Woodland Walk

A poem by William Henry Davis

When April scatters charms of primrose gold

Among the copper leaves in thickets old,

And singing skylarks from the meadows rise,

To twinkle like black stars in sunny skies;

When I can hear the small woodpecker ring

Time on a tree for all the birds that sing;

And hear the pleasant cuckoo, loud and long --

The simple bird that thinks two notes a song;

When I can hear the woodland brook, that could

Not drown a babe, with all his threatening mood;

Upon these banks the violets make their home,

And let a few small strawberry blossoms come:

When I go forth on such a pleasant day,

One breath outdoors takes all my cares away;

It goes like heavy smoke, when flames take hold

Of wood that's green and fill a grate with gold.

Work in Progress and new direction for the blog

I've been working on some new pieces recently.  Little hand sculpted clay toadstool necklaces, dried flower terrarium necklaces,  pen and ink wooden pendants using a fallen branch, filigree bronze coloured leaf woodland necklaces and little middle night owl necklaces using tiny amethyst crystals.

I've also been considering a new direction for the blog. I want this space to be a sort of journal, where I post regularly and share my process. Some of the things I'd like to focus on include...

Aromatherapy, natural beauty products, diy tutorials, adapted recipes, A journal of my adventures, walks, hikes, camping trips, crafts, sharing my work in progress, necklaces I've been making, my experiments with pyrography, working with clay, drawing and little watercolours, nature observations and my inspirations

I hope you all will like this new direction. 🌿🍄

Sizergh Castle, Cumbria

It was our final day in the Lake District and we left late morning for the long drive ahead. We stopped off at the National Trust Property Sizergh Castle.  A medieval house with carved Elizabethan paneling, a medieval solar tower and beautiful kitchen gardens.

Mossy trees

Clusters of snowdrops in the apple orchard.

The Castle courtyard

Lace in the bedroom.

Lavender on the window.

Lake District Holiday, day five, Mosedale

Today we decided to have a rest day, worn out from the long walks. In the morning we went for a two hour walk through Mosedale, our rest day idea replaced with the need to explore. We walked through the valley, climbing over rocks, crossing over streams, Herdwick sheep scattered over the hillside.

In the evening, we went for a second walk, following the path of a stream. I took photographs, using a slow shutter speed and we sat and watched as the sun began to set, bathing the mountains in a curious red light.

Lake District Holiday, day four, Burnmoor tarn

Hiking again today. We headed towards Burnmoor tarn, one of the largest tarns in the Lake District. The tarn is set in a hollow between Wadale and Boot and surrounded by marshy wet ground and a countless number of small streams running of the mountains and the nearby Scafell pike.

There were two beautiful waterfalls, water gushing down from Scafell pink and nearby mountains. We had to wade through deep marshy ground to reach them though.

Lake District Holiday , day three, hiking

We woke up to dry weather so decided to spend the day hiking. After packing a picnic lunch of sandwiches, apple juice, fruit, yoghurts and homemade flapjacks we set off. 

First we walked through Wasdale Valley, following the path of a fast flowing stream. It was a steep hike up to Sprinkling tarn but the views were well worth it. 

Surprisingly, I wasn't that cold in my navy corduroy trousers and thick red woollen socks, considering the snow scattered on the mountain tops. My rucksack was heavy,  full of jumpers, my gloves and hat.

We climbed further to reach Styhead tarn. And stayed there a while, eating, taking photographs, exploring.

And all of a sudden the light changed. The sky became brighter and the sun came out. The view was transformed.

We built snowmen, using pebbles from the tarn. I never expected to be building snowmen this year, and especially not in March.

It was such a lovely day and well worth the hike.

Lake District Holiday, Day two, Ravenglass steam railway, Wastewater

It was a wet, rainy day so we decided to go to the Ravenglass and Eskdale Steam Railway and spend the day travelling up and down on the oldest working 15" gauge locomotive in the world.  

I was feeling a bit under the weather anyway, so it was lovely to have the opportunity to see the Lake District from a steam train. I took so many photographs so wanted to share a few of them with you here. 

Afterwards we walked around the small coastal village of Ravenglass, once occupied by the Romans for over 300 years. We walked down, passing through small woodlands scattered in snowdrops, to the Roman Bath house remains, apparently one of the largest remaining Roman structures in England. I was amazed by how much of the walls were still remaining all these years later.

On the way back to the cottage we stopped in a lay-by close to the edge of Wastwater tot make some photographs and walk a little as the fading light was so beautiful. 

Lake District Holiday , Wasdale, Day 1

We stayed in Wasdale, in the Lake District, just under Scafell, the tallest mountain in England.
Driving up, we got a bit lost, missed a turning and ended up having to take a long detour.
We arrived at the lovely whitewashed stone cottage mid afternoon and after unpacking went for a walk for a couple of hours through the valley.

Herdwick sheep

Wasdale Valley

There was lots of snow on the tops of the mountains, and down below was quite misty and cold. The light was very hazy, the hills disappearing into the clouds.

In the evening, I sat by the cold fire, drinking cloudy lemonade and writing in my journal.

Gorse flowers