A Hare and a Fox and the Sweet Blossoms in May

Back again, is it really a whole month later!?  I'm sure each time I say I'm going to blog more I actually end up blogging less which is a little weird?

We've had beautiful dry weather here in Wiltshire since April and many of the flowers are ahead blooming this year. In between working, the days have been spent soaking up May's heady perfume, and imprinting the song of blackbird robin, thrush and lark like a precious seal on my heart and soul. I'm sure the sounds are healing. I'm just waiting for a scientist to prove it sooner or later? 

Beautiful May.  Hawthorn decorates the hedgerows with sweet  frothy creamy (and sometimes pink) boughs. Oh but they go too soon when that impish west wind plays games for fairy weddings and summer snow showers, scattering the petals beneath to create scented carpets for wood mice.

"Tis like the birthday of the world,
When earth was born in bloom;
The light is made of many dyes,

The air is all perfume:

There's crimson buds, and white and blue, 
The very rainbow showers
have turned to blossoms where they fell,
And sown the earth with flowers"
~ Thomas Hood

The greening is all dressed up with lacy gowns along hedgerow and field. Here in the garden, the cow parsley is spreading nicely too. 

When the days have had a chill in the wind, I take my tea break in the greenhouse. Enjoying the warmth with the plants whilst they're busy growing. There is lots to plant out still and plenty of digging to be done. The ground has been very hard because of the lack of rain but the last two days have provided a few showers and refilled the water butts. 

I have a good view of goings on from my studio window. I can clearly see why all the peanuts have been disappearing so fast! ;)  Mrs squirrel doesn't mind me, but makes a swift run for it back up the plum tree when the cats spot her. 

The birds in the garden have been busy raising their young. I see them daily stocking up on food at the bird table and then they are off again. This precious soul found time to stop and serenade me with a spring song.

Here's some other wildlife captured on camera recently. The friendly chaffinch below I encountered on a walk yesterday near Avebury. The moth and may bug I found in the greenhouse and the heron and swans are a regular sight on the river. 

A couple of weeks back on the 1st of May there was definitely some 'Spring magic' in the air.  During a walk I encountered  5 hares, 2 foxes, and 2 deer.  But the best bit of all was seeing a fox and hare together. The fox walked through the hedge to the side of us then proceeded to walk down across a field past the hare. They looked at each other and the hare just stayed put and the fox just walked by glancing at the hare as he did so. Just seeing each animal on their own is a wonderful encounter at any time, but seeing 'both' well it felt as if it was my birthday or that Spring had gifted me a special moment. Here is the moment below, which I managed to capture very quickly. My camera is not the best at pictures from a distance but you can make out the hare and fox. :-)

And here are more hares.

Work wise this past month, I've been busy designing and turning work I've already done, into cards. these sets are both available in the shop. 

'Love the land and treasure the wild' and 'Love the Earth and all her creatures'

'May your dreams be filled with magic' and 'Believe in your dreams' 

I've also just finished these little 'Spring inspired' hangers.  

These will be going into the shop this Wednesday evening (17th May) at 7pm  (UK time)

Until next time, I shall leave you with a song from Lisa Knapp's brand new album, which has been my playlist daily for the merrie month of May and is just perfect I think. (link in my side bar to the whole album)

 Have a great week. x

Time Well Spent In May

I'm sure the world of Blogger has a different time. A clock that ticks more frequently to the one in my kitchen, turning minutes into hours when our backs are turned. Have you ever noticed it?
I planned to blog a lot in May. Hmm I'm not sure what happened as now we are coming upon the end of the month and here I am with only a second post..
So, here's some of what I've been doing, these past two/three weeks is it? I'll turn the Blogger clock back and let you see.

I've walked in Bluebell woods.

 Raindrop jewelled and sunlit dappled.

I breathed in the heavenly scent of the wild woods and recharged the part of my soul that was calling out and demanding bluebells. :0)

Inspired by the woods I finished the faerie hangers that  had been waiting patiently on the side of my desk.

I'll be listing these soon if you are interested to my  Etsy shop.

Along with this woodland toadstool...

                                                                        ~*~

May has also included a weekend away to Devon and the sea.

After all the rain we were lucky, the sun shone and made us think we were somewhere more exotic.

I found a creature on the rock that looked exotic and prehistoric. (Not the beautiful creature above, that's hobbit daughter. ;)) The one below, also beautiful and looks like a giant wood louse. This was two inches long. I think it's called a sea slater?  

In the pretty village of Lee I met an owl on a gate with eyes like Coraline's other Mum.

He told me where the Devon violets grew. 

We skimmed stones for an hour.

(My hobbits are still hobbits, just not such small ones anymore. *sigh*)

We walked high up along the coast and saw flash of green, a glimpse of woodpecker fly past us.

And to a hidden beach  'Pear tree beach.'

Here I chatted with a pigeon that was resting. He was a racing pigeon I think, as he had green and yellow bands on his feet. Maybe he was Welsh and had flown across the sea? I could see Wales across the water. 

Onwards and upwards we trod.

And then down into the prettiest faerie glade. 

My camera couldn't capture the sheer beauty and magic of this. I walked through here sure that it hadn't been touched for many many years and swearing to myself that I would treat myself to a better camera. 

At dusk we headed for Exmoor and heard the cuckoo. We stayed until midnight stargazing.

Back home and the here and now. Days are sunny and so warm they are hot. I've been hiding away here, working on a project a little bit different, that will be revealed at a later date....

Surrounded by hawthorn and birdsong I wouldn't mind if time stopped completely and May stayed forever.