September sunshine...

I love September...after everyone's frenzied desire for summer...to relax into the start of autumnal hints is rather blissful...maybe too, it's something to do with schools going back and the return of a semblance of routine, however painful to teenage anti-earlyrisingness...

I do like a sense of order and at least the house stays the same all day now which gives me a small chance of restoring some sort of order after months of neglect...but I am heart gladdened when husband and daughter return home in the evening...and we can share our different days...but only after a whole day BY MYSELF with only my own thoughts for company...these days more and more I seem to need some solitude...tho' around here with chickens, ducks, donkeys, cats, geese and currently next door's dog staying I am never lonely!

It's been a blissful week of C-art Open Studios...we are open officially at the weekends with lots of delightful visitors calling in...some strays appear from time to time during the week and I rather like coming up from the veggie patch in the sunshine with grubby hands from digging up the garlic to greet strangers and welcome them to my life...to my studio...to our work...

I like to think people take away a sense of calm and tranquility from here, a sense of doing life a slightly different way maybe a more harmonious way (mind you I don't show them the house which currently is...well...in a BIT OF A STATE!!)

So lets take a little walk down the garden...it's such a gorgeous sunny day...quite hot in the sun...I haven't got a cardi, fleece or socks on!

Signage necessary to direct people to the studio and to give a subtle warning...

Gwendoline showing no interest at all in eating people's fingers...she's far too sensible!

ah...Neddy snoozling in the warm sunshine...cheek tickling = happy donkey and hasn't he got a beautiful soft nose and fabulous eyelashes!

and magnificent ears which swivel this way and that as he listens sometimes to you and sometimes to things behind him...carefully rotating one ear forward and one ear back...

Join me in sitting outside the studio for a moment to take in the view...and straightaway Basil take the chance to sit on your knee...

and Emilia hen comes to check out if you are by any chance  eating something...she nabbed a whole rice cake off my plate at the weekend!

and behind you can see the beautiful and rather sculptural seats which husband of patience has created...very patient!

down past the apple tree...apples ripening in the warm sun...and the chickens and ducklings...still together with their Mummy hen..and Basil like a sphinx in the grass...and a duckling apple bobbing...

and down the new path to the veg patch... where despite the somewhat rainy year we have some harvest...the pumpkins and squashes are magnificent...spreading like triffids...a forest of leaves and secret surprises...we love to wander round spotting hidden fruit and shouting 'here's another...and another!'

and here's the garlic I've been digging up...such a nice earthy job in the hot sunshine...it brings a great feeling of contentment...extra special this year as it shows how strong and improved my wrist is, I planted it when my hand was pretty weak in cold wintry weather and now here we have a harvest in the sun...

and help from our chickens...happy hens!
tho' I did have to keep hiding the worms from them as I dug...

and Nellie nextdoor's dog..best girl!

so here's to another weekend of lovely visitors to see all our beautiful artwork...and sunshine...hope you have a great one too...don't forget to love what you do!xx