I admire plants. The various shapes, the patterns of the leaves, the bright colors of the blossom are fascinating to contemplate. They make me stop during walks and hikes and they make me forget everyday sorrows.
Long walks and hikes were difficult to realize the past year with a busy work schedule. Instead, I planted a little garden on my balcony with edible greens and wild flowers. Thanks to a warm and rainy spring and a sunny summer, everything was growing to its full potential! What a joy it was to watch the process of growth and have wild bees, bumblebees and butterflies as regular visitors. It seems like the metropolitan Malin has disappeared and I laugh at myself.
Another project of mine was to learn identifying edible wild plants as we have many forests around town. I read through all the pages of the very informative book that was given to me before I went on a longer hike, eager to collect some plants. To be honest, it took forever, and I probably still would not be home from this trip if I had tried to identify every plant on the way. For now, my grandmother stays the pro who can identify every plant. Not all resolutions come to fruition I guess, but I hope someday I can collect some greens for a salad or tea!
My way of capturing the beautiful plants I see is of course by drawing them. The flowers you see are from plants I saw in Germany, whether it was in the Botanical Gardens in Hamburg or in my neighborhood in Aachen.
