The weather has finally turned cold and bright, and the sky put on a spectacular display both this morning and this evening. We have a weather warning for snow and ice at the weekend, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings.
The birch is one of my favourite trees, and the inspiration for several of my designs. I love their tall, graceful shape, the bright golden colour of their leaves in autumn, and their distinctive pale bark, which peels back in strips. Known as the goddess tree or lady of the woods, the birch is one … More Silver Birch
A couple of weeks ago, we bought a new book of local walks, Walking the Old Tracks of the Cheviots, published by Coquetdale Community Archaeology. It’s slightly unusual, in that all of the walks take in historic or archaeological sites. We’ve been keen to try some of the routes, but frustratingly the weather has been wet … More A walk from Alnham
I’m still hard at work on some wintry designs, and I’ve just finished these lovely little holly leaf earrings. They’re cut from lightly textured silver sheet, then oxidised until they turn a dark slate grey colour. I’ve chosen to give them a light polish, retaining most of the oxidisation, as I thought it captured the … More Latest Designs: Holly
It’s hard to believe that November is nearly over, and that Christmas is not that far off. Apologies to those of you who prefer not to think about it for a few more weeks, but those of us hoping to provide you with gift ideas have to think ahead! With this in mind, I’ve been … More Latest Designs: Mistletoe
These aren’t the sort of pictures that I was expecting to be posting for my March landscape, but it really has been a month dominated by snow. We had three days of heavy snowfall and high winds, which caused massive drifts amd blocked the road for nearly a week. Just as that lot finally melted, … More March Landscape: Snowy Scene
Well, that’ll teach me to talk about signs of spring. Since my last post, it has snowed every day. Sometimes all day. Our village, indeed the whole of Upper Coquetdale, is now pretty much cut off from the outside world. Roads are closed across the county, including the A1, the main north/south road. Luckily we … More Snowed In
As I write this, it is looking distinctly wintry outside. We’ve had heavy snow overnight, with more forecast for the next few days, and there were some very cold days this month. However, February hasn’t all been about frost and ice. We’ve had some lovely sunny days too, with the first signs of spring starting … More February Landscape: Signs of Spring
One of my favourite sights at this time of year – a carpet of snowdrops. These were in the grounds of the National Trust property Wallington Hall. ”Beloved” is the theme for the photo challenge this week, and you can find out which objects, views, and people are held dear by other bloggers over on … More Beloved: snowdrops
The hedgerows around the house have been given their annual haircut, and they are looking very straight and tidy. Although they still form a hedge, it’s possible to see the individual plants that combine to make the whole. The pattern repeats, yet each is unique. Variations on a theme. Find more infinite variety over on … More Hedgerow: variations on a theme
