It’s not often I do this, but below is a link to Guy Shrubsole’s latest vital blog:
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Samhain 2025
In the Celtic Year, Samhain marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter. A threshold; a period of rest and regeneration before rebirth.
Darkness grows;
An ending, a beginning,
And renewal.
I am fascinated by trees, and the elder tree (Sambucus nigra) is considered to be deeply connected to this midpoint between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. There are many superstitions surrounding the tree. One that intrigued me was the idea of not bringing elder wood into the house and burning it in the fire, thus releasing malevolent spirits. I have recently learned that burning elder wood releases cyanogenic compounds. These are found in the bark, stems, roots, leaves and immature fruits. [1] Nevertheless, when used correctly, so much of the tree is benevolent to humans.
I have been trying to do some serious drawing, finding it both therapeutic and frustrating; is that a contradiction? When I look at some of the amazing work of botanical artists like Lizzie Harper [2], I often feel overwhelmed, but that tension pushes me on. Her work is inspirational.
In the Celtic Tree Ogham, elder is the 15th tree (RUIS.R) and below is my representation of it in elder wood.
A few lines of a poem that I have been working on:
Elder
Growing in hedgerows,
Surounding grazed fields,
Fast growing Elder thrives.
In spring,
Its scented umbels
Herald the happy season of warmer days.
In autumn,
The scents are transformed,
And berries, like alien antennae
Hang; shiny, black and full of vigour,
They shiver on the air.
Green, lilac, black and purple,
The colours of this blessed tree.
Ashley
[1] https://botanical-online.com
[2] https://lizzieharper.co.uk
Autumn Equinox 2025
The autumn equinox;
A festival of thanksgiving,
A gateway into winter.
Hokku and photographs by Ashley
Can you believe it’s the autumn equinox? It’s that time when day and night are of equal length and the earth is in perfect balance, but from today, daylight reduces and the nights grow longer.
The flowers in our garden are showing their autumn colours, and some are already closing down. Winter is before us, and I am stepping back from blogging for a while, taking some time to reflect on my next steps. I’m sure I will still publish at Samhain (end of October/beginning of November) and at the winter solstice (21st December), so until then, thank you for following my blog and making all your wonderful comments.
Here’s a short verse I found on the internet, which says so much about celebrating this ancient festival:
Blessed be the turning wheel,
Blessed be the waning sun,
Blessed be the harvest of soul and soil.
Ashley 🙏
Butterfly haven? Not for much longer.
Enchanting;
Moving pictures,
Silent movers.
It doesn’t feel like 10 days ago, but the weather has changed as we edge closer to the autumn equinox. The temperature is around 14 °C, and the Atlantic is again throwing another big weather system over these islands. This week, I’ll probably fire up the boiler to warm the house, and outside we’ll start moving the pots into more sheltered parts of the garden.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Ashley
Happy Buddha
Between the showers and the strong winds (the remnants of Storm Erin, from across the Atlantic), the sun did occasionally come out. And there, on our little Buddha ornament in the garden, a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) butterfly rested, as I watched from the kitchen.
I tried several times to sneak out and take a photograph, but each time it moved off, somewhere. Today, my image is a collage, as I had plenty of cut-out butterflies from my last post. The butterfly cut-out is a little larger than in real life, but I think Buddha will forgive me.
Stuck on his breast,
A butterfly;
Happy Buddha.
Ashley
Butterfly haven 1
Butterflies,
Flitting from flower to flower;
Peace.
Ashley
Girl with the green face: Kick-About #138
Whilst this Kick-About prompt mentioned a particular painting by Alexei von Jawlensky, I was intrigued by some of his other works, particularly his paintings of heads. That was enough for me to start creating my own paintings of heads, and I grouped them together rather than presenting them as individual portraits.
Head on over to Phil’s website to see my artwork and how others have interpreted the prompt. Here is the link:
The Kick-About #138 ‘Girl with the Green Face’
Jawlensky named his series of head paintings Mystical Heads and Abstract Heads, so in honour of his work, I have called my painting Weird Heads!
Ashley
Foraminifera: Kick-About #137
What are Foraminifera? I had to look them up only to discover that there are thousands of them living in or on the seafloor. I’m not a scientist so my understanding of them is minimal but they are single-celled organisms; tiny seashells.
Here is a link to the Kick-About organised by Phil. Head on over there and discover the wonderful interpretations of others who also took up the challenge of the prompt:
The Kick-About #137 ‘Foraminifera’
And just as a bit of fun, the same image but upside down:
I’m not sure that this was a success for me as I struggled with the practical skills of making a mobile with such fine materials. Doing it again, I would use wood for the Forams and cord to hang them. My fingers just aren’t as flexible as they used to be.
Having my work displayed in the Kick-About’s is a delight and seeing it alongside such talented artists is a real driver to improving my own artwork.
Ashley
Sputnik: Kick-About #135
This Kick-About nearly didn’t come to anything as I became so frustrated with my attempts of portraying the Sputnik satellite! Then, I remembered Laika, the first living creature sent into space.
Head on over to Phil’s blog and see what others have presented there; here is the link:
https://wordpress.com/reader/feeds/105453159/posts/5720829722
Here are a few of my scruffy sketches:
I must have binned more than 50 such drawings before realising that there was another story to tell, one about a dog called Laika: the real Dog Star! She must have died in so much pain and for what? Why do we treat animals, sentient beings, in such an exploitive way?
Ashley
Lammas 2025
Butterflies,
Flitting from flower to flower;
Peace.
The end of July and the beginning of August, is the traditional festival of Lammas, a time of abundance and in the pagan calendar, seen as the beginning of autumn. There are so many flowers in our tiny garden but this Buddleia, a dwarf variety, is a favourite. Known as the butterfly bush or shrub, we can see why it is so called. I didn’t manage to capture on camera the other butterflies in the garden but I am working on a further linked post with some artwork which I shall publish shortly. 🤞🤞
Ashley
A Different View 