22nd August 2026 :
I had a bit of a wobble with life the beginning of this month and i am quite proud of myself of halting that destructive force and keeping going with this journal and other things as on Monday they were on the chopping block. I managed to persuade myself a better night sleep will help you see with better clarity : which it did : and here i am.
However , i had a day of beginning to learn SEO better and i have adjusted both websites with better keywords and also more descriptive to what i am doing rather than generic. Hopefully this may see a change. I know it is ongoing learning process. I feel we need a better search engine which champions art and nature especially by tiny websites.
The devotion to our natural world is a mirror to the divine innate within us and i feel that nature is not a commodity even for health purposes but something we strive to become rather than separate from. There has to be a relationship just like the flower and the bee where we support our planet as it provides us gifts of life.
The need of income creates an insecurity which distorts our truest intentions. I am working on trying to live without that fear and have faith that my needs will be met. I did not want this website to be commercial , does everything need to sell something ? As it seems like that on google , their whole language creates this anxiety as a reality. I want this to inspire and encourage people to find their devotion to nature however that looks like.
We are all gifts and sometimes i get frustrated by people who think they are better , devise ways to exclude people and put down others as they do not fit into their world view. The world would be much better if we included , be kind and helped each other by elevating and encouraging people in their endeavours. We see scientifically the niche of evolution and you can see even each beautiful thing has differences but those in control of cultures want everything the same in adoration of themselves.
This is my wee rant over !
Due to some heavy but welcomed rain my expedition to Stonehaugh to find trees to photograph for my “Meet a Tree” blog has been delayed until today. I have been trying to be strategic in my visits as i want to visit Donkleywoods which is a tiny native woodland in walking distance from me but i want to capture them when the leaves begin to change. Depending upon what i find my next years journal will be Sidwood , Donkleywood & Stonehaugh .
Hareshaw Linn
The miracle of life emerges once more after a beginning of intensity of growth and ferocity of colour now its fruits are here in stillness simply waiting for them to ripen or a gust of wind to disperse. I love the sycamore seeds and how they helicopter into the wind finding themselves within different parts of the woodland which in autumn i will be cheerfully seeking out.
The Elderberry are now formed on their red scaffolding and now it is waiting , all the creature know when they will be ready and leave them alone. This year due to the heat wave and drought i will be leaving all the berries for the creatures to nourish themselves with. However , i will be enjoying sharing their journey into amazing purple baubles of vitamins.
Another wonderful cow parsley plant showing off its transformative colours as the seed heads dry and then slowly releasing them to scatter nearby or birds spreading them further. For me , it is a win win as next year the verges will fill even more and i will find a sole plant making its own colony somewhere close by.
I love their textures but mainly it is the bold form standing proud.
Mainly now the thistles have their cotton candy seed heads displayed but spend a little longer , maybe a rummage in the under growth and you will find one still with their beautiful purple flowers.
I found what i think is honeysuckle at the first bridge within the woodland traipsing on the side of a tree which is flowers are slowly falling and this is a story i want to tell. This is reality of life , if we only want to see life in its prime , love only the flower in bloom like everything is a utopian instagram story of perfection then AI has won. If you want to experience the beauty of realness and know what that feels and looks like go into nature and become part of something amazing.
Feel the energy of it becoming from spring , the intention of being hidden in the ground ; Rejoice in its fruition into a beautiful flower ; and , connect to its grace of returning back. Honour the impermanence , be curious about the hidden forces within it , see the changes , the colour within colours and know the life it supported whilst it was here.
New male alder catkins have emerged , i have not yet found the female more smaller round ones. You hardly notice them to a point you would not even think the woodland had any alder trees but wait until the leaves of the woodland have fallen and what remains are dangling catkins as you wander through as if they were transported by magic to bling out the woodland whilst leafless.
My favourite subject is the grasses , i still wonder what they did wrong as people just walk past them. They are exquisite and look dreamy especially whilst a breeze follows you through the path. They are the making of a master craftsman with the intention of holding space for life. Be sure to honour the grasses along your nature walk.
Bull Crag Peninsular
There is still in places and feel of summery nights filled with aroma , bright flowers and bees but it also has a feel of September. My little punk rocker thistles have now the Knapweed supporting “purple” as you wander through the non wooded areas. I just love seeing them glitter in the sunlight and the butterflies are in heaven with them right now.
Don’t you just love a place just filled with abundance of flowers and plants ? You can feel the energy and what is wonderful they do not require you to do anything but appreciate and love. You do not need to be an artist to connect deeply with this , just bring yourself back to breath and still your mind for a few minutes , perhaps you can sit beside them , and just be with them.
Language and words have kidnapped how we experience life , you do not need words , find meaning or describe what your eyes see. You do not need to put words to feelings. Although uncomfortable at the beginning after a while you will notice something wonderful as you just sit amongst flowers , plants and trees in silence and each time your mind wanders catch it kindly and gently bring it back to being with the plants.
Bakethin a few more remaining Foxglove , a few regal purple bells on each one. Still useful for the foxes to warn others of humans and the fairies to wear them in their rituals.
I am unsure what these white flowering plant is but i adore its white colour and neutral middle of the flower. The Ragwort which most people think of as a weed and horse people spend their time removing to me look amazing. Their colouration is so beautiful as i love yellow in nature , it just brings everything forwards to meet you. The middle part orange has such a different texture to daisies or similar flowers
In folklore Ragwort were “Fairy Steeds” known as in Gaelic as “Buchalan Bui” or the yellow herdsman. You need to ask consent of the fairies before pulling them as you would not want to offend them. It had a nickname of “Stinky Willie” due to its aroma but also its connection to the Duke of Cumberland ( the butcher) as the weed sprang up across the highlands in the wake of the 1746 Jacobie rising between the blood soaken ground. During the 16/17th Century witch trials it was associated with devilish magic. and someone originated in Lancashire the Pendle Witch Trials are still remembered.
In the Field , Sketches
I had to go later on this week due to the rain and i had all sorts of pre-conceptions to how i want things but when i get their it all changes. There is a deep insecurity from my Aphantasia as i have no idea what i am going to create and how. It is often a leap of faith . The focus is not an intellectual one , but on my inner knowing , let be in the moment and just trust my process. I had forgotten my mixing bowl for the pan watercolours which was a blessing as i prefer direct contact with tube paints as it adds texture , density and gestural flow.
Watercolour , Pencil & Crayon on A3 & A4 paper.
Bakethin Nature Reserve
The last 6 fairy hats remaining in the reserve and look how beautiful the purple is. There is such a wisdom of not needing to hold onto things when you are connected to abundance of life. They are only meant to grace the land for a short while but with a promise they will return the year after. There is a cycle of abundance through our year and life. It is difficult to keep its faith in the world we live in with the constant pressure of needing to produce but when you connect to it there is a serenity which softens the anxiety and a wisdom which lets the past and future alone.
I made a little storyline of moments of abundance from the emerging blackberry flower , to its dissolving and forming a berry ready to ripen alongside its intended potential of the wonderful red Raspberry. There is a divinity to the timing and the unfolding , the self creating and the gift , which the taking becomes a gift for the giving !
Learning to receive is as important than being able to give ! Something i find quite difficult to do.
I wonder if they could speak our language what would they say to us and if i could speak the universal language of nature what i would ask them.
August time is Heather time in the North of Britain which momentarily turns the dark tense moorland into lightness of purple. There are some plants along the verge flowering now where it gains enough sunlight and i think these exquisite delicate light purple flowers are just a strong symbol as the Thistle is.
People drank Heather beer for thousands of years long before the addition of malt and hops. The final resting place for fairies . Practical , medicinal and mystical and very much a plant which resides in my heart.
I have not shared so much of the nature pond over the last months which i can advice you that it is in full swing and vibrant. I am still trying to think of ways to express its energy.
