Category: countryside

countryside · crafts & knitting · winter

Emerging

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)22 Comments

February is always the time when I feel like I’m emerging from hibernation. Not that I have slept all of January of course, though the temptation was certainly there. I have been busily knitting away and have put together the beginnings of a couple of new patterns. They still need editing, photographing, laying out and testing so it will be a while before they are ready but they will be coming soonish and when they’re a little further along I might give a sneak peek. I’ve also been out and about with my camera a bit, enjoying the quiet of the winter countryside, though never venturing too far from the pull and comfort of home.

Winter this year has been mild, with only a few frosty January mornings. I do love how the frost transforms the dull coloured twigginess of the winter landscape, so couldn’t resist heading out to take some pictures before scurrying back home to curl up with my knitting again.

In the last week there has been a sense of change in the air, especially at daybreak, which throughout December and January has been a silent affair. But now that February is here the dawn chorus is gaining new voices each day, with small birds singing out their territorial boundaries from first light. Spring is waiting in the wings, ready to burst forth with colour and fragrance and celebration of warming and lengthening days. I don’t know about you, but I feel very ready for it.

 

autumn · countryside · crafts & knitting · in the woods

Out in the autumn woods

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)22 Comments

Temperatures have dropped a few notches here this week and out in the woods that has signalled the start of a co-ordinated leaf drop. As we’ve walked the woodland paths, great flurries of leaves have been whipped from the overhead branches and blown together to form deep drifts underfoot. Because there’s been very little recent rain they’re lovely and crisp and the most beautiful colours, from the light gold of silver birch, through the ochre tones of hornbeam, the copper of the sweet chestnut and burnished bronze of beech, to the dusty browns of the oaks. Toby is delighted. He kicks through the crisp leaves and uses his booted feet like small ploughs, leaving furrowed piles of leaves in his wake. Our walks take twice as long at this time of year, as he likes to double back and go through the deepest patches again. I love to see him so happy at such a simple pleasure, and we keep cosied up against the cold breezes with scarves and mittens, though we do arrive home again with wind-chilled cheeks and pinkened noses.

Throughout October and November I’ve been out in the woods on my own too, with just my camera for company and have had fun toadstool hunting. I thought that this might be a good year for them, but they’ve been a bit thin on the ground and I’ve not found any of the beautiful fairytale Amanitas at all this year. That’s half of the fun though – never knowing what you might find around the next tree stump, and I never tire of looking.

Back at home in the warm I’ve been trying to sort through the mass of ‘in progress’ animals. So far I have 4 boxes full of bits and pieces and still have more bags to sort through. It’s my mission to finish them off over the coming year and get them to new homes and I think I might have a few more giveaways over the next year. By the way, I’m still reading through all of the comments on the last giveaway – there were so many! Thank you so, so much for all of your kind words and for taking the time to comment and share what has made you happy recently – I will continue to enjoy reading through all of the comments in the coming weeks.

Well, I’m off to do a bit more sorting and to try and marry up various body parts of animals and try and remember what yarn I used so that I can make any missing pieces – not a way of working that I would recommend!

Have a good week and warmest best wishes to all my American friends for a happy Thanksgiving xx

 

autumn · countryside · foxes in my garden · in the woods · wildlife

Early Autumn days

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)23 Comments

 

 

Autumn has arrived here in this little corner of Hertfordshire. Although the leaves are still mostly green, there’s a definite feeling of seasons shifting in the cooler, misty mornings and the lower slant of sunlight and it won’t be long before the leaves colour and fall.

A couple of weeks ago I went out to the orchard. It’s one of my favourite local places and is at it’s best in Spring, when the trees are bedecked with blossom, and in Autumn when fruit decorates every branch, shining out from between the leaves like glowing baubles. I’m always amazed at the wide variety of the humble apple, there are many shades of green from palest milky jade, to bright sunny lime and a range of reds from russet to a deep burgundy. Each one is a thing of beauty and sitting in the middle of this quiet place is a great delight to me and a balm for soothing away any worries to a background hum. I climbed the wooded hill at the back of the orchard where there’s a large badger sett, though they were all safely sleeping underfoot, and then headed back past the bee hives and geese to my car and drove home feeling peaceful and refreshed.

My knitting has taken on autumnal tones too. I’ve been trying to finish off a couple of little bears to giveaway but somehow time is still getting away from me and they still remain unfinished. I’m sure I’ll manage it soon, I’ll keep you posted and show some pictures of what I’m working on in the next post.

In other news, I’m no longer the mum of teenagers. Toby turned 20 yesterday – 20!! I can’t believe he’s now 20! And Amy was 22 at the beginning of the month. Time really does slip away doesn’t it?

And there’s sad news from the garden, it’s now been 5 weeks since we last saw Kit the fox, leading me to the unwelcome conclusion that something has happened to her and she’s no longer with us. I will miss her and treasure forever the memories of her visits and her trust in us, it was a great privilege to know her.

Rest in Peace sweet Kit xx