A home at Christmas

We went for a walk on Sunday and it felt so cold and damp and grey. The hedgerows are all neatly cropped and I only found this one holly berry on a mostly chewed up leaf. I brought it home in a bag with a bunch of ivy with clusters of their dark reddish berries.

I put water in a big jar and placed my ivy inside, with ideas to decorate the house. And to my surprise not only did I have a red berry on the holly but a beautiful ladybird on the leaf. I was amazed to see it and marvelled at it's tiny form, an unexpected guest for Christmas. It was certainly a precious gift. Either way I suspect she was hiding in the ivy which was growing on a stone wall and found her way to my home.

She was photographed and taken to my little ladybird hotel out in the garden. It is all the hollow stems from plants in the garden which I cut to size and put into a plant pot. I must have known we would have some guests because a few minutes later another ladybird appeared as I sorted out some dried seedheads I had collected a while ago and were in the jar I now needed for the ivy.

So she has also gone to the ladybird hotel for Christmas. While I was outside I collected long branches of green ivy from my garden. I always like to decorate with natural plants. It just feels right. Each year I twist the ivy through the old picture frame and add it to the mantle piece and let it dangle amongst the lights. Each year out come my postcards bought from an art gallery I visited on a holiday, together with my collection of favourite cards. A few simple lights, two new white candles and the greenery and I have transformed our living room into a cosy home for our quiet days over the festive time. It is so quiet and peaceful I can hear my finger tapping as I write this.

It is so dark and grey outside, it makes it seem even more cosy and warm. A warm fire as the wood burner glows.

I have been painting on a piece of firewood, I couldn't resist having a go and to see if it would take the acrylic ink. I used this branch of red rosehips.

I have left it for now and will work on it with fresh eyes.

 

And I have been painting a holly leaf postcard. I like the connection that this leaf was picked from my garden. I planted this variegated holly bush a few years ago in the garden and I am still waiting for it to grow bigger and be covered in berries. I used a berry I found on the shore.

Added another berry and then another. I was pleased with how it turned out.

As it has gone to a new home for Christmas, in New York, I hope it has arrived safely.

 

I did this sketch of a seedhead with my homemade ink and a dip in pen to try it out. Over the holiday I am going to find the time to try and draw with all of my homemade berry inks. This one is a brown walnut ink. My friend in Wales has a walnut tree in her Garden, so I asked her to save the walnuts for me. My jar of ink seems to have changed to a much darker brown colour so I am looking forward to trying it again with the same subject of the cow parsley.

So one day I went for a walk to a place I know where the cow parsley grow and are untouched by the hedge cutters. I wandered down the footpath to see if the cowparsley was still there and how it looked. I was pleased to find some nice specimens. It is quite a lonely place and it was lovely to know a little robin was following us along the lane. It was singing in the tree and as I was standing watching it. The photographer managed to captured it.

I really love this photograph. It is little moments like this, magical moments I feel so grateful to experience and I want to share it.

So this is my Christmas Card to you all

Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful time.

Milly x

With thanks to the photographer, my husband, for all his encouragement, and help with his beautiful photographs for my blog posts. X