There's a line from a Mary Oliver poem, which resonates for me…
"If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love you very much"
'How I go to the woods' from 'Swan: Poems and Prose Poems'
For only a handful of people have ever come to the woods with me, and all of them are my most loved people.
Going to the woods is usually something that I much prefer to do on my own (except for walks with Toby of course), because being alone in a wood is a wonderful sensory experience which is greatly diminished if you're chatting with someone else.
Alone you can walk quietly, listening to the forest sounds and concentrating on noticing small details: the curl of a leaf; the glint of a toadstool in the dark of a hollowed out stump; a leaf reflected in a small pool of silvery water cupped in the cap of a toadstool; the patterns in a decaying tree.
The woods feel safely enduring and impervious to the anguish and perils of the human world, and although this is of course a fanciful illusion, I am happy to embrace that feeling for an hour or two and let the woodland peace dissolve my disquiet.
Back home knitting is proving soothing too and I have a finished pair of socks and a few scarves still on the go.
I hope that you also have fortifying activities that gently reinforce hope, optimism and joy for you in these troubled times.
little cotton rabbits 
Thank you for such lovely and peaceful and hopeful thoughts…
Beautiful pictures. I can feel the calm & tranquility. Lucky us that we can carve out those moments for ourselves in these traumatizing & tumultuous times. Treasure the moments. In the end that’s what makes up a life… moments.
A wish for Love & gentler days sent you across the silvery sea.
Fondly, Lori
Beautifull pictures and beautifull words…..
I am going to put on my boots, my coat and I am going for a walk right now!
Your pictures are frame worthy!
Amazing, stunning photos Julie!
Such beauty in nature!!
Oh you speak my language and the beauty of your photos brings such joy this morning! Nothing like a walk in the woods to bring such joy even better when we bring our favourite lens and allow that beauty to be captured by our trusty camera 📷. Just beautiful♥️
Beautiful photos – I can just feel the crisp air in the woods. Thank you for sharing.
Your beautiful words and photos are like a virtual walk with you- thank you for sharing! I would love to explore the beauty of nature
in the woods by myself, but I don’t feel safe alone. I’m not afraid of bears or coyotes, I don’t feel safe alone as a woman.
The fungi photos are all stunning Julie. You take such wonderful clear pictures.
Loving your new cow patterns. They are gorgeous. Thank you for all the hard work you put in to designing them.
You find some fabulous fungi Julie … love the socks!
V x
Beautiful pictures of fungi….love the socks. Thank you.
R
Thank you Julie for your beautiful photos. Always look forward to your posts.
I love your wood photos, especially the fungi. Thanks for taking us along
through your photos. And your socks are lovely. I especially love sock knitting and I definitely love wearing a nice warm pair of ha DK it socks!
Silence; healing (Heraclitus)
You are so precious sweet & ever so dear! Your beautiful photography & sweet heartfelt sentiments, & of course your darling lil creations have given me great peace! Thank you! And always all the sweetest best to you & sweet Toby!
Oh wow! Such beautiful photos, You are very talented.
Beautiful photographs! Inspirational!
((Lyn))