The Hidden Footpath

Hello Lovelies , 

on Wednesday I was delighted to wake to clear skys. As soon as the boys were all at school I headed out with my little camera to enjoy another Autumn walk.

 I passed Sunrise corner ....

 then over open fields to the little cluster of houses where I got lost on THIS walk a few weeks ago. Luckily my friend had since shown me the way .

 I think this photo shows why I struggled to find the correct route.......in the fencing on the right there is a gate, can you see it ?.........

It looks like any garden gate to me but the little yellow arrows show it's actually the route of a public footpath, shall we go through?

 The secret footpath then squeezes between gardens, where there is not much to see.
I was hurrying to get to the end when I was delighted to catch site of this lovely robin ........

Here's what I was so keen to see...........

 the misty view into the morning sunlight was stunning.

 And the friendly Robin perched on the hedge quite close by so I was able to get an even clearer picture of him.........

The Autumn colours are still wonderful........

I love this photo because the light shows up the gentle rolling hills so beautifully.......

At the bottom of this hill I crossed a little stream..........

And looked up now the sun was not in my eyes. The trees are just gorgeous ...........

but the birds liked perching on the electricity pylons.........

I wandered along the edge of the stream and then the the path turned uphill .

The low sun hurt my eyes and big clumps of mud stuck to my shoes so I felt like I was walking on stilts...........

I was glad to get to the top of that hill and look back at where I had come from. The houses are where the hidden footpath began.........

I was looking forward to seeing this view as it had been lovely the first time my friend and I walked this way on a cloudy day.
Ummmmmmm, initially I was dissappionted it was not clearer.........

But the more I looked at it the more I liked the effect of the mist in the valley, the blueish light gave everything  such a pretty, slightly mysterious air..........

Soon I was back out onto the road..........

I walked through a small village and then back onto another footpath that would take me  home......

I crossed a little bridge over another stream........

Through some trees and past a friendly dog........

Then I was heading uphill again, at least this time the sun was behind me and the path wasn't muddy........

At the top of the hill there was another bench ............

So I sat a moment and studied a feather I had picked out of a bush on the way up...........

And, of course, I admired the view..........

The colours of the Autumn landscape delighted me. The red berries were so eye catching........

these are Hawthorn berries.

and there are loads of Rose Hips

By now I had been walking for almost two hours and I was feeling a bit hot and bothered as the weather was surprisingly mild. I had taken off my gloves and scarf and unzipped the big coat I was wishing I hadn't worn.............

As the footpath lead me through this paddock I wondered if this horse was wishing he could take his coat off too............

It was a beautiful walk . There were so many lovely things so see, I took way too many photos. I've only shared about half here.

The countryside was very pretty on this mild and sunny  late Autumn day. I returned home tired but happy.

That evening I put the finishing touches to my latest drawing. It's a simple picture inspired by all the gorgeous leaves and berries I have enjoyed on my own travels and via some inspiring blog posts that I've enjoyed reading this Autumn.
I can't wait to share it in my next post.
Jacquie x

♥52 Weeks of Happy♥ 47/52

Hello Lovelies,

here I am again, looking back through this weeks photos and smiling at the sweet, simple things that have made me happy. 

1. Pastry stars. 

Along with hearts, stars are another shape I adore. The boys popped into the kitchen and helped with making the first mince pies of 2013.........

 ready made pastry and jar of mincemeat....dead easy :0)

Well, it's only a month till Christmas so I couldn't resist producing one of my favourite seasonal foods..........

they may not be made from scratch but they still taste so much nicer than the bought version  and made the kitchen smell lovely.

2. Quiet drawing.

 Yesterday I took my inspiration books up to youngest's bedroom as it's cosy, quiet and gets good light. I'm enjoying sketching out another Autumnal picture.........

Just the colouring in to do now....my favourite bit.

3.Old Buildings

Because this Autumn has been blessed with many bright interludes the different light cast by the suns low angle seems  more noticeable to me. I love the long shadows even at 1pm.........

 The glare when you are walking or driving into the sun can be painful but I'll put up with it as it also illuminates the day to day scene so beautifully.

After I left the park on Wednesday I wandered round the town. This building is a favourite of mine. It's a bank, built in 1885 . I love the huge chimneys and the attic windows , the details on the brickwork and the pointed tower over the door........

 All summer it's in shadow at this time of day so I was thrilled to see it looking extra beautiful in the November sunshine.

4. Little squares of yummy yarn.

My scarf is growing and I'm loving working on this simple, portable project.........

it's such a great colour fix.

All in all , it's been a very happy week.

Enjoy your Sunday lovelies.
Jacquie x

In The Park

Hello Lovelies, 

On Wednesday we had such a mix of weather, rain and sleet first thing, followed by glorious sunshine, then back to rain.

During that sunny interlude the air was crisp and the light was outstanding.

While in town I couldn't resist a walk in the park.........

The trees are still looking wonderful, but judging by the amount of leaves on the ground it won't be  long before their branches are bare..........

The reflections on the duck pond were so pretty........

And the coppery trees round the deserted play park were  eye catching........

 My boys love this slide

Somebody had been feeding the pigeons........

And the park keeper was using one of those noisy leaf blowers to clear the grass......

I think he still had a long way to go :0)..........

Autumn continues to delight me and it's so nice to have this space to be able to share the superb seasonal beauty that this year has blessed us with.
Have a wonderful weekend lovelies.
Jacquie x

What A Wonderful Win

Hello Lovelies, 

on Sunday I was lucky enough to win Heather's kind " just because" giveaway.

When ordering one of Katie Daisy's lovely calenders for herself she thoughtfully decided to  purchase an extra one to giveaway on her blog.

Oooooh, isn't it gorgeous! I'm a huge calendar fan. Think it's such a treat to get twelve new images to enjoy thoroughout  the year. They are better than pictures in many ways as they seem to catch my eye more than the images on my walls that remain unchanged.

Heather generously included a sweet treat and an adorable Caroline Rose card. I had the biggest grin on my face when I saw this card as I had swooned over this very image last year when Lucy introduced us to this talented lady..........

Thank you , thank you Heather I'm so thrilled with this adorable calendar ♥♥♥

It even has a page for the last four months of 2013, so I can legitimately start enjoying my lucky win straight away....yipee.

Want to see what the first picture is?
....
oh, go on then
...
ta-dah :0)

eeek, isn't it perfect . 

Such an uplifting phrase beautifully painted with adorable touches like the flowers and leaves, and even some raindrops. The more I look at it the more things I find to love.It's already hanging over my computer so I can  be cheered by this happy, simply charming artwork.

I'll leave you lovelies with a few images of my favourite tree in all it's Autumn glory.......

What a wonderful world indeed.
Jacquie x

♥52 Weeks of Happy♥ 46/52

Hello Lovelies,

I hope you have had a good week. Mine has been pretty stressful at times but I'm, once again, focusing on the good bits. 

1. Armfuls of the softest yarn.

 Last year I gradually built up a small stash of luxury yarn. This year I sort of forgot about my stash building dreams and I really need more colours and balls to begin a big project. But on impulse, needing a portable project  to keep me busy, I took my current collection on a family visit with me last week.

They are various brands of cashmere and merino blends.

I have been wanting to make a really warm scarf for the winter and thought I would  use natural fibres as they are so much cosier than man made.

Without a pattern and wanting to use all my colours I chose the simplest solution for a girl who has just finished a blanket of many squares.......a scarf of many squares.

 These are tiny two round granny squares. 

Once again I'm using the join-as-you-go method and I really pleased with how it's looking so far......

The colours are  lovely and the yarn is gorgeous to work with. I'll take some better (daylight ) photos to share with you lovelies soon.

In case you were wondering, the book by my lamp is Anne of Green Gables........I'm back to reading classics I can vaguely recall from my own childhood.....like I did last Autumn

Gentle and heartwarming tales seem to be what I'm craving right now.

2.Bright Autumn walks.

Fresh air and quiet places are such a tonic, especially at this beautiful time of year.

 The golden Silver Birches are stunning.

 and so are  the frosty fallen leaves.

 Friday morning was perfect for a wander through the trees before work.

I just loved the sun shining trough the Oak leaves.....

These reminded me of washing on the line.

3. Finding another heart............

When I turned around from taking the oak leaf picture I noticed this heart shape in the trees trunk :0)

4. An Amaryllis . I was thrilled to find the Amaryllis kits were back in the shops this week . This will be the third year I've grown one of these beauties in the depths of winter.......... 

Today I'll plant this bulb and hopefully I'll have huge stunning red flowers to enjoy in a few weeks.

 I love watching these grow , first a little shoot, then leaves and a stem getting taller by the day. Then the bud opens oh so slowly. It's great fun to observe and the reward for a bit of care is really beautiful.

I picked up a couple to give as gifts too.....my first one was a gift from my sister in law , so it was nice to return the favour this year.

Thanks for reading and all your sweet comments.

Jacquie x