Leaving the domestic lanes behind I explored the local footpaths and took an enchanting walk in the twilight. There’s a well worn path that rises to a ridge with a breathtaking view over the nearby chalk downs.

Nothing says autumn more than the arrival of fungi. I absolutely love these tiny organisms, the way the push up through the damp autumn soil or appear in crooks of branches. Artists and illustrators have been inspired by these amazing feats of nature since forever. Has their been an illustrated book of fairy-tales that doesn’t include the archetypal fly agaric?

My last blog post was all about making hare automata. As we know, hares love to live in grassland full of wildflowers, an idyll that I try to capture in my pieces. I thought I’d go in closer and look at the tiny colourful details that pop up in my automata to enhance the scene.

We’re fast approaching the time of year when hares get frisky in the fields. This has prompted me to offer you a closer look at one of the automata that I make regularly - Meadowlands. The automata features a pair of boxing hares and the title is a play on the word ‘ganglands’ (just in case you didn’t get it!).

Wow, geez, this is a tricky old time of year. Dark, stormy, windswept. Energy and inspiration can be quite difficult to find in January and February so I thought I’d give you my take on how to get through it. I’m not one for Veganuary, or dry January as I like to keep my options open in order to keep my spirits up in the depths of winter.

A trip back to my childhood home for Christmas inspires much anticipation. I look forward to spending time with family and old friends. I can’t wait to see familiar places, feel the tingle of the fresh cold on my cheeks and smell the heady fragrance of a forest of winter pines. Another source of excitement is the night sky.

In the sprit of explaining where I get my ideas from I wanted to share some thoughts. My previous post was all about summer activities in Scotland. This one is about an idea that came about during a visit to Brittany.

An auntie once gave me a book entitled ‘Northern Lights. Fairy Tales of the Peoples of the North’. I loved it as a child and hung on to it as an adult. I recently read the stories to my youngest daughter only to be reminded how wild the stories are.

Before I forget what I got up to on those Cultivator Mixers I wanted to share the second 2 workshops I took part in. These happened back in May so I’m stretching my memory a bit - you might need to look at my previous post if you need some background into Cultivator Mixers.