A DRIZZLY COLOURFUL WALK IN COOMBE WOOD

I don't mind a bit of rain when I'm suitably dressed.

Duck weed was clinging to the ducks feathers along the water line, creating a luminous green stripe, which showed up particularly well on the white feathers of the drake

Was it my imagination or was the sweet scent of these little pink waxy flowers enhanced by the rain?

Two fluffy feathers on the wet grass 

Pink Azaleas

 Buds everywhere

Clusters of trees are festooned with tiny trails of delicate buds

 Camelias 

Pink edged white and cream flower

Vivid pink camelia

 I love the colour of the jumble of stamens against the vivid pink petals

Pink bud

 Wonderful fresh green feathery fronds unfurling

I enjoyed the gentle scent when I got really near to these delicate little flowers for a close up photo

These buds do look like tiny Brussel sprouts 

Heather

The sun came out and shone through the old hydrangeas - showing how much the new green shoots have grown

A beautiful little robin came to sit on the back of the concrete seat for a while before flying off to sing in a nearby tree

More of the "Brussel sprout" buds - russet leaves instead of green - one yellow bud showing

Euphorbia

I like the zingy green colour of the flowers against the more subdued green of the leaves and the dark background. I find the development of the inside of the flowers fascinating.

These are tiny and there's masses of them spilling over the rocks at the front of the raised flower beds. This is the first time I've had a really close look when the red is showing. They're a bit like clusters of antlers.

Some of the bullrushes have almost lost all of their seeds but a few have a lot more to spread. 

There's always something different to see - even if it's the same plant as before but further on in its development. 

Back home again

This is a close up of the inside of a white tulip from my beautiful bunch of mother's day flowers

 Thank you very much for joining me

A COOMBE WOOD WALK WITH MY SISTERS

Yesterday morning I was invited to join my sisters for a walk in Coombe Wood. It isn't often that all three of us get together as one sister lives in Cornwall. I thoroughly enjoyed spending some time together in one of my favourite places. 

A pair of ducks on the pond. 

The drake had just dipped his head underwater. 

There's barely anything left on the Korean pine cones

These are possibly chionodoxa flowers (glory of the snow)

If you've visited my blog before you'll already know how fascinated I am to see how the middle of the hellebore flowers develop - they're so crazily over the top! I can't resist another photo! 

 The pond was very green yesterday - it had been much clearer the day before. The old flower head stand out well against the green background. 

A DRAWING A DAY: UPDATE

I tried a change of layout for my mini drawings, with a page per month - but I didn't like it. I will be changing it again - the impact is reduced by only having a month visible at a time (first 14 days of March shown here). Trying this out helped me decide that I don't want them to be shown like a calendar layout or in book form. 

SUNSET

This evening I caught sight of the sun reflecting through a clear glass hanging piece (with trailing blue threads and blue bubbles in) made by my middle sister several years ago. I had never noticed before quite how much it transforms with the changing light. It glowed orange this evening. So many things happen around us that we don't notice! 

Thank you very much for joining me. 

TWO WALKS - ONE DAY (Coombe Wood)

Duck making patterns on the pond

Spring flowers

Crazy crocus middle

Deer footprint

The gardener was replanting the pansies that the deer have dug up. 

Seen on "Countryfile" - using a mirror to view snowdrops.

Little shoots getting ready to burst into life

My camera battery ran out. Something had gone wrong with my system - the spare was empty too. I went home to recharge the batteries. I wasn't going to have a second walk today but it was so lovely and sunny I went back for more.

Pheasant wandering in the sunshine

Blossom

I spotted a bumble bee enjoying the hellebores

Dwarf irises

The bullrush seeds are exploding

. . . leaving a trail of seeds everywhere 

 including suspended on spiders webs between the fence posts.

Thank you very much for joining me on my journeys.

COOMBE WOOD - A WALK IN THE SUN

Frost melting

New shoots

The lily-of-the-valley-scent of the Mahonia flowers once again stopped me in my tracks. I stood and breathed deeply and enjoyed the moment while a pair of robins sang to each other nearby.

Close up of Mahonia flowers

Magnolia buds

Snowdrops dancing in the breeze

Crocuses shining like purple silk in the sun

Hydrangea buds developing fast

Sweet scented shrub - I still don't know what it is

The flowers on this mystery shrub are so tiny but the air is filled with their perfume and as I turn the corner near them I often catch their scent before I remember they're there.

First signs of the tulips

Light shimmering on the pond behind an old flower head 

Whispy bullrush seeds 

Tiny fragile moss with red stems and little green tops

Thank you for joining me