I think this week has been the hardest so far this Winter for me to find any garden inspiration. The weather has been pretty foul and our garden is looking a bit like I feel; rather drab and in need of a bit of colour and sun to liven things up. Ah January, how we love you….
So with little to inspire us on the doorstep, and with Lily keen to continue her never-ending mission to find the perfect stick, we headed to our local wood to blow away the cobwebs.
On arrival it felt like the wood was in hibernation; the trees were bare, the wind was whistling through the trunks and even the birds were hiding away. But if you cast your eyes downwards, life was thriving; moss and lichen were providing a shot of pure green everywhere you looked.
Through Lily’s eyes, a fairy bed
I wonder if there’s treasure inside…
Impossible to not run your fingers over this
Against the forest floor and in the bleak January light the green was incredible, almost fluorescent. And the textures were so touchy-feely, a real feast for the senses.
At the end of our walk we were rewarded with these.
It was blowing a gale by the time we left and we only just dodged a hailstorm, but we came home energised and rosy-cheeked. And the newest additions to our stick collection are settling in very well.
Joining in as always with Annie’s ‘How Does Your Garden Grow’ series at Mammasaurus
Amanda says
January 29, 2015 at 11:04 amI love this, it’s so easy to miss all the vibrant colour and plant life at this time of year.
Catherine says
January 30, 2015 at 9:22 amI like that green is having it’s moment of glory, it’s not so easy to get distracted from it when everything else is bare and bleak. We spent a lot of time peering at the ground!
Claudia says
January 29, 2015 at 11:52 amthis post makes me think of our time in west virginia. love the moss and my Lily loves going for walks to look for sticks too 🙂
Catherine says
January 30, 2015 at 9:23 amWho doesn’t love a stick hunt? Our stash outside the front door is getting a bit out of hand 🙂
Mammasaurus says
January 29, 2015 at 1:58 pmOh thats such a cute coat she’s wearing! Woodland walks are always good, and at the moment it’s particularly nice with all the Spring signs starting to appear.
For some reason moss always reminds me of Enid Blyton’s The Faraway Tree and sliding down the Slippery Slip and landing on the bouncy moss!
Thanks for joining in and sharing again (and for the flashback!) x
Catherine says
January 30, 2015 at 9:25 amAh The Faraway Tree – that was a real fave of mine, can’t believe I’d forgotten about landing on the moss! Must find my battered old copy… your flashback has given me a flashback now!
Sara (@mumturnedmom) says
January 29, 2015 at 4:23 pmThis is one of our favourite things to do 🙂 And, there always has to be sticks! Love the photos, all I can see is snow at the moment, so some green is welcome! #hdygg
Catherine says
January 30, 2015 at 9:28 amI always get completely carried away with the stick hunt too, not sure which of us is worse!
Stephanie says
January 29, 2015 at 6:52 pmShe looks very pleased with her new sticks. I guess you never really know when you’ve got the perfect stick, until you have the perfect opportunity to use it 🙂 #hdygg
Catherine says
January 30, 2015 at 9:30 amWe did spend a few minutes bashing sticks on the log pile we came across – great fun and good tension-buster!
Kriss MacDonald says
January 29, 2015 at 9:13 pmBig smile when I read your post as I noticed the same green vibrancy and snowdrops on my winter walk. This time I was alone otherwise my two would have been on their usual search for the perfect stick too.
Catherine says
January 30, 2015 at 9:32 amIt’s quite magical in a muted way at the moment isn’t it? I really want to visit again in a few weeks’ time to see if that amazing green is dotted with Spring flowers.
Iona@redpeffer says
January 30, 2015 at 6:13 pmShe looks so thrilled with her sticks, bless her. We have a growing collection which I’m using to add decoration to the front garden! I do love a wood for a wander-guaranteed to blast the cobwebs away.
Catherine says
January 31, 2015 at 11:17 amYour front garden sounds very similar to ours 😉
Becky says
February 1, 2015 at 8:35 amWe got a things to do with sticks book for Christmas looks like you could do with it!
Catherine says
February 1, 2015 at 8:24 pmThat would be a huge hit in our house!
Rosie @Eco-Gites of Lenault says
February 3, 2015 at 10:54 amAlways life, if you know where to look :).
And am I the only one who can see a face in the large logs in the first picture? A monkey looking out of the right of the back log.
Catherine says
February 3, 2015 at 4:14 pmI just spent ages looking for the monkey – got it now!