Warning - you may be here for some time!!
I hope that the sun is shining near you today! We permitted ourselves a distraction and took ourselves off to Dunham Massey this morning - we originally intend walking to vote in the local election and to nip into the Co-op after a little local walk!
Dunham was beautiful - lots of colour and lovely greens!
I can't decide whether I like ferns most when they are fully grown or whether this gentle unfurling is the best time!
Looking forward to walking round the rose garden soon!
Someone had been putting seed down for the squirrels, this one wasn't sure about me at first but decided that I wasn't that scary!
I never tire of this view whatever the time of year!
Another squirrel being tempted....
...this one had a lovely curly tail!
Another of my favourite views!
A final shot down the lake.
We spent so long in the gardens that we ended up having lunch there - but more of that another time, when hubby has his photos ready!
Now for more flowers and creatures...
I am entering my Calendar journal page at Art Journal Journey where Jo has chosen Flora and Fauna as the new theme!
I have used my new Carabelle Studio stamps designed by Azoline alongside some older stencils and flower stamps also by Azoline!
I coloured them in using some cheap sparkly pens from The Works and spread the colour with a water brush.
You may notice mention of a wonderful gift I received from my eldest son the day before we set of for our trip.
This took him while to make and I can see why! His inspiration was finding the unusual shaped piece of wood. I think Elizabeth(the Queen of recycle) will like this! It is quite large and heavy and I still have to find a permanent space for it!
Don't you just love the 'Made in Britain' label?
Thanks for looking, Chris
Very pretty page! Fits the theme perfectly! Thanks for the lovely tour!
ReplyDeleteYour calendar page is beautiful, good for you for keeping it up. You visited a gorgeous place, spring is such a lovely time. And you got a very unusual gift, enjoy. Hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteThat garden has a lot to offer. You got great photos of the larger views and the close-ups. The ferns are lovely at every stage, aren't they, and the tulips make such lovely mass plantings. How beautiful these gardens are!
ReplyDeletewhat beautiful gardens and woods!! Your page is fab too. as for your gift from your son - is it me or does it look like a leg of lamb!! (not the right colour obviously but I am sure you can see where I'm coming from) well done him!!
ReplyDeleteTemperate House only re-opens to public on Saturday so taking today off would not have got me in!! it does look fabulous though, I can't wait to see it on Saturday!
ReplyDeleteOh my, what an amazing post! I loved visiting Durham Masey with you, those tulip borders are spectacular 😁. Thanks so much for joining us at Art Journal Journey with your beautiful calender journal pages! Those glittery butterflies are so pretty and the stencilled background and stamped flowers are perfect too. The gift from your son is stunning, it is wonderfully designed and the made in Britain label is so clever. Thanks again and have a wonderful week! J 😊 x
ReplyDeleteYour son is very creative too! It is such an original and beautiful present.
ReplyDeleteI love your walk. In my surroundings there is nothing like that. So I walked with you through the beautiful pictures and I enjoyed myself! Thank you for sharing this.
The photos from your visit and walk are beautiful, it is so good to see the flowers in bloom.
ReplyDeleteYour pages for May look fantastic, I loved the butterflies.
A big Wow to the gift your son gave you. It looks awesome and so many wonderful recycled items, it was a lucky find that wood shaped like a pear, even the little ticket he added is a special thoughtful touch.
Yvonne xx
Your April and May calendar pages are great, Chris. Lovely photos of Durham Massey, especially the shots you took of the tulips and squirrels. The plaque from your eldest is very cool. I love how he formed the words. I don't get the chunk of wood. Maybe it's a UK thing ;-)
ReplyDeleteEileen
This post is loaded with tons of beautiful colors during your walk at Dunham Massey. The tulips were stunning, and it was good to see ones that had not been killed with a hard freeze (or in your case, snow).
ReplyDeleteLisca mentioned the red squirrels in her T post and how they had been replaced with gray in the UK. I guess I've not seen a gray squirrel before, because ours are not red, but brown. The ones at Dunham Massey are far tamer than the ones that visit me.
You spend SO much time on your calendar pages, dear Chris. I used to make little squares, then one year decided to use calendar pages. I split the days of the weeks into strips for about two years, then got the idea of just finding a calendar I could live with and use the pages from each month. Yours is an art form. Mine is strictly a memory prompt. I love both pages you have created, but those butterflies simply fly off the page with beauty and your great coloring skills. Thanks, too for linking this calender page to Art Journal Journey. And thanks for taking us to Dunham Massey now that spring has truly arrived.
OMGosh. I forgot about your beautiful gift from your son. I've started something similar, but mine is certainly not as industrious as your son's awesome sign. I adore anything recycled, so this was a fun thing to enlarge and look over. Wonderful art and a very creative mind.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great gift. Your son was really thinking out of the box! Nice!!!!! And I love your calendar spread -it feels like May! Plus I really enjoyed your photos from your walk. Wow. I am with you on the ferns-open or not. They are just beautiful as are all the spring blooms. Happy almost weekend. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteYour journal page is just awesome
ReplyDeleteand I really loved going on the walk with you-such gorgeous views and lovely blooms.
Happy Friday hugs Kathy
Your new calendar spread is so beautiful and fits the AJJ perfectly! And April turned out very nice! Thank you for linking to AJJ dear Chris! I love the wonderful photos of Dunham - simply AMAZING! Thank you for sharing! I am absolutely thrilled about this FANTASTIC designed signboard from your eldest - this is simply AMAZING! You should integrate the sign into your header! This piece of wood is genius and how he wrote your blog name is out of this world! I am totally in love with it! Seems your son have inherted the artistic soul from you!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend Chris!
Hugs, Susi
What a super gift and what a super guide through the grounds of Dunham Massey. Lovely place.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed at the photos of the squirrels - you must have a decent camera. Surprised there were no deer in evidence. Anyway, I so enjoyed your photos and your calendar page finished it off so nicely - beautiful!
Hugs, Neet xx
Lovely to see the promise of spring in all those furled ferns and buds and tiny leaves, just waiting to burst forth with energy and growth. What a wonderful place to visit and see the seasons developing.
ReplyDeleteThe signboard is an absolute work of genius - incredibly inventive lettering - a masterpiece of recycling and imagination - he's definitely a chip off the block!!
Alison x
Beautiful, beautiful place! Loved the squirrels.
ReplyDeletePretty calendar all ready to go. :)
You took us with you on a walk through the nice places you visited, it was a pleasure to
ReplyDeletesee all the nice photos,thanks a lot. Your calendar pages look wonderful and your sons Artwork is amazing. He made it with lot of fantasy and I like it much. The piece of wood is so quaint and he placed it perfectly.
Dear Greetings
Sabine
Wow!!! What an amazing present from your son Chris! I am in awe!!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos too. We have ferns in our rockery that we can see again, now that hubby has weeded and cut back. And we have a squirrel nesting in our fir tree. Hubby was going to chop it down, but I told him it would have to wait!
And I love your pretty calendar pages too!
Have a wonderful week,
Alison xxx