Light to outshine the darkness

Some light, to outshine the darkness. Pictures captured a few weeks back, from that time of day when another realm is glimpsed, and all manner of magic seems possible? I found words in the misty labyrinth of this woven inter web to go with them.

From within or from behind, a light shines through us upon things, and makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is all.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King

“The Warrior of the Light is a believer. Because he believes in miracles, miracles begin to happen. Because he is sure that his thoughts can change his life, his life begins to change. Because he is certain that he will find love, love appears.” ~ Paul Coelho

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.”

~Og Mandino

Never let the light fade... I've added these words to some hangers that I've been working on.

Foxes, midnight blue and red ones. This was a design planned back in March, but has only just been brought to life. 

I've made 10 of these, and each will be added to my Etsy shop on Monday 17th August at 8pm (UK time) There will also be birds and some hare pendants.

It's been a quiet summer here. In between painting, I've been also painting the kitchen, pottering in the garden, enjoying the sunsets, meteors and scent of night scented stock. Watching birds, wishing I was a bird, wishing I was a seagull, (one that lives on a wild cliff top dotted with thrift, not a cheeky one that hangs about dustbins or steals fish and chips) talking to the squirrel in the nut tree that has eaten nearly all of the nuts this year (before I got there :/) and reading Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy (finally)

It's important to talk to flowers. 

And watch spiders, weave worlds within worlds.   

September garden and moon

The other day in the garden, the tiniest grass snake. The photograph is deceiving as it's hard to see the scale of it. But look at the bobbly leaf, that's cat mint/nip. For those of you who know this plant, you'll know that the leaf is only very small. For those of you that don't, I'd say that the snake was about 12 cms long and about 1/2 cm wide. I love finding grass snakes. :)

The garden is wearing her early Autumn gown now. Some flowers are fading curling and browning.

Seed pods are ripe and splitting and the September breeze help them on their journey to start new life.

 'O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stained with the blood of the grape, 

pass not, but sit beneath my shady roof; there thou mayest rest and tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe, 

and all the daughters of the year shall dance! Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers' 

– William Blake

Last night we coincided our walk to catch the gorgeous huge moon as it rose up above the hill. 

As darkness came quickly I spied this cow, she had walked alone, on ahead of the herd and was just stood beneath the moon. I'm sure she looked up.

The light was a little dim at this point for my camera, so I've adjusted the exposure. In doing this I have revealed what looks like an orb of light. I know there is much debate to what orbs of light are, but I like to think that there could possibly have been a spirit or unknown presence there as it was an incredibly peaceful special moment. Who knows?

In the shed I've been cutting out wood and trying to use all the scraps up. There are rather a lot of scraps, so there will be pendants on the way among other things...
The first batch are moons that seem as if they have been brought to life from my last painting.
Little 'moonlits'  :)

I'm not going to talk about the weather, but...

Everyone seems to be talking about the weather have you noticed? I know us British folk are supposedly renowned for it, but lately it's more than normal and even people on Twitter are tweeting about weather and they are from other countries. Maybe it's always been this way and I'm just noticing it more?  Anyway all I have to say on weather is that many years ago it snowed on April 22nd. I know this as I remember it clearly as I woke up and rushed outside to see if my guinea pig had given birth. She had produced a little miracle in the night whilst the snow fell in Spring all those years ago.... and yes it was April!  Everything does seem a month behind though. In the garden daffodils are in bloom alongside the primroses and none of the trees are in leaf yet.  Like the Spring, I have been slow too. Slow writing here and slow producing my work. Maybe others are feeling this too.?I like to think it's because my body is in tune with nature's pace outside rather than the busy rush of news, tv, social media and fast paced gossip way of life. ;)

So I have some things to share. Firstly some snaps of Easter. ( I hope you had an enjoyable one, whatever you got up to)

A couple of weeks ago I went for another walk on my lunch break. I thought I'd share some of the inside shots of the Abbey that I took. They are giving me the urge to paint an interior picture which I haven't done in quite a long while...

I wouldn't mind being accidently shut in here one night, then I could get to browse the dusty pages of  these books. Think of all the words hidden. All the worlds captured inside those old bindings....

 And  of course I would look in here to see if another world existed behind it's old doors. 

My desk has been a hive of activity this last week finishing off a drove of wooden hares, threading beads and  ribbon.

They are finished now and  here they are all hung up.

Several have moths painted on them as waiting for the butterfly chrysalis to hatch on my windowsill  I have been thinking a lot about the past moths that hatched the year before last  and that very special  first one.
I even fitted in some pendants using up the odd scraps of spare wood

The hares and pendants will be listed in my Etsy shop  at 7pm ( BST) tomorrow evening  (16th April)

I will leave you now with some music by Ludovico Einaudi  from his latest album  'In a time lapse'  Saturday night I was lucky to get to see him at the Colston Hall in Bristol. What a great evening. We weren't supposed to take pictures really, but me being a bit naughty (ssh) sneaked one in at the end. Here he is before his encore.

A little Of What I've been Up To

I wrote this last night as the rain fell. It was a very dark 31st October. We had pumpkins reflecting  their light out of the window down our puddle strewn path. Only two lots of children ventured out in the rain for trick or treating. The basket is still filled with shiny boiled sweets and chocolate eclair toffees. The fire was lit, candles flickered and the sweet smell of treacle tart hung about in the kitchen. Not home made I'm ashamed to say. Everything was a bit of a rush, so a thanks to Mr Kipling for the treacle tart and the Halloween french fancies. I hope you had a good one, however you celebrated it.

I've been busy with making stock for my Etsy shop which I'll show you in a bit...
Time has been zooming by and  half term seemed to arrive here just hours after school had returned from the summer!
I've been out and about quite a bit. My very bestest old friend from college days came to stay. :-) We had a lovely time catching up and wandered around Avebury  in the rain.

We breathed the salty misted sea air at Lyme Regis.

And met a lovely cat.

I bought a tiny egg in the fossil shop, that looks like a dragon or phoenix egg. It also looks as if it is made of moonlight. I will show you another day.
Talking of magical things, I saw amethyst in the hedgerow the other day.

And more magic....
This time at Warner Bros Leavesdon  Film Studios, to see the Harrry Potter studio tour.

It's a wonderful place to go for a Harry Potter fan. All the detail that has gone into everything is a joy to see. A lot of it made, because it was in the books but only glimpsed for seconds on screen in the films.

Below, the Leaky cauldron.

 And the attention to detail that brought it even more to life.

We had a butter beer, brought home a chocolate frog and got a Dumbledore wizard card!

So, back to the here and now and my new creations. Which are all about to be listed in my Etsy shop.

                                                   ~Sleepy Woodland Pendants~

                                                                          ~Hearts ~

                                                                    A few hares...

And there is still lots to do, to get things in the shop in time for Christmas, so I'd best get on then.
Take care. x