Bluebells and some Fresh Air

Bluebells and some Fresh Air

Hi there.

Happy Easter Sunday. If only it were a grey day! If only it were dreary and rainy! Then this Corona Chaos which is turning the world on its head and devastating hundreds of thousands of lives might not seem quite so surreal. But on a glorious sunny day like today, it just doesn’t seem possible, does it?

I ventured out beyond the garden gate for the first time in over a week. Worked on TV recordings for a few hours, just to take the pressure off next week, then walked down to the old woods beyond the rugby fields. Nobody out except for another couple way off in the distance.

The bluebells are coming.

By next week, they’ll be in full bloom. This whole forest floor will be a solid carpet of blue. And the scent! The scent will be phenomenal !

We have a circuit, a couple of miles through the woods and back. It felt good to get out in the fresh air and be free for a while.

It’s so strange. Things which we totally took for granted and often didn’t bother with because more important W O R K stuff got in the way, are now precious. Like a long walk through the woods.

My eyes see more, my ears hear more. Everything is more intense, sharper, brighter, lighter, clearer. The blue is bluer, the green is greener, the clouds are whiter.

I hope I never forget how lucky we are today. How different today is for so many other poor souls.

Came home and made a plan for our Doodle Sessions this week. Excited to share a couple of new tricks tomorrow now! I reckon this is all very doable – especially when you break it down into bite-size pieces. We’ll take it one day at a time, and one doodle at a time. See you tomoorw at 10am I hope.

Love and Hugs,

Stay stafe, keep calm and carry on crafting.

Barb xxx

29 thoughts on “Bluebells and some Fresh Air

  1. Oh that looks lovely. How nice to be able to walk somewhere like that. I managed to hobble on my sticks to the bottom of the street and back about 500 yds in total.

  2. We walked through our woods last week. Something I haven’t done for years. The combination of bluebells and wood anemones was beautiful. Then I saw a white flower I couldn’t identify so we took a photo and looked it up when we got home. I was tickled to find it was called Field Mouse-Ears! Still learning after all these years. Looking forward to the doodling tomorrow. Xx

  3. Oh I do love bluebells in the wood. Every year we go to a bluebell walk at Arlington, well…every year but not this one. Unfortunately there are no bluebell woods near to me so I guess it would be classed as a non-essential journey, but there is always next year… Life in general is slowing down, taking time to appreciate what we have and what is really important…I wonder how long these lessons will last…

  4. Thank you for sharing the wonderful pictures. You are lucky to live near such a beautiful spot.
    Thanks also for all that you and Claritystamp are doing to help us keep our spirits up and reminding us what’s important. Most other crafting companies are just telling us to keep busy by buying more stuff. You are saying, yes we have some nice things (and your products are the BEST!), but mostly you are showing us how to produce wonderful art with what we have at home. You are reminding us to be thankful for what we have and to think about what is really important.
    I check your blog and Claritymatters every day. Sometimes I will read them again when I feel overwhelmed with what is happening. You are making a difference in my life and in the lives of so many others. Thank you Barbara

  5. We are currently “prisoners” in our own home and not allowed to travel to somewhere as beautiful and calming as your photos show us. Instead we are watching Channel 5+1 called Britain by Balloon. This programme is flying over the Lake District. It is so calming and quiet and relaxing. Hope we will be able to catch the whole series. If you want to chill out this is ace.
    I had some pencils out this afternoon to colour some projects and was about to put them away, but decided to check the blog first. On seeing that gorgeous blue in your photo I am going to see if I can match it – between Faber Castell and Prismacolour it should be possible to make a blend that suits. Thank you for sharing this.
    Ray is regretting giving the doctor his mobile number and e-mail address. In 5 days he’s had 4 letters, 9 texts and 3 e-mails from the NHS. Talk about overkill. Still I suppose some need more reminders than others and these are sent out automatically.
    We are still giggling over your cat poo episode. Chemo and radiotherapy on my head killed my sense of smell so have to rely on others to tell me if there is a stink around but I do miss the smell of new mown grass, flowers, Christmas spices and
    fresh air.
    Happy Easter everyone, stay safe, stay happy and keep smiling, we will get past this crisis.
    🍒🍒🍒

  6. Your woodland is very like that outside my back gate. I have been blown away by the scent of the bluebells for just the last couple of days. I walk the dogs there , and as I can’t walk much, they mooch and read the pee-mail, while I sit on my log and listen to the birdsong (no longer overlaid with planes going over) and just breathe the pure sweet air and enjoy the peace. We, in Kent, are so lucky to have such beautiful countryside so close. I feel so sorry for those in towns and even worse, with no gardens, who are isolating in 4 walls. Looking forward to the lesson tomorrow!

  7. Lovely photos, I love woodland walks with the pooches. I went for a walk along the north Yorkshire coast, it’s a really nice circular walk from our house. The quiet was lovely and the people I did see were all very considerate of the 2m rule as a minimum x

  8. Glad you had a lovely day. It has been a lovely day here, too, today. Probably the warmest so far and so I headed out into the garden but ended up continuing to clear out the garage! What did I spend today in the garage, I ask myself!! Anyway, I did and have made some more progress. I wanted to get all the pots gathered together because there is so much in the greenhouse that needs potted on and I just couldn’t work in that guddle! My gardener won’t recognise the place when he is allowed back but at least I will know where everything is! I am happy to live with my own guddle but not someone else’s! Lol. The sun is just setting over the hills. Had to stop writing this to go and get some photos! I’ll post one. Stunning sun set. By jings but the temperature has dropped. It’s freezing out there now. Have just put the heater back on in the greenhouse! Anyway, glad you had a productive, relaxing day. Happy Easter, Barb and Dave. Stay safe. Lots of love. Hxx

  9. I had a strange morning, church hopping online services. Seemed strange not being up Cathkin Braes first thing, looking over the city of Glasgow upto Ben Lomond. Makes me appreciate how important it is that we stay in so we can do these things again.
    Had brilliant time chatting on zoom to family near and far. My cuz in Denmark says schools are going back on Wednesday for a trial. Hope that they can still be safe.
    Looking forward to seeing you in the morning.

  10. Happy Easter to you and the family, glad you enjoyed your walk. My husband is one of the vulnerable that the NHS have mentioned so he is not supposed to go outside the house. We had a busy day yesterday so we sat in the garden today. We both look forward to seeing you tomorrow for another doodle session (I just wish his didn’t come out better than mine), but as you say it’s not a competition.

  11. Hi Barbara, My husband, son and myself went on a walk yesterday. The householders in our street are guardians of a piece of common land not far from where we live. We saw about six other people there. It was very peaceful, brimstone, orange tip and small tortoise shell butterflies, a chiff chaff and two jays and some patches of anemones. No bluebells on there but the neighbouring land does have them but not out yet. We don’t go there often enough. Walked back through the park and past the allotments. A few people there keeping to the social distancing whilst keeping on top of the work.
    You are doing a wonderful job Barb entertaining and encouraging. I started the doodling on Friday. I’m up to number 5. Looking forward to doing number six probably tomorrow. My pen isn’t much good but I’m pleased with my efforts! Got to practice my choir singing now.
    Take care everyone, and stay safe.

  12. Bit of a grey start up here in the North East today but the sun did break thro’ this afternoon…bloomin’ chilly tho! My craft room aka back bedroom overlooks open field bordering on the woods, couple of horses grazing and a few people (well spaced apart) walking their dogs… lovely peaceful view. Hubbie is on total lockdown so no walk for us, only around our garden, which is why looking out the bedroom window is so appreciated. Been doing some ‘doodlealongs’ to try to catch up and am thoroughly enjoying them…roll on 10am tomorrow!

  13. So pleased you and Dave got out for a lovely walk today and had some fresh air. Lovely photos of the bluebells, not forgetting Dave of course ha ha. Looks beautiful the woods, if we are at our daughters we have just a short drive to beautiful woodland full of bluebells and as you say the scent is wonderful. Sadly not to be this year but other years we hope. Looking forward to tomorrow’s Shac SHACK, so grateful to you for keeping us all engaged in this fun doodling, hope it’s helping you too Barbara. Thanks again. Love and hugs Pam xxx

  14. Happy Easter. I am looking forward to the doodling. I have caught up after a couple of days last week when I couldn’t hold a pen. Mind you, I was speed weeding today ahead of the forecast change of weather, so just hope my hands forgive me! It is our last week of garden bins.

  15. Hi Barb,
    Beautiful photos – I love bluebells. How lovely to be able to walk through those lovely woods. I can only walk around the culdesac or else get Dave to take me up to the school I used to work at so I can walk back from there. However, I think that that will be out of the question now as he had a letter yesterday putting him in the at risk group because of his blood clots, so he shouldn’t leave the house. I have no idea how he is going to cope with this, he will be a nightmare to live with!!! He cannot stand being cooped up in the house all day, so thank goodness for my crafting, that will keep me sane! Take care and stay safe, love Alison xxx

  16. Happy Easter. Very glad you had a good day. Those woods look like the perfect place to go to clear your head.
    Looking forward to seeing what tricks you have to teach us over the next few days with the doodles!
    Love and hugs Xxxx

  17. We moved to Gloucester a few months ago and we have bluebells in our garden which are my favourite flowers so feeling very blessed 🙂
    Happy Easter everyone and see you tomorrow morning I hope xx

  18. Yes indeed , we are fortunate to live with walking distance of these old coppice woods. Some parts have been lotted up and sold, but there is enough space to walk and enjoy the fresh air, peace and quiet. Like a lot small towns , our ‘green spaces’ are constantly under threat from developers. Hopefully they will leave these ancient woodlands alone.

  19. Lovely to see the bluebells, no sign of them up here yet just leaves but no doubt they will soon be showing if the sunshine continues but the temperature is going to drop considerably so that may them slow them down. Stayed inside today as my eyes are itching like mad, normally bad around this time of year when the tree pollen starts.
    Looking forward to seeing what you have lined up for us tomorrow in our doodle session.

  20. Love Bluebells – they remind me of the birth of my first granddaughter 6 years ago Tuesday. Driving home from the hospital the country roads were lined with them shining in the sun. So they make me smile with happy memories- missing both girls so much at this strange scary sad time.

    Thank goodness for crafting and for the discovery of your doodling sessions. Loving spending time engrossed in doodling when all my worries are forgotten for a while – thank you Barbara – very inspirational and confidence building.

    Carry on crafting is my motto and of course STAY SAFE.

    Oops I hear thunder again.

  21. Hi Barb, wow thanks for sharing those photos, what a beautiful place to go for a walk, and quality time with the lovely Dave. Take care and stay safe everyone. Bx

  22. Love the blue bells and reminds me of our holidays in Yorkshire.
    Happily there are blue bells growing in the garden although they are not the wild ones.
    Living 5 minutes walk away from the wood and having a big garden I do enjoy the wildlife so much and makes me happy and thankfull for what I still can enjoy.
    Stay save and healthy everyone
    Greetings Trijntje Huppel from the Netherlands

  23. How lovely to have a Bluebell wood so close to home. When we go out for walks the bluebells are popping up all around. We might take a longer walk soon to a place where I know there will be more bluebells. Thank you so much for the doodle sessions they mean so much to me. I am going to start a page on my blog to show what I have been doing. Take care. Hugs Jackie

  24. After the letters Fred has received from NHS warning him to stay home we are scared to step away from the house. Wish we had some quiet spaces by us. Youngest son lives right by Cannock Chase so they have a good walk most day with the dog and little grandson. The sun does help to make everything seem better. Still the main thing is that we are here to tell the story later. xx

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