Hoping for plums

Hoping for plums

I do love blossom – looking at it and drawing it.  Our little plum tree is covered in white flowers at the moment.  Why do we talk about ‘blossom’ rather than flowers? According to the Woodland Trust website, blossom refers to the flowers of stone...
The miracle of resurrection

The miracle of resurrection

Spring is such a wonderful time of year.  New life is all around us. The dead looking, gnarled, lichen-covered apple tree is full of new tips and buds just waiting to burst into blossom. Happy Easter, everyone! 
Such a pretty primula

Such a pretty primula

Friends kindly gave me this unusual primula, with beautiful dark patches on both sides of each petal. It has a similar shape to a cowslip, and the wonderful curly leaves of cowslips and primroses. This one is called silver/ gold lace, and there is a look of broderie...
A liking for lichen

A liking for lichen

I picked this twig up recently on a walk with a friend. It is so completely covered in lichen that it almost looks like a large hairy caterpillar.  The twig itself is only apparent at either end, like a skeleton providing a structure for the lichen, with just an...
Gilding the Lily

Gilding the Lily

The Lily … even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these’. [Matthew 6:28,29] Some friends gave me a large bunch of these beautiful flowers last week.  At the time they were all in bud, the tapered forms of which had a beauty of their own. Over...
Christmas greetings – and a pine cone

Christmas greetings – and a pine cone

Pine cones have a feeling of Christmas for me. We have some gold-sprayed cones on the Christmas tree, and others in a bowl. I’ve always loved the shape of pine cones, and the way they close up tight and open up to release their seeds.  Pine cones are fun to...