SILVER BIRCHES

 

During our English trip we stayed on a campsite near the junction of the M25 and M23 in Surrey.  It's hard to believe when you're surrounded with beautiful trees and bluebell woods you're in the busiest part of the country!  I had a wonderful time drawing everything I could see from our pitch in my home made mi-tientes sketchbook.  There's more on my blog http:// valeriejaneg.blogspot.fr

POLLARDED TREES

 

We recently spent a week on a caravan site where they were many of these pollarded trees.  I was very attracted to the bare branches against the very blue sky.

Winter in France

 

It's been a few weeks since I posted from my corner of Brittany, it's been windy, wet and cold so not a lot of outdoor sketching!

 

 

I take my walks to the beach when I can and today I found a few things to inspire me. The wild garlic plant was in the pavement growing in the crack between the boundary marker and the tarmac, these plants line the roadsides everywhere at the moment giving a bright accent to all the green and grey.

 

 

We had some amazing skies at dawn and sunset before Christmas but now it's just grey clouds and rain or snow!

Winter wild flowers

I haven't been doing a lot of nature sketching recently having been rather busy with the 75 day challenge set by Brenda Swenson.  I chose to draw my collection of pottery as winter seemed a good time to be working indoors.  I have also started posting my 2012 nature journal on my own blog Colours in the Briez: http://valeriejaneg.blogspot.fr  Do go and have a look to see a year in my garden.  The bouquet above I picked on the verge in my lane on Christmas Eve.