Growing daylight

Feb 4, 20242 min read

Anyone who knows me in real life will tell you: she takes bird seed with her EVERYWHERE! Cat treats too, for the corvids and foxes. 🐦‍⬛

Whilst I have a murder of crows that will flock to me on the heath, this little guy also likes to SCREAM when he sees me in the graveyard. I leave some snacks out for him on one of the tombs below. He’ll make sure I’ve walked a little distance before floating on down.

Oh yeah, and here’s my murder. I can toss food to them, and they'll catch it in their beaks. We've a nice repertoire going.

This little robin knows I’ve got the goods! Every time I visit my local graveyard, he almost always shows his pretty face. As always I give him a little seed. He’ll happily eat on the bench right next to me. It’s very sweet!

The vale of health is one of my favourite places. A little ravine by the water, encased by birch trees and gorse. It’s a gorgeous place, all times of the year. Plenty of mallards to offer snacks to, as well as moorhens, crows and magpies.

This showstopper swan couple have sired countless signets over the years. In the moonlight, they are incandescent. Though I must say, I am grateful for the little fence to separate us! Whilst I adore swans, they are terrifying. This specific male swan has roared at me in the past. A dinosaur style roar. He’ll raise his neck and try to hand feed, and I’m like "absolutely NOT, sir! But by god, you and your wife are both lovely, thanks for gracing me with your company. Here, have some more seeds. I’ll keep my reverence at a distance."

More treasures from the vale of health! Crystallised turkey tail fungi, oak leaf and blackberry bramble leaf. If only there were a way to keep these preserved forever? Alas, even the warmth from my hands made the crystals begin to disappear. What a beautiful site to behold in the moment!

This crimped gill specimen is quite extraordinary. Growing from a felled birch tree, there was also plenty of polypores. The tree was simply bursting with life.

An old pathway, complimented by a victorian street lamp and brick house! Its little window envelopes in a cascade of ivy. As an artist, scenes like this really take the cake. Inspired doesn’t even cut it.