Thread by @radicalhoneybee

I must admit to feeling rather dispirited at present, & so this morning I was blessed to be greeted by Solid Dennis, who stayed with us last night. Being dispirited, I have stopped going out for walks but today I HAD to go. I was grumpy but look what I found...

#smallbeauties

First I came across this strip of ground, which used to be wild with green but has been treated with chemicals, & opposite MORE house building! There used to be 100 yr old trees there, fox dens, an ancient crow community. It matters to find #smallbeauties amongst all this...

I walked on & thank goodness for the wilding apple tree, the only one to survive the recent fellings. I am still amazed to see her still there. I used to stand under her branches. Now she has a fence round her but today I held a tendril of her companion ivy & felt connection...

And then the sight of the silver sea below, the velvet dark of new ash buds, & the remains of an ivy berry winter feast. I felt so heartened that this huge ivy was stripped bare. She still calls the wild in & the wild comes! And there are still some delicious berries for later.

And then I came upon a HUGE roadside community of winter heliotrope! Their name suggests they 'follow the sun' & yet they grow in the shade. Nevertheless they're one of the first flowers to trust that the newborn winter sun is here to stay. And they provide nectar for early bees.

Look how the winter heliotrope are thriving by the road! There have been no female flowers in the UK until now & so they spread only through rhizomes but there have been hopeful sightings of females. Soon there may be seeds! I was feeling better by the second!

Signs of 'humanity' on my walk included a bin liner, the leavings of takeaways, & a bike by my beloved elder tree. The local tip is on the other side of that metal fence! Just why!? To me it is an act of resistance to see all of this but find #smallbeauties still. We have to try.

And I had already failed because I let that bin liner distract me from the apples like golden pennies hanging over the fence. But I did see mallow & ground ivy leaves, gorse covered in buds, & tiny signs of life on the elder. They carry on & so shall I. In solidarity.

And then the stunning sight of this gorse tumbling over walls & pavements, with so many flowers still to open! I usually drive down this road & miss it all. It was beautiful! And hardly anyone even gave it a glance. But I did.

#smallbeauties

And then a bright abundance of red rosehips, some blackened by their blessed winter transformation, & wildly flowering rosemary in a front garden. Another blessing for winter waking bees, and for me.

#smallbeauties

Walking on, I found the warm beauty of sycamore seeds, tiny waxen flowers opening in a bone dry & seemingly lifeless hedge, new growth twigs in luminous red, & the oh, be joyful sight of fresh cleavers. So lovely they made me tearful. Look at their candy stripes! #smallbeauties

And listen to the secrets of the bramble hedge! 🎶🎶🎶

#smallbeauties

Mission achieved at the bottom of the hill (electricity key topped up & snacks for Solid Dennis), I am on my way home. On the way back up I found this gorgeous hebe, a feather in the grass, & a bone where I have seen the crows gathering. A much celebrated prize for one I'm sure!

More winter beauties! Shining lichen, ash keys, and dried seedheads. The colours of winter are so beautiful, the life just under the surface, the space to see the sky.

#smallbeauties

And then home, to hot porridge with maple syrup cooked by Mr RH @da_FooSta waiting for me to warm me up, Solid Dennis having a stretch, and the everyday angel pigeons waiting for their breakfast. Because some things, & many things, are still right with the world.

#smallbeauties

And here, to end, is a wondrous ivy #smallbeauties I found. Because, when I feel like giving up, Life always reminds me that I can grow & even thrive in ALL the places that seem to constrict me, & so can we all.

Thank you for walking with me. I'm grateful for your good company.