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. 

Quiet Young Days of A New Year

2013.... I haven't got used to writing it yet. Yesterday I signed two papers 2012. It will take a while, it always does. Normally I have only just got used to writing the new year when it becomes old once again. What is it with this thing called time that a moment can seem forever and a day can seem a moment?  Christmas came and went in a flurry of  birthdays, glitter and merriment. The tree is still fresh and has hardly dropped any needles. Every now and then it shares memories of the forest and the scent of pine is caught. Just for a moment I am in the woods, a cold, crisp snow smell, the  howl of a lone wolf and snoring of sleepy bears.

 It felt sad to have to take it down this afternoon. 

New years day we woke to sun. I wondered what all the brightness was as I had almost forgotten that there was a golden ball of fire up there after the endless days of rain. ;)

There is one addition that arrived on Christmas eve that won't be getting put away in the box with the other decorations. Let me introduce you...

Yes, he will be living inside, though not where he is in this picture. At the time there was nowhere else to put him, but now the tree has gone I shall have a shuffle about of things. I was thinking of stringing some white lights around his antlers, what do you think?

                                                                        ~*~

I haven't got any new artwork or creations that I have made to show you so I thought I'd share these for no other reason than how pretty they look. Bath melts that I was very lucky to receive as Christmas gifts. They look too good to use, maybe that's why I need to record them? 

These ones below are from Lush one of my most favourite shops.  Again they look too good to use and smell quite frankly.......Lush!  ;) 

The hobbits (teens) go back to school on Tuesday so my recharging break has come to an end.  I'm looking forward to getting back into the studio and the new journey of this brand new year. I  hope you will join me here and that yours will be filled with love, fun, health, happiness, peace and magic.
Thank you for all your comments and good wishes that you leave here.
Happy new year! xxx