Category: wildlife

countryside · garden stuff · in the woods · spring · wildlife

Snapshots from February

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)23 Comments

 

These are some pictures from my February, but words seem hard to find right now. What to say when the world has undergone such a monumental change? Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness abound and it seems unlikely that anyone in the world will be untouched by the ramifications of this horrific war in Ukraine.

It is hard to balance feeling both overwhelmed and distraught at world events with moments of contentment and happiness in our own individual existence, it creates an uncomfortable mix of emotions that are hard to accommodate. But it is human to feel both, and so I am sending the hope that you are finding some moments of peace and pleasure in your days. As always I turn to nature for solace and find it constant and steadfast in it’s ability to calm racing thoughts and soothe physical tension. There’s knitting going on too, but it seems so inconsequential at the moment and I don’t have anything finished to show.

I’m still trying to work out how best to help, for now I’ve donated to the British Red Cross Disaster Emergency Committee fundraising appeal but there are many many other charities raising funds to help. If you or your loved ones are directly affected you have my very deepest sympathies.

 

 

crafts & knitting · garden stuff · wildlife

Christmas tree bears & a new friend

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)11 Comments

 

This year it seems to be proving harder than ever to get organised for Christmas. I had so many things on my to do list for this week but on Monday Toby developed some snuffles, and although he has no other symptoms and isn’t unwell in himself I felt that keeping him home from college was the responsible thing to do because the current situation has us all feeling a little paranoid and extra sensitive to other peoples coughs and sneezes. Anyway, I’m going to be deleting a few of the less essential things from my list and what doesn’t get done by friday will simply have to stay undone 🙂

I have ticked one thing off my list today though and that is to upload a new and updated version of my tiny bear Christmas tree decorations. I first shared this in December 2008 and I thought it could use a make-over and a few new photos. The instructions are the same as they were and are very simple and fairly quick, if a little fiddly, to follow. If you wanted to make some of your own you can download the new copy of the file from here:  download now

And you can see all of the projects that others have made over the years (including lots of sweet adaptations) over on Ravelry.

Lastly, out in the garden I have a new friend. I am still missing Kit the fox and will never forget her frequent visits over the last 2 years, but the antics of this little squirrel definitely put a smile on my face. We’ve had plenty of squirrels in the garden before and they have all been typically skittish and wary, but this little chap is a very friendly character and follows me around the garden. I now have hazelnuts in my pocket whenever I go outside, and he politely takes each one in his little paws before scampering off to stash them somewhere – by now he must have the largest stash in the area!

 

 

 

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