The Wood of Cree is the largest ancient woodland in southern Scotland and provided a delightful stop off on the way to the Stranraer ferry. The short signed walk leads you up by a series of waterfalls and back down through Bluebell woods. Pied Flycatchers and Cuckoos were calling.
Photos of many photographable and sketchable/paintable waterfalls! :
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| 'White' Bluebells. |
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| Moss growing up the saplings. |
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| Further along the valley, we drove past vast expanses of Bluebell woodland. |
With a continuation of the glorious weather, half a day gardening and then a walk down by the river at Hesket Newmarket. We happened to finish our walk at opening time for The Old Crown - what a shame!
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| Rocky heading off - he knows the way! |
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| The Wild Garlic - a few more days and it will be at it's best. |
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| I love the shadows. |
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| Wood Anemones, Bluebells and Garlic. |
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| Meadow Saxifrage. |
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| Toothwort. |
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| Herb Paris. |
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| The river is drying... |
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| Wood Anemones. |
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| Wood Anemones.. |
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| Here he comes.... |
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| And plenty of Bluebells... |
A trip to St Bees with glorious blue skies and sea. Vibrant flowers on the cliff tops, but the ledges were empty. No birds at all, no rafts of Auks out at sea either. I don't know why, as at this time of year you would expect to see something on the cliffs, especially given the good numbers we saw earlier in the year - hopefully they were all feeding way out at sea and not something sinister.
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| Red Admiral on Spanish Bluebells on the track to the coast. |
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| And native Bluebells.... |
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| Red Campion. |
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| Thrift. |
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| Empty cliffs. |
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| Herring Gull. |
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| On the way down to Fleswick Bay, it is apparent that Spring is still very much here....Celandines and Violets. |
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| Primroses. |
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| Looking down to Fleswick Bay. |
Finally, another finished piece. This one uses layers of hand dyed and printed wet strength tissue, cotton and organza, with machine and hand embroidery. I really like using the wet strength tissue, especially layering it after it has been 'coloured' by taking random textural prints off a Gelli plate. First a couple of photos of Purple Sax on Pen-y-ghent. Sadly we missed our annual trip to see it this year, as the weather was rubbish!
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| Playing on the computer to get ideas ... |
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| The finished piece that will soon go off to be framed. |
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| And closer too..... |
Spring may have arrived, but the colours are still all washed out down at Wedholme Flow - one of the Solway Mosses. A warm day, but no Adders today.
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| Hiding in a field next to the reserve. |
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| Washed out... |
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| A single Whooper Swan in the middle - between the Mute Swans. |
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| Nice to see the Cotton-grass ... |
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| A very green Lizard. |
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| Peacock Butterfly. |
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| Back through the woods. |
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| And a Red Admiral. |
