An injection of colour

I can't believe I forgot to post pictures of my recent trip to Kew Gardens. I've been looking forward to that for some time, it's perhaps the most enjoyable day out in winter! Of course, the actual gardens are pretty dull in winter, but the delights inside the greenhouses are what I always go there for!


We said these leaves were patterned like dinosaurs.


Yes....it's slightly immature...but still amusing.


This plant was, honestly, huge. It also looked like a triffid and scared me.


I was struck by the resemblance of many plants to genitalia...I love nature and it's strange ways.


The tropical room in it's entirety.


A display of various orchids and other plants (my horticultural knowledge is pretty slim).


The size of the trees is quite astounding, despite the rusting metal walkways making me increasingly nervous.


I love the 19th century construction.


If there is one thing I must have in my house, it is an over-grown white metal spiral staircase with wooden handrail!

Perhaps my favourite room of this visit: The orchid house.
So much colour and life, it was so refreshing on a cold, rainy winter day!








This is most definately my favourite photograph, I love the way that the orchids look as if they're clamouring to be photographed, like children...very Alice in Wonderland haha.

Beginnings and ends....

Two beautiful photographs that I have taken this week, the weather has been so wonderful.
What a nice start to sprigtime...


Sunrise on Wednesday


Sunset on Friday

Really pretty...makes me wistful for summer.

More moss...

I took another walk today. It was such a nice day, I meant to make it much longer and have a little explore, but I had more pressing things to do, such as fill up this giant sketchbook!
I saw a Sparrowhawk. He was sat on a gravestone just feet away. He winked at me then flew into a tree before I could grab my camera to capture him. It was nice though, I love nature, even if it was just a little graveyard in a city.
Well, I ought to get back to my painting...













Aside from moss, I also noticed two other strange things...


I thought this tree looked alot like a bone...


...and this tree had falled over entirely.

It's a good job I like green...

Because that's what colour I shall be surrounded by for the next few months.
I organised my wall today, so that I can see all my photographs and inspirations, I'll probably add to it and change it though.



I also did a small amount of drawing...
(the photo's look a bit strange because I took them as it was getting dark, and without a light on)


mossy wall


moss texture

And finally, it was the first nice sunset I have seen this year, I've always been fascinated by clouds.

If you don't look, you won't see

I went for a short walk in the arboretum this afternoon, taking photo's for my new project. I have since decided that moss is one of the most beautiful things, and no-one ever seems to pay it attention unless they're scraping it off the wall. Which, by the way, I think is a dreadful shame.




detail of first photo...as soon as I saw it on the computer screen, I fell in love with the shapes













I also noticed the first tiny green buds beginning to grow on a tree...this made me smile...aside from the deep, dark depths of winter, I love March and October...they always smell so fresh and rainy. Speaking of which, I dreamt about the smell of rain last night...hmm odd as it is rainy today.

Nicholas Alan Cope - Photography

So in order to have an equal amount of posts for days in the month (so that I average at a post a day)...I'm getting a headstart and posting a few interesting people that I have come across today whilst researching for my project (these that I am posting, curiously, aren't related to my project theme)

These photographs by Nicholas Alan Cope are beautiful. They are from his Still Life I set and the Landscape set. These were the two sets that caught my eye.

Still Life I:










the smokey qualities of the photographs make me feel so intrigued. the patterns and subtle colour/tonal differences are wonderful and so detailed


Landscape:










i love how the contrast is so high that the plants almost look like x-rays. and how these textures and shapes contrast so heavily with the above photographs.


*found on but does it float?

We went for a walk...

It was such a lovely afternoon.




winter sunshine low over the motorway


in love with the shapes and perspective


my lovely taking a photo of me taking a photo under the scary bridge


this tree had lots of seed-pods hanging onto it


this photo reminds me of those lovely photos of mid usa- golden fields and blue skies