April forgot her showers

April has forgotten her showers this year it seems? Days have been warm, beneath clear blue skies for most of the month. I have been surrounded by flowers indoors and out.   

Work is  reflecting the April garden, hedgerows and fields.

'Forgetmenot'

These little faces are waiting to be paired up with a hare. They will hang beneath. 

'Stitchwort'

A peep at new items waiting to have string and treasures added.

Talking of treasure, I found these delicate pheasant feathers on my way up to the woods.

And these two lovely old books at the car boot sale.  

And this beautiful Oxslip on a sunny bank beneath a sparrow chattering hedge. 

And... a sunbeam charging a dandelion with solar magic. 

What treasure have you found today? 

Nature's treasures

It's the last day of June already. In fact as I sit here writing this post there is only thirty minutes left of it. Tomorrow will be July, and shortly I am off to far off places for a while.I have a long flight to Zimbabwe, to visit my in laws. I shall be closing my Etsy shop for a while, but will reopen when I get back. It's winter there at the moment, so it won't be too hot which I'm quite happy about being more of a colder climate loving person. ;)  Don't get me wrong I love to have hot days in summer, but only for so long. I've been trying to get on with a painting I have on the go, but find it hard to concentrate when you know that you are preparing to travel, pack and get things ready. So I have no work to show you, but I will share with you some of the treasures that nature has shared with me.

I found a tiny baby slow worm on the path, sunbathing. In the grass I picked up a magpie's feather and between the moon daisies (sadly) a dead scarlet tiger moth.
I rescued a mole from feline clutches and released him or her, beneath the bramble patch far away from gardens.

On the hedge, I encountered a fairy angel. Or if you want to be scientific, a pterophorus pentadactyla, white plume moth.

I promised to feature him again in another painting before he flew off.

During a trip to  Dyrham park. I saw some fallow deer.

And a pond plant that looked like fairy sized trees, or those little ones that decorate Christmas cakes, with snow on. I love those cake decorations.

                                

The pond looked so inviting on a hot day. All I  needed was some Gilly weed and I'm sure that I would have met Mer folk here? ;)                                        

Yesterday I saw more slow worm in the compost heap, a grass snake, and this amazing ants nest behind an old roof tile rested up against the chicken hut. (I did put it back carefully after looking)

And lastly, yesterday, what made my day, was seeing another Scarlet tiger moth. And this time it was alive! <3

Now as I come to the end of this post it's July, sixty one minutes into the new month to be precise.

I wish you a hot July, that brings a few cooling showers, apricots to eat, (or strawberries if you prefer) and many many flowers.
See you soon! x

There And Back Again

I feel sure I walked in Middle Earth this weekend?

North Wales. Land of mountains, lakes, rock, greenest moss, twisted oak, foxglove edged. Where giants and dragons sleep and dream of  Elders, Princes, Queens and gold.  

 Where idyllic mountain streams and waterfalls burst through beautiful breathtaking valleys.
 Hmmm...did I glimpse an elf out of the corner of my eye just then? 

Or Tom Bombadil behind the wall?

In unexpected places, it seems that hobbits had left their mark.

"Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old

We must away ere break of day

To seek the pale enchanted gold"  

 ~ JRR Tolkien

We followed the path up into the mountains into stillness. Just the distant sound of water falling against ancient stone. No sound of cars or noise of the modern world. A gold more precious than the metal kind.

Higher, until, I could no longer use my camera as the rain and wind blew. 

No burden of magic ring did I carry, but at certain times it did feel a little like we were climbing Mount Doom not Mount Snowdon. ;-) High up in the clouds at the summit, icy rain stung skin, but a hot chocolate reward before the climb back down was much enjoyed.  

~*~

North Wales is filled with legend and myth. It's not surprising really that I felt I was in JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth.

Oh and... sssssh!....I think I found a dragon!? 

There it was, washed up on the beach among the drift wood waiting to be found.

A dragon wizard's staff? 

And.... I also found

this strange wooden magic ring.

Who knows, they  may unlock a secret doorway into a mountain? But that I'm afraid we may never know as I brought them home with me to my shire.