A Postcard From.....

Hello Lovelies,

do you ever buy postcards , not to send to anyone, but as a small memento of a visit somewhere?

Last week I couldn't resist picking up the top photo, of Hunstanton, in the Rock shop.

 My Lovely sister in law popped the bottom one in with my birthday prezzie......she is so thoughtful..........

I know I take loads of photos, but I still love a printed image and they are so inexpensive.

I think my favourite postcards are not photos though....but art of various sorts.

They don't  have to be of the place we have visited to bring back memories.
I love these cheerful postcards I bought on a rainy seaside visit back in 2012..........

 They made me smile when the weather wasn't kind. Read about that visit HERE.

These colourful Janet Bell images are wonderful don't you think.
 I bought them last year in Cornwall, and  they remind me of a day spent at PORTH BEACH, even though they don't feature images of the place it's self.............

Here's a lovely postcard sent to me by Heather......I love it's cheerful flowers and it reminds me of a happy giveaway win.............

 It's by Caroline Rose

This little picture is not really a postcard, but part of a letter.

 When I left home at 18 years old mum wrote to me in my student accommodation. This sweet drawing was at the bottom of one letter. I loved it so much I framed it and hung it on the wall...........

 It's tiny, smaller than a postcard, and the van is  my first car.....a  little red mini van....happy memories. 

This week, for the first time in ages, I've been enjoying a little drawing.........With my favourite old pencils.......

In my messy drawer I came across these...........

They are blank postcards............I could design my own postcard, but what to draw?

The paper is really for painting on so it's quiet rough, but I like that they have the lines on the back, ready for a message and a stamp.............

What did I draw?

Well 

THIS............

It's A Postcard From My Walk :0)

Featuring that clover munching hare and my favourite butterfly...........

A little memento of a happy time.

This was a sweet and simple Saturday morning project that I really enjoyed doing.

Do any of you lovelies have a postcard collection?
Jacquie x

P.S. If you are wondering about the crochet in these photos it's THIS baby blanket. I still haven't managed to part with it yet :0)

Wandering Weather

Hello Lovelies,
On Wednesday I planned another long walk....brisk and sweat inducing to count as a good work out......for various reasons I'm not running at the moment.

It was a cool, hazy morning. I walked along the roadside on a country road with no footpath. I was glad to reach this bridleway to get away from the drivers who hurtle along at sixty miles an hour just because they can.

The greenery is so lush right now, with Hogweed higher than my head..........

A Red Admiral butterfly is flitting about in the Hawthorn hedge. Just as I'm about to photograph this little chap, he snaps his wings shut........

 Then I'm sure he was playing a game with me all along the path....flying a few meters and landing with his wings open, only to close them as I got my camera ready :0)

I pass this interesting hay barn with it's red "Royal Mail" extension :0)

I don't think this dumper has been anywhere in a while............

I'm now following the footpath across fields of clover..........

Over a stile and into a horse field...........

over another stile and into a sheep field. The sun has come out and this family have found themselves a shady spot..........

The lambs are no longer the skinny things they were in April.........

Over yet another stile.........

And into a field of wheat..........

I love the mixture of uses these fields have, it makes for an interesting walk.

I really like the light in this photo, the sunlit foreground and the woodland in shadow...... 

Oh, this is different, a stile on a bridge.............

On the other side of the stream I'm in a wild flower meadow. The day is getting really warm and my pace has slowed.............

It's such a lovely spot it seems shame to hurry past, there will be plenty of cold, grey days when speed is preferable. Today I decide to wander along slowly and notice as much as I can..........

There are so many Meadow Brown butterflies, I try hard to get a photo of one with it's wings open, but fail........

Through a little gate I enter a field of long grass, the patchwork of colours is pretty...........

and the grasses are so varied.......

Wild Oats....I think.

I can just see small saplings planted among the grasses, then I notice this wooden mushroom...........

It's plaque explaining they were planted in 2012 the celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee.........

What a great legacy.

Time has caught up with me and I reluctantly decide to turn back............

A track with an interesting view tempts me to try a different route.........

Then I come to a ford......and tiptoe across..........

My feet get wet but I'm thrilled to spot an Owl........well that's what it looked like........it's hard to tell from this hasty shot..........

And a couple of Hares are hopping around the field...........

I cant work out if this route will link up with the footpath so decide to turn back (and get my feet a bit wetter) . I love the wild geraniums lining the track....................

I wander back along the path, enjoying the early summer landscape..............

And notice a Buzzard flying over head...........

Then, as I walk back through the wild flower meadow I see a Hare walking towards me....it's so rare for me to spot wildlife before it spots me. We both stop............

And I zoom in for a close up....look he's got a mouth full of clover leaves :0)

I move slightly to try and get a shot without that plastic post.......and he speeds off.......bye Mr Hare..........

I'm back at the stile bridge now...........

Looking down at the sunlight reflected in the water...............

I find another footpath that leads down to the brook, it's quite low at the moment and I stand in the dry parts....loving the cool shade and sound of the water............

This area is a local nature reserve. There's very little here in the way of facilities, it's just a protected place for enjoying nature. A couple of benches are all that gives it away..........

I sit for a few moments on that green bench above.

And admire the view. I do love this gentle  landscape.............

I've remembered a drink this week and I'm very glad to quench my thirst.

Time to go now. I spot a pretty Poppy in the shade at the side of the path and can't resist taking it's  picture..........

Then it's back along this lane. I resolve to bring the boys here in the school holidays.....with a picnic.
We can ride bikes most of the way.....that should help tempt them...........

My feet are soaked and my legs are hot in thick tights...........

But my mood is happy and I'm thrilled to finally get a good butterfly photo :0)

small Tortoiseshell........my favourite.

At the top of the hill I sit again........on a bench I discovered on THIS walk.......

 and finish my drink.

I didn't end up walking as far as I had planned, but when I checked how far it was (I use THIS site ) I was surprised to see it was over 5 miles.

On such a lovely day I really appreciated being able to get out and explore my local area, any health benefits are just a bonus :0)

Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments and birthday wishes .....you lovelies are too kind.

Jacquie x