So what can that be?

Of late I and several others have been very busy with a project that has kept us from painting as much as we would like to. But it hasn’t prevented us completely from spending some time with pencils or brushes in our hands. You will find out about it soon enough, when we have done enough preparation work to tell you all about it.

Another thing that the project doesn’t prevent us from doing is looking.

Many people think  that because it is winter, cold and bitter outside, that plants aren’t growing, or that they are hidden away. They can’t imagine that there are some beautiful flowers out, even at this time. But, if they use their eyes, they will see so many lovely things in the gardens and the hedgerows. Some blooming, some dying or dead, but have taken on a beauty all their own. Bare branches are an absolute treat with so many colours and textures now visible.

A lot of plants that are poking through the soil at the moment are not native to this country, such as Tulips. Many plants seem to belong here because they are commonplace in all our gardens, but many were imported at one time or another and therefore are not indigenous.

As I live in the UK, of course I am focusing more on plants that are common here. Other countries further south, but not so positively affected by the Gulf Stream, may well have their gardens still buried in snow and don’t see the beauty that is lurking under this warm blanket. However there is still beauty in evergreen trees, or in deciduous trees with their growing tips and buds change from day to day.

At the weekend, we were on a hike and I mentioned the snowdrops. But we also saw a lot of Gorse that was flowering. The plant is of course dangerously spikey, but the flowers are a striking yellow and seem to withstand all sorts of temperature thrown at it. Gorse (Ulex)is a native species in the UK.

Look, see and enjoy!