Fresh Thinking

Always think this is a better time of year for fresh thinking. The New Year celebrations induce you to plan for the year ahead, but with the start of spring weather, most folks get a spring in their step as the better weather in the Northern hemisphere ( in my instance Europe) starts to get a grip. Generally I seem to "come alive". Ready for new directions and fresh thinking.

This morning I spent some time in the garden admiring a new tree I had purchased. As you can see I was accompanied by another interested party too.

I just love its shape and recall being entralled by the huge buds on this species. Something I had inherited from my mother who also loved springtime and the catkins and the Easter lambs, chicks and all that goes with it .

My mother was a gardener, I cannot claim that. So I had no idea what this tree was........ so when I looked it up in her gardening book, imagine my surprise to find out its a willow, ornamental I suspect. So no planting it in the garden then, it will have to stay in a pot.

The buds are so wonderful. Seem to be bursting with growth, hope my artistic creativity does the same.

On the note of creartivity, I had some work in an exhbition in Sussex, last month, and the sun was shining brightly on the day I stewarded. Just love the shadows from the ornate windows in this photo that I took. Instantly knew it would be useless as a record of the work, but kept it for the wonderful shadows. Played shadows today with my 3 year old grandson on the way back from the park - such fun looking at the world from a toddlers perspective. More fresh thinking.