leaf

I've been reading Keri Smith's two beautiful books (The Guerilla Art Kit and How to be an Explorer of the World). We were inspired to make some leaf sculptures at the Botanic Gardens. Ella also did some 'sap-exploration'- she's deeply interested in tree-sap at the moment - collecting bits of it in pockets and bags. Last time we were at the Botanic gardens we made flower sticks - threading flowers and leaves onto sticks. I'd seen Bhutanese girls from the village of Laya making these in a break from collecting firewood on Tribe.

Trees with love

First day of winter

Everything was looking pretty wintery over at the "Natanic" Gardens, and it was coooolllld and a little bit foggy, but Jamie's mates Mr and Mrs Swan came over to greet us (although hadn't taken time to polish up their beaks we noticed) and Jamie found that walking about on his own was a pretty exciting prospect with much to explore, like sprinklers, leaves and seeds.

lookout for leaves

We've been really enjoying looking at and collecting leaves this autumn. We find them on walks and they find their way into the top of the pushy and sometimes from there into the leaf press. This autumn we got not one, but two, leaf and flower presses. The leaves come out perfectly flat and lovely - but a different colour. I have an envelope full - still trying to decide what to do with them. The last leaf in the pictures is the last of our wisteria - now mostly twigs.