Perhaps it wanted to attract my attention, if so it certainly succeeded! A butterfly danced past my kitchen window, across the patio, as if searching for something. A few moments later I saw it had come to rest on an acer. Wings outstretched, sunbathing, enjoying the warmth. I love the way the colours of this delightful insect complement the leaves it chose to rest upon. The vibrant green acer next to acer atropurpureum with its dark sultry shades. Even the finely cut leaf edge with its pale outline of colour seems to match the butterfly’s wings.

My butterfly lingered, enabling me to savour the moment too & capture the beauty on camera. Looking at this image you can see the creamy yellow edge to its wings. It is a real thing of beauty, as though an artist has painted the amazing detail. I can imagine the softness, like velvet of its wings, warm with by dappled sunlight. It is moments like these that are the high spots of a day. Unexpected, simple , a time to treasure & wonder at.

I learned that this is a Speckled Wood, a butterfly that likes woodland. Perhaps it was lost; somehow I doubt it mistook my tiny garden for woodland, though the pots of acers that line my patio mimic a miniature woodland…

Today everything seems very green & fresh, thanks no doubt to yesterday’s rainfall! Today it’s sunny & humid. Thunderstorms are forecast.

Sometimes it’s good to walk with your head in the clouds, the view can be amazing if you look up. Now for me at a smidge under the five foot mark, looking up can be quite challenging, but today I spotted something that people around me seemed totally unaware of.

Lacock village is a favourite haunt of ours & there were crowds of people visiting. Above our heads birds flit around, criss crossing the street. The cottages are old, ideally designed for birds to make their homes in the eaves. This little chap is nesting along the roof line, just above the National Trust shop! Parent birds flit in & out feeding their young, so fast it’s hard to capture the moment with a camera. How I wished I had my trusty binoculars with me! The camera’s zoom lens is just powerful enough to let me see the detail. It’s lovely to see this bird lying across the nest, but it’s the nest that fascinates me. The shape & design; somehow this work of art simply clings to the cottage wall. The birds fidget & I’m half expecting the nest to move, fall. It’s constructed from mud into a cup shape. Why do we use the expression “bird brained”? Each species designs the perfect home, something ideally suited to their own lifestyles.

Having watched the free air show I look back to the families & tourists trailing round the narrow streets. Most remain oblivious to this amazing show. Some are engrossed in reading their phone screens. Sadly they remain unconnected with the natural world.

Perhaps it’s my age, but there’s something about drying washing outdoors that has a feel good factor! Another line of washing today – rescued just in time from a heavy shower. As I was desperately grabbing pegs & clothes I could smell the rain. It’s been humid today & the rain dispelled that aroma of dampness hitting the dry paving beneath my feet.

I managed to scoop up the washing – just in time. The sky turned an inky blue & the rain grew heavier. I stood watching, thankful I was home, dry & that my washing was likewise! Despite the sun shining rain continued to fall. The water butt gurgled & popped as it struggled to digest the torrent of water bubbling down.

And then I heard him. The most melodic song. I knew instantly it was a blackbird. I guessed it was the male bird that has been in the garden over the past few days. I couldn’t see him, but I loved how he sang despite the rain. Giving thanks in song for the rain bringing refreshment.

There was a faint outline of a rainbow & the distant hill disappeared from view as the rainstorm developed & thunder rumbled round. Now my blackbird shouted – that scolding, warning sound that blackbirds use.

I watched the raindrops fall on my garden, pounding down heavily on my gorgeous Munstead rose bloom. Leaves heavy with moisture, yet sunlight creates a translucent effect. I imagine the snails will be rejoicing & planning an outing tonight!

In need of some serious chill time – what better place to head than Chew Valley Lakes & the picnic site? Today it’s quiet, in the distance the echoes of aircraft at Bristol airport. Strangely there’s no sound of waterfowl where we are, but plenty of tuneful singing from other birds around the lakeside.

As I sat watching, reeds by the lake were swaying, not just from the gentle breeze. A bird was just visible, clinging to the fluffy reed head. Time I searched for the binoculars it had gone. Look again & he was back, singing. Now  it wasn’t a very tuneful song, staccato best describes his style.. It reminded me a little of morse code! My little bird seemed to be playing a game, dancing through the reeds in my line of vision, taunting, just a glimpse, not lingering to let me gain a closer look. Then as if by magic he sat still, singing once more, before flying down to the ground near me, allowing me to see the beautiful markings on his feathers. His colouring was sparrow like, but close to his wing feathers appeared burnished bronze, vibrant in the sunlight.

I am really chuffed with this photo, the best of around a dozen I shot haphazardly, in the hope of getting something worth saving.  My star bird is a Reed Bunting, now if I only had my I Spy book of Birds to hand I guess I’d have scored a few points today!

Can it really be wash day again? The best bit about doing the laundry is pegging it out to line dry & having the perfect excuse to look around the garden. Somehow it looks different from here! There is a gorgeous perfume too , lily of the valley. This year I think it is the best display ever. There are lots of flowers running through the raised bed, creating the most beautiful scent. These dainty bell like flowers are so pretty, I am tempted to cut some & bring them indoors to enjoy.

My roses too are coming into flower. Penelope  is blooming – the flowers perfect & abundant. I cannot resist getting closer to enjoy the delicate perfume. Buds too are have formed on my Munstead Wood rose. I love the colour of this, deep rich red, the petals remind me of velvet. This is a David Austin introduction, a full old English style beauty. I confess on a dull day it can perhaps look a tad gloomy so I have some vibrant herbaceous geraniums growing under my rose, like a skirt to lift & compliment.

Today I have registered my blog for 30 Days Wild. These daily rambles about my garden & others I visit have been inspired by the 30 Days Wild challenge. I’ve enjoyed writing about my sightings, hopefully they make entertaining reading too!

The aim is to blog for the 30 days of June with something “wild”. Maybe I shall take a fresh approach to how I view things. We shall see…

I like runner beans, trouble is so do the slugs & snails. My baby plants are sat under cover in the garden, warm cosy & nibbled! From my packet of seeds, around 15 have taken. I still get a buzz from seeing those first shoots emerge! It is always tempting to root around in the pot, try to see if the seed has germinated – I am always impatient so perhaps it is no wonder that some fail to grow. In fairness this season there was a cold spell which delayed my baby beans. But now they are growing & first to benefit it seems are the snails.

Funny, I always thought snails were slow & well sluggish. As if to prove me wrong they appear as if by magic in my seedhouse. The tray of beans is around three foot off ground level. Here they should be safe, shouldn’t they? There is no sign saying “Hey tasty runner bean leaves this way”, yet somehow they know. And somehow they manage to climb up to nibble away at any leaves they can find.

Today I have carefully removed more snails from my beans cosy home & banished the snails to the top of the garden, in the hope that they will find their way next door. Here the grass grows long & wild, that must be inviting to a snail mustn’t it?

Today’s garden visit is to a formal garden, with garden rooms, a pond, orchard, kitchen garden & wild meadow. I love coming here, there is so much to see & enjoy. I love the way the garden changes through the seasons. The tulips have faded, but the wisteria clad around the house is beautiful – at its best.

Peonies have fat flower buds ready to slowly unfold & reveal blousy flowers. Tactile, ferns tightly curled, ready to unfurl. Gardens are a delight to the senses, there is a leaf that attracts my attention. It’s soft to touch, velvety & thick. There is a beauty in the leaves alone.This is a perennial geranium, I wish there was a plant label to identify this one!

Signs of spring abound in this garden. Trees in the orchard are heavy with blossom, while on the path a butterfly finds a stray petal to rest on. Birds love this garden too & there are several blackbirds that search the lawn for the choicest of insects.

It’s a nice evening! What a contrast to the damp dismal start to the day. There’s a time in the evening when the light is at its best, when across on the hills & fields the late evening sun causes a glow. I love to sit & drink  in the view, how the fields & hill top are highlighted by the sun. Just as a spotlight casts down to light the stars on stage! As I watch, birds fly past, they are white a glowing brightness, illuminated by the evening sun.  They look stunning! Now if I were an artist I would be searching my paintbox, trying to capture this natural beauty. It’s just fleeting – no chance to pick up my camera & focus through the window.

Sea gulls are beautiful creatures. They are residents in my home city, even though I am many miles from the coast. Seeing them brings memories of my daughter’s first encounter with seagulls, as a toddler on holiday in Dorset. She called them sea golds! Perhaps this was simply my poor diction & how she had learnt the word, or maybe she saw them as beautiful, something precious. The name has stuck; my sea golds this evening look most graceful. A lovely end to the day.

I like books, I especially like garden related  books. I enjoy finding hidden treasures in charity shops, books crafted when writing was an art form. I love the use of language the way the words flow, the descriptive style.

Today I discovered a diary, reprinted in facsimile form. I’m not a great fan of books written as a diary, but this one caught my attention. It was written 90 years ago. The text is hand written & beautifully illustrated with drawings of birds. It is a work of art, a labour of love. I thought of my blog – what a contrast my electronic diary is! How my notes lack charm. I consider the time it must have take to create a diary, so carefully crafted in words & illustrated with detailed colour.

Sometimes it is good to take time to make something, hand craft a thing of beauty. Perhaps to simply write one week of notes with artistic style, sketch a flower instead of adding a photo.