Monday 23 January 2012

Bedgebury National Pinetum





















I am lucky enough to live very near the national pinetum in Bedgebury. I had not until this weekend visited the forest at this time of year. It was amazing to see the evergreen trees against the skeletons of others. The pinetum have redwood trees which are beautiful...one day I would like to see the redwood forests in California where they have grown to 300-350 feet tall and 16-18 feet across.

At this time of year there were many pine cones nestled around the forest floor amongst the pine leaves and decaying leaves. I watched two squirrels chasing each other.

I am aiming to visit again later on in spring and again in summer and autumn so I see how it changes over a year.

"The Forestry Commission manage the National Pinetum for the nation. They aim to have a visually pleasing mix of conifers and broadleaved specimens contained in 350 acres of rolling Wealden countryside. The collection was started in the 1840's by the Beresford Hope family and was greatly improved following its acquisition by the Forestry Commission in 1925 when it became jointly managed with Kew Gardens. The planting scheme of William Dallimore, the first curator, largely kept all trees from the same genera together, whilst this was useful for comparing species it lead to an uninteresting landscape. The 1987 storm destroyed up to a third of the trees, this sad event provided an opportunity to replant with mixture of trees to give a varied landscape."

Silver birch / betula pendula







Silver birch wood used to be gathered to make Spools, bobbins, boxes and handles.

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Hawkhurst Trees:To the Evening star










I thought of the line "And wash the dusk with silver" when I took the images. They were taken at that time just before dusk, "The magic hour" there was a warm glow that turned a silver shade as the light faded...here is the full poem...


TO THE EVENING STAR

by: William Blake (1757-1827)

Thou fair-hair'd angel of the evening,
Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains, light
Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown
Put on, and smile upon our evening bed!
Smile on our loves, and while thou drawest the
Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew
On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes
In timely sleep. Let thy west wind sleep on
The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes,
And wash the dusk with silver. Soon, full soon,
Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide,
And then the lion glares through the dun forest:
The fleeces of our flocks are cover'd with
Thy sacred dew: protect them with thine influence!

Cat prints




I was greeted by these foot prints this morning when I braved the cold to let the chooks out. They were made by the black cat from next door I think, they looked so crisp in the frost, had to take a photo.

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Key to the garden



In the new year when the days get slightly longer and the promise of another spring is almost with us, I always think of The Secret Garden and everything beginning to grow again, all that growth underground we cannot see yet, but know it's coming...

Happy New Year!


Wishing everyone a Happy 2012...with lots of creativity, time to focus on new works and to stop and enjoy what we are doing in the moment...

Paper shelf edging

My sister took a photo of this for me when she visited a Victorian Village in Shropshire. Lovely, low tech way to decorate...thought I would share them!

Leonor Hipólito :Tout est sur la Table


Leonor Hipólito is showing works in a series of Private Views which last for one night in one venue. The image shows a piece from a Private View in December.

"With Private View I intend to show in private spaces site specific installations promoting moments of gathering and talk. The projects are always realized in close collaboration with the hosts and last one evening."

Leonor Hipólito also has a blog where you can see past works and read more about her work, publications and projects.