First Bee of Spring, Hares, and a Birthday

Now that the seasons are changing, primroses are in flower much earlier than they ever were. The climate is warmer which means bees and other insects wake up and are active earlier. I saw my first huge bumble bee this year around the beginning of February. Luckily there were lots of primrose, snowdrop and crocus around for this beautiful queen to feast upon. I'm sure she was a queen  because she was huge. To honour her wonderful majesty, I created a little painting.

This painting will be available in my next shop update. (tbc)

 We have been  enjoying the February sunlight and warmth through the glass.

Although the weather has turned chilly here today and we have even had some flakes of snow fall.

It was definitely a thermal trousers kind of day.

On my desk this month, I've been playing about designing some new shapes for the hares this Spring.

And with lots of tea to keep me going, creating some with the older regular shape too.

All of these hares will be leaping off to an exhibition at the Masham Gallery in Yorkshire  'Race The Wind' The exhibition begins on March 9th and continues until 23rd April. www.mashamgallery.co.uk
Many of my customers are from the Yorkshire area, so do stop and take a look and say a little hello to my hares if you live nearby. Or maybe even go and buy one there. Don't forget it's Mothers Day on the 11th March so you may want to treat someone special or even yourself.  ;-)

Can you believe it!? This blog is 10 years old! Well officially on the 29th February, but as there isn't one this year, then I'm going to wish it a Happy Birthday now.

So a big thank you to anyone that visits, reads, comments etc... I hope you enjoy this little place of gentle things.
 x

A visit to Northern parts then back home again.

A couple of weeks ago I travelled up north, to visit a friend of mine in Lancashire. Her art studio looks out onto the impressive Pendle hill.  Pendle being of course, home to the famous Lancashire witch trials back in 1612.

I won't go into detail about the witch trials, as that would need a blog post of it's own. It's incredibly fascinating and tragic reading about these people, so please do take some time to Google them or get a book from the library, or click on my link above.
We visited the tiny village of Newchurch where the Demdike's, one of the witch families, originated.

There is a small shop here selling very touristy witch souvenirs. The church  has a mysterious eye set into the tower, which some say is to ward off evil.

We then went a few miles just across the border into Yorkshire, to Haworth, home of the Bronte's.The Bronte sisters grew up and lived here at the Parsonage.
Right in front of the house stands an impressive gothic looking graveyard. (If you can call a graveyard impressive, maybe it's not really appropriate to?)  So many lives cut short too early, so many child deaths. It was tragic and sad to see. The Bronte's must have been reminded of death constantly living here.  An atmosphere hung about the place. I got the feeling I was in a novel while walking among the stones, as the rooks called and watched from high above in the trees. It must be even more moody in November when the mist from the moors sweep in. I would imagine the ghosts of the past are even stronger then.

We followed the path to the pretty stream and the Bronte bridge.

Past this rather lovely weather vane.

I bid a "good afternoon" to a fair Yorkshire lass and her bairns.

And then we reached the bridge.

Here, along with the waterfall nearby, it is said, that Charlotte, Emily and Anne used to visit and sit. Maybe Mr Rochester or Heathcliff  was first thought of here?... The original bridge was sadly damaged by floods in 1989, so the slabs on top are new additions.

I paddled in the stream, letting the swirling water tell it's own tales around my ankles.

Back in Howarth, we browsed in 'The Rose & Co Apothecary'. I think all shops should look like this, don't you?

Across the border to Lancashire again, we visited Wycoller. A very small and very pretty village. Here the ruin of a hall stands which is believed to be the inspiration for 'Ferndean Manor' in Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre. 

I wonder what Christmas was like in this hall. On a snowy moonlit night, I wonder if you might catch the echoes of a tune?

This area reminded me of Dartmoor in many ways. The streams, well trod ancient bridges, moss covering stone, the marshy landscape and moorland.

It was lovely to get away, meet up with friends and see a different landscape.

                                                                          ~ *~

Back home the bluebells and ramsoms (wild garlic) carpeted the dappled sunlit woodlands of Wiltshire. We followed a deer track through the quiet woods and entered the realm of Faerie. Or so it felt like. Nothing can beat the magic of a bluebell wood.

Since I last wrote here the garden and hedgerows have bloomed. The apple blossom has been and gone, along with the cowslips. We've had the most gorgeous full moon, sunny weather, my daughter has had her prom and I've been serenaded by a song thrush most evenings. 

I captured some of it's song here for you to hear too.

Now in the garden, the hawthorn is in blossom. I found these two May bugs (cockchafer) in love. :-) 

I've been busy quietly working on my hangers, and I'm now pleased to say that the hares are now finished. Yay! They seem to have taken me forever this time. For anyone interested in buying one, I will be adding them to my Etsy shop this Thursday 22nd May at 8pm (UK time) 

There are 22 of them, but I won't show them all here as this post is probably already long enough? I will add more pictures on my Facebook page though in between now and Thursday. 

 Some details, beads bells and moons.  

See you soon! x