Meredith Blunt 🇨🇦

We are, for now, a multigenerational home. Dad’s cardiologist and vascular surgeon want him close by during this recovery. Within couple of days, I suspect between the the forest fire smoke being a bad irritant along the stress and worry she’s been through as well as being asthmatic - my mum came down with pneumonia. We are a home of rest and recovery right now. They are both, for the most part, except when impatience hits them, good patients. I’m glad to be able to be an advocate, an organizer, an anything they need while they get better.

But I was very scared, I recognize I probably still am. I would be remiss to not say that incredibly special friends got me through this I’m navigating from a place that is the furtherest from my plans for June. I apologize for delays on art, posts, chats, reports, or time together. My bandwidth is pretty low. And I’m pretty tired. The nurses and teams at WRHN @ Queen’s and Guelph General did save my dad’s life. And treated us all with such kindness and dignity through this. A Thank You doesn’t cover any of the gratitude and relief I feel.

I’m starting to take moments to do the things I do for me - gardening and walking and bird watching. A friend enforced daytrip to Aberfoyle for antiquing. A little normalcy. If you catch me out walking and watching my birds tell me who you’ve seen today. Our good birds are good help. Thanks for making my show at Seven Shores and the whole shebang of BFCKs World Migratory Bird May such personal and public successes. Thanks for being good people 🤍

Thank you my friends, collaborators and team at Bird Friendly Kitchener for wrapping up our May and showing up for my commitments

Thanks for the thoughts and love and distractions that have been sent, they’re appreciated.

I’ll be back with my birds and plans in due course 🪶

I don’t share a lot of family stories or ‘behind the scenes’. I am going to share this one because I didn’t just *poof* vanish and bugger off after my show at Seven Shores and the whole month in Square Peg representing Bird Friendly Kitchener I’m sharing it because there’s good reason I’m not posting, not drawing, slow to text or email. There’s a good reason my June has not been one of art and gardening

On May 30th, I was packing up the final box of our World Migratory Bird May in Square Peg and anticipating celebrating with my bird friendly city team, Matt let me know I had to stop and we needed to go to the hospital. He’d had texts from E and my mum that my dad was having chest pains. I was at WRHN @ Queen in minutes and with my folks. It felt like time slowed to a crawl in the Emergency Room. Seconds feel like hours Dad indeed had a heart attack and then another in the emergency room. Then we were in the cardiac ward.

Things went from scary to nightmarish when my dad suffered a femoral haemorrhage after complications with installing a stent, this resulted in emergency surgery in Guelph in the very early hours of June 2 and a third, more serious heart attack on June 3. Dad was brought back to WRHN via emergency transport - all high speed, lights and sirens. We caught one glimpse of his ambulance as they booked it out of Guelph. The intervention of the nurses in Guelph and the WRHN’s CCU managed to level down this third heart attack and when Dad was stable they successfully installed two stents. Dad stayed on the cardiac ward at WRHN until June 6.

This is a lot. But here we are. The images share the story.

Thank you WRHN @ Queens and Guelph General

Thank you to my two dear friends in healthcare for being exactly yourselves and who I needed to get me through and be the best advocate for my parents.

Thank you ☺️

Hey 👋 - I don’t believe my latest post or any have. I looked for my handle via your instructions and first attempt it said “not valid”, second attempt said not listed.

So perhaps a 🐛 🤷‍♀️?

Watercolour and ink drawing of a prairie warbler by me

#addBirder

Could have sworn I asked to be a part this feed already but maybe not 🤷‍♀️

I love drawing bird feet SO much! This little one’s delicate balancing grip was a delight to draw.

#birds #birdart #tradart #wildlife #nature #art #ornithology

Watercolour drawing of a cerulean warbler by me

Cerulean warbler

The warbler for May 25 of #warbleradayMay

#birdart #birds #watercolour #art #tradart

Their Latin name Motacilla ruticilla translates to little red moth eater but I’m giving the name-prize to their Spanish name. Candelita Norteña. What’s it translate too… NORTHERN TEALIGHT!! AAAAAaa I love it 😂

They are occasionally polygamous with a male taking two mates the same season and then does double duty defending two separate territories.

American redstart drawn by me in 2024

American redstart drawn by me in 2023

American redstart

My favourite of our warblers!🖤🧡🤍

Oh they are so fun. Redstarts flash bright patches on their wings and tails, orange on males and yellow on females to flush out bugs to eat. So these beautiful little ones can be seen flapping and fanning, working hard for tiny snacks

#birds #art

😂 all bird beers all the time! 🍻

Four beers from TWB Brewery in Kitchener ON

@twbcoop.bsky.social is awesome all the time but because I am incredibly biased they are extra awesome with bird beers!!!

Bird Friendly Blonde and Junco City are my labels! 🤪

Thank you for the support of @bfck.bsky.social and for everything TWB ♥️

#birds #beer #supportlocal

Glad to see this terrifying tradition persists 😬🥴

#thingsidontmissaboutNovaScotia

Oh Merlin….🤦🏼‍♀️

Elbows up written in a Maple Leaf

If you're in line when voting closes, do not leave, you still have the right to cast your ballot. Stand your ground and make it count.🍁 #cdnpoli #elbowsup #never51state #CanadaStrong

The worst kind of meeting

Thank you so much for your very kind words. For now just the white on black design, to manage our budget but I will share any future designs that are more colourful ♥️

Me wearing the limited edition Junco City Tshirt

In support of @bfck.bsky.social I lent a junco drawing to a T-shirt. It is the first time my art has been on a tee :)

Sales help support the conservation and engagement efforts of Bird Friendly Kitchener

If you’re in Kitchener or anywhere! Get Junco city here 👇
stores.inksoft.com/bird_friendl...

Portrait of a shaggy golden dog

Shaggy golden dog sitting in the sun on a chair outside

It is our lovely pup’s 6th birthday today.

Dogs are beings of all the feelings and sometimes all the love and happiness overwhelms Cookie, but she is such a good girl.

Our Cuckoo, our Cookie Monster. 🐕

#dog
#doodle
#animalcompanions
#birthday
#dogsofbluesky
#pet

Thanks! 😊 I love your profile photo, red-heads are so shiny ✨

Every year around this time my kids, despite being teens, ask to visit the “snake swamp”

🐍

My ink and watercolour drawing of a greater scaup

It’s the duck of democracy.

Be like this duck (it’s a greater scaup btw) and flap on over to your nearest polling station

Vote 🗳️

#canpoli #canadianelection2025 #greaterscaup #ducks #birds #tradart

I voted yesterday

We walked to our advanced polling station with our neighbours

We arrived a few minutes before the polls opened, there was a line up of about 20 folks

When leaving the line up was over 100 people

And yes the pencils are normal ✏️ 🖊️ 🗳️

#vote #onpoli #federalelection #facts

Painting of a desert scene in early evening or morning as the sun sets or is about to rise, large cactis are in silhouettes against distant purple hills and a pinky blue sky speckled with clouds

'Saguaro Dusk' by contemporary US Impressionist style painter Erin Hanson #WomensArt

Watercolor and ink drawing of a cloud calico cat by me

I consider it a personal success when you make your friend cry happy tears on her birthday 🥹 😈

And look, I did not draw a bird

#handmade
#handmadegiftsarethebest
#cat
#catdrawing
#watercolor
#traditionaldrawing

Two things about pelicans

1. By Dixon Lanier Merritt

A funny old bird is a pelican.
His beak can hold more than his belican.
Food for a week
He can hold in his beak,
But I don't know how the helican.

2. That “horn” thing on their bill is called a CARUNCLE (such a good word!) or a nuptial tubercle

My drawing of an American woodcock

I would love to sketch out a Mere doll for the trend all over the internets but without the machine learning and AI thievery, but I have no time and the flash in the pan will be over when I do 🤷‍♀️

So here’s my Timberdoodle instead
#meep
#traditionalart
#traditionalartist
#woodcock
#timberdoodle

Wishing everyone a peaceful evening as we continue to fight for our democracy.

I get help with my perspective and feelings that I am responsible for everything. Including things I have no control over and/or have never done before.

This is ridiculous.

When we take a first crack at things they should be a shitshow. Messy. Chaotic.

And uncomfortable.

I’m very uncomfortable

I’m in the final weeks bringing together a huge volunteer effort to engage the public about Kitchener being a bird-friendly city & why this is important for all (not just the bird-obsessed)

It has triggered every perfectionist fear in my entire body

But I’m also proud of myself

#anxiety #birds

Watercolour drawing of a Cuban tody by me.

A year ago I drew a Cuban Tody.

Cute, super green and a delight to draw for a friend who fell in love with these borbs when he went birding in Cuba.

#cubantody #tody #birds #birdart #cuba