A birthday day out!

Last week I had a lovely day out to celebrate my birthday.

We went to Hergest Croft - which is a garden and woodland that is fairly local to the studio in nearby Kington. I used to visit here when I was a child, often at the end of May as a day out for my Grandmother’s birthday. 

I hadn’t revisited the woodlands since I was a child, but have been to the gardens more recently.

The weather was... damp, but it did stop raining for us to enjoy a picnic in the woods, and they have a lovely covered space outside the house to enjoy refreshments...

I love a Beech woodland - I used to work in woods with Beech trees as the predominant species. The colour of their new leaves was just so bright - this photo doesn't really do them justice.

I hadn't been back to this pond since I was little - this was the view I'd remembered from visiting with my family as a child.

There were bluebells galore - literally so many of them, and their subtle scent filled the air.

Yum - so much green and blue - so nice to drink it in, and the drizzle just heightened the woodland smells I think - moss, bluebells, leaves, soil - lovely.

This is something we used to do as children. Find a stick, and thread fallen petals onto it, collecting as many different colours as possible - no picking. 

These fabulous ferns were in the garden, not far from the house. They looked to me like a crowd or congregation of some sort, I loved their different heights, all unfurling at slightly different stages.

This rain water looked like a jewel in the middle of the lupin leaf!

 ... And yes, I found a cream tea! So hard to beat, especially with a mug of tea (Earl Grey this time). I don't really mind which way round the jam and cream go - the cream was nearest so I went with that first!