Jane Aston, painter.

I have had no internet, or telephone. The phone has yet to be connected so all is quiet. 
We do have the Black Redstarts creating a lot of fussy whistle/ruffles. 
Spring had arrived on a recent trip to the UK. My tiny Magnolias here are much further behind. I bought this Magnolia for my parents along time ago and it is beautiful in full bloom. Lots of crinkly white ribbons folding out of these strange hairy buds.

The bridge in Worcester 

A particularly good example of the Japonica, these are full of nostalgia for me, lovely plants early burst of colour. 

 The stalls and images below are all from Hay on Wye, famous for books. These Hellebores were extra large. I asked if I could take a photo and 'Where do you want me' was his cheeky reply. Nice smile don't you think?

Richard Booth self appointed King of Hay.

The eclipse through a colander. The sky was dark for a while but as the moon passed across the sun and had nearly passed fully over there were shadows again, enough to see clearly that the sun was being eclipsed.

Stall in Hay market. The lady Just Jules Vintage also goes to Cardiff and sells Indian reclaimed based and vintage. She's very enthusiastic and even cornered my dad with tales of vintage.
Hay has a lot of independently run shops, The Old Electric Shop is a new one on me and full of really lovely things. The table as I walked in was full of vintage alarm clocks, there was a café and for such a remote Black Mountains town had lots of interesting folks inside wearing proper knitted jumpers and sturdy shoes. There is also space to rent for artists. 

The Weir again as below. 

The Weir, near Hay on Wye, National Trust. I was hoping to see the snow drops but they are mostly finished here. Lovely setting, with winding paths on a slope. We had Jonquils and Daffodils to admire.The Rooks were very noisily nest building and shouting to each other all with their own distinctive voices.

TK Maxx have some lovely linen frocks in. I am really keen on this orange at the moment. The dress looked a bit wrong on me but I thought I might try some sewing. I have bales of French linen sheets so really with some dye I can't see why I can't try and make this. I had this same colour dress many years ago that I made using some fabric I bought from Liberties. 

My sister with her much loved horse, Norman. He prefers his own company,staying in the sheep field, nothing too taxing such as a hack.

A stall in Ludlow market. I am thinking of renting a place near here for winters. I love France but I can't seem to further my career or indeed stand the isolation. My cats will have to get their passports ready. This year I lost my internet connection for nearly 2 months. 

Same stall as above cast iron door stops, like French ones.

Sunshine in Ludlow.