All things New Forest.

CHOCOLATE LIMES...
 Yes - those sweets that you can buy that are a delicious lime green crunchy on the outside, with a yummy chocolate inside. Well that is what the New Forest reminded me of last weekend.

Muddy browns and desperately looking for greens. The colours at this time of year are still bright and contrasting - The bright blues of the wide open skies,  the russets and browns of the woodland  bracken,  the forest ferns is every stage and shade of it's life - ranging from fresh green curls just starting to bloom to the crisp and frail golden hues. 


And then there's the grass - not always green, often icy and sparkley with morning frost and often all day dew   - although not a bright fresh green, but nevertheless a contrasting shade of green.
Going to the New Forest out of season in the fresh freezing winter weather is still a joy. There is just still so much to enjoy - especially if it's on a clear sunny day . One can enjoy the frost and the ice that stays on foliage and forest    such as fir cones -  almost all the day long.

Of course wearing gloves and hats is rather more restrictive than a lovely summer outfit, but there is something amazing and invigorating  about walking fast to start with until you feel like your fingers won't actually drop of due to the constant bitter temperatures.
Personally I love it. But then I love walking anyway. One starts off almost shaking with the cold and then after a few minutes of brisk walking one can start to feel slightly more human again. Then it's time to take in the surroundings of The New Forest.  And surprisingly there is still an abundance of nature to see at this time of year.
I tried to capture a photo of two little proud robins jumping in and out of the bracken and frosty grass on the ground but they were just too fast for me. Their lovely bright red breasts were STRIKING against the other colours.
The bright yellow flowers on the prickly gorse bush is welcome in an otherwise unflowering landscape. Often found in open windy and grassland areas they stand firm. This evergreen shrub is important in nature as it provides shelter and food for many little insects and birds.

Oak trees

My favourite tree, at the moment, I am sure to change my mind as I adore trees. They really are so important to our environment providing food, shelter and homes for a wide variety of wildlife including birds and fungi. Of course as well as providing oxygen.  I was told by one local of the New Forest that the wild roaming pigs eat the acorns up at this time of year - you learn something new every day!
What partly amazes me is the sheer size of oak trees. The history that they have lived through and all that has taken place around them. Amazing.

Yes. I have hugged a tree. Several in fact. And I enjoy it. There are various studies available  that state hugging trees is beneficial to you. I just know I get a sense of strength , balance and   well being  from it.
It's all a bit Avatar really isn't it?!

honesty

Wandering around the New Forest I was on the lookout for the beautiful flower honesty.

  

This plants natural beauty captured me some years ago when I found some out on a walk over the local south downs.     It inspired me to paint some. 

The small purple flowers can be used for two purposes - in spring and early summer they bloom bright and with fragrance , but my favourite - and one I have tried to capture in my paintings are when the leaves  become translucent.   

They are often kept, dried and used in this way.  The almost see-through of the oval seed-heads really appeal to me as they are something quite different from other plants. 

Trying to capture the almost clear and sheer luminous beauty of these plants requires the use of masking fluid on the watercolour paper after the pencil sketch has been done.      I then paint the rest of the plant and when the masking fluid is dry carefully peel it off. Then I will paint a faint light off white coating over the oval shapes.      

With the picture shown I finished it off with a fine lined pen.   It just seemed to go.

It's nice to paint gentle and delicate flowers occasionally.  

Apologies for no project in this BLOG but I was just so in love with the New Forest this week. Normal services will resume next week!  Promise.

Thank you for reading my BLOG this week.

Vicky :-)

Take a walk with Mother Nature - it will nurture your soul.