For the love of Leonora Carrington

Such inspiration I found as a young woman when I discovered the spirited and wonderful painter Leonora Carrington. Who recently died on May 25th age 94.

"During her coming-out ball, she plotted a short story (later published) in which she dressed a hyena in her trailing robes and sent the animal to the party in her place.

Soon after her coming-out ball at the Ritz hotel in London, Leonora Carrington, aged 20, went to see her father with some shocking news. She had fallen in love with the 46-year-old, married, surrealist painterMax Ernst. She intended to move to Paris with him and pursue a career as an artist. Her horrified father said two things to her: an injunction never again to darken his door, and a prediction that she would die penniless in a garret, as artists (in his opinion) inevitably did. "(from The Gaurdian Obituary)

I first came across her work by chance when I was living in London in 1991 and saw a retrospective of her work at the Serpentine Gallery and fell instantly in love with the work of this amazing woman.

This is one of my favourites, 'The House Opposite', this is just a small corner pictured here.

I love the creatures who inhabit her world, and ever since have often featured them in my dreams.

"Who art thou? White face'

Here she is with one of her beings...

And the awesomely beautiful Butterfly man sculpture

And this exqiusite creature with such delicate feet,tail and hands.

I think a pilgrimage to Mexico is very much in my plans now, to see all these amazing sculptures and who knows, maybe her house will become a museum!

Not Quite the Rubber Rose Ranch

......But hoping Bonanza Jellybean might pop by for an adventure or two....and luckily my thumbs aren't the size of the delightful Sissy Hankshaw, heroine of 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues'

And here's Maverick...not quite the mighty steed of most Cowgirl's fantasies.......

The lovely young Warpaint just chillin on the yard......

with..and without his head-collar...

Welcome to the cosy tack-room....

...where the windows are like paintings.....

with pretty eiderdowns......

and a warm fire.....

Bluebell Haze and Specimen Days

Over the last couple of days I've been langiushing in the bluebell field here at Hayford, marinading myself in thier sweet subtle scent, and as I walked up from Cross Furzes was delighted by this hillside carpet of blue!

My heart and spirit are overflowing with the joy and beauty of it all. A collection of shimmering dew-drops a masterpiece of nature......

In the words of Goethe...."If nature is your teacher, your soul will awaken"

The view of delicate shades of blue across Cross Furzes....

And the cool shady river at the bottom of the track....before ascending the hill

The ancient stand of beech trees where a herd of sheep find shade,nestled in amongst the knarly roots and trunks

Such noble faces.....

And I'm reminded of Walt Whitman's 'Specimen Days'....'Wild Flowers' and 'Straw-Color'd and other Psyches' where he notes everything he sees and is touched by.

So I write my very own 'Specimen Days'

Red Clover Plantain Chickweed

Bluebells Yellow Pimpernell Ground Ivy

And still my beloved Violets

Bracken Wood Sorrel Wild Srawberry

Bedstraw Herb Robert Campion

Blossom-full Hawthorn trees,buzzing with bees and dripping with lichen (my favourite green!)

Honeysuckle Wild Carrot Cow Parsley

Woodbine Stichwort Birdsong

Two dancing brown Butterflys Floating Dandelion Seeds.............................

...... my take on it...a collection of specimen jars......

And tiny bowls of forget me knot blue and delicate hawthorn white..................

Bullfinch Lovers..Woodland Tea Party..Wake and Burial

Well it's been a while since my last blog, this week has been very busy with tiny visitors and the tragedy of this beautiful pair of Bullfinches. They had been flying happily around the garden in thier mating dance and then both of them flew into the window at the same time and died instantly...... reminisent of last years Swallow. We kept them,wrapped them up and took pictures of thier tragic death.

The next day some friends arrived for lunch, tea and celebrations of birthdays and babies born. We had a lovely fire in the garden with cake and rose and raspberry jelly. I was telling the story of the Bullfinches and showed them, and Susie was particularly struck by the story and asked me to keep them so that she could bring her children to see them at the weekend.

So taken was Susie with the pair of Bullfinches that she wrote a piece about them:

'Two Beautiful Bullfinches (That flew into a window)'

"We soared and swooped and laughed.

Life was joyous, abundant, and everywhere.

We danced.

We flew over Bluebell woods, over sleepy horses,and dappled brooks. We reached high into the sky until we felt dizzy, until the sun felt too close and we'd rush back down to the mossy earth.

And still we danced.

I could match your dives and graceful turns,

I could race you to the pine tree,

I could catch you tumbling in the breeze.

Our eyes were bright, our hearts were big,

We loved in that moment, and that moment was limitless. We danced.

We danced with innocent crazy passion. Every feather on our bodies felt new with energy of love on a bright may blossom filled day.

Fearless we danced above the wild moors,

Light winged with freedom.

Together we were strong, together we danced,

Together we died.

In a foolish glorious moment we died with hope in our eyes.

Our glistening May morning flight remains.

Our dance is still on the breeze.

Our love will never be tarnished by hungry mouths, by fear, or drudgery or winter chill.

And so we dance."

So we had a wake...with our Bullfinches. Tea with warm waffles ,creme fraiche and a sprinkling of wishing seeds!

And then we did some portraits.........

Maisie did qiute a few drawings of the female......

And Marlon carefully studied the male......

Here are two of Marlon's drawings of the male with his beautiful pink chest.

When we'd finished sketching we put the Bullfinches in a basket with forget- me- knots and bleeding hearts and wheeled them in the pink wheelbarrow chariot up to the Bluebell Woods to be buried.

We found the perfect spot for them by an old tree stump...

And lay them together in a soft cloth, thier beaks touching...

And decorated the tree with blubells and hawthorn blossom and bleeding heart flowers....Rafiki lying in the bluebells bathed in a beautful light.