Leisure by W. H. Davies.

What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass, where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like stars at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.

Wet and wild.

The wet and windy weather has lasted several days...........we have had a months rainfall in that time. The following photos are the wild areas of the garden....the trees and shrubs have shot up and everything is looking very green and lush.

The copse....I planted the trees when we first came here.
The staghorn sumach was 6 inches high when I planted it.
Oak, hazel and honeysuckle, wonderful for wildlife.
Woodland walk....none of this was here when we moved in.
Wildlife loves dark places....here they can hide away from predators.

Pines and Laurel are evergreen so the garden has winter interest.

I love this area, maple, mahonia beech and elder.....again good for wildlife.
Ivy is wonderful for nesting birds, mine grows over arches.
The copse is full of ferns, foxgloves, sedges and woodland sage. It improves every year, and is a wonderful habitat for many creatures.

iNSPIRATIONAL BLOGS.

Yesterday I spoke of blogging friends...today I thought I would mention two people I visit that I have a great affinity with. Hedgewitch @ Earth and Tree............and Sherry at Q's Corner. For many years I have been treating myself holisitically ..... using diet, herbs and nature to heal me. Both Sherry and Hedgewitch have a lot of knowledge in this area and by visiting their blogs I have gained more information. Sherry also has a blog telling of the teachings of Ayurveda....I have taken the journey with her and am finding her posts so helpful. So ladies todays post is just for you, enjoy.
Weather beaten, but still a pretty picture.
Poppies never ever bore me.
Fox and cubs are doing well and producing lots of new flowers.
The rain has made everything shoot up......its a jungle out there.

Rosa Rugosa 'Alba'...............reminds me of weddings for some reason.
Hedgewitch will like this.....the Elder is coming into flower. Her fragrance, I find, is quite potent. I love it. I love these blooms picked fresh, dipped in a light batter and gently fried. Yum.
White Campion is flourishing and dances in the breeze.
And a daisy with two tiny creatures on it.....
My beloved bees..............

Another Poppy.....waiting in the wings.
Little Toadflax.........exquisite.
A stroll across Valerian....what a lovely way to spend the morning.
Creepy looking insect but I don't mind him.
Rose buds I think are better than blooms. Is that a little greenfly I can see??

Don't know what this is....shall investigate.
Blurry image but he was just about to make a run for it.....
Pretty bee wrapped in Wisteria.
Such a beautiful photo....can you see the raindrops hanging like little jewels??
And to finish.....this is for you Sherry.....your photos of blooms with raindrops have inspired me. It has taken me ages to get a photograph that I considered worthy........I hope you like it.

Tuesdays wanderings.

After a wet weekend the garden has a new lease of life, everything seems to have shot up. The old apple tree fruits are coming on well. Yummmy!
Granny's bonnet is still surprising me with colourful blooms
My favourite fern has finally emerged.......Japanese Red Shield Fern.....I love the colour.
I know, I know, its another bee and foxglove but I just love these two together.
I love the way they use their legs to cling to a flower.

My pink lupin looks as though something has had lunch....this is the first time its flowered in two years.
Lady's Mantle and raindrops another match made in heaven.
The hostas are still doing well and I can see some buds in there.
My beautiful Redwood has just come into leaf....I love this tree.
This is a lovely honeysuckle, the colour is stunning.

This little hoverfly was covered in pollen, he had been having a good time somewhere.
This is the male scorpionfly.....please note the tail.
Greenfinches looking for seeds in the grass. Poor shot I know but taken from the house.
The beautiful cream-spot tiger moth. When she open her wings there is a deep yellow...this warns any predators that she is poisonous.
I can't grow Roses here due to the rabbits. When we moved I planted many...only to lose all but two. They went into tubs, this is one of them. When this opens it is quite stunning.....it looks really old fashioned. The bloom being red and pale green. I can't remember where it came from but I have never seen another one.

Each day I allow myself ten minutes to get as many photographs as I can for a post. As with many bloggers time is precious and we all lead such busy lives. Those ten minutes give me such pleasure. To wander around my garden just looking for those little things, is the boost I need to start my day. Thank you to everyone that visits regularly.....and the comments you leave. That also gives me a lift, knowing that you enjoy, what I upload. I particularly want to thank Beckie, Rose and Lisa who rarely miss a post and always leave a comment. You are such good blogging buddies.