13th June 2026
Rain , Rain & Rain , i should be used it by now living in the north of England but it does limit sometimes when it weeks long however we are promised better weather coming allowing me to go back out into nature with my camera and more importantly find some new nature ideas to paint and then actually sit in nature painting once again which i am missing. I actually began to miss trying to put it off and having a inner battle to get myself outside sat painting.
I watched a podcast with a successful author which she said after 8 books of no real commercial success her next book was noticed by a celebrity couple promoting reading books and ended up on their list which over night changed her life and even the books she previously wrote became popular. Success is very much about luck and we should not dismiss ourselves as not being enough and keep going. What our culture is , is what it is and being angry of not being included or seen limits us in our fullest expression. Seen or not , what we create is a magical , whether it fits or doesn’t fit the universe is grateful when you share its richness as its spirit deepens this miraculous life without it being attached to a culture.
In Stella ( The cat ) world , i found out that the nuisance cat Pumkin is hated by their owners which changed my stance on him , although we want to prevent him coming in there is some compassion for him as if there is no unconditional love and tenderness everything becomes hard which reflects on our behaviours : so he gets removed with kindness from now. Django , the neighbours cat was surprised by Stellas greeting him especially when he was trying sneak some of her food but the next time he was told off by her. I would love Stella to have a cat friend but it is on her terms and support her every decision.
I applied to exhibit my work in a summer art exhibition in Newcastle which is about an hour away from me. I have not had much success before with local , to be truthful i have nothing but nastiness and exclusion from local so i have a low expectation. When i was in North Yorkshire , Open Studios were really rude about my paintings and aggressively dismissed me whilst at the same time my work was displayed in the Modern Art Museum of Barcelona which changed my perception of these people. My work on Insight Mindfulness and mental resilience informs isn’t those nasty people words which cause a bad feeling but our own attachments that have been triggered. There is a feeling of familiarity or confirmation of not being enough that returns from our past which needs asking for healing. Nobody wants nasty peoples comments but the power and freedom innate within us is not to be triggered by them as it is more about them than yourself. As Boy George the pop star once said “ do not seek acceptance , let them take you as you are” . I will see what happens , it can go two ways and i am ok with both !
I had a situation with my Energy provider who for 4 months could not install a smart meter so that i may get paid for excess solar energy and i realised that perhaps the sign is to let it go as forcing something may create more problems than positives you were hoping for. I had read where i live connection is an issue and that my supplier was not being quite transparent to why they could not come.
It is a new development in me to be able just to let go of something and not feel victimised or excluded , i was normally like a bull dog not letting go of the ball , now they can have the ball.
Bull Crag Peninsular
It was quite a surprise whilst wandering through the Forest to find a mushroom in June but here it is popping up from the spring grass and plants. It looks like a Fairy mini camp ready for the Soltice in 12 days time. , they have the clover and buttercups ready for the feast and now something to dance around.
I always feel blessed that nature has included me and revealed something beautiful for me to experience.
We are not yet fully immersed in colour and chaotic plants lining the verges but the intention is absolutely clear of what is about to happen. That energy is there and it is a wonderful time to go and sit in its abundance to feel how it manifests such wonder as its innate within us too.
I just simply love wild plants along a verge at this time and it soaks into my spirit like osmosis so much i awoke thinking about how i could create this feeling through painting. I realise how much taking photographs and writing this diary settles in me and without the need of inner senses to recall there is a inner knowing held within me that i can rely on. I am so grateful for Mindfulness coming into my life as without it i would not been able to find its awareness.
Just as the Gorse has disappeared it moves onto the broom. Colour shifts through nature like wind shifts through the woodland coming from different directions , heights and intensity. What is dominant captures your attention almost drowning out other colours but when you bring yourself back to breath you see the crimsons , whites and purples popping up like grace notes.
The same happens when we see abundance and like music needs silence to have a melody new growth needs its gaps of old plants gracefully breaking down into the ground to endure its story.
The story of July lies within what is emerging in June and for me it is Fox Glove. On the island of dragons, fairies and giants it would be obvious that these magical plants are deeply connected to Fairies and is said the flowers are used as hats but what i love most is that the plant itself bows to the fairies or other spiritual entities pass by and that is why i feel so excited to find them popping up. I do not deal in negatives so its toxic compounds are life saving medicine for the heart but i would not forage to place in my home. Some things are best looked at than touched.
So remember this flower wisdom of what you do now with mindfulness intention creates what happens next.
I will be hoping my July visit to have wonderful images of the flowers.
In the Wild , Painting
A flower doesn’t
believe in itself
it knows itself
Forms in Kielder water : Watercolour on 33 × 50 cm Bockingford Watercolour Paper & Mock Up
Bakethin Nature Reserve
Most of the colour action is on the ground along the path verges but still keep that open awareness as you wander through the woodland , expect the unexpected and you will be rewarded as often what we think is not there is waiting for us to begin looking properly. Be present in your path of nature discovery by being open hearted and remember sometimes a busy mind can be a mind which is trying to be silent.
Although i do love isolating out individual flowers and even moss seed heads i just adore finding chaos of different grasses and flowers. I feel like nature is holding me with the lightest touch showing me that to flourish you need not be serious , demanding or forceful but just to exist with joy and be playful. It is telling me to let go and let be everything as it is that there is nothing you need to do or fix. Just radiate !
When i first came here last spring i did not see much to behold within the trees , i saw plantation trees and much the sameness everywhere. It has been 6 months sat with these guys painting that i now see its simpleness , its minimalistic , its nuance of light and colour through its seasons and its gentle confidence which invites you just to be yourself for one moment.
This scene for me i cannot get bored of now , i see it , i feel it and i want to be part of it.
Hareshaw Linn
Oh the radiant aroma of garlic wafting through the woodland air along with bursting out of the seems glorious white petals guiding your way towards the end of the path. Pretty flowers of cow parsley glistening in the filtered sun rays and little green baubles of what will become juicy berries and thats why the birds come along and wake the trees.
Just in a song and all it bountiful without force or need to hoard.
The majestic nettle , the female plant graced with its dangling flower clusters ready to catch the wind to expand its catchments providing nutrients into the soil and nourishment to butterflies and bees. I really cannot understand it being called a weed as once before it was a friend to our ancestors. Collect the light green tips to make a lovely summer fresh cup of tea , lightly crush the leaves in a pestle to bring out its flavour and if you feel a little adventurous mix it with a peppermint tea.
They maybe tiny but they are certainly the mightiest in the woodland bustling there way into thuggish green foliage encompassing the woodland floor . Beautiful lilacs and deep ultramarine centres or sparkling white flowers with yellow tendrils sending out messages to insects. Both deceiving us with double petals of their fibonacci sequence of five to ensure we are paying attention to what nature is telling us.
My grandest of days of the Hawthorn trees putting on their very best show and the white cow parsley underneath cannot help themselves joining in. This is what late spring looks like , it is what it feels like and there is nothing more simpler way to connect to this than just sitting quietly underneath and let it shed a few petals on you. Leave your thoughts behind by just naturally breathing , smelling the aroma and noticing the wonder of colour , you’ll soon become just awareness and then beauty will grow onto you like this tree.
