Yesterday I went to Countesswell woods with the sole purpose of bramble picking. It was a lovely morning and I  managed to pick enough brambles to make bramble and apple infused gin which I am really looking forward to tasting. It was a lovely bright morning and the wildlife of the woodland was alive and … Continue reading Brambles, gin and a frog

  Last week and this week my life has fortunately been creatively full. I have enjoyed some arty time, reading, writing, photo taking,a little gardening (although the rain has limited it a little bit), soap making, MORE jam making and late at night when I can't fall asleep I have been watching some very interesting … Continue reading Photography and homemade hampers

I came across across this little story when I was training in chaplaincy and I thought it was really beautiful... Four sons There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and … Continue reading The four seasons of a tree

As we are now into September and we are leaving summer behind and embracing Autumn I would like to share a few photos of my garden....I also hope you enjoy this piece of beautiful music which I love. You may know it from Brideshead Revisited... 'If it could only be like this always – always … Continue reading Summer garden

I took a walk in Drum Castle old wood yesterday. It was peaceful. There was no one around. The only sounds I could hear was the leaves fluttering in the breeze, delicate bird song and every so often the heavy flap of a wood pigeon's wings. I lay back on a thick fallen oak tree … Continue reading The scent of ferns

Grapes I have discovered are sadly not very adaptable. I have lots of grapes in my greenhouse this year but I wasn't sure what to do with them. Once I pick them I know they will last approx 2-3 days. I will definitely fresh eat some of them and I played with the idea of preserving … Continue reading It will be vine!

This year the garden has been very good to us. The plum tree very suddenly became heavy laden with juicy sweet fruits.  I was out weeding at the weekend and every so often I would hear a thud as another plum dropped to the ground. It knew then it was definitely time for picking. However, … Continue reading Plum Picking, berry picking and lots of jam

I wrote this little piece of flash fiction for the Scottish mental Health Arts and Film festival creative writing competition (although I didn't actually enter in the end because I missed the deadline - oops!) The theme of the competition this year was RECLAIM. Baggage It was a red suitcase I'd been waiting for. Red … Continue reading The Red Suitcase

'But how can you love a person who is not whole?' 'Because you, like the moon, are not only beautiful when full. In all of your  phases and fractions and ivory white pieces, I love you.' - Beau Taplin Try googling, (or if you are really old school, use a dictionary!) the definition of 'whole/wholeness'. … Continue reading Wholeness

The mountains are my bones The rivers my veins The forests are my thoughts And the stars are my dreams The ocean is my heart Its pounding is my pulse The songs of the earth write The music of my soul - Unknown

  As today is the 1st of March, the date that many describe as the first day of spring I thought it would be nice to post a little poem about spring, bluebells and mother nature that I wrote last year. Bluebells are my favourite spring flower (as you have probably guessed from the blogname,) … Continue reading A Spring Time poem

A few weeks ago I decided to make a little 'bug hotel' for the garden to invite helpful insects to move in. I found some little wooden scraps and mini pallets in the house and shed and gathered some sticks, hollow bamboo, stone and acorns to provide sheltered hovels for the garden's creepy crawlies. It … Continue reading Bug Bed and Breakfast – Making a home for nature

Recently I have started making soap and have found real enjoyment in doing so. The first batch I made was lavender and lemongrass and it is beautifully soft and moisturising (unlike many of the soaps I get from the supermarket which are so full of chemicals and unnatural scents which dry and irritate the skin). The … Continue reading Soap making

Time is something I have a lot of at the moment. This has been a good thing and a bad thing.  Each day I plan to get outside for as long as possible. This is often just out into my garden. Being in my garden has been doing me the world of good. When I … Continue reading Feeding the birds..

With the start of January 2017 came a beautiful soft blanket of snow that transiently covered the streets of Aberdeen city and most of Scotland. Snow for me has always been magical. I love to watch it and I love to walk in it. I love the crunch underfoot, the drifting purity of it and … Continue reading Sparkler in the Snow

 I love seeing the snowdrops bloom, they are such hardy yet beautiful flowers. I find this poem called 'snowdrop' by Ted Hughes quite strange and haunting. Snowdrop Now is the globe shrunk tight Round the mouse’s dulled wintering heart. Weasel and crow, as if moulded in brass, Move through an outer darkness Not in their … Continue reading Snowdrops