The fragrant air of fruit and berries
fills our garden at harvest time.
Damsons ready for the picking,
apples ripening, some are falling
to the ground beneath the trees.
Buddleia sweetness luring bees
to settle on its laden branches.
Roses resting, pausing, blooming,
Flowering mint with marjoram.
Silver birches, ash and hazel
changing daily green to gold,
Scented leaves give hints of Autumn
when still warm earth and dew combine
to cool the sun with perfumed misting
as the garden breathes again.
When time stood still and then moved on
a restful pause filled the daywith silent streets and quiet roads,
blue skies above and flower filled lanes.
A lonely time, a sad time,
A peaceful time, a joyous time,
Time to think and feel and see,
To simply sit or walk.
And then the car filled roads returned
The planes began to fly,
The shops re-opened, work began
and busy people rushing by forgot to pause.
Crowded streets now filled with noise
are what some people want,
but to hear the singing birds again
and look up at a clear blue sky
must surely be a special time,
When time stands still.
Solstice
The solstice chorus greets the dawn
on this the longest day.
A fleeting glimpse of sun and then,
Clouds turn the sky to grey
and trees and flowers lift up their heads
to feel the summer rain,
as daytime hours pass swiftly by,
the sun shines once again.
The thrush sings a melody – a symphony of sound
The blackbird sings so beautifully just longing to be heard
The bees are in harmony – dew is on the ground
The jackdaw squabbles and chatters like no other bird
It’s nearly June, the sun is up and nature greets the dawn
A prelude to the day…
A silent slowworm in the grass, gleaming
A dragonfly with golden wings, shimmering
Swallows and swifts swooping, flying high
Over a breeze filled garden of light and shade.
At sundown the concert begins again
With singing birds
Pure notes cascading in the twilight hour
Of the finale.
One more phrase, and then
Calm, still, peace, quiet… not a sound.
White Hawthorn blossoms fill the hedgerows, wild garlic covers the woodland glades and sweet scented cow parsley is everywhere. It is a wonderland of white. The warm April sunshine tempted the bluebells to flower early and sadly that intoxicating fragrance and colour has almost gone. We wait so long for all these spring wonders and in the blink of an eye they fade and then the May blossoms fall like snow. Horse chestnut trees are fully laden with creamy pink flowers and soon the elderflowers will transform the lanes into another wonderland of white.
Do I need to drive to garden centres when I am lucky enough to have a natural garden all around me?
Do I need to drive to the heath and coast when the Vale is so beautiful?
Do I need to look for painting inspiration beyond what I have on my doorstep?
By the River – Lin Adams
If I walk the same path to the river everything changes each time I go – different wild flowers, birds, sky, colours.
Walking a different path leads to ploughed fields, brown earth and green shoots. A wide expanse of farmland.Once upon a time the Vale was full of cows and small dairy farms but the landscape has become more open over the years with fewer trees and hedgerows. A different place to the one Thomas Hardy described as the Vale of Little dairies.
“Here in the valley the world seems to be constructed upon a smaller and more delicate scale …The fields are mere paddocks …Arable lands are few and limited …Such is the Vale of Blackmoor.”
Thomas Hardy. (Tess of the D’Urbervilles)
Blossom covered lanes, blackthorn and wild cherry; catkins, green and russet brown;white wood anemones and purple violets; celandine – carpets of sunshine. A palette of Spring colours.
During this “stay at home” time, rediscovering our village lanes and footpaths is not only good exercise and a mindful activity, it is helping me to find hidden gems for painting.
Walking through the small copse where the dark green leaves of wild garlic not yet in flower cover the ground and the woodpeckers call, I reach the river Stour. It moves slowly reflecting cream coloured reeds and bare branched trees. The Blackmore Vale stretches out before me towards the Dorset gap. The landscape is like a Constable painting with sheep safely grazing.
A steep lane leads to an old derelict mill where the river tumbles and froths over a weir and flows under the footbridge to calmer waters on the other side. We sometimes spot a kingfisher here, but it is a rare sighting. However with more time to spend “standing and staring” who knows, we may get lucky.
No driving, no travelling, just walking, listening and seeing.
Everything is greening up but the cold north wind still blows strong and our garden butterflies don’t know whether to venture out or hunker down. While the Blackthorn is in flower the chilly weather may continue but with lighter evenings and mornings the birds simply carry on as usual, pairing up, nest building, singing.
Spring just keeps going on!
Signs of Spring came to our garden in Dorset as soon as the New Year celebrations were over! Bulbs were pushing up through the earth and grass – everywhere at a frantic pace. So far there has been no snow, few frosts, deluges of rain and stormy weather and incessant wind! What will March bring? Daffodils, crocus, primroses are now in flower and early cherry blossoms create a dusting of pink against a backdrop of still leafless trees. Always my favourites, beautiful Hellebores cut a dash in purple, cream and yellow. A winter into spring gardenscape which will soon be full of colour… and gentle breezes I hope.
A few bright blue sky days in between the dark grey ones make it possible to go out and feel the sunshine and see the affect the light has on everything. It is oh! so difficult to find inspiration to paint without the light. Whistler painted Nocturnes, Lowry managed to create his work in an attic room, Van Gogh needed the sunlight and Georgia O’Keefe the great outdoors. All artists are different.
Thomas Hardy wrote about the endless winter rain, not until the end of April did he feel we had turned the corner but with our climate changing springtime appears to be coming earlier each year.
“Week after week, month after month, the time had flown by. Christmas had passed. Dreary winter with dark evenings had given place to more dreary winter with light evenings. Thaws had ended in rain, rain in wind, wind in dust. Showery days had come – the period of pink dawns and white sunsets: with the third week in April the cuckoo had appeared; with the fourth, the nightingale.” Thomas Hardy (Desperate Remedies)
The cuckoo is becoming more scarce to hear in our countryside and the nightingale’s song almost gone but the blackbirds and thrushes will soon be adding their voices to the dawn chorus and we must be grateful for that. Not yet a “Silent Spring”. (Rachel Carson)
It is almost mid winter, days are getting shorter and shorter – the winter solstice is the turning point when minute by minute the days get longer. The sun has barely risen when it begins to set again. Sunsets are brief – look away and they are gone. Walking in trees at this time of year can be beautiful even on grey days, dark rainfilled days, days with little light or just a glimpse of the winter sun’s white light.
“Don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous” (Rumi)
Some rare days can be blue sky days – filled with dazzling brightness.
I miss the spring, summer and autumn colours but winter has its own special colour palette.
“It is a pleasure to a real lover of Nature to give winter all the glory he can, for summer will make its own way and speak its own praises.” (Dorothy Wordsworth)
The Marsh Harrier circles low over Lodmore nature reserve, lapwing and geese gather in the reed beds and suddenly we see a flash of brilliant blue – a kingfisher! We shall see wonders if we take the time to stand and look.
As the rain falls and the wind blows Autumn leaves cascade down into wet grass and woodland paths.
The sun is losing its strength and no longer gives us long days of light. For an artist it is so important to enjoy every opportunity to get outside and look at the landscape – especially the trees and hedgerows which are changing colour every day.
The woodland canopy is becoming a glorious painting of rich golds, reds and yellows and the heath is still overflowing with fading pink/brown heather and splashes of yellow gorse.
No frosts yet here in Dorset and my garden still has roses and marigolds in bloom. On a few sunny days, red admiral butterflies flutter and dance – large bumblebees seek out pollen and warmth.
The clocks have gone back and it is even more important to find colour and light. As Thomas Hardy said winter is a time for pink dawns and white sunsets so while I can still see golden sunsets I shall make the most of every one!
The dead heading of roses is a sad task but eventually new buds will come. I am trying very hard to keep the roses blooming – I don’t paint them but simply enjoy their beauty and fragrance which carries on the wind.
It is beyond mid summer and the days become shorter minute by minute. Hardly noticeable yet. Sunset skies, gentle twilight, and early dawns still continue to give an abundance of light and it is good to be outside absorbing as much of it as possible.
Standing in fields of poppies, wild flowers and orchids recently, I remembered it wasn’t that long ago – about 2 months- I was walking in bluebell woods and spring flowering meadows.
Our garden lawn was covered in buttercups and daisies ……….. now we have a carpet of white clover and purple self heal. The bees are having a wonderful time.
Fruit is forming on the apple and damson trees and it won’t be long before the elderflower berries turn dark purple – a forever changing colourscape.
Summer Meadow
Painting white… painting green… it’s all about the trees.
May blossom has fallen and the cow parsley is fading to green but there are signs of delicate elderflowers appearing … the hedgerows and our garden have been overflowing with whiteness since the blackthorn appeared in early spring.
It is calming and restful.
How to paint white? Is it a natural pure colour or tinged with gentle shades of green, browns and subtle pinks.
It is tempting to add colour – but which colour?
Our daisy lawns are beautiful and when the sun shines on the buttercups the colours of nature compliment the gentle pinks and purples of the flower borders.
Spring is over too quickly – Maytime and cuckoos, bluebells and song birds, waking early to hear the dawn chorus.
June will soon be “busting out all over”.
Chilly winds and blackthorn blossom remind me that summer isn’t quite here but as the clocks go forward the light lasts longer and for an artist this is pure joy.
There have been many grey skies since the Spring equinox and it is such a treat to be enjoying the sunshine on a blue sky day. Our spring garden is full to bursting with yellow celandine and hazy blue rosemary. Silver birch, hazel and ash trees are waking up – and if I sit still I can almost see the leaf buds opening.
My daughter and I are discovering ancient sunken paths, stone markers, hidden lakes and ponds in the countryside near Tisbury in Wiltshire. Climbing up a narrow, steep track with Castle Ditches an iron age hill fort on our left and Swallowcliffe woods on our right, we paused to listen to the sound of green woodpeckers, drink tea and eat chocolate cake. A perfect setting for a Spring picnic!
Blue bells are just starting to come into flower. Wood anemones and primroses are scattered on the mossy banks.
Painting springtime will be energising. Woodland walks with primroses and Dorset heathland trails with golden gorse are waiting for me to get out there and feel the colour.
Leaving a bleak winter in England behind us we arrived in Portugal …… soon to be in Spain. Two countries divided by the river Guadiana. From the Algarve to the Costa de la Luz, the border crossing is easy – no checks here – one of the benefits of being in the European community!
Everything in Spain appears to be on a much larger scale ……… the intensive farming, (mono culture,)strawberry fields forever (under plastic). Oranges and almond trees grown in vast monotonous rows. However, spending time in the Donana National park and the Bay of Cadiz, we discovered beautiful unspoilt marshlands where spoonbills and storks feed in the shallow water and reed beds. Hotels and villas continue to spread ever closer but for the moment there appears to be a pause in developing the increasingly rare nature areas along the coast.
Vista de la Bahia de Cadiz
Strong northerly winds keep the temperature cool – really chilly! Then the wind drops, blue skies return the sun shines and the heat of the land creates a profusion of yellow flowers in the orchards and wild areas.
Returning to Portugal the almond blossom, white gorse and wild flowers are in full swing. The landscape is more intimate and small pretty farmhouses can still be found everywhere. My favourite place, the Ria Formosa estuary is enchanting and tranquil.
We watch spoonbills, egrets and herons feeding and our minds become still.
Almond blossom time
Capturing the essence of Spain and Portugal is a wonderful challenge. The light is strong, sunsets incredibly rich in colour, skies deep blue. We will soon be returning to England – winter grey skies, but Spring is not far away and the days will be getting longer. Snowdrops and daffodils, Blackthorn blossom followed by Hawthorn. Even a few blue sky days! There is never a reason not to paint.
Sunset in Cadiz
Christmas has passed, January is here and sunlight is a rare thing.
Walking on the footpath towards King Alfred’s Tower at Stourhead in Wiltshire I turned left went through a gate and found a hidden lake. Small pockets of woodland, remnants of the great Selwood Forest cover the slopes of the valley. Climbing a hill to stand under an ancient oak I paused to enjoy the sunshine. The gentle light softened the dark silhouettes of the leafless trees. It was so quiet and peaceful – winter sun is beautiful.
Returning home from Shaftesbury – after a typical gloomy grey day – a winter sunset lit up the sky over the Blackmore Vale. It was extraordinary, breathtaking and uplifting.
A brief unexpected brilliance.
