Animal magic out in the garden

Good morning, though I would share a card or two as we are at the midway point of our two week challenge at Allsorts where our theme is 'A/G with the option In the Spring Garden'.

Lots of lovely prizes this month from Oakwood, AALL and Create, Stamp Addicts, Ruth Hamilton Design, Aldridge Crafts, you will find a photo of all on the challenge blog.

The Bunnies are very busy out in the gardens and paddocks and several have produced litters which are such fun to watch, the other evening two little ones chased each other around the orchard for what seems like forever until they got so tired and laid down to chew some grass (photo below).

So the Bunny image on AALL and Creates In the Wild seemed the perfect choice for a card, it's one of several large stamps in the A4 set. A soft stamped background and a little stencil work along with some washi tape and words from Power of the Word was all it needed. 

I would like to link this to The Flower Challenge were they would like to see background stamping as well of course as flowers. I have also been directed to the Path of Positivity challenge so would like to enter with the above card, the option is inspired by Literature and this image always makes me think of Watership Down and whilst I wouldn't consider that quite literature it's a book so loosely associated!

Another using A&C's Crocus along with the larger Mouse from Cute Mouse. Again I kept the Oxide background soft adding some stencilling using the stencil inked and spritzed with water and used as a stamp rather than inking through the stencil, some washi tape and the word Crocus from the same set stamped into one of the arrow/banners from Wildflower.

This one is for the Current Country View Challenge which this month is Things with Wings so hope my Swallows are sufficient for the wings element. I have used the lovely blossom from A&C's Elegant Stems one of three large images along with the swallows from Fully Fledged. I did all stamping with Oxide Spiced Marmalade and just dragged out the colour on the largest blossoms.

Sam the Squibble (so named by youngest Granddaughter) contemplating the bird feeder outside the kitchen window a couple of weeks ago, note the rather extended tummy and below another visit this week, this time to one of their own feeders on one of the trees. Tummy much smaller and as she scampered down the tree, or rather chased off by one of her relatives, there were clear signs she's had her babies and feeding them. Following their activity last year I imagine we will get a sight of the babies is a couple of weeks.

This chap, a Green Woodpecker was feeding in the top paddock the other day, there were actually a pair of them but I was too slow to catch them both.

And the pair below have given us lots of viewing time this Spring, looks as though the Wood Pigeon has bagged himself a rather classy mate who may be a racing Pigeon, although we've not got close enough to see if she is ringed. But clearly they have become a pair and nesting in one of the trees, so looking forward to seeing what they produce. 

Like Swans, Pigeons mate for life, so it's really sad when one loses their mate as they sit dejected and pine away. But we have loads of them on our land and think they see it as a safe haven from local gun loving farmers and we're very happy to home them.

Here are those adorable baby bunnies, or kittens to give them their official name.

Finally a couple of photos of some early blossom, above the Clematis armandii, rather late this year, it usually flowers early March, but that's the season we've had. And below Viburnum x burkwoodii, they both smell amazing so fragrance as you walk around the immediate garden.

Hope you enjoy my little glimpse of Nature, it's so magical. Have a lovely Easter everyone, hope the sun shines where you are.

 

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