A little sunlight in the woods

The sun has been to visit and stayed a while. We took advantage and walked in the woods where only the gentle silent waters moved slowly and birds went about their business without a care of anything else that was going on in the world.

The trees skeletal forms were softened with moss. A green velvety coat that glowed in the afternoon rays.(which reminds me I never did get that green velvet mossy coat that I was after a few years back)
Growing upon the fallen rotting branches, moss covered, I found this bright red fungus. I think it's called Scarlet Elf Cup. What a perfect name, don't you think?

 In fact the whole place seemed  perfect for elves to live... and other creatures.

 "Frodo saw the valley of the Silverlode lying like a sea of fallow gold tossing gently in the breeze.  It seemed to him that he would never hear again a running water so beautiful, for ever blending its innumerable notes in an endless changeful music."  ~ Tolkien

Was that the distant sound of sweet singing I heard? Voices of  Lothlorien perhaps.

Even the ant hills looked a little surreal in the afternoon light, almost as if they were sleeping beings that might up and walk at a moments notice, or when the full moon shines upon them?

~*~

Our wanderings took us near to the pretty village of Castle Combe which is only just a few miles from me. I'm not sure if I've shared pictures of the village before on here, I may have done?

It's a very picturesque Cotswold stone village and very much loved by tourists. Maybe you might recognise it from the film Stardust?

~*~

Although the sun has been with us these past few days and yesterday I was gardening in a tee shirt my thoughts and ideas have been of the north. The latest two finished paintings reflect this. This one below I have slightly changed from my original drawing. 'The Jewelled Breath' available as a print from my shop here

The other painting I haven't got around to scanning yet, so isn't available as yet, but will be shortly. I will take it with me on my next trip to town. I have named this one 'Queen of the Earth, child of the sky'

It's painted on canvas which I often struggle with. It's strange how moving paint across a different surface can behave so differently. Wood and paper is fast, but canvas always so slow, for me anyhow. 

Thanks for all your comments on the last post, so sorry I haven't replied to any, I will get around to it. Time seems to be playing tricks on me at the moment.

Enjoy the sunshine! 

X

Walking In Woods

Give me a land of boughs in leaf,

A land of trees that stand;

Where trees are fallen there is grief;

I love no leafless land

~A E Housman

I've been walking in woods. Away from the noise of roads and traffic. A cathedral bursting with green and birdsong. A place to listen to your thoughts, and let go of baggage and chatterings of the modern world.

When I walk in the woods I wonder what it would be like to live here away from everything for a whole year. I would learn the language of the birds and be quiet under foot as woodland creatures are.  I would discover where the birds made their nests and I would be dressed in green  of course, so no one would really notice me there.

 Hours would be sat  up high on a comfortable branch watching and sharing the view with the rooks. I would need a head for heights and be an exceptional tree climber. I'm sure I could acquire these skills.... ;)

But at night I would come down and sleep among the moss and leaves beneath a twiggy shelter made of hazel sticks....

I found violets in the woods.

and orchids in the spaces between.

 From a distance the beautiful blackthorn was wearing a cloak of snow. Snow in Spring. Snow made of petals. Or a white cloak of lace, a Spring bride.

At home in the garden the Apple tree is also wearing her coat of many blossoms.

"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come."
-- Chinese proverb

Some little birds appeared in the Holly tree today.

And look! then they tried to nest in my basket.....

Keep an eye on Etsy over the next few days as they will be making a flight to my shop.
Tweet tweet, chirp chirp....
xx

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

Time Well Spent In May

I'm sure the world of Blogger has a different time. A clock that ticks more frequently to the one in my kitchen, turning minutes into hours when our backs are turned. Have you ever noticed it?
I planned to blog a lot in May. Hmm I'm not sure what happened as now we are coming upon the end of the month and here I am with only a second post..
So, here's some of what I've been doing, these past two/three weeks is it? I'll turn the Blogger clock back and let you see.

I've walked in Bluebell woods.

 Raindrop jewelled and sunlit dappled.

I breathed in the heavenly scent of the wild woods and recharged the part of my soul that was calling out and demanding bluebells. :0)

Inspired by the woods I finished the faerie hangers that  had been waiting patiently on the side of my desk.

I'll be listing these soon if you are interested to my  Etsy shop.

Along with this woodland toadstool...

                                                                        ~*~

May has also included a weekend away to Devon and the sea.

After all the rain we were lucky, the sun shone and made us think we were somewhere more exotic.

I found a creature on the rock that looked exotic and prehistoric. (Not the beautiful creature above, that's hobbit daughter. ;)) The one below, also beautiful and looks like a giant wood louse. This was two inches long. I think it's called a sea slater?  

In the pretty village of Lee I met an owl on a gate with eyes like Coraline's other Mum.

He told me where the Devon violets grew. 

We skimmed stones for an hour.

(My hobbits are still hobbits, just not such small ones anymore. *sigh*)

We walked high up along the coast and saw flash of green, a glimpse of woodpecker fly past us.

And to a hidden beach  'Pear tree beach.'

Here I chatted with a pigeon that was resting. He was a racing pigeon I think, as he had green and yellow bands on his feet. Maybe he was Welsh and had flown across the sea? I could see Wales across the water. 

Onwards and upwards we trod.

And then down into the prettiest faerie glade. 

My camera couldn't capture the sheer beauty and magic of this. I walked through here sure that it hadn't been touched for many many years and swearing to myself that I would treat myself to a better camera. 

At dusk we headed for Exmoor and heard the cuckoo. We stayed until midnight stargazing.

Back home and the here and now. Days are sunny and so warm they are hot. I've been hiding away here, working on a project a little bit different, that will be revealed at a later date....

Surrounded by hawthorn and birdsong I wouldn't mind if time stopped completely and May stayed forever.