Inspiration

A week of more walks, doing the vital daily round; of more long days, with early starts, working harder than I’d somehow imagined possible right now (which makes me feel positive for the other side), breaking for lunch (always delicious), Charlie working in the garden; and then the days end after long, long phone calls and getting on with drawings when I can. Time is curiously not moving and yet flying by.  And then Easter arrived, and everything was suspended.

The morning walks have become all the more incredible.  They have become all about noticing the tiny changes of light and weather and the arrival of spring – which, of course, has been phenomenal this year. 

Here we are the following day:

And the following evening; 

Misty mornings…. the air warming up as the Easter heatwave hit…

Incredible sunsets.

On Easter Saturday, the air was still and warm. 

The horse chestnuts, which had been showing their first buds at the beginning of the week (and which I photographed in last week’s blog) were suddenly bursting into an intense lime green. 

Blossom is out everywhere. 

Lazy, lazy days and evenings. 

We had a barbecue in the garden that evening. 

Henry making a rare appearance: 

Closely watched by Sibyl and Enid…

The Easter table was filled with Charlie’s daffodils, that would, of course, have been gracing the  tables of the Spring Shows this year. 

Life feels on hold.  It’s been the most beautiful spring I can remember in years.  We notice the tiny details, intensely. The church doors are shut, locked, but the primroses – that normally spell out ‘Alleluiah, He is Risen’ on the window sills, in ancient Victorian letters, are more abundant than ever this year. But everything else drifts in a way where time seems to no longer quite make sense as it used to, even a few short weeks ago. I wonder if anyone else is finding this?

And I wonder if you’re also watching a LOT of TikTok videos, and episodes of the Tiger King back to back? Exactly.