Hello September

Memories of early summer flower days lie in a seashell on my table. How fleeting they seem now that September has arrived with her hedgerows heavy with blackberries, the early morning mists, rosy ripe apples and hips and haws.  

August was sunny and busy, and I never did get around to doing a blog post. And then I caught a horrid cough and my voice almost disappeared and I didn't feel like doing anything for a while.
It's always hard to try and cram all things into a post when you haven't done one in a while, so instead of doing that I thought I'd share some of the magical moments that I've had since I was last on here.
There was a trip to Brownsea island

Where I chatted with a peacock

And while we sat there on the beach for a while with our simple picnic of sandwiches and flask of tea, something magical and beautiful happened. Out of nowhere it seemed she appeared, a deer walking towards us on the waters edge.

Not a care for humans having picnics, but searching it seemed for something or someone? She walked past us, stopping, then wading out to deeper waters, looking, then carried on. 

It was one of those moments when you are just there and are not expecting anything at all, then something wonderful and quite extraordinary happens. :)

My feet have been recharged in the wild Atlantic's Cornish rock pools .

Beneath the water they have heard the sea weed whispers and the crackles and pops of the limpet and mussel.

And through their soles they've soaked up the salty song of the sea.  I think they may even have heard a Selkie too?

And I swam and played in the wild waves like the seals that we saw. My selkie skin took the useful form of a wet suit. 
Dreams and sleep beneath stars and the milky way, cut off from the mainland on an island.

Where a giants heart lies in stone.

  Golden magic from the top of a castle.

And a phoenix in the sky...

***

Perseid meteor shower gazing in the garden can be added to the moments ( did you see them?) and the rescue of a weasel behind the sofa! :-) I hope you, dear readers whatever you have been doing, also saw a little magic in August.
                                                                                 ***
Now September is here and the sweet peas are still blooming. Mr Robin Good fellow has come out from hiding in the bushes during his annual feather moult and is very pleased with his new set.

I have been working on some hangers which I'll be back to share soon. In the meantime, will leave you with my new 2017 Calendar which is available now to buy in my shop here.

Happy September! X

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'  :)