What a beautiful post. Sitting at my desk, working in London, so lovely to be transported outdoors, to see the beauty of birds and small animals and your compelling tree sketches. Thank you.
Such a beautiful homage to stillness, creating, and the pull of spiritual homes. I take such comfort in your writing and am also grateful for the poetry you share. Sarton’s, especially, touched my heart. xx
A beautiful read and stunning photos too. I have been visiting The Llyn Peninsula in Wales since I was very young and I feel a similar pull or 'hireath' (lovely new word!) to the area. I will be returning for Christmas and it will be my first time visiting in the winter, I am really looking forward to the wintery skies & landscapes and some quiet hygge time while we are there.
I am certain it will be wonderful in winter. Hopefully you will get some dry, crisp days and then you can get cosy by a fire! Thank you very much for reading my post and so pleased you liked it.
Such a beautiful post Deborah! Loved all your shares---beautiful poem by May Sarton. I totally hear you with regards to returning to a longtime area that brings comfort and assurance. I think we all need that type of escape by times. Absolutely loved your large tree drawings!! Gorgeous work--cheering you on to continue when you arrive back home. Thanks so much for sharing! xx
Thank you so much Debbie. Being away allowed me to breathe into them and didn't have to worry about fitting drawing into a short time. Time to be bolder, I think!
So happy you had the perfect mental space to delve into your work Deborah! Makes such a difference. Life can really get in the way sometimes. Cheering you on to keep going with this larger work---they turned out beautifully! I'm in the "time to be bolder" category as well as I prepare to work on large cloudscapes. We can be each other's cheerleaders. lol xx
What a delightful post. I love your bank voles, and all the birds - the blue-tit in one photo looks like he is dancing! And this beautiful Welsh word hireath makes perfect sense to me as I think I experience this when we are in Frome in Somerset, surrounded by creativity. You have chosen such lovely things to share with us, the poem by May Sarton especially. I have just read the opening words of 'Wintering' and look forward to savouring the rest of the pages, particularly as this time of year can be hard for me, as for many of us. I love your larger, charcoal works and hope you will continue them with just as much joy when you return to Norfolk.
Thank you very much, Lou, for your he heartening CC omm Ed nts a NB d for CV t as king be the time to read it. I came across the May Sarton poem quite by chance and it seemed perfect. You would love "Wintering" and found it really helped me cope with the dark days post - Christmas, and can't recommend it highly enough. I have been wanting to make bigger drawings and being here gave me the lift to do it. I need to make sure I continue being brave! Xx
I'm so glad you could spend time in this place. I know that feeling of longing for somewhere, and May Sarton's poem says it so well. I love your big charcoal drawings. They are dramatic and really "of the moment." Nuthatches are favorite birds of mine. They are so agile and perky.
I love May Sarton as nd am sure you would love her writing too. The drawings felt a big leap but I hoping it will be a springboard for more! Thank you x
Loved reading this Deborah, what a beautiful post.
It sounds like a beautiful place to visit. And gosh to have a little family of voles (and now a shrew!) sounds delightful. And your charcoal drawings are absolutely stunning!
I’ve placed a bird feeder just outside my the window where I work, hanging on the greengage tree. I love watching the blue tits up close. There is a resident Robin who is always there too! X
I am not sure why my original reply didn't appear but don't want you to think that I hadn't responded!
The shrew turned out to be a pygmy shrew and, despite my best attempts, I couldn't encourage him outdoors! So the landlady was going to try after I left and promised me he would be safe!
Bird feeders are so lovely to watch and you never know who might turn up next!
Love everything about this ... the photography is gorgeous, the poem is exquisite, your thoughts of Wales echo ours - we miss it fiercely even though the life we have chosen in rural France suits us well (perhaps if we could have afforded a couple of acres in Wales, who knows) ... and the drawing, beautiful. Sounds like a wonderful, much-needed change of scene. Thanks so much for sharing it with us all
Thank you, your message meant a great deal. I would move here in an instant if I could, though I love Norfolk. This week has flown by and hope to return in spring to see the lambs! I am I glad you like the drawings, it feels a big step!
Thank you for these beautiful words and especially the descriptions of Wales. I am too old now and don't think I will ever have a chance to see it, in this life anyway, so I will dream of it.
Thank you for your lovely message and for reading my piece. I hope my post on this magical place gave you a glimpse of the landscape and creatures who live here. I confess I will be very sad to leave tomorrow.
Your love for Wales shines through. A lovely piece.
Thank you very much for reading it.
What a beautiful post. Sitting at my desk, working in London, so lovely to be transported outdoors, to see the beauty of birds and small animals and your compelling tree sketches. Thank you.
Thank you very much for reading it. It is rather wild here and don't think I will be moving today! Take care xx
Such a beautiful homage to stillness, creating, and the pull of spiritual homes. I take such comfort in your writing and am also grateful for the poetry you share. Sarton’s, especially, touched my heart. xx
Thank you, Kate, I am so glad you liked it. I love May Sarton, especially her journals which are much neglected here I think xx
A beautiful read and stunning photos too. I have been visiting The Llyn Peninsula in Wales since I was very young and I feel a similar pull or 'hireath' (lovely new word!) to the area. I will be returning for Christmas and it will be my first time visiting in the winter, I am really looking forward to the wintery skies & landscapes and some quiet hygge time while we are there.
I am certain it will be wonderful in winter. Hopefully you will get some dry, crisp days and then you can get cosy by a fire! Thank you very much for reading my post and so pleased you liked it.
Thank you Deborah! This post was a break for meeting beauty amidst the dark ages we live in.
Thank you!
My goodness, we need breaks from that at the moment . I will try to keep this a place of refuge and thank you do much for reading xx
Such a beautiful post Deborah! Loved all your shares---beautiful poem by May Sarton. I totally hear you with regards to returning to a longtime area that brings comfort and assurance. I think we all need that type of escape by times. Absolutely loved your large tree drawings!! Gorgeous work--cheering you on to continue when you arrive back home. Thanks so much for sharing! xx
Thank you so much Debbie. Being away allowed me to breathe into them and didn't have to worry about fitting drawing into a short time. Time to be bolder, I think!
So happy you had the perfect mental space to delve into your work Deborah! Makes such a difference. Life can really get in the way sometimes. Cheering you on to keep going with this larger work---they turned out beautifully! I'm in the "time to be bolder" category as well as I prepare to work on large cloudscapes. We can be each other's cheerleaders. lol xx
We can be brave together! Xx
What a delightful post. I love your bank voles, and all the birds - the blue-tit in one photo looks like he is dancing! And this beautiful Welsh word hireath makes perfect sense to me as I think I experience this when we are in Frome in Somerset, surrounded by creativity. You have chosen such lovely things to share with us, the poem by May Sarton especially. I have just read the opening words of 'Wintering' and look forward to savouring the rest of the pages, particularly as this time of year can be hard for me, as for many of us. I love your larger, charcoal works and hope you will continue them with just as much joy when you return to Norfolk.
Thank you very much, Lou, for your he heartening CC omm Ed nts a NB d for CV t as king be the time to read it. I came across the May Sarton poem quite by chance and it seemed perfect. You would love "Wintering" and found it really helped me cope with the dark days post - Christmas, and can't recommend it highly enough. I have been wanting to make bigger drawings and being here gave me the lift to do it. I need to make sure I continue being brave! Xx
I'm so glad you could spend time in this place. I know that feeling of longing for somewhere, and May Sarton's poem says it so well. I love your big charcoal drawings. They are dramatic and really "of the moment." Nuthatches are favorite birds of mine. They are so agile and perky.
I love May Sarton as nd am sure you would love her writing too. The drawings felt a big leap but I hoping it will be a springboard for more! Thank you x
A beautiful post, I very much enjoyed reading about your ‘retreat’ to Wales. Your photos and sketches are lovely 💕
Thank you very much. I confess that I am rather sad to be leaving tomorrow!
So beautiful and calming. xx
My original reply seems to have gone astray and fear it was the poor signal while I was away. Thank you for reading and sending much love xx
Loved reading this Deborah, what a beautiful post.
It sounds like a beautiful place to visit. And gosh to have a little family of voles (and now a shrew!) sounds delightful. And your charcoal drawings are absolutely stunning!
I’ve placed a bird feeder just outside my the window where I work, hanging on the greengage tree. I love watching the blue tits up close. There is a resident Robin who is always there too! X
I am not sure why my original reply didn't appear but don't want you to think that I hadn't responded!
The shrew turned out to be a pygmy shrew and, despite my best attempts, I couldn't encourage him outdoors! So the landlady was going to try after I left and promised me he would be safe!
Bird feeders are so lovely to watch and you never know who might turn up next!
Thank you very much for reading my post.
Love everything about this ... the photography is gorgeous, the poem is exquisite, your thoughts of Wales echo ours - we miss it fiercely even though the life we have chosen in rural France suits us well (perhaps if we could have afforded a couple of acres in Wales, who knows) ... and the drawing, beautiful. Sounds like a wonderful, much-needed change of scene. Thanks so much for sharing it with us all
Thank you, your message meant a great deal. I would move here in an instant if I could, though I love Norfolk. This week has flown by and hope to return in spring to see the lambs! I am I glad you like the drawings, it feels a big step!
My lad and his wife lived in Norwich for a while ... it is lovely, we can seek the draw. But lambing in Spring, in Wales, bliss!
I love Norwich and live there for several years, but nothing beats gambling lambs!
So beautiful, Deborah. Thank you. x
Thank you for these beautiful words and especially the descriptions of Wales. I am too old now and don't think I will ever have a chance to see it, in this life anyway, so I will dream of it.
Thank you for your lovely message and for reading my piece. I hope my post on this magical place gave you a glimpse of the landscape and creatures who live here. I confess I will be very sad to leave tomorrow.
My reply to you didn't appear...I was so thrilled to hear from you xx
😘