A Late Summer's Day of Small Beauties

Yesterday was a day of abundant small beauties...

Waking to no electricity, so no internet. It was beautifully peaceful.

Early morning Stefi, Queen of Cats, time. The lovely feeling of a cat purring on my lap.

A chance to chat to our behind-our-house-neighbours and spotting their one eyed black cat and teeny tiny new kitten.

Reaching up to a high branch on the wilding tree and picking a sun-warmed apple. Feeling gratitude for the deeper connection created by tasting its unexpectedly sweet flesh.

Loving the early flowering of the ivy this year and the opportunity to witness the bonkersly joyful celebratory wasp and honeybee party that was in progress. Love, love, LOVE ivy flowers! They are just so important to our little pollinators.

The beautiful late summer flowering of deep pink dog roses.

A day of very-nearly; elderberries and hawthorn berries so close to being ripe but not quite yet. It feels like a held breath.

Eating blackberries straight from the brambles. For some reason I have become reticent to collect them and bring them home. I just love eating them warm from the sun. And it made me smile that there were so many huge juicy looking blackberries just out of reach.

The autumn colours of virginia creeper along a wall.

Brightly coloured flags against blue sky.

An elderly gentleman on the beach wearing a knotted hanky on his head! I was beside myself with glee.

A jaunty little dog called Morgan wandering amongst everyone sitting on the beach. Much visiting.

Finding a stone like a seals's flipper and one with crystals sparkling inside it on the beach. Much love for the stone people from the sea.

Stunning storm-sun skies above the sea.

Reading 'Ten Poems from Wales', a gift from my friend Helen, on the beach. Magic word weaving in our true language.

Exploring a little back road in Sandgate and finding old fishermen's cottages leading to a little gate with gingham bunting draped along the wall. I could so feel the need for dwellings so close to the sea to huddle together in that way and imagine the lives that had been lived there.

Foraging for nettle seeds, mullein, and hedge woundwort on the way home. The best thing was being asked what I was foraging for by a passing family and so having the opportunity to tell them all about nettle seeds. I told them all about how to collect them and why they are marvellous and they all had a nibble of some straight from a plant. Nettle evangelism!!

Scrumping for apples. I felt very norty!! And the apples were so abundant!!

Apples beginning to rot on the tree and lying on the ground; a sure sign of the season turning and perfect for the creation of drunken wasps! And there was the most lovely smell.

A tortoiseshell butterfly sunning herself on a crumbling old red brick wall.

Flowers of bittersweet and one precious snowberry.

Green holly berries and the excitement of waiting for their ripening.

Sitting on the grass in the sun chatting to my friend on the phone with children playing all around.

Coming home with a basket full of beautiful foraged abundance.

A velvet black crow on the bird feeder and hearing his claws tapping as he moved around to get to the food and water.

Two jackdaws in the rowan tree; such richness of beautiful darkness against the red berries.