It started with a stitch

 

 I've been away to beautiful Shropshire this week and spent two days of my break at a wonderful workshop, part of a programme developed by Bobby Britnell and delivered by Shelley Rhodes. In the company of some very talented people we painted fabrics and papers ...and then we did some stitching. It's a bit of a running joke that I don't stitch things but I had a go, using my photos taken of the graffiti marks and initials etched into the walls of St David's Cathedral as my ongoing inspiration. Then we made plates and printed them , drew on the pages with sticks and inks, laminated papers to fabrics and did more stitching. I think I was the only one who actually stitched the book together but as I look through it the silk organza pages reveal and hide the drawing or stitching on the other sides.There is more to do. I may laminate some pages together and then re-draw or stitch over them. It's a long time since I made anything so enjoyable. I loved every moment of it.

Big Butterfly Count

Today is the start of the Big Butterfly Count organised by Butterfly Conservation. After the wash out of last summer followed by the cold Spring and now soaring temperatures they want to see the effect on numbers and find out which species are thriving or, sadly, struggling. It only takes 15 minutes at a time to suit you and results can be easily recorded online.Follow the link to identification charts and information about photographic competitions and lots of other interesting stuff.

 We are seeing loads of Large Whites and Meadow Browns here. Numbers are down for Speckled Woods, usually one of our most frequent sightings, and I've yet to see a Tortoiseshell so I own up to this photo being from a trip to Rosemoor a couple of years ago. There are no sightings of day flying moths, not even the prolific Silver Y, but on a positive note the moth traps we are running at night are overflowing.We are easily getting over 200+ moths per night and they are frisky in the warmth. When we take the covers off in the morning we are surrounded by clouds of moths flying off to the nearest hedge. Not everyone's idea of fun I know but seeing such high numbers gladdens my heart.

Ironically, the book I picked up at the library this week is all about British butterflies. The librarian told me, in that quiet voice they reserve for some, that I'd already borrowed this book. I told him I knew that but that it was so good I thought I'd read it again ! It appears that re-reading a book is a bit of a surprise to them but I can recommend 'The Butterfly Isles' by Patrick Barkham if you enjoy natural history.It tells the story of this amateur naturalist and his attempt , in one year, to track down all 59 of our native butterflies. It is an excellent read  and as one reviewer put it ...'shows us why we should give a damn...'
The count goes on until mid August so I hope some of you will find that 15 minutes and have fun.

A mini flower show

 Because 'wild flowers' are uppermost in my mind at the moment it's hardly surprising that a visit to the Books for Free shop yesterday saw me trawling through the boxes looking for books to draw me further into the theme. I am always drawn to the children's section and picked up these two little gems. The blue book is a bit the worse for wear but I was thinking what a great cover it has to save and use for a new sketchbook maybe?

The other book was first written in 1944 and reprinted in 1946. Often books printed at this time carry small stickers mentioning the paper quality as it was wartime but this one makes the point most clearly when you read the foreward in detail. 

 

 When you read about village flower shows and the like it sounds like something long gone yet these events are still the mainstay of village life during the summer months. Our local agricultural show is in two weeks time and it is always - if it does not rain.... - a great day out. I love looking at the entries in the veg competitions. If it wasn't for the rabbits here I might even have entered the 'five straight beans' class this year! Similarly, look at this line down below written in 1944......

..... because we went to a cinema down a winding country lane only last night! In a village about three miles away the village hall started showing recent films sometime last year. The events are free but a donation is asked for. I often notice that some people don't pay but for a fiver we have a good night out. Last night we saw 'Quartet' and I know it's not current in the cinema but it was an easy watch and we were home in less than five minutes. Can't be bad can it?

The flower show mention in the book reminded me of a wonderful post by Celia at Purple Podded Peas the other day. She was reminiscing about cut flowers and has some beautiful images of them in a bucket, picked from her garden. I always love reading in magazines about people who make a living growing cut flowers but it is too easy to forget that it is really hard work. Whilst we've enjoyed glorious sunshine and soaring temperatures for the past week it has meant getting the watering can out to keep even some of the perennials from drooping. As so many cut flowers tend to be annuals imagine the effort needed to keep them going. Our garden comes into its own in a few weeks time but I went out this morning with the secateurs intent on following Celia's example and picking a jug full of the few  flowers in bloom now. I started in  my front garden and got no further as I  just couldn't bring myself to pick them for some reason. They all looked so beautiful in situ that I decided to let them off for today. I'm just waiting for the dahlias and the cosmos to get going and then I'll be out there with the gloves off to follow Celia's lead. Perhaps then  I might swap the 'five straight beans nibbled by rabbits' class for the 'jug full of blousy late summer perennials' class at the local show. If I do, I'll let you know how I get on......

Summer time... and the living is easy

 For the first time this year it really feels like summer. It's warm enough to eat meals  sat outside. The swallows have finally managed after a couple of fallow years to brood six babies who flew for the first time yesterday and sat on the overhead wires twittering as we ate our breakfast in the sunshine. They are not flying too well yet but it looks like being a good year for them.

Our neighbour Trevor tells us it is set fair now until the end of August. I believe him as he always knows when to cut his fields. He cut the field next door a few days ago and turned it yesterday and he always gets it right so I'm planning my summer trips based on this assumption. Trevor is also the church warden and we went up to a concert at the church on Thursday night by local group La Volta. They play early and medieval music on traditional instruments and as the church was originally built in 1390 it seemed absolutely appropriate. Everyone in the village seemed to turn out and it was lovely to see it full. We are not churchgoers but I love churches and churchyards and I felt a real sense of community sitting there toe tapping to a Tudor jig!

I'm waiting for a pack from Plantlife , after seeing a piece on Springwatch, to monitor the wild flowers in my area but I've already started my own project with them too. Walking back from the church, I was taken with the number of white and creamy flowers in the hedgerow. Lots of elderflowers,  stitchwort, cow parsley, dog roses and honeysuckle everywhere. White flowers at dusk give off a luminous glow and in the warm night air the smell was lovely. A perfect summer evening to match perfect summer days. Let's hope it continues.

Things with wings

 I feel I could write a post starting with the words 'What a strange time of year it has been...' and just keep changing the date on it annually as every season and every year is different these days. At last we are seeing fledgelings, mainly blackbirds and song thrushes, and,  for the first time yesterday, this young robin. Other young things are conspicuous by their absence but I am hopeful for baby swallows soon! Last year the swallows here did not breed. This year, despite returning at least a month later than usual, they are thriving and there is a huge amount of activity in the air. They look strong and are dive bombing any other bird that goes near their nesting site in our small pig cott. Whilst I was admiring a butterfly the other day one of the swallows swooped and caught it before my very eyes. I've never seen that before and it was amazing - obviously not for the butterfly, but that is the cycle of life and they're all in the food chain somewhere.

Things are also improving for moths nationwide, albeit marginally. Numbers are well down but traps this week have brought some beautiful moths to the garden. I thought you may like to see a selection. Last night's trap yielded about 100 moths, all resting quietly now until we release them this evening.

 Lobster Moth

 Swallow Prominent

 Burnished Brass

 .... a very tarnished Burnished Brass who's been through the wars!

 Small Magpie

 White Ermine

Buff Ermine

Vintage bags

 I found a small pair of 1950's type curtains in the Oxfam shop for £1. A bit faded  in places but who cares when I can make something from them. I also found some vintage ric rac in my stash and enough bits and pieces for some lining so......

 I made a bag to raise funds for the charity Combat Stress and I liked it so much...

I made another! There's something about that black, yellow and pink that reminds me of my gran's bathroom tiles when I was a child. Now all I have to do is hope someone will want them and that they raise some money.

Hottest day of the year?

 When I was in town this morning I bumped into a local farmer I know. He was getting something repaired on his tractor at the tyre depot and was telling me he needed it done urgently so that he could get on with sileage today before the rain came. As I'd just listened to the announcer on the car radio telling me today was going to be the hottest day of the year I sort of scoffed and asked if he was joking. Watching the TV weather tonight has proved him right. We are apparently in for heavy rain and possible thunder tomorrow. I can't get my head around how the weather can be so changeable after the soaring heat today.

Plans to run a moth trap tonight have been shelved but a quick walk around the garden this evening on rabbit patrol has been glorious. There are bees in abundance out there and deep inside some flowers there is evidence of pollen dust collected and scattered everywhere. My poppies look beautiful even though they are besieged by cuckoo spit.  I even caught sight of a Broad Bodied Chaser and he stayed still long enough for me to capture him over and over again. I thought he might be newly emerged and still waiting to develop that characteristic cobalt blue body but a closer look at his wings show him to be a bit ragged around the edges. A beautiful creature nonetheless.

I've been doing some cyanotypes this afternoon with some wild flower images, part of a new project I'm looking at. It has been such a fabulous day full of intense colour but it sounds like batten down the hatches again for tomorrow. Roll on Friday.