Early bluebells

It was so exciting to see these early Bluebells in an ancient woodland.

Usually my poetry tends to be freeverse however in one of my notebooks I came across an example of a ‘Rectum refrain and decided to write my Early Blue bell poem using the Rectum refrain style.

So basically a poem written in the above style should have 10 lines. The first line contains one syllable only, the second 2 syllables and so on. However line 10 should contain a combination of lines 1-4 thus making 10 syllables. No rhyming!

It was a challenge. I hope I got it right! However producing a poem about the experience I had of that walk, coming across the wood and Hawthorn blossom and using my senses and imagination, was far more important to me. I hope you enjoy it.

Early Bluebells

Blue,

Blue bells.

Blue bells shake.

Chilly winds wake,

Woodland creatures hide.

Twigs, new shoots lime green, fresh.

Blossom pure, delicate, intense

Hawthorn spike in dark hollows shine

Glassy eyed rabbits shy waiting. Still.

Blue blue bells blue bells shake chilly -winds wake

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After the rain

After the rain, pink buds

Burst with delicate scents reminiscent

Of rhubarb, rose and lemon.

Stepping through the glade, entranced,

Serenaded by tiny pearly drips

Cascading from blossom lips

And freshly opened leaves.

Printmaking indulgence

Yesterday I indulged myself ccompletely.  My inner creative child just loved inking up the two collagraph plates that I designed and made a couple of week ago. At this time of year there are lots of summer blooms to enjoy so I couldn’t resist making a collograph print. The plate was made from mounting board. I used wallpaper samples to get texture, netting, twine untwisted and teased out for the stem and lots of pva glue for subtle highlights to suggest the frailty of the petals of the Peony. Next I mixed vintage coloured inks. The photo above shows the plate after it had been inked and through the press.

Here’s the first result. The colours and detail came out well. I was pleased with the result (always difficult to show on a photo). My print was hand pressed on A3 Watercolour paper.

My next post will show my next collagraph. I hope you enjoy It.

Swanky Swallows

On Saturday morning I went on an early morning bird song walk around the village and our woodland. It was so wonderful to learn so much about birds’ songs, how to identify birds by their songs and how they communicate to each other, it was fascinating and inspired me to write this poem.
My nature walks will never be the same again! I wish I had a fabulous long lens for my camera but then I couln’t realistically take my dogs on the walks and the dogs and I always walk together. Enjoy and have a lovely day. 🙂

Yellow Bellows

Yellow bellows
Welcome in
Mellow dells,
Where winter’s wild
Bells tell
Thorny tales
And honey rum
Rumbles the tum
Inspiring a
Spring sun.

The best of 2014

Firstly. Happy New Year and thanks for your support last year, for your enjoyable comments, friendship and also for welcoming me to your blogs. 2014 was challenging in many ways. We moved house unexpectedly again in June, however recently and probably one of the reasons why my posts have been more sporadic, we have purchased a lovely cottage which we will be renovating over the next few months, which will be our permanent home, at last! I have set up a new blog to write about the trials and tribulations of renovating our Victorian cottage and hopefully if my technical skills will allow me, I will add a link to my new wordpress site. I will obviously be continuing with this one as I love writing about nature and will always be out walking my dogs. Another challenge was my mother’s serious illness, which thank goodness she seems now to be recovering from after the removal of her right kidney, a major upheaval for a 77 year old woman! She was so brave.
On a happy note, I really enjoyed being the mother of the bridegroom at my son’s Scottish wedding in July. It was such a beautiful wedding and a stunning location. I hope you enjoy the photos. Anyway I hope you will all continue to enjoy reading my blog this year and possibly take a peek at my little cottage blog. Enjoy, thank you and peace and blessings. 🙂

Celebration

My son gets married on Saturday, so as you can imagine I’ll be very busy over the next couple of days! So I’ve taken a quiet moment, while my dogs lie asleep to reflect on a few beautiful moments of spring. My son is getting married to a lovely Scottish girl in Edinburgh. The celebration is to be held at a Scottish country home and estate, so I hope to be capturing the essence of that beautiful day and location and share it with you next week.

Lazy Sunday: Amazing Amethyst Floral display

Amazing Amethyst floral display,
Whimsical,
Mysterious,
Blazing,
Star gazing.
A glorious array!

Happy blazing June, at last. May the sun shine on all of us!

Luxurious Lupins

Luxurious Lupins
Flourishing,
Nourishing
Nougat turrets,
Glittering,
Tinkling
Amethyst
Pixie pinnacles.

Smell the healing fragrance of honey. Nourish your imagination.
This border in the town centre of Welwyn Garden City was filled with lupins and Cerulean iris, so beautiful.

Foxglove Finials

Foxglove finials,
Intoxicating,
Scintillating.
Turrets towering
Over Cowparsley
Handkerchiefs.
Campion lamps
Shine over
Fae folk feet.

Foxgloves are also called ‘Fairy petticoats’ and ‘Fairy thimbles’. There are three symbolic meanings of this beautiful wild flower: insincerity, youth and a wish. I see them everywhere on my walks decorating the borders along fields. Often as I get closer, a baby rabbit peeps its head out and leaps about amongst the grasses and flowers.