My sacred tree.......

I love my old apple tree, almost, as much as I love bees........

I love the way, her inner trunk is being eaten away, she is gaining a new entrance.......

Jack in the hedge guards the open space........

A robin sings from a branch.........settled amongst the blossom.......

Rain...........

or shine, she adds charm.....

she becomes more beautiful with age.......
she is my sacred tree........

Why not visit another old apple tree showing her blossom....Shy Songbirds Twitterings............
a lovely blog, full of charm..........

A soft and quiet day.........

Poppi and I worked in the garden today.....she was quiet, and I felt much the same.......

The hosta's are being eaten.....Poppi put wood shavings around the plants.......

Later in the day we found snails hiding in a tree. The song thrush will find them eventually........

We wandered the garden looking for blue flowers.

This little wildflower has carpeted the copse........it looks pretty and quite magical........

At every turn we found bees.......

and ladybirds.........

Poppi and I were on a voyage of discovery.........just enjoying the moment......

No effort involved........no deep discussion.......

Just nature, Poppi and I..........

Lost in our own little world..........I needed this day........a soft day........a quiet day.........

Don't you just love this time of year.......

The ferns are just beginning to come to life.......they fascinate me at this stage.....miniature works of art.........

The Gunnera has pushed through it's winter coat and frost has damaged the edges of the leaves......I love this plant, but I must confess it is a lot of trouble. The only thing is, that come summer, the huge leaves (two metres across), make a stunning feature in the bog garden.....so it stays.......

The Spirea and Elder blacklace compliment each other perfectly.......

I found this female orange tip on a soggy daffodil bloom. It was raining heavily and the forecast suggested it was in for the day. A northerly wind help me make the decision to cut the bloom and take the butterfly into the shed.........

After spending the night in the dry, I put her out in the warmth of the morning sunshine. Thirty minutes later she had warmed up, and flew off as though nothing had happened.........

I saw these beautiful tulips on someone's blog last year.......I planted the bulbs last autumn.....

I am so glad that I did. Unfortunately I cannot remember the name. Can anyone help me out??

Yesterday I saw the first swallow.....it was feeding over the garden. I was so pleased to see them back after their long flight. I also heard the cuckoo.........one of life's pleasures for me..........

This is a wonderful time of year.........

Bees and Butterflies.......

This is a Speckled Wood........I saw her enter the garden........

she headed towards the woodland walk, and fed from the spotted Laurel flowers.......

I think this is the female, she has large buff spots. Her speckled wings give her ideal camouflage in the dappled world of light and dark.

Just beneath her a Carder bee visited the Pulmonaria........

This little bee loves these blooms.......

I wish I was a bee with my head inside a pretty bloom......how about you??

Auricula

I have a collection of Auricula......I really like the dainty flowers.......

Rabbits also enjoy the blooms.......when I first moved here I planted them in the borders, only to see them disappear........

I now keep them in pots..........

and display them on a vintage stand I bought at the reclaimation centre.........

Is a garden ever finished?

When we moved here seven years ago, I remember looking at the garden and thinking, 'where on earth to I start?' I am not one of life's planners, and I am certainly not a professional but I know what I like and I am not afraid of hard work.

When I walked the garden today, I realised I am happy with what I have achieved.

I have made mistakes....put plants in the wrong place......and sometimes colour combinations have left a lot to be desired.......

but this garden does fit in well with the countryside that surrounds it.

I have given the wildlife somewhere to come, where they will be safe........

I have planted hundreds of plants for bees, butterflies and birds. I am at the moment waiting for these epimediums to come into bloom. Will someone please tell me they love them, as much as I do. They are, I think, the prettiest little flower......
I don't think a garden is ever truly finished. There are always new projects to do....ways of improving things.....

My favourite area is the woodland walk. The trees have done well and the underplanting is lovely.

I divide plants each year and relocate them.

I love to add fairies to the garden......I like them to have a bit of age.....

And one of my favourite pieces is this owl.......he was carved from an old oak, that had to be felled.......my dear father in law bought him.........we lost him five years ago. He was a kind man, with a big heart. I called the owl 'George'.....that was Pa in law's name........

and this sweet little girl reading her book, reminds me of my dear little Poppi.

I will leave you with some photographs that I took in the garden today. My friends do not share my love of gardening or nature.....so for me, to share with you is wonderful. I want to thank all of you, for leaving comments, visiting so frequently and sharing my ups and downs. I think of many of you as close friends. I love to visit your blogs and read about your lives, gardens, dogs, wildlife and much much more..........

Thank you for strolling around the garden with me. Hope that your days are warm and you are able to do the things that make you happy.........