THE JEWEL GARDEN

I've had a blog absence caused by summer finally arriving. The garden is just too magical to resist. After all the rain and extended cold weather there is a lot to do outside.

When we moved to the cottage there was an ugly but functional pond at the back of the garden. It had a cement brick border and no plants around it. What had once been the lawn had been covered with black plastic and then piles of pebbles. No doubt the previous owner liked the beach, but this was more like a desert. There was a small border, overgrown with ivy, and brick planters had been built all around the whole back. No shade for wildlife to hide and live.

The old pond, in the desert. 

 We were surprised that despite this inhospitable environment there was life. Before the pond began to cave in we discovered two species of Newt and several common Frogs. We decided that eventually we would build them a new home and in the meantime we moved them to a safe place where they could hide and hibernate under some large stones.  The cottage needs as much work as the garden and so the Newts and Frogs have had to wait. until now.

 

The beginning of a new pond.

It is a work in progress but as soon as we had the liner down and water in the Newts reappeared.

The bright and dark 'Jewel Garden'

Nature never ceases to amaze and delight me. Suddenly the garden which only a few weeks ago was dead stem is lush green and dark moody bloom, full of buzzing.

Mrs House Martin sitting on her eggs.

Our cottage is very simple, nothing grand. But it has charm not just to us, but for the House Martins who have nested here every year since Victorian times. Those raised in the nests on the cottage return from their long and perilous journeys from South Africa in April and build new nests around the village. This year we saw a few, then a storm raged and they disappeared, then a few returned. One nest on our cottage remained empty and a source of constant sorrow for me. It had been built two summers ago, by a House Martin who had fledged from our cottage. Last summer she and a mate raised a brood there which were only ready to fledge in October. We worried that the dangerous journey they make may have come too late and they and their small offspring had perished.

The first week of June we heard excited chirping and there they were! A flock of both House Martins and Swallows had returned and joined the earlier arrivals in excited flying and talking. There are now a few new nests on the side of our cottages. The Swifts returned this Spring to their homes in the church, but sadly only a few. Numbers are really down. Last summer was disastrous for them and they returned to South Africa having been unable to raise any young due to the torrential rain. If this glorious weather continues this summer might be a good one for them.


A Poppy seed head. A perfect work of art, by Nature.



Oriental Poppies about to bloom

As soon as we moved here I planted a lot of Poppies. They are such a romantic plant.  I love everything about them, the buds, the fern like leaves, and best of all the big blowsy blooms in fairy tale colours. But we must not forget the seed heads either. After the blooms are gone the plant creates such magical shapes to hold it's seed. I love the way it has a small crown on the top and inside is beautifully marked and furrowed.

 

 

 

 

 

The borders at our cottage were covered with ivy which when removed revealed ancient varieties of plants with blooms in shocking colour combinations. Their jewel like shades of orange, magenta,  midnight blue, acid green, purple and deep red glowed. We were inspired by BBC television gardener Monty Don. Monty was a jeweller before becoming a gardener and has what he calls a 'Jewel Garden' at his home. Monty has written a book about his garden and how it saved him after his business failed. I think most gardeners would agree that there is something healing about being amongst nature and creating a personal haven. We really loved the idea of his Jewel Garden and how he had chosen plants in jewel like colours. Throughout my life I have thought of my garden as a kind of jewel box, full of exquisite surprises, provided to me by Nature. We decided rather than dig out all of the old plants and start anew with a more subdued colour palate, we would keep our Jewel Garden and add to its dark and moody ways. I have begun to think in jewels instead of colour and now see the garden in terms of Citrine,  Pink Quartz, Sapphire, Lapis Lazuli, Peridot, Emerald, Amethyst and Ruby. I added a lot of white scented climbers to diffuse the brightness and attract Moths and Butterflies.

 

 

 

 

 

NATURE ~ More Rain, A Lone Swallow and Other Birds

We live in a valley, between two country market towns, Marlborough and Hungerford. I love them both and also enjoy the peaceful drive there and back through the rolling hills with farms tucked underneath their arms framed by old villages. It is very quiet, I don't meet many other cars but I often meet a lot of wildlife along the way. The small patches of woods and the open meadows and fields are full of Deer, Hare, Rabbits, Stoats and all kind of birds including birds of prey. While driving I scan the skies for winged things. If I go by the village ponds I meet an assortment of waterfowl as well. But my favourite birds which I always welcome back with the greatest excitement and joy are the Swallows, House Martins and Swifts.

I had to go into Marlborough today and the rain stopped just long enough on the way home to stop and photograph some of my favourite cottages and fields. I was attracted to a Kestrel, hovering by a country lane, but it spooked so no photos of him to share! I was watching the Rooks, like naughty teenagers skating on the wind over a bright field of yellow rape when out of the corner of my eye I caught the sightest glimpse of the bouncing flight of a familar graceful friend.

My heart lept with expectation - could it really be? Was it possible, even in these storms, my brave little friends have made the epic journey from South Africa? I held my breath and crept a little closer. My camera is nothing special, no big lens, so I could only hope I was near enough to be able to tell. And I am as blind as a Bat, so I had to rely on poor eyesight and an inadequate lens. YES! There it was, the deepest midnight blue, the black of the Raven's wing and best of all the blood red markings under the chin, the forked tail, and the soft white. A Swallow, all on it's own perched on a fence. Well, that is other than the Quail who was sneaking in and out of the plants underneath him. 

Swallows, House Martins and Swifts always seem to me to fly with the greatest joy, the Swifts shrieking with excitement, the Swallows and House Martins leaping into the breeze with glee, riding it ever so high and then down so low. This one, though on it's own, was chirping loudly and after allowing me a few moments of joy it was gone as quickly as it had come. Alas my camera is not swift enough to catch it on the wing but thankfully my eye was.

What they actually look like through a better lens or eye than mine!
By Molly Brett, the Fairy artist from Surrey.

This field was full of wildlife, I spotted Rabbits, Quail, Pheasants, Crows, and Rooks. And my magnificent Swallow. For a few minutes the sun shone, no rainbow but I did not care. Bliss!

I always await their arrival every year and their departure at the end of summer fills me with sorrow. Even though I am a Winter person I think that when I leave this world of which I am much fond I'd prefer to do so while the Swifts, Swallows and House Martins are on the wing in my village fields. I could not bear to think that I was leaving without having seen them one last time.

The Flight of the Swallows by JH Lorimer.

 

This is a favourite oil painting of mine. I love the quiet symbolism of it. The shadows against the warm glow of the light, all the pale and golden tones and the blue sky outside the window. I find it quite poignant and understood at once the feeling of the scene. It was set in Kellie Castle in Fife. It is showing the elegant interior of an Edwardian household. A mother kneels on a window cushion as she and her three children look out the window. The sun seems to be setting as the room and the sky are lit with a warm glow. One of the children is seen sitting with her face in her hands, as if crying over the loss of summer. The other two children stand with their mother waving goodbye to the swallows.

I hope that soon the House Martins who nest on our cottage will be back as well. It's raining again, quite hard, and I worry for all the small creatures, and the large ones too.

PRE-RAPHAELITE PERFECTION ~ On a Vintage Biscuit Tin

I've always had a good eye for beauty. When I was little I used to yearn for all the lovely items I came across.  As I grew older and realised that there was much to be grateful for in my life I was able to appreciate things without the need to own them. Which was a good thing because I have never had a lot of money, and try to give some of what I do have to charity, so enjoying the chase of finding and being able to admire without having to own has been a blessing!

I love window shopping and even more I like to be able to touch tactile fabrics and catch the light through fine porcelain. So browsing at markets is bliss for me.

But when the weather is bad or I have no transport I can turn to the magic of the internet. In the old days it would have been books, and often still is, but the net is vast and surprising and although I was reluctant to embrace it at first it has enriched my life hugely.

I found this old tin for sale on ebay. I was tempted to bid for it but I knew that it was so good it would go for a fair amount, it sold for £53.00. I think it is worth every penny, it is a wonderful item that shows the quality which used to go into making simple everyday things.

Imagine the joy that using this each day would bring!



Antique Art Nouveau Glasgow School John Buchanan "Jewelled" Panelled Biscuit Tin c1910.

Stands 8 1/4 inches high. Base measures 6 3/4 x 6 3/4 inches.

 

The top of the tin sparkles with jewel like colours.

While the manufacturers details are inside the lid. 

According to The Mitchell Library the confectionery firm of John Buchanan & Bros was founded in 1858 by John Buchanan and his brothers Andrew and Alexander. Early success brought a need for larger premises and in 1869 the firm moved to this large new factory in Stewart Street, Cowcaddens. The firm prospered, extending the factory and adding jam and sweets to its range of products. New machinery increased productivity and demand rose as prices fell. Vast amounts of fruit and sugar were imported and jam and confectionery were exported worldwide. At its height, the factory employed over 1,000 men and women.

The firm was one of the first in Scotland to employ female administrative staff.

Although this exquisite pre-raphaelite style tin in not mine I do have one which I use every morning as we keep tea in it. I found it in a charity shop for a few pounds. It has the date 1977 on it. I love it because it has nature illustrations on all sides and the top is illustrated with a House Martin, a Swallow, Wild Strawberry and Violet. Four of my favourite things of Spring. 

Each year in April I watch and listen for these brave little birds soaring overhead as they return to England from South Africa. The Swift is also a favourite and I love their shrieking, especially when they are so high up that you cannot even see them! Sadly we have far fewer of these magical birds than we used to see each year but last year, which was the second year in our little cottage, House Martins nested under our eaves.  I am always so joyful when our migrant friends return!
   

Pure Magic in a clear blue country sky.