Easter Day wanderings in the woods under broad blue skies...

 It has been a thoughtful and sad two weeks, a bittersweet beginning to a cold bright spring and an ending too as we wait to say goodbye later this week to a good friend who lost his long battle with cancer on the spring equinox. I will say more words about our friend, an artist and a truly radiant man, in another post after we have said our goodbyes on friday, and show you some of the wonderful things he painted.

For now I will share with you some pictures of a bright Easter Day walk in the woods, bitter cold but with the earthy scent of green and growing things waking in the sun.

 With Grandma and Grampy under the broad blue sky...

A very mischievous Easter Bunny here...!

 Leading Grampy along winding fox trails...

Happy children in the sunshine...

 I'll leave you with the hares seeking skyward over my hearth... Hope you all had a bright Easter and blue skies to bring in the spring. I'm looking forward to the greening of the woods...

Easter Dragons and Raven Prophets....

Here's a very happy Easter Dragon for you by Elora age 7...
It seems the Easter bunny still managed to find us at our new house which is great because we love Easter Egg Hunts!

I hope you've all enjoyed a Happy Easter Day! Signs of Spring are gathering every day, the Blackthorn blossoms in the hedgerows are flowering, birds nesting, trees are budding new green leaves... will it be Ash or Oak this year I wonder?

Oak before Ash we're in for a splash,
Ash before Oak we're in for a soak!

Though with hose pipe bans already and hard cracked earth we could do with a soak even though the early sunshine has been lovely...

April Oaks and Ash

Here's a picture of the Badger tracks Elora found last week on one of our spring walks, if you look closely there seem to be big badger tracks and small badger tracks here going in different directions...

And finally the temptations that come of running your own gallery got the better of me this weekend with this wonderful creature, made by local Bath ceramicist David Craddock...
This particular sculpture came in to our shop just when I was in the midst of my Huginn & Munnin Raven series of paintings, and has been whispering to me to take him home ever since!

So home he came to keep watch over his Crystal Hoard and to gaze enigmatically out over the woods where the Buzzards roost....


I feel he needs a name but have a feeling he will choose his own when the time is right... meanwhile the shadow-rustle of dusky feathers and wry taunting croak of glitter-eyed prophets fill my imagination with omens and half-heard mythologies, a whisper of wingbeats in the half-light...

Early one Easter morning as apple blossom drifts soft like snow...

Happy Easter everyone! We got back from our week in Wales just in time for the Eostre's Hare to come calling in our garden early this morning...
Hence forth I was pulled out of bed far, far too early by two excited little bunnies, and had to sneak out in my dressing gown to give him a hand while they were busy with breakfast...
It was a beautiful morning though, full of drfiting blossom and dappled early morning sun, the garden changed a lot while we were away...

Can you spot the nest amongst the bluebells by the play house?

They were in a great hurry as you can see!




And here's the nest after being raided by little hands...


Two happy (soon to be chocolatey) bunnies...

It's only been a week but it looks like I've got a lot of catching up to do with all you folks, so I'll come around visiting soon...
I'll be posting a couple of holiday adventures to share with you soon as well - we did have fun, and lots and lots of sun - in Wales, in April! Amazing! (We had packed all our raincoats!)
Enjoy your day wherever you all are... :)