Dipping my toe back in...
To my embarassment, it appears to have been 7 months since I last wrote here. It was never my intention to have such a long break, but here we are. Two close family bereavements in the latter half of last year took the wind out of my sails*, and world events have hardly filled me with enthusiasm* since we lurched into 2025. It’s been a hard few months.
(* both massive understatements)
However, I’m still here, and still enjoying the local nature, even though the day to day has been a bit more of an effort. I was going to bang on about No Mow May (although to be honest, the last time I mowed my lawn was in October 2024, until last weekend, so No Mow May was really just a continuation of No Mow). However, this year it’s been the back court (a communal drying area shared with my neighbours which is bordered by a big stone wall and with tarmac ground) where the more interesting and random plants have appeared. The lawn out the front never has much growing through the grass, as you can see in this picture (although the grass getting longer and going to seed is beautiful in itself - I’d have left it even longer but the hayfever sufferers in the house were suffering).
The stone wall out the back has always been home to ivy-leaved toadflax and the marvellously named maidenhair spleenwort (my rough rule of thumb is that if a plant ends in -wort, it is pretty much guaranteed to be excellent):
This year though we also have extra colour in the cracks in the tarmac - I’ve been able to identify foxglove, “fox and cubs”, and ragwort, and I’ve just enjoyed the other ones I’ve not identified yet. It will never not amaze me that these plants can grow in such thoroughly unpromising soil!
I must admit I have had to cut back another opportunistic plant - the tough as old boots buddleia (butterfly plant), because where it has appeared at the bottom of the stone wall means that it will eventually damage the wall and compromise its structural integrity. There is a LOT of big stone wall, and I’d much rather it stayed vertical.
I’ve been doing less writing this year than before, but have been really enjoying myself doing more art. Recent experiments have included using water-mixable oil paint (great for finger painting, but takes forever to dry!), and collage. I’ve also recently bought a gelli plate so that I can have a go at gelli printing - my plan is to try botanical prints using leaves, flowers and grasses from my garden. I’m also thinking about painting more on canvas, rather than just on paper, which will represent a step up for me. Watch this space!
I’ve also attended a couple of makers’ markets this year with my books, bookmarks and cards, and tomorrow I’ll be at one of my favourites, the Scottish Arts & Crafts Fair at Geilsland Estate, Beith in Ayrshire. This volunteer-run market is one of the biggest and best-organised fairs I have taken part in, and the standard of the other makers is really outstanding. If anyone reading this is in the area, do pop in (the weather is forecast to be pretty Scottish, so the market will be a welcome respite from the elements!). I must admit, I hope that the pakora stall that was there last time I was at the market is back again - his food was stunning!
I’m going to try to get back to a regular pattern of writing here again, every few weeks - I have missed it, and it will be good to get back to regularly noticing and writing about the local nature. Other highlights recently have been the bird life near work - it’s a modern and not particularly attractive hospital building, but it’s been made lovelier by the geese and goslings who are hanging out at the pond at the hospital entrance, as well as regular flypasts by an oystercatcher which I’m pretty sure is nesting near the back entrance of the hospital somewhere.
Thank you for reading, and I wish you happy nature encounters! Till next time,
Jackie
Lovely, Jackie. Nature is so healing and you write about it so beautifully. Reading this was like taking a mini retreat. Thank you.