It's heartbreaking that our new neighbours have built this giant raised platform on our border. Our two patios, which used to be full of sunshine & pots of flowers, are now thrown into shade, and noise from this 10ft stockade has driven the wildlife away. 😞All the flowers on the boundary have died.

The garden is looking lovely in the spring sunshine. All the bluebells flowered early, and the coral root bittercress colony that magically appeared under the Bramley last year has tripled in size. The beech hedge also suddenly sprang into life with leaves in such a vivid green they seem to glow.

Jacob's Ladder is the county flower of Derbyshire, so I'm extra happy to discover that it has popped up unexpectedly in my garden this year; no doubt a gift from the birds. Maybe it's a thank you present for feeding them throughout the year and encouraging them to nest in our trees and hedges. 😁

Nearly a year on, and the cabin is looking a lot more grown in and settled into its landscape. I planted the broom from seed, and it's just stunning this spring.

There are some days that are so exquisite that I just can't write, because all I want to do is sit back and drink in the view.

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When people ask me why I exchanged city life for the relative wild of the High Peak, I tell them about the village's quirkiness and vibrancy, its beautifully slow pace, and my warm neighbours.
Or I could just show them this picture; taken minutes from my door, on the hill I now call home.

One of the best things about going for a walk in the Derbyshire countryside around Whaley Bridge is coming home.
I love returning by the canal towpath at the end of the day & rounding the corner to see the Transhipment Warehouse, with its cheery lights gleaming across the dark water.
#WhaleyBridge

Here's the main reason I write in my new cabin.
When the book you're working on is all about the healing power of the natural world, your creative batteries are charged to the max by seeing this every time you look up from the page.

My hubby and I spent weeks in the rain this year, building a summerhouse. We had to dig over 4 tons of earth and stones out of our hillside garden to create a level space before we could even start construction!
It's now my writing cabin.
Pictured is Dustin, my literary editor. He's very strict.

Visiting the graveyard at St.James Church in Taxal recently, I was struck by the quiet air of the place & how surprisingly naturally it seemed to occupy the landscape; surrounded by rustling trees & the distant chatter of the river. It felt like it had always been there; gently holding the departed.

Although this looks very similar to the Lady's Smock I saw last week, this is apparently closely-related Coralroot Bittercress.
I found it in the shade of an old beech hedge. The dark bulbils on the stem set it apart from its lookalike cousin. It's not a common plant, so I'll take great care of it.

I'm testing my new wood knife by whittling the ends of a tripod frame to support the sweet peas hubby's grown from seed. We've got lots of branches for this purpose as our beeches have just been pruned. It's challenging though when your cat wants to play with the stick while you're working on it! 😄

This Cuckoo Flower, also known as Lady's Smock, has popped up at the top of our garden, at the edge of the woodland bit, near the silver birches I planted a couple of years ago.
The space is slowly turning into what we want: a blend of natural countryside and traditional cottage garden.🙂

I love forget-me-nots. Their sweet lavender blue faces are among the first to greet the spring. This year we found a whole bed of them in our garden; gifted us by a passing bird or small animal. All I know is that we didn't plant them, but they're all around the edge of one of the patios. Wonderful.

It's been pouring with rain all day today, and grey clouds have rubbed out the hills. But yesterday was the warmest day of the year so far, and the view from the old road out of the village looked like this.

It's fantastic seeing my garden come back to life, as the new season stretches itself awake, then gathers pace to renew life and colour the landscape.
What I particularly love about this shot that I took today is the fact that the welcome warm spring sunlight is reflected in the ladybird's wing. 🙂

I saw four buzzards this morning, wheeling above my garden; their mewing drifting with them in circles in the soft grey sky.
A pair of collared doves pecked bright green buds on the old Bramley tree, whilst the bright petals of stonecrop, celandines and wild garlic shone beneath.
It is spring.