Taking Stock of Nature

With the clocks changing and the weather getting ever so cold I thought I'd stop a minute to take count.

The past few weeks have pasted me by ever so quickly. Work has taken over and moods have been quite low. Usually I feel so in sinc with Autumn but this year it feels like it has just happened outside and I am sitting inside missing it all.

I read Lucy's post last night, all snuggled up in bed and it made me reflect on MY October. And even though it hasn't been a top month, it has certainly had its highlights. It seems to me that us bloggers have a lot in common. We appreciate the little things in life. And we also inspire and encourage each other to enjoy new things. One of these "little things" I have certainly leaned to love is my little jugs of flowers.

I used to be a florist and miss working in that environment. Florist flowers are so expensive and it is rare that I ever feel the urge to cut enough for a bit spectacular vase full out of my garden. It seems such a crime to strip my garden of flowers when they have worked so hard to grow through the year. And what good are they to the bees sitting inside?

So I have learnt to go through my garden with a fine tooth comb, collecting sweet little flower heads, inspecting each and everyone, and selecting the tightest buds so I can sit at my breakfast table watching the buds turn to lovely colourful wonders of nature over the next few days.

These little jugs seem to go around the house with me. I move them from room to room, as I do. I just love catching the arrangement in the corner of my eye. It means so much more than a collection of flower heads ... it represents the little things in life, and the fact that we must not let them pass us by.

I have managed to get out and walk more than before. We were lucky enough to go onto Cannock Chase nearly every evening last week, before the clocks changed. We watched it transform from a green and lush habitat brimming with life (above) to a warm and tonal woodland, shedding its life and preparing for the depths of winter (below).

We have also seen many deer and been lucky enough to witness the rutting season. This year I have really honed my wildlife watching skills and love learning all about the different birds and mammals we get in this country.

One morning we went up to the forest at 7 in the morning and could barely see in front of our noses. This was the most magical walk and we had to get really close up to see the deer. The next photo's quality was tainted by the fog, but it is a true account of the atmosphere we felt when we were there.

We followed this little herd of deer and watched the stag take control of the doe. I am so lucky to have this amazing place right on my doorstep. It is this time of year that the Chase really comes into its own. It looks so spectacular and once the mass of foliage dies away in the autumn it feels like the place is stripped bare and it becomes acre upon acres of vast and majestic forest rather than little secluded pockets of woodlands and valleys.

We were also lucky enough to go for a weekend in the Cotswold's. We took a long strenuous walk on top of the Malvern Hills and watched the clouds cast shadows on the villages beneath us.

We also took an early morning stroll up to the Broadway Tower and watched the Cotswold's emerge from a thick misty duvet, I felt like I was just a stones throw away from Neverland.

 

The early morning fog soon turned into a glorious clear day and we soaked up the big blue skies and the remaining felling of warmth from the low lying sun. We saw copious amounts of spider webs laced with dew, sheep grazing on the last of the vitamin enriched grass, deer feeding up before the rutting season .... and very few people ... blissful!

 

So really, stopping and taking a few minutes to look through this months photos and recollecting what we have actually done has made me feel so much better. Looking out the window now it is so damp and drizzly but it doesn't matter because look at the glorious days I have enjoyed. Now I will stay for a little longer and catch up with all of my lovely fellow blog friends and get ready to be inspired even more! xxxxxxxxx