The first of September traditionally heralds the start of spring. So welcome to spring! I must admit I am at a complete loss as to where August went. I feel like my eyes have been closed for the past month and suddenly with the days starting to warm I have opened them again. The reason? My mind has been a swirl of things, twisting and turning in various directions as we navigate the various emotions that come with a unwell family elder. It is a lot. As I try to keep my ship steady, I turn to what I know works for me. I invest time in all I have learnt over the years to keep things on an even keel, things that of course center around the garden. I try this week past to spend an hour in the garden each day, viewing it as my tonic. Thankfully the weather is on my side and I find myself quietly breathing a bit deeper and letting my mind unwind as I work. Thank goodness for gardens.
“Traditionally daffidols symbolize new beginnings, fertility, good luck nad strength, thier large glowing blooms radiating in huge groups, reflecting the sun’s warmth and their own resilience in being among the first to emerge from the cold dark winter. The first signht of daffidols has long been throught to bring the viewer luck, and taking care not to trample them is said to bring abudance”
Anna Potter, “Flower Philosophy”
I spent about an hour pottering away flowers and given that it was my only free hour on that day it was a much cherished activity to do on a day of limited time. Spring abudance is starting to be felt and this too is a floral range of abudance, perhaps too much? I do feel it requires an edit. A few things inspired me. First the briliant Sarah Ryhanen from Worlds End has set up Saipua TV where she has mini classes and interviews connected to her floristry work and flower farm. To be able to sit and listen to her stories and see how she works in fabulous. Another influence is the book I am currently reading “ Flower Philosophy” by Anna Potter of Swallows and Damsons with photos by India Hobson. I love love India’s photograhy which was the main reason why I brought the book to read but I have been pleasantly surprised how much I enjoy Anna’s writing and I appreciate how she looks at the world and what she shares. This over indulgent colection of flowers is based on her design on page 25- I do think I got carried away, in the best possible way.
The flowers naturally have a bee theme with Daffidols, Broom, Blossom and Hellebores all providing much needed pollen and nectar at this time of year.
And of it smells delicious. Also please excuse my grubby window background in this image. Who has the time I ask to clean windows?
I am trying sink a bit deeper into my creativity. Spring is the time for new beginnings so I set myself some new projects. Partly because it is spring and spring brings with it a new energy. Partly because I know a moment with the camera or a writing a few words here and there will help me feel myself as I am currently surrounded by change. Here is what I have planned:
I didn’t have much time with my camera last week despite the warmer weather and to avoid this becoming a habit, I thought I would turn to the old daily photo tradition and set myself the goal of posting a photo a day for 100 days. I want the challenge to be more about taking that quiet moment that I cherish and my creativity rather than an achievement of reaching a goal. Not sure how it will unfold but I will start with good intention, curiousity and a dare I say a bit of bravery. I think health scares of a family member always makes you a bit nervous about what is next and I don’t want to spending my time letting these thoughts way too heavy on my mind, so lets focus on the moment. First day of the challenge will be 1 September and I will post on my Instagram if you are interested in following or joining me.
Another creative idea I want to explore is how I take photos of gardens and for this I will need some practice to build my confidence. Mostly I take pictures of my garden which I love to do but I want to see how I respond to other peoples gardens and how a narrative can be built in a different spaces. I thought this might be something I can share through this space, so next week’s newsletter will be centred around a garden I visited recently. I will start off with the familiar - the Dunedin Botanical Gardens, but I do hope to explore more over the coming season. I have a few lined up but if you are local and would like to have me pay a visit and take some photos of your garden space, then send me an email or a message. I am not sure how it will look but if you are keen to be creative and have a play then let me know.
My third new project is about collecting images or being a creative magpie.
I’ve been putting some focus into scrap books, something I use to do years ago. I love collecting words and images and arranging them together in a note book. I found some old notebooks recently and remembered how much I enojoyed doing this so I’ve spent the past month collecting, playing and creating. As an extension of this I started creating boards on Pinterest and thought it might fun to share what I have curated. Feel free to visit my first collection board here. I’ve used what I have seen and felt over the past month as inpsiration and set myself a limited of 20 pictures - hope you like it.
And finally. The Giveaway. I did draw the prize winner and with one thing and another have been rather slow and announcing the winner. Congrats to Kerrin who is our winner. Thank you thank you to all who commented. It was one of the best things to read your comments and understand what this space means to you. Much cherished words were written.
Hi Mel. I do love it when I find someone who has similar creative practices as I do! I love how you describe yourself as a creative magpie. I'm one of those too! I followed your Pinterest board - it's beautiful. For years I've also collected images and stored them in named “Collections” like Reflections, Textures, Patterns…