Days of Roses and Honeysuckle and Small Offerings of Light

It was a little budding rose,
Round like a fairy globe,
And shyly did its leaves unclose
Hid in their mossy robe,
But sweet was the slight and spicy smell
It breathed from its heart invisible.

~ Emily Bronte

June is the month for roses. I've been enjoying the ones I'm lucky to have in this garden and stop to smell their heavenly scent each time I walk past. How can you not, when their time is so short? I treated the garden to a new addition when visiting the local garden centre recently. It's a rose that for years I have had my eye on but never got around to ever buying. So the other day when I saw it, I gave in and it came home with me.

 It's a repeat flowering one so I'm looking forward to smelling the roses for a little longer. It also has the most vivid colour petals which I've saved each time that they have dropped, for drying.

This month I've been finding it really hard to concentrate and my mind has been all over the place so  recharging for longer each day outside has been important. Watching the flowers emerge from seeds that have been tended and nurtured, soaking up the scents really help to clear a busy mind.

There are always so many wonders to see! The hornet in the picture below, lost it's way the other day and came in through the window.  We caught it in a beer glass and admired it for a few moments before releasing back outside and on its way. The caterpillars were having a feast on the mullein and one of the roses. The top right hand one is a mullein moth and the bottom impressive green one I'm hoping (fingers crossed) is a humming bird hawk moth? 

In the green house was a stunning tiger moth. Such beauty! 

  Moon daisies (ox eye) are in abundance and the grass snake is back in the compost heap.

With so many distractions it's a wonder I get any work done at all this time of year! Some how I do though. Here are a set of small paintings 'Midnight in the wood' series that I've made into new designs for cards.    

The cards are available here to buy as a pack of four.  The photo of the originals above look much bluer in colour than they are. In reality they are more like the cards below.  It's hard to pick up the colours correctly with a camera sometimes though.

I've also had a little play about with some pendants. The ones that I added to the shop have already sold, but I will be adding more shortly.

Another painting recently done. 'Small Offerings of Light'

Inspired by the photograph that I took not so long ago, of my owl hangers all hanging together.  Here are just a couple of pictures at the moment, as I'm having some camera problems. It will be made available as a print once scanned and ready. 

 ~*~

I hope you all made the most of the longest day if you are this side of the world like myself.  Or the shortest one if you are not. :) It's hard to believe that the Summer Solstice has been and gone now, this year seems to speed up with each day that passes. 

My evening was spent quietly in the garden with a small fire waiting for the beautiful full moon to rise.  It was peaceful and filled with bird evensong and the smell of woodsmoke woven between honeysuckle. 

A Gift From A Magpie

Today it rained again. It's been doing that a lot lately.

When the sun does peep it's head out though I'm sure the perfume of plants is much stronger after the rain? Not sure if this is scientifically proven, just something I noticed? The other day when it wasn't raining  the day before Midsummer Solstice or I suppose you would call it Solstice Eve, it was a glorious June day. My walk to the post office was perfumed with dog rose , honeysuckle and mallow. The daisies looked up and worshipped the sun as daisies do.

The Jackdaws were cheeky and brave visiting the bird table for scraps of cheese sandwiches and the baby robin just learning how to fly also paid a visit. A magpie left me a midsummer gift.

The rain held off for the exhibition last weekend which was good news for the stall holders that were outside selling their wares. Here is my painting amid the other talented artist's work.

The original didn't sell, so I might be offering it for sale in my Etsy shop soon? I did sell lots of postcards. :-) 

Unfortunately these ones though, didn't arrive from the printers in time, but are now for sale here.  

Today I've been working on the project I mentioned in the post before last. Illustrations for a book written by a lovely lady and friend of mine.  It's quite different to what I've been doing lately. Humans instead of animals, so will be a challenge and a change for me. Here are some sketches from the dummy book. 

Best get to work with the painting then... 

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