January you disappeared so soon

So January has gone for another year...
We've said goodbye to early morning tiny frosted fingers on stems and branches. Not that we had many this year at all, with it being so mild.  The month whizzed by and for me (after my wonderful adventure) has been filled with restocking my shop with prints and cards. Re-ordering bits and pieces, doing my tax return, having a sort out, tidying up, with quite a few trips to the charity shop to drop unwanted items off and hibernating  somewhat.

The garden is green and snowdrops are blooming. Even the bluebell leaves are quite advanced and some primroses are in flower. This is good news for any bees that are awake of course. I did see a bee on a snowdrop the other day...

On Sunday I participated in the 'Big Garden Bird Watch' You've probably heard of it. Each year it is run by the RSPB over a weekend and people sit for an hour and record the bird sightings then add them to the database. It's a great help to the RSPB for finding out how our bird numbers are doing and of course is a pleasurable hour spent just sitting quietly watching these beautiful creatures.

My recordings were as follows:

x 2 Robin x 3 Blackbird x 2 Collared Dove x 2 Dunnock x 3 Blue tit x 2 Coal tit x2 Jackdaw x 2 Wood pigeon x 3 Great tit x 1 Long tailed tit x 2 Chaffinch x 1 Magpie x 1 Songthrush.

This picture below was taken on another day. It seems I have a new friend that has figured out that Robin was getting special treatment on the tree stump. I decided to give the mistletoe berries to Mr or Mrs Song thrush  in the hope that Mistletoe berry + Song thrush = bird poo + berry seed = Mistletoe  

Not sure it will work, but all the berries were eaten...

Robin still comes to my hand occasionally but prefers the tree stump most often these days.

Like last year, he has begun to stay further away as he has paired up ready for Spring. Here they are together. 

Mr Blackbird is never far away. 

The kitchen is scented with hyacinth and is a great reminder that Spring is on the way. I'm always so glad that I took the time to plant these back in Autumn, when they finally come into flower.

Some of the new postcards, now in my Etsy shop...

I also managed to finally finish this painting that I began before Christmas, after my visit to Wistmans wood. I have named it  'Journey through Wistmans'  

It will be available as a print, as soon as I get a good scan of it, the next time I go into town. 

I hope your January was a good one?

Karen
 x 

Two birds, three hares.and a garden

"That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,

Lest you should think he never could recapture

The first fine careless rapture!"   

(From Robert Brownings  poem 'Home thoughts from abroad')

'There on the grey stone in the grass was an enormous thrush, nearly coal black, its pale yellow breast freckled (with) dark spots. Crack! It had caught a snail and was knocking it on the stone. Crack! Crack!
“Leave him alone!” said Thorin. “The thrushes are good and friendly-this is a very old bird indeed, and is maybe the last left of the ancient breed that used to live about here, tame to the hands of my father and grandfather. They were a long-lived and magical race, and this might even be one of those that were alive then, a couple of hundreds years or more ago."
(From the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien)

This song thrush is on my garden path,  going about it's business, keeping the garden snails in check, tap tapping and cracking them on the stone.  Busy, with a mouth filled with food for a fledgling, that chirped in the overgrown flower bed near the hedge. I followed the precious sound, discovered the baby, then quickly snapped a photograph. It turned out a little out of focus because I tried to hurry, I didn't want to delay it's snack that was eagerly waiting to be delivered. Hopefully this one will survive to adult hood and bless us with it's sweet song. 

  

The foxgloves are in full bloom now standing tall. They remind me of glowing lanterns with the evening light behind them.   

The bees are enjoying them, buzzing in and out of the bells so fast I managed to capture a bottom.

And a leg. :-) 

Latest work to show, are three pieces on wood, which will be heading over to the 'The Names of the Hare' exhibition at New Brewery Arts, Cirencester, Gloucestershire this July.

'Following the song for evermore'

'Magic in the spaces between'

 'The Geminids call'

If you are in the area, please do visit, I'm sure it will be a fantastic exhibition. :-)

Going back to The Hobbit, that was mentioned at the beginning, I will end with this wonderful song from the last film. I only just caught up with the final instalment in the film trilogy, just last week, so do forgive me for being 'late to the party' so to speak. I just love this song and had to share. I feel quite sad now that it's all done and that I won't be seeing the familiar characters anymore.

Enjoy your weekend. x