Showing posts with label NATURE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NATURE. Show all posts

30 October 2016

Verity Hope Finds Some Pixie Mushrooms

Aren't these the most delicious looking emoji mushrooms!.... thought Verity Hope.


I have to agree with her, they do look rather scrumptious but we know better not to touch or eat them don't we Verity Hope! What a delight to see them at the foot of a beautiful birch tree at the beginning of autumn.


Although a favourite with fairies and pixies, the mushroom's real name is Amanita Muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita.  

 


So there you have it.  I'm not going to real off a load of facts about them in my blog but for those who are interested in knowing more about these wonderful beauties, here is the Wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria
 


Back to Verity Hope.... as soon as she saw this voluptuous display she absolutely had to run back home as fast as her tiny wire legs could carry her and tell her friends about them.


Hattie and Winnie were so excited when hearing Verity Hope's thrills and exclamations, jumping up and down with bubbles of excitement, all three of them simply HAD to go back and take a look.




Obviously some sort of pixie jamboree party had taken place the night before...


 (remembering the one last winter she saw) 

 
since half of the delicious mushrooms had been munched.... 



 Or maybe it was that greedy Gnome Verity Hope had seen skipping around the woods the other day. 


 Verity Hope had seen a couple of Gnomes bickering the other day over something... could it have been about who had first bite of the mushrooms?


Anyway... whoever it was must now have a very full tummy... if a little sore?!
 I hope nobody had been living in them like this young man...


 They'd now have a very leaking roof : (


Ahh!!... but wait a minute.... has Verity Hope spotted something?


Some sort of sticky residue hanging off the side of one of them?  Looks rather revolting close up don't you think?


Ahhh!!... THE CULPRIT HAS BEEN SPOTTED!


 Now THAT'S  a fat slug if ever I saw one!


 Look at it's breathing holes... 


And to finish this adventurous afternoon in the woods, Winnie and Hattie play a game of hide and seek... 
 Shss... she's behind you...!


BOO!!!


 I hope you enjoyed this post.
Please share and like it with people you know and enjoy making little scenarios with your own little Verity Hope doll made from the kit.



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Thank you for visiting and 
HAPPY DAYS TO ALL THOSE WHO STILL PLAY!
Susannah x




2 December 2014

A celebration of herbs...

I love the delicate nature of herbs, their delicate and distinctive fragrance and versatility.


This embroidery is a celebration of herbs....


The intense perfumes of the wild herbs as we trod them underfoot made us feel almost drunk. ~Jacqueline du Pre

Walking through fields and meadows sooths the soul, I don't know about you but I get most of my inspiration when surrounded by long grasses and the soft rustle of leaves in the warm breeze. Ideas fall into place and for a short while, the world is as it should be....


This book by Venetia Stanley Smith is one of my most treasured.
My Sister just returned from Japan where Venetia lives and brought it as a gift.


For those of you who don't know Venetia, she has a show in Japan on NHK World called:
"At Home with Venetia in Kyoto"
where she talks about her herb garden and living organically.
Venetia's holistic lifestyle is truly inspiring and her program is relaxing and calming.

I will look after my herb friends resting in their pots and look forward to nurturing them next Spring.


Susannah x

19 August 2013

Dragonfly

Verity Hope just wanted to show you some close up pics of this wonderful dragonfly that she found this morning...
Unfortunately its wings had got caught in something which was probably the reason for its demise (hope it wasn't the cat!), however, what a blessing to be able to get so close to one of the most amazing insects on our beautiful planet...

Its body is fully articulated (I always thought they were in one piece a bit like a caterpillar) and the eyes are just so amazing. Gazing into them, you can see very faint circles, just like crystal balls.  No wonder these wonderful creatures have inhabited the earth for so many millions of years!

Anyway, as Verity Hope is heavily into embroidery at the moment, she thought it would be nice to show you these pics in case anyone would like to use them as reference for their stumpwork or similar projects.

 Jane Nicholas has written a beautiful book on stumpwork dragonflies...
and I hope these close-ups will be very useful...
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Happy stitching! X

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22 July 2013

The Big Butterfly Count...

Verity Hope and Amelie...

...are off to the meadow this afternoon to do their part for the 'Big Butterfly Count', a very important project headed by Sir David Attenborough.

If you live in the British Isles, it runs between
20th July - 11 August and takes only 15 minutes!
Wish them luck!

2 July 2013

Amelie's anticipation of the meadow...

Amelie, little sister of Verity Hope cannot wait to get down to her favourite butterfly meadow after the last week of school. Eight wonderful weeks of twirling amongst the carpet of wild flowers and tall grasses!

Oh what bliss awakes her!  

 

There is not a sight more splendid to her eyes, than to see rolling hills of camomile, aromatic scented may weed and the soft blue hues of cornflowers...


... but most of all, she's looking forward to re-uniting with her darling kindred friends. The winged chorus never fails to mesmerize as they dance over flower tops, dipping and diving through the hedgerows, lighting up each last precious moment they spend on perfect wings. 


It is a very special relationship that Amelie has between herself and the butterflies of papillon meadow. They may be small and fleeting... but in her heart she knows... they know her too...


 ... and most importantly of all, they remind her that:

When you open yourself to experience beauty in the simplest things,
a new world unveils before your eyes!

- Venetia Stanley Smith


1 July 2013

Summer...


Summer is everywhere now, the sun's warmth intensifies day by day and nature becomes full of energy.


Summer meadows and fields of barley sweep like a chorus under the nurturing sun and butterflies begin to emerge.


Our time on earth is fleeting... we should celebrate these precious moments.


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