.
Patsy got her annual shave last week (pictures will follow), she's as light as a feather again and much to my susprise she didn't come out too heavy from under her wool (which means I didn't over feed her during Winter). At her age (12 years now) I have to be careful she's not getting too fat as her old legs have to carry all that weight.
Sieb is doing great after the adventure with his suspected bumblefoot. He's walking like a champ and the bump on the sole of his foot isn't giving him any problems anymore.
Jelle got injured last week. I discovered a nasty cut on his left shoulder so we rushed to the vet on ascending day. It's not clear if it was a bite or a scratch (from the ginger intruder) or just a cut from climbing the trees. The vet didn't want to stitch it and suggested it healed by itself and a course of antibiotics. The wound is healing nicely now.

Past Sunday the annual exhibition of Dutch Illustrators I'm participating in opened which was a big success. I've sold six pieces on the first day already!
I've been working a lot for Foppe's Acre Originals, mainly linos which I love doing and recently got a few new commissions (a painted portrait and a cremation urn, both for felines). I'm also putting things together for two upcoming art fairs this Summer.

So there's plenty to keep me busy and keeping me away from Flickr.
I hope to find some time to catch up with you all soon but please don't be mad or dissapointed if it takes a little longer than normal.

nesting

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:44:40 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

Whatever the birds can do at this time of year, Jelle can too!;-)

Our little Prince of Orange found that the top of the ever growing compost heap is a perfect spot for an afternoon nap in the sun.

¡viva la primavera!

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 07:53:21 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

Even though the meteorological Spring started on March first; according to the calendar it started on March twenty; Spring arrived in Fryslân today, April seven! At last!

Still bundled up because it's not yet warm but the sun surely felt good on these old bones:-)

easter sleepover

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 01:16:12 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

On Easter Sunday while I was in my studio I heard a plonk against the window and found a little Chaffinch laying on the ground with his wings spread gasping for air. Poor critter.
I picked him up before the cats would find him and held him in my warm hand for a few minutes, that is mostly enough to let birds regain consciousness after such a crash, but this kid needed more time.
It was a cold day and I couldn't sit with him in the yard forever so I decided to make a temporary nest and kept him inside for a couple of hours.
He was breathing heavily, even though I didn't see wounds on the outside, he might have been internally injured. I worried.
I was planning to set him free before it got dark but when I took him outside and encouraged him to fly he flew a short distance and landed under some shrubs. It was clear he wasn't feeling all too well yet.

So I prepared a bigger place for him to spend the night, gave him bird seed and water and decided to let him sleep over in our guestroom (the only room the cats can't get into).
Every couple of hours I went to check on him, took him out of his cage and gave him something to drink, he was still breathing heavily. I feared he wouldn't make it through the night...

The next morning when it got light I hasitated to take a look, afraid of what I might find, but he was looking at me from his make shift nest, wide awake!
I opened the cover to pick him up when he flew past my hand and fluttered around in the room; landed behind a cabinet and let me pick him up without a struggle.
It was obvious he was feeling better!

I took him outside, held him in my hand for another few minutes, said my goodbyes and made him promise not to fly into the windows again, snapped this picture, opened my hand... and off he went to join his friends again in the yard:-)

winter guest

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:29:12 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

We've got a new temporary resident at Foppe's Acre, he's hanging around our yard for the last part of Winter and sleeps inside our hay barn. I don't know where he came from, if he has a home or is just passing by but we often get these visitors in late Fall and early Spring (the time when tomcats start to roam around).
He's a real cutie although our cats don't think so, I've often had to step in between fighting cats, specially Foppe and Jelle can't stand him (the others are afraid and come inside the moment they see him).
He is shy and on guard when he sees me and I've been tempted often to feed him, but I won't, that would be treason to our own gang. By the look of him he can look after himself perfectly.

By the time the weather warms up and we're outside more he will dissapear again, like the other cats who came by to liven up the yard for a while in the past.

impatiently awaiting spring

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 02:14:04 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

Even though the calendar says Spring has sprung, we are having Winter temperatures in Friesland. Still, I found Foppe in his favorite spot on the slope beside our house this morning warming himself in the sun. The crocus make for some much needed seasonal color but because they had to wait such a long time to bloom the ducks have already trampled most of them;-)

not a moment too soon

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 07:18:16 -0800

mr moor posted a photo:

.

First signs of Spring after the most horrible Winter in Foppe's Acre history.
I'm not back yet, just peeking in like these crocus to show a sign of life after a month absence from Flickr.

In a nutshell; Winter has been really cold with lots of ice and snow. I've tried to fight the doldrums as good as I could and managed untill a fox found his way onto our land four weeks ago and took three of my ducks which shook at my foundations as I've always believed my animals were safe. I've done everything to protect the other critters since then, so far so good but I'm still living in hope and fear of not loosing more as Winter is far from over.
I'll do a full report once I feel up to it and pay tribute to Sjoukje, Solo and Suus; right now I'd like to forget about it and look forward to make a new start after March 6th.
Untill then, be well.

snow goose

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 02:33:00 -0800

mr moor posted a photo:

.

After four weeks of wet and windy weather with mild temperatures (for the time of year) Winter returned this morning to Fryslân.
We woke up to a thin white blanket covering Foppe's Acre. After looking after the yard critters I decided to make a snow goose in Grietje's memory.

Have a great weekend friends, if it's cold where you are, bundle up!

foppe's yard

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:35:39 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

We've had another glorious Autumn day in Friesland, I've finished wrapping the duck pavillion and repaired a few nest boxes, looks like we're almost prepared for Winter.
Of course the cats all spent the afternoon with me in the yard and as always Foppe kept an eye on things;-)

handling it well

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 05:54:07 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

Three months ago I decided to stop trimming my moustache and look where it got me!

It's been quite an experience growing the moustache, I never knew. I've had ups and downs, enjoying it and hating it. There have been moments that I thought to myself 'What am I doing?'; getting used to food in the stache; keeping tissues at hand at all times; trying out all kinds of waxes to keep it in shape... but it was all worth it. I'm loving my new whiskers!

So this maybe the last update on the moustache project because the handlebars are here to stay:-)

pumpkids 2012

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 10:29:09 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

It has become a tradition of sorts at Foppe's Acre around this time of year;
'The Official Pumpkid Family Portrait'!

Thirty one beautiful pumpkids came crawling from under the foliage last week, aren't they sweet? After the group photo everyone found a place of their own in the yard, so if they let me I will take many more shots of them this week. Stay tuned!;-)

a change in the air

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 08:57:25 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

Timmy Jip feels it too...

Already the cats are inside the house more now we are heading towards Fall but Foppe and Merel still don't give up and spend most of the time in the yard.
The days are getting shorter, the work in the yard is slowly winding down and the first leaves are falling.
In a few days Summer will be officially over, it went by in a blur...

is the cafe open already?

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 23:01:43 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

Yes Sophie, we're open for business, just step inside!

I've been training Sophie to come inside my studio lately. I don't know if it's such a good idea because the house is cat-territory and when Sophie blocks the entrance no cat dares to get past her, but I thought it was cute and I'm very fond of Sophie so she has special privileges;-)

I've caught Sophie's progress over the past couple of weeks on video, here's her three step programme:
Across the threshold
The next step
Welcome Sophie

Happy Feathery Friday from Sophie and all the Scovies at Foppe's Acre.

Felix' Feathery Friday Cafe has opened its doors and Sophie would like to invite you to share a picture of your feathered friends for today's happy hour.
Drinks are on the house! Cheers!!

Because Flickr introduced the new page layout you can upload your pictures in medium size from now on. Thanks!

happy together

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 01:04:04 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

Sjoukje looks a bit insulted after she had to move into the shade because Foppe insisted he got the best seat on the table (and rightfully so, it's his acre afterall). But there's room for everyone at Foppe's Acre, and they all are willing to share (see below).

Happy Feathery and Furry Friday from Sjoukje, Foppe and all the critters at Foppe's Acre.

Felix' and Foppe's Feathery Friday Cafe has opened its doors and all the residents at Foppe's Acre would like to invite you to share a picture of your feathered or furry friends for today's happy hour.
Drinks are on the house! Cheers!!

Because Flickr introduced the new page layout you can upload your pictures in medium size from now on. Thanks!

Happy Together - The Piano Guys

light my fire

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 07:51:24 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

The Dahlias in our wild kitchen garden are shouting for attention these days (and are obviuously receiving it;-)

tiny little summer bouquet

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 08:11:03 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

It has become an unwritten tradition to post a tiny little bouquet every once and a while, here's a new one fresh from the garden.
For the first time we grew Sweetpeas this year and this week they finally started to come into flower, deep blue and the fragance is like their name; very sweet;-)

I think I'm back now after my summer break, I've been catching up with a few of you already but I've got a lot of good friends I'd like to visit, I don't want to just start with only your last upload so I'd like to take my time to browse through your streams. That takes time as you will understand, so please don't be dissapointed if it takes a little longer than usual.

simple pleasures

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 01:19:49 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

I love Cosmos, they are simple flowers but very elegant and I love watching the bees hopping from one flower to the other while they softly sway.

These Cosmos were a present from my friend Marjolein when she visited Foppe's Acre recently to pick up the portraits I painted of her three felines. This variety has short stems so we planted them in a pot on our terrace and enjoy them every day.

Summer is in full swing in Friesland, the days are warm and sunny, there's no wind and no rain and we try to enjoy it as much as we can. I'm sure there will be plenty of rainy days in the future for me to catch up on your photos, in the meantime I'm taking in all of this goodness;-)

evensong

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 04:32:26 -0700

mr moor posted a video:

.

Not only the humans at Foppe's Acre are enjoying summer...
Have a wonderful weekend friends, if you're looking for me; I'm in the yard;-)

jelle

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:20:49 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

While I was taking pictures of Trijntje and Iris last week I spotted Jelle from the corner of my eye hiding in the greens on the duck perch. I aimed, focused and could take three shots before he jumped off and dissapeared into the kitchen garden. I had a hunch there would at least be one good capture among them but when I saw this one on the big screen I was pleasantly surprised.
A happy accident;-)

Happy Furry Friday from Jelle and all the felines at Foppe's Acre!

Foppe's Furry Friday Cafe has opened its doors and Jelle would like to invite you to share a picture of your furry friends for today's happy hour.
Drinks are on the house! Cheers!!

Please post your pictures in small size, thanks!

a summer's morning with foppe

nobody@flickr.com (mr moor) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 02:33:10 -0700

mr moor posted a photo:

.

When I wake up early morning, go down into the kitchen to make coffee and feed the cats; Foppe is outside waiting patiently in the sun in his favorite spot on the slope beside our house.
I open the frontdoor and don't even have to call him, the sound of the door handle is enough to make him come running, tail up.
He always greets me with a low meow, I pick him up for a moment while he pushes his head against my chin ' Good morning Peter', 'Good morning Foppe'.

The other cats pace around nervously awaiting breakfast, Foppe sits peacefully in the middle of the gang, Puck growls at him, Merel pushes her tail in his face, Jelle licks his forehead passionately.
The early morning rituals, every day.

After the cats have breakfast Foppe and I go to my studio, I have my first coffee in front of the computer and Foppe sits on my lap purring loud while I check email.

Then Sophie taps her beak against the catdoor on the outside, 'Are you going to feed us already?'. Sure Sophie, Foppe knows what Sophie's tapping means and jumps off my lap, waits in front of the backdoor while I put on my rubber boots.

We go into the yard together and Foppe helps filling the feed buckets of the geese, ducks and Patsy. Sophie always follow us into the back shed for an initial treat and for a brief moment the two have a discussion; Sophie hisses and threatens to snap at Foppe but Foppe just sits there and doesn't move a whisker.

Off to feed the animals, Foppe follows me to the far end of the animal pasture and waits at the gate untill I've finished feeding Patsy.
We walk back to the shed, I grab the buckets of the birds and together we walk to the duck quarters. All the ducks are busy checking the dishes, there's a lot of turmoil, Sieb wants to take the opportunity to mate with whoever is willing, Sophie tries to snatch the bread treats from the others, Saartje waits for her turn on the other side of the fence carefully out of reach of the hormonal drake, Foppe sits in their midst watching all the activity.

While I feed the geese Foppe nestles himself inside one of the duck shelters untill I'm done and together we walk back to the house.
He's not ready to go back inside and hops on the duck perch that divides the yard from the kitchen garden and continues his morning nap. I give him another firm hug, tell him that I love him and go to work:-)