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 

Flowers and Bees in Winter

Winter Solstice is almost upon us. The longest, darkest night, when the ground should be hard with frost as in the deep mid winter that carols sing about. The earth should be cold and asleep. It's not though, here there is not a sign of Jack Frost. In the garden there are flowers blooming and yesterday there were bees.

I don't think I've ever seen a bee on a flower in December here, ever!?

I know some folks are enjoying the mild weather, but I would prefer to see December decked out in frosty attire. The seasons are just not right. Maybe we won't get a winter at all?

Last weekend I had a fleeting visit to Dartmoor. It was my Birthday and I stayed a night at the Two Bridges hotel which is conveniently located a short walk from the ancient Wistmans wood. It was lovely to be back there again and this time in Winter rather than summertime which was when we visited last time. The lichen and moss seemed even brighter without leaves on the trees.  

On our way back we passed Postbridge, and stopped to see the old clapper bridge .

 A bronze age tomb remains. 

 Then walked a little and sat with the quiet stones.

Back home I've hung the green upon the door and the fae lady has mistletoe for hair once more.

It feels like weeks since I picked up a paintbrush. I've been so busy with packing orders there was little time for much else. Christmas has been busy in the shop and I'm very grateful to anyone that has supported my work and bought from me these last few weeks and of course throughout the year. The calendars have been a great success and only a small amount are remaining now.
Now things are beginning to quieten down and I have a painting on the go and  even managed to find time to do three little Aceo sized paintings. Inspired by Wistmans wood.

It would have been wonderful to have seen the wood on a frosty day or in the snow. Maybe one day?...But even though I didn't, my little white hare got lucky!  :)

Six Nights Away

Do you have a list in a forgotten notebook somewhere of places you want to visit and things you want to see? Are you ticking them off gradually? I hope so.  Some people call them bucket lists. I prefer to call them wish lists. This last week I got to tick one of mine off. ...A visit to Wistmans Wood.

Wistmans Wood  has been on my list of places to visit since I saw the wonderful documentary 'Earth Pilgrim' several years ago by Satish Kumar. 

Ancient stone and twisted oak trees are clothed in moss. Ferns grow from branches their spores snugly taken root in the deep green.

Lichen adorns the twiggy arms like sleeves on a mottled coat. Some look like hair growing or little nests.

The only noise here is the noise of nature. Water, wind, earth, animal, and us as we move. Snap of twig, scuff of shoe on stone.
Do you see the tree pointing?  I see a crone. Wise old woman of the wood?

There are many tales and legends about the wood to read. Too many to tell here, but here is a good place to visit if you want to know more. 

Just below the wood is the west dart river. Picturesque and tolkienesque. 

And here are my two hobbits or Orcs!  blending in with the landscape, well sort of.  ;)  

A beautiful rowan tree on the edge of the wood. I think this tree will get to be a star in a painting shortly...

I would have liked to have stayed longer and visited more of Dartmoor but this was just a quick passing visit on our way down to Cornwall. We camped for one night in Princetown and as night fell a heavy mist descended and the wind made the tree's leaves sing and rain pounded our tent all through the night. The wild weather had disappeared by the morning and the sun shone on our journey over the border into Cornwall and to the Atlantic.

Was it really a whole year ago that my feet were indulged in sea water foot baths in sparkly rockpools?

We camped right by the sand dunes which were filled with these beautiful day flying burnet moths.

 Every where you looked on the grass stems, were the empty pods/cocoons that they had hatched from.

Sometimes I wandered and found jewels while everyone else rode the waves.

On the night of the blue moon we were back in the woods.

This time Tehidy woods, to see the Rogue Theatre. When we saw them last year we enjoyed it so much, that we just couldn't miss this year's 'King Arthur And The Wild Hunt'

An evening filled with fire, mist and magic. If you get the chance to see them, then do. I think they tour, so keep eyes peeled.
On our last night camping, we saw a gloworm. What a special end to a great six days.

Now back here at home, I'm busy finishing off the illustrations for the book that I'm working on and some new paintings in the pipeline, for an exhibition that I'm participating in. There will be  more on that later....

 In the mean time, enjoy your weekend.

 x