Happy May Day. Happy Beltane.

Toby, Sarah and I are spending a week or so in Northern Michigan with my mother (Toby’s grandmother) . I left Brian at home on Dartmoor, looking after Buster and Elfie and having some well deserved time by himself. I expect to see lots of new paintings when I get back home next week -either that or a very messy house and lots of left over cheese in the fridge. Maybe if I’m lucky it will be paintings AND cheese. I’ll have to wait and see.

My mother’s garden is looking very Spring-like, with lots of flowers out and trees coming into blossom as well. Things have been a bit confused here because the weather has been first unseasonably hot and then unseasonably cold. The poor flowers don’t quite know what to do. But - May Day is here and the sun is shining so all is well in the garden. I was taking an early morning walk and came across this little fellow inspecting the flowers. I don’t know if he has an official job looking after them or if he’s just out enjoying Spring as well. I have the feeling that he’s just having a poke around the garden. 

I followed him over to the sculpture of the sleeping dragon that sleeps in its own little paved circle and watched while the little fellow first inspected it, then poked it with a stick and finally figured out that it wasn’t going to wake up and eat him. I left him having a ride on its back. I expect he will go back to his friends and tell them how he poked a dragon and then rode on its back. I’m pretty sure he won’t mention the fact that the dragon is bronze and not much of a threat.

I was very glad to see that the faery creatures that live here are willing to come out so that I can see them and record them for you. I’ll see if I can find a few more to photograph in the next few days. 

We wish you all a very happy May Day. I’m going back out to the garden now. I can hear a woodpecker and I’ve just seen a duck so I have the feeling that its going to get busy out there today.