Winter slumbering
Trees slumber and this quiet time allows them to create majestic frost covered winter monuments in the landscape. I love the detail of twigs and branches now leafless and the parasitic ivy even looks pretty.
Category: Floral Photography
Little Souls
Myrtle was the first chicken I lost. I felt helpless as the vet couldn’t diagnose. She couldn’t breathe and I read every book I could, but everything led to the same diagnosis, which I now know is not always right. It was supposed to signify gape worm, but I honestly now believe it was sadly… Continue reading Little Souls
I am a hen
Back a few months ago, Mollie became broody, she often does, but this time I decided to leave her with a few eggs, including three duck eggs from our Indian Runners and Pekins. The ducks had been vigilantly sitting for a month, but the eggs went bad and after I checked by candling, shining a… Continue reading I am a hen
Feathered friends
During molting season, just finishing now, the poultry garden is full of feathers, sometimes like a soft snow fall over night. Meticulously I gather them, long, strong flight feathers and tail feathers from the geese, pure white ones from the pekin ducks and pretty patterned, spotty ones from Bovril, our guinea. The gingers, coffee, clotted… Continue reading Feathered friends
Winter wordless
Every morning is a surprise here…some are misty, the coops slowly becoming visable as the sun rises and evaporates the damp air; others are cold, chilled with a tough layer of frost, buckets of water frozen solid and perfect to create ice scultures, the garden filling with little ice discs or the sound of torrential… Continue reading Winter wordless
Front of house
Finally the front of the Farmhouse looks respectable. It’s taken over a year to renovate my studio externally, repair the well and install the ancient well winding gear and repoint the wall. We put in the picket fence, pruned the roses and removed layers of plastic bags in the flower bed, supposedly put there to… Continue reading Front of house
Feathered gang
Finally the Canon Mark III came out in the sun. Long overdue, I wanted to take pictures of my feathered friends. We have lost a few this year and sadly I had few photos of them and I feel bad about this and need to resolve. Every day is precious and no time is the… Continue reading Feathered gang
Ice maiden
Well I am not so sure about maiden, I am too long in the tooth for that olde title but today the frosty snap produced a wealth of chilly bucket ice disks and panes that this ‘young at heart’ enthusiast had to install around the goose field. Bonnie the head goose watched me with his… Continue reading Ice maiden
Fallen leaves
As a child my walk to school took me through a rambling footpath between mighty oaks and horse chestnuts. The latter supplied conkers that resulted in many bruised fingers from conker fights. Now this childhood right of passage has been banned. Shame, but it was actually rather dangerous. But also rolling around in leaves could… Continue reading Fallen leaves
Bucket list at lockdown
With the French lockdown coming into affect tomorrow and the generally pathetic display of judgement by the powers that be, re Covid-19, I am arming myself with an eclectic library of reading, from science fiction, fashion, tapestry renovations, to bohemian souls, poultry farming, no-dig gardening and French decorators. I wont get bored. My latest delivery… Continue reading Bucket list at lockdown
Simple
Yesterday we had our first meal at the farmhouse with friends who have lived in France for almost twenty years. They made the escape and have had a wonderful life here. We are novices compared but it’s wonderful being able to ditch debt and own your dreams. Simplicity is a word I love. That word… Continue reading Simple
Views to wake up to
I still feel exhilarated every time I wake here in France. In fact I have to pinch myself sometimes. The morning light is amazing and filters softly through our trees creating long shadows across the lawns. The air is slightly damp as we live on top of a plateau that drops away South to the… Continue reading Views to wake up to
Curious
Resolutions
I have so many plans afoot for 2020 and wrote about a few in my rather long post – Fridge. Here’s a brief pictorial version for you busy bloggers. Happy holidays everyone.
Oaks
We took the brave but necessary step a week ago, to ask our local tree surgeon to work his magic on the sadly neglected trees at the Farmhouse. My husband was rather doubtful about the whole project, but trees are complex guys. Firstly height. It’s a dangerous job to rope a tree, climb and wield… Continue reading Oaks
Winter firewood
Near our tiny hamlet there are forests. Logging forests for burning and fence making. I drive past here many times meaning to take a photo, but either forget my camera or I am not the driver and too soon we have driven past and it’s too late to stop. But this week Tony’s injured shoulder… Continue reading Winter firewood
Plants for pollinators
Quick post as I am still on chicken coop duty, chief painter and trying to get a flower bed prepped for wild flowers. Saw one bumble yesterday as weather warm nut as yet flowers sparse. But a question for you, for all you gardeners. I have a criteria: Plants to grow to a maximum height… Continue reading Plants for pollinators
Gruyere French
I evidentally have holes in my brain. Lots of them. The French tester politely explained that I knew words that were advanced, but fundamental parts of the French language were missing. God knows what I had been replying to his questions, but sometimes he looked confused and at other times plain shocked. My neighbours back… Continue reading Gruyere French
Morning snow
Its only short and our first attempt, but here is a little film of our snowy lane and La Petite Maison jardin.
Project Farm
From last March, I have been stalking round my neighbours farm, snapping nervous cows, yapping dogs and farmer too. The seasons brought work to the farm – feeding, ploughing, hay making and calves to birth. Its a lonely job being a beef farmer and most days Christian is on his own, doing what he does,… Continue reading Project Farm
Technology in the countryside
Taking photos on the “big camera” as I call the Canon Mark III is quite time consuming. It’s a heavy camera, especially with the 70-210mm lens to get close-ups – eyelashes of cows for example, and if stability needed, I need to lug the tripod too. One solution for the blog was to get a Tamron… Continue reading Technology in the countryside
In flower for 2018
The hedgerows are quiet and in winter slumber. The ivy is still feeding the last few little pollinators who haven’t realised yet its time for bed. The hedge near our house still has pink pillow berries and the nettles never ever notice winter at all, and continue to menace even in their frosted coats. When… Continue reading In flower for 2018
How cold my toes
The more it snows (Tiddely pom), The more it goes (Tiddely pom), The more it goes (Tiddely pom) On snowing. And nobody knows (Tiddely pom), How cold my toes (Tiddely pom), How cold my toes (Tiddely pom), Are growing. Winnie The Pooh was right. He always is. It snowed and I rushed out with the… Continue reading How cold my toes
First snow
It snowed! So excited as it isn’t supposed to snow here. Couldn’t wait till morning, had to jump out with camera and rush into the garden. It was so quiet, beautiful and the dark lanes and fields were lit in soft reflection from this new white blanket. The sky is heavy with snow, so tomorrow… Continue reading First snow
Frosted Winter mornings
This week I woke to beautiful white frosted views. These are from my garden. The garden itself is in winter slumber. The grass is covered to ensure the grass dies back for Spring when I will be creating a wild flower garden. The wildflowers need barren earth, they need harsh, they need the support to… Continue reading Frosted Winter mornings
Browns stopped me feeling blue
Over the summer I had been so busy with the barn renovations, settling into my hamlet and trying to work a balance between my work – accountancy – and other projects that require a creative input that I had forgotten what I loved doing the most – photographing flowers, seed-heads and grasses. Ok I am quite… Continue reading Browns stopped me feeling blue
Summer floral and visitors
I always love taking photos of flowers and yesterday I was sorting photos, realising so many were in my old computer and yet to be released. Here are a selection from spring and Summer, many in my local area of Creuse and some from London where I lived before arriving here in March. It is… Continue reading Summer floral and visitors
Picture papers
A few weeks ago I grabbed handfuls of saffron from very wet grass, took them home to dry, but ended with sogginess and to the compost they went. A lucky accident, the saffron dyed the papers they were draining on and after drying, they turned out to be great background papers for the herb photos.… Continue reading Picture papers
Foraging Future
From 2013 to early this year I had invested a huge amount of time and finances on bringing to commerciality a conifer syrup that originated from a recipe my husband’s father made from the pine cones and fir tips he collected whilst walking the local mountains. He was a mountain man – both in his… Continue reading Foraging Future
Monochrome Madness
Leanne is a fine art photographer in Australia. Her niche is architecture, landscapes using long exposure, dramatic contrast and now infrared, a new exploration into the reverse world of light. Every month Leanne runs a post – Monochrome Madness – where we can post our photos based on the theme set. It’s nice to be… Continue reading Monochrome Madness
My garden bench
After many months of cutting down an overgrown wilderness, a garden appeared. The birch trees flourished with a bit of tlc, shading their roots, mulching and a lot of watering when the heat was extreme in August. But something was missing. A garden bench. I wanted a quiet spot to sit, to write notes for… Continue reading My garden bench
Teasing times
As a child in the 1970’s I loved the dried Teasels every woman seemed to have in her home and as time went by they became dustier and one day as time moved, they were no longer loved and dried teasels became unfashionable. It is a shame as I still love these cruelly prickled seed… Continue reading Teasing times
Wild and wonderful
I had a garden five years ago which I had to abandon when I divorced. It wasn’t a large garden, more a Edwardian pocket handkerchief, but I had started to fill this with flowers I could cut, dry and bring into the house. Even when they faded and dried, they were re-cycled into linen bags… Continue reading Wild and wonderful
Almost missed
This tiny little delicate seed head was hidden in a dark obscure mossy place down by our local stream. I had forgotten my tripod, so holding my breath to get the shot was turning me blue. I am not yet skilled in connecting two or three images to bring this lovely seed head, almost star anise,… Continue reading Almost missed
Its a London thing
Sometimes you take a photo and years later upon seeing it again, memories flood back, you delve back into the box of old pictures and huddle on the bed amongst a disorderly history of your life. The lid goes back on the box, the box goes back on the shelf and you will probably find… Continue reading Its a London thing
The wild in wildflowers
Last year my wild flowers, encouraged from existing wild species, from clearing evasive monster weeds, and removal of strangling meadow grasses, was in just five minutes destroyed by the hedge trimmer. Good intentions to keep the meadows tidy, but hang on a minute – outside my patch! My overgrown meadow, yet to become a garden… Continue reading The wild in wildflowers
IGPOTY – Why I was not International Garden Photographer Of The Year
I find entering photographic competitions a double-edged sword. My partner says that if I do not win I will be sad and think I have failed – not so. I do believe there is a place for competitions. For one the winners photographs are hugely inspiring and wild flowers always feature as a category in… Continue reading IGPOTY – Why I was not International Garden Photographer Of The Year
Wine and Roses
A day off being lazy last week. I didn’t have my camera only my phone. I wanted to capture the hazy light of a day after rain and the carafe of red wine and the roses with their pretty blotched shades of yellow and pink. I added some graininess to keep the photo looking soft… Continue reading Wine and Roses
Dogs and Bees and Weeds
This is Sousa. She is an oriental dog and like all small dogs, noisy and very possessive of her bones. She lives at our home in Romania and spends the day chasing cats, bees and looking for mice in the huge woodpile we have. The bees in Romania make superb honey and this sign I… Continue reading Dogs and Bees and Weeds
A bike and a camera
I have been away from France for almost a year now. Pressing work in London meant abandoning the barn, photography and the sunshine for wet and windy England. Another few months in Romania making our pine syrups and now it is June and I am finally heading back to the meadows and cows and six… Continue reading A bike and a camera
Lions Teeth clock flowers
I photographed this fluffy fronded Dandelion last summer, growing on the verge of a narrow lane in Kent. It was the only one, and I loved its almost graphic quality in the lens, strong lines and whiteness against the green foliage behind. I have no idea what type it is and I have never seen… Continue reading Lions Teeth clock flowers
French picnics
The journey to our home in France takes about nine hours from Calais and we make regular stops for mini picnics – crusty bread, chunks of brie, boiled eggs and coleslaw. French motor ways have lovely parking areas, where you can picnic and stop for a nap if you want before pushing on. This one… Continue reading French picnics
Blackheath wildflowers
Blackheath near Greenwich, in London, is a broad expanse of common land where the locals walk, fly kites, and take their dogs for exercise. Running all along the edge of the road that cuts through, leading to Shooters Hill are wildflowers, a crazy mixture of bright pinks, purples and lemon yellows. Every couple of years they mow them… Continue reading Blackheath wildflowers
Hidden in the fields
Sometimes hidden in the grasses in the meadows near where I live, you suddenly see a little bright splash of colour in the sunlight and with a little perseverance with the telephoto and depth of field you get these lovely little portraits of our many varied wild flowers. I have yet to name this one. … Continue reading Hidden in the fields
Last winter leaves
In Valcea, Romania there is a small park by the river and last winter when the snow had almost obliterated every pathway I took a detour across town to try and capture the last few leaves hanging on before the final weight of snow shook them down. I love the greyness here and sense of cold. The… Continue reading Last winter leaves
Flowers on the streets
I used to live in London, right in the centre, ten minutes along the River Thames to Westminster, then later nearer the City, where the big banks hang out and the money is made. For a floral photographer not an ideal place, apart from a few parks full of planted beds, but I still wanted… Continue reading Flowers on the streets
Carpathian meadows
In the late afternoon, as the suns heat rises and the light creates lovely silhouettes and bright colours, the meadows in Valcea, Romania, are great to photograph. We have a house there and the town is surrounded by mountains. With forests, wild flower meadows and up in the Transylvanian Alps a more dramatic landscape to… Continue reading Carpathian meadows
Flowers for interiors
Sometimes you go through an afternoons photo shoot and you see an image that you know will work for an interior. I love graphic art and with a small tweak an image can take on a whole new look, perfect for adding colour to a room or where you might want a picture for a bare wall,… Continue reading Flowers for interiors
Pretty poisonous
Poisonous hemlock. I didn’t realise we had so much of this wild flower in our lanes near our French barn. Must remember to not lick my fingers after positioning the stems to photograph! Read more about this tricky flower at The Poison Garden site.
Hazy daisy
Daisies. Found across all the meadows near where we live. Common but I love their sunny little faces.
A French Homestead Life 