A Canterbury ‘Tail’

Recently we visited the City of Canterbury in Kent. We stayed in a nearby Caravan and Camping Club site and walked in to the City each day to explore the ancient streets with beautiful old buildings, including Canterbury Cathedral. However the Cathedral didn’t allow dog owners and was also being renovated so that’ll be for another day. I always do a sketchbook log of our motorhome trips but decided this time to make up a handmade sketchbook zine of our trip complete with collaged found objects made into little Canterbury houses and shops as bookmarks. A little different, I know!

The Canterbury Tail Sketchbook zine by Janet Peck

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Secret path

A local walk I like to think is my own.

How quiet is the forest.

Beside the brook, I hear cracking hogweed, like tiny castanets.

And rustling grasses looking like fairy tassles.

I see illuminating, floating gold dipped seed dust, filtered in ribbons between stately trees.

Scratching dry earth with a hawk’s feather, it feels worn like old leather.

How quiet is the forest.

Serene tree

Recently I decided to do a series of very quick sketches inspired by my local walks with the dogs. Next I thought about translating a serene feeling I always have when walking at that location, the trees dangling branches in the stream and the winter light. The result was my oil painting above, painted in 3 hours. I hope you enjoy looking at it and the sketches.

Enjoy your day.

White pillows

White pillows

Float into hollows, nooks

And burrows.

Aspen and willow,

Stark, dark: sinister

Whispering sharp wind

Billows.

Lichen hillocks.

Holly and blackthorns

Creak under laden leaves

Dripping icy nature’s tea.

Flirty flurries settle on warm cheeks

And tiny beaks.

Woodland Wildlife seeks solace

From fizzing blizzards.

Forever in our hearts

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Sadly one of our beautiful dogs died suddenly two week’s ago. She was 11 year’s old and fit and healthy. We had tests done because she seemed a little lethargic and times, occasionally off her food and a breathing problem now and again. However the tests came back okay. However two Sunday’s ago she wouldn’t eat and I could hear an unusal sound in her chest. The vets suggested that she could have a lung infection and took a litre of fluid from her lungs. This broke our heart but the vet was optomistic that if we took her to tge specialist vet hospital they would successfully treat her.  Unfortunately this was not the case. They were confident that antibiotics would cure  pneumonia: so we left her there to be treated. We had three terrible phone calls from tge vet in the early hours of the morning, tge final one was to tell us that her heart had stopped. She didn’t respond to tge antibiotics. They were very shocked too and told her that she died of sepsis. We are so devastated and heart broken. Her sister is very upset as they have been together forever. 

We have her now in a beautiful Onyx urn and she will always be with us. God bless her and keep her safe in doggy heaven. 

Sorry for not posting everyone. 

Poppy walk

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Sunny morning,

Swifts soaring;

Dog rose scented air.

Maiden’s garlands,

wedding bells afar.

Harebells & summer fairs

Dancing campions,

Wild flower champion

The scarlet poppy!

Deep in slumber!

Have a peek at my creative work. This morning as it was so peaceful I decided to capture one of my border collies deep in slumber. 

Uplifting Rainbow

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The sky darkens

Inkblots spread

Creating ghostly shadows

Swallowing the land.

Creatures hide Iin hollows

As spectral crossbows shoot

Icy arrows.

Suddenly white wings sweep

Across the shadows;

Golden breath blows

A magical rainbow of

Sparkling light.

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Reviving rain

Rain revives waning blossom,
A faded, aged May Queen’s trane.
Tuneful, cooling teeny tears
Fall from scented ‘ears’,
Dissolving fears;
Blessing those who choose
To be the poet’s muse
And walk along the enchanted lane.

Yesterday,we waited forever for the torrential rain to ease so that we could

 

Frosty moments

Frost temporarily preserves
The landscape in fine sugar dust:
A lustful feast.

Crusted tufts of wind whipped grasses
And rusted busts of proud seedpods,

Languish in a spangled frozen sea.
On rough textured tracks, puddles
Like mystical misted mirrors,
Creak and crack as sunshine
Seeps through apricot pillows
And weeping trees.

The dogs and I thoroughly enjoyed our frosty world of spangled surprises, apricot skies and mystical mirrors which creaked as we walked through our local countryside in rural Bedfordshire. Captured in every breath and every step this temporarily preserved moment was truly magical. Enjoy.