Dungeness Shadows

The weather forecast for yesterday was really good so we decided on a trip to Dungeness. It was like a July day! Unbelievable, and yet some weather people are predicting possible snow in October! We had a lovely day wandering up and down the beach. There is always something interesting to spot there. Yesterday we found two of these creatures on the sand. (I have never been there when the tide is out and didn't realise there was sand! It went out a really long way and was lovely to walk on. If I hadn't been trying to use my camera and carry another find I will show you in a minute, I would have whipped off my walking boots for a paddle as it would have been perfect) I have not looked up what this is yet but it looks like some kind of shark. It has a lovely spotty pattern so I am guessing it is a leopard shark. (That is what I would call it anyway-or maybe a polka dot shark) I felt the skin, as it was quite freshly dead and didn't smell (there seemed to be a wound on the underside which must have been the cause of death). The skin was rough, like a cats tongue, when stroked towards the head, and smooth on the way away from it.

I have now looked it up-it is a Small-spotted Catshark, or lesser spotted dogfish. It is the originator of the mermaid's purses I have found before. See one here found on Sheppey. The shadow below is me with a great beach combing find(Andy found it-he is an expert beach comber!) Who doesn't need an iron arrow? I think it is from a weather vane, but whatever it is from I love it!

The arrow is pointing the way to the sea. I wonder how far it has come? It is very heavy, and shows the power of the sea well by being tossed around as if it was nothing. It was just about buried in the sand, only the tip of the arrow showing.

My last shadows are the delicate ones in amongst the branches of this dried sea kale. (See some here) There were loads and loads of these seed trees, many of them blown up against fences like sea tumbleweed.

For more shadows from around the world, visit HeyHarriet here.

More Pairings

The blackbird posed for us. The crocus popped itself out of the ground for us. I would never have seen it from far away, so luckily we were getting close to the ground this morning, digging in the mud.

My tulips in their Victorian tulip jug. I have been using this jug as a paint water pot, as it makes me happy to look at it. The blue is just lovely. Putting tulips in a jug in the middle of the table reminds me of playing in my Wendy house when I was a child. Vases of flowers always give me that feeling of playing at being grown up, just because I used to put them in that house.

This last pairing is my favourite, as we had a lot of fun in the mud this morning, and I got some great observations. I am constantly following the children around with my post-it notes and camera, writing down what they say and do. Never again will they be so documented! (Unless they become famous of course which I could see lots of them doing-they are a very entertaining bunch!) We have a concrete/rubber safety matting part of the playground and a garden part-grass and railway sleeper raised beds. The grass part often stays shut in the winter as it gets really muddy and slippery. I don't necessarily think this should be the case as I think it deprives the children of lots of learning opportunities. So when it is my week outside I like to have it open if possible. This morning was not wet and lots of them wanted to dig so we did. The floor in the nursery was covered, despite me getting everyone to wipe their feet. We need a boot scraper! I think it was worth it though as they were really talking loads about what they were finding and were very excited. Diebe found a root that he called a spider. He also found real treasure-a marble buried a couple of inches under the soil. Aisha found a stone. She excitedly told me this. I said something like "Ooh, that's like treasure isn't it?" "No, I told you it was a stone!" She said. 'Shut up Sarah' I thought! Ellis and Abishek went to get the big digger trucks and filled them with soil. When we found the crocus I said "Ooh, don't kill it I want to take a photo." "I don't want to kill it!" Diebe exclaimed indignantly. 'Shut up Sarah' again I thought! (I have been a bit scarred by past experiences of children pulling the heads off of tulips!)

Dungeness 3

Sea Kale
Herring Gull on the shingle

Dead fish-but I had to touch it to check-the eye looked so alive.

The Britannia pub had a huge collection of keyrings hanging from the beams.

Toilet decor in the pub.

Trees, Bugs, Beaches and Tulips

I see the tree, the tree sees me.
Oh so many little creatures curled up under this log.
They all disappeared after about five minutes.

Today we imagined days out at the beach, and adventures in boats.

I wish I did!

Lovely charcoal packaging-I went searching for this in my box of mark making materials (that is how organised my art stuff is!) and found it. I am reading a brilliant book at the moment, which I will talk about at another time, and one of the stories in it was of the manufacturer of this charcoal, P.H.Coates.

The surprise for a friend-a little painting on an old postcard, for my friend Chinmoyee. She has these Indian postcards, with little figures painted on the written side, which I really liked, and which gave me the idea for my flower postcards. She likes Auriculas, so that is what I painted. I got the postcards the other day in Rochester, and they are quite good London scenes, but I was looking for the handwriting on the back.

This is the one I painted for myself-I love tulips and they are so lovely in the garden at the moment.

The planes are back now which is good I suppose, but I didn't miss them flying overhead. We have four teachers and one of the nursery nurses stuck abroad. One in Canada, three in Spain and Sarah-who I work with in the nursery-in Thailand. She has been told that her flight will not be until at least May 2nd! That means she will have been out there for a month. I hope she is enjoying the extra time at least!

Inspiring Words-Nature

Nature-all around, free, beautiful and inspiring, what could be better? Today was Forest School day, and I love the way the children are so excited to collect what is basically a basket of twigs, dirt and dead leaves. Welcome to my world kids!

Lovely nature quotes....
The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.
Anne Frank

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.
Frank Lloyd Wright

Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.
Henry David Thoreau

Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.
John Muir

There is nothing pleasanter than spading when the ground is soft and damp.
John Steinbeck

The day I see a leaf is a marvel of a day.
Kenneth Patton

There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.
Linda Hogan

Yiota is posting her words of inspiration all this week.

Parakeets, Balloons and Halloween Excitement!

Yesterday our friends Jessica and Simon came to London and we met up with them in Greenwich Park in the afternoon. They have two lovely children-Miles and Polly. We took them to see the deer in the park. We saw deer, magpies on deer, squirrels, a fox trotting by, pigeons, crows and parakeets. I love seeing these birds, I never get over the excitement of the strange call they have and their exotic green colour as they fly past. They are all around this area and I am sure I will see one in the garden one day. I took a picture-very far away, cropped it, saturated the colour and poladroided it-and the bird came out a bit green! The balloons are from yesterday too-some sort of mini festival going on near the bandstand. The other photos are halloweeny type things-it is the Halloween party at A Fanciful Twist this weekend which is very exciting! If you like dogs you should visit Vanessa at her magical home today as she has just got the most beautiful puppy!

P.S. I don't actually know what the last photo is of but I liked its ghostly effect.