Our cold sun

This tree is called a Bastard Service Tree. Truly! Despite that, the blue sky and the meadow of buttercups reminds me of the impressionists, somehow. It is so rare for the sun to shine here and for the sky to be so blue. I can see why van Gogh had to flee to the south of France and how he developed into a great artist once he could feel the sun and see the effect of light and subsequent brightness of colours. Shadows and light- that's what a painter sees. And feels.

Photo copyright SvD.

Now you see me, now you don't

A dung beetle (in search of some dung, no doubt) pretends to walk past incognito, hoping to blend in with the asphalt on the road. I placed him away from passing traffic but I think these stories usually end badly (due to animal/insect/bird life not quite understanding how damaging vehicles can be to their health).

Photo copyright SvD.

Things I saw in the woods today, part 24

One of my favourite authors is Jean Giono whose prose and musings are such poetry and his love of nature, seen by him as a cathedral in which we seek solace but also as a mirror of the cycle of life. Jean Giono writes of the oak that it is impossible to catch the leaves emerging from the tree in the spring - the leaves appear suddenly fully formed to one's great surprise, or so it would seem. The oak is a source of great mystery but I would tend to disagree with Monsieur Giono - I have avidly observed the wild oaks where I live and indeed, have seen the leaves as they make their entrance into the world, VERY slowly. The young oak leaves are edible and a tasty addition to salads.

Oakleaf

Red clover is beginning to flower now - perhaps you will recall an earlier post where I wrote that as the summer progresses, flowers of different colours become more prolific. Well, the red clover has finally emerged - the red and pink flowers are the last to grace us with their beauty before summer turns to autumn. The flowers of the red clover can be dried and stored - a delicious infusion is made thereof, the fragrance of which is reminiscent of cucumber.

Red clover

These white berries are in fact unopened hawthorn flowers. The buds seen from a distance look appetising but closer inspection reveals a cunning trompe l'oeil: the 'berries' are in fact tightly wrapped petals which will eventually open into dainty flowers. I cannot think of any white berries that are edible and of course, red berries tend to be poisonous such as those of the yew.

Hawthorn buds

Here's a funny face:

Photos copyright SvD.

Congrats, Ma'am

The Queen's coronation was 60 years ago today. I am a great fan of the Queen- she works tirelessly, she is greatly loved by her family and she is a perfect example of decorum. In this graceless age we live in, we need to uphold our admiration for icons such as the Queen.

I would say that it is mostly my affection for the Queen which makes me proud to be British.

Silence and stars

My picture taking is purely intuitive. I just wonder around with my hound who luckily stays close by (he views me as source of food hence the reason he sticks around).

This shot is just me day-dreaming as I frequently do - I have always been this way and I doubt I will ever change. The last time I saw my father alive, he smiled and said that I was exactly the same as when I was little, that my personality had remained unchanged. (I was a grown woman with grey hair at that last encounter.)

Coelum, non animum mutant, qui trans mare currunt. Those who cross the seas, change their sky but not their disposition. - Horace

Photo copyright SvD.

Your happy memories 06/02 | Blog Talk Radio

I enjoyed interviewing Marko Kasic today and he is such an inspiration. Marko is literally changing lives. If you'd like to support him and his organisation FUNDLIFE, please contact me for his personal details.

Click here to listen to the interview

How yellow is a buttercup?

Here, ladies and gentlemen, is a very black hound in a field of very yellow buttercups. These cheery-looking flowers are in such abundance now that it is impossible not to tread all over them as one walks in meadows and fields. Buttercups are a dazzling yellow, a molten gold when touched by the sun's rays.

This is my hound who has developed a taste for posing for the camera.

'These flowers are getting up my nose.'

'To be or not to be....'

Photos copyright SvD.