A yellow half moon hangs low in the pale blue southern sky, above the white be tree in my garden, whose newly budding leaves glow green white in the dawn light.
Got up before dawn this morning and was rewarded with a soft sunrise and a moon over my white beam. #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
Purple and pink blush tulips in front of my magical book stack that is topped with a woof carving of a wren.
A very small and very cute wood mouse wandering in my shrubbery
A large terracotta pot bursting with bright yellow daffodils and purple and white hyacinths
A patch of cream narcissus in full bloom in front of a red brick wall with a just starting to come into leaf tree growing up it.
I have completed yet another revolution around the sun so bring some delightful (imo) pictures in celebration #TisMyBirthday #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
Two rabbits sit, at the foot of a very large tree trunk, in the morning sun. In the foreground is a swathe of daffodils, most flowers fully open, some gone over. There are more large tree trunks, dew covered grass and daffodils in the background.
Happy Easter to all who celebrate!
To mark my return from my social media break I bring daffodils and a pair of Easter bunnies for all you lovely people in my phone. #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
A macro photograph of a fairly large orange furry solitary bee with a black head and legs feeding on a small spring green coloured flower. She is in side profile clinging on to the sides of the flower with her tiny feet.
Finding joy in the small things! A lovely fresh female Tawny Mining bee just emerged and was out foraging in our garden today. The Wood Spurge flowers seemed to be her favourite food! 🧡📷
#MacroMonday #Photography #Nature #TheSmallThings #NativePlants #EastCoastKin
Is there anything that brings more peace and joy than being outdoors (in many layers) listening to the birds? A reminder that spring is coming.
#TheSmallThings
#MondayGratitude
When the snow starts melting & that first strip of glorious green grass peeks through. The sky feels bluer, the air softer, & walking my dog makes me smile a little wider because spring is almost here. ☀️🐾
“Spring is proof that there is beauty in new beginnings.” 💚
#TheSmallThings
The river, so far out of its banks you can’t tell where they were, an hour after sunrise. The sky is dusty blue, the sun has cleared the horizon and is reflecting gold in the water. There is a faint mist floating over the river and the bit of the bank that is left is gilded with frost.
Further along the river, a little later in the morning. There is still mist floating over the far side of the water. The trees on what was the opposite bank are two thirds underwater, the sky is brilliant blue, the water like a mirror and what’s left of the near bank is vivid green.
There is sunshine. The river is more like a lake but there is sunshine! #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
A long-tailed tit (tiny black white and beige feathered bird with beady black eyes and a tail twice as long as its body) is perched, in full sun, in an ornamental crab apple tree with a few red fruits left and a lot of bright green lichen. The sky beyond is slate grey.
A long-tailed tit (tiny black white and beige feathered bird with beady black eyes and a tail twice as long as its body) is perched, in full sun, on a bare branch with bright green lichen. Behind the branch is a red brick wall of the house opposite and to the far left the sky beyond is slate grey.
Despite the black skies the sun has just appeared - finally, it’s been so gloomsome for so long - and it heralded a visit from the Long-tailed Tits #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
Another very monday-ish Monday here but the #birds🪶 are still delightful. Especially this female blackcap, who has spent most of this month visiting the ornamental crab apple outside my window for snacks. This was taken on a day when we had sun (unlike today). #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
The sky above the house opposite mine, mostly cloudy but with a pink tinge at the top and an eerie green patch where the clouds have parted.
A closer up shot of sky above the house opposite mine, mostly cloudy but with a pink tinge at the top and an eerie green patch where the clouds have parted.
Another close up of the sky above the house opposite mine, mostly cloudy but with a pink tinge at the top and an eerie green patch where the clouds have parted.
So I have finally seen the #NorthernLights in person, despite the clouds trying to hide them! #AuroraBorealis #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
So frickin cool!
#supportartists #humanmadeart #original #glass #thesmallthings #coolstuff #artglass #kiln #onlybeautifulthings
Two blackbirds, one male and one female, perched in a tree that is bare of leaves but still covered in small, bright red fruit. Beyond them is the red brick wall and tiled roof of the house opposite, the tiles holding traces of yesterday’s snow. Above the roof is and pale peach patch of hazy sky, bright with the light of sunrise.
A faintly misty sunrise, with only the merest hint of snow left on the house opposite. The blackbirds are enjoying their ornamental crab apple breakfast, though! #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
A bookshelf full of books about folklore, the middle section stacked horizontally, with trinkets and Her Winter Song by Anna Vaught displayed on top. There is a rainbow reflection split across the right side of Her Winter Song and the top of the spine on Wild by Amy Jeff’s, the red-orange-yellow-green on Her Winter Song and the blue-purple on Wild.
Boiler remains unfixed (🥶) but the sun is shining and there’s a rainbow on my bookshelf #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
My back garden at dawn, the now covering everything so that you can’t delineate between lawn and path and patio. The trees and hedges are white topped too as are the roofs of the houses beyond. The sky is glowing yellow on the left half of the horizon and the rest is a powder blue.
Another layer of snow fell in the night #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
It’s snowing! And the resident magpie - who you can’t see as they’re hiding in the hedge but can very much hear - is not amused. #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
My back garden, viewed from my bedroom window. The lawn, paths and decking are thinly covered in white snow, as are the very tops of the trees and hedge and the roofs of the houses visible beyond the garden. The sky is pale blue with a hint of purple and the horizon is scattered with clouds that are glowing pink with warm grey edges. The sun has risen just out of view on the left of frame, turning that part of the horizon brilliant gold.
Another dusting of snow overnight, complemented by a pink-cloud smattered sunrise. #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
My back garden, lawn paths and decking mottled white with the tiny amount of snow that fell. The house roofs beyond the hedge are also white and the sky is that brittle bright blue that often signifies snow and cold. The rising sun, just out of shot in the left of the frame, has turned that patch of sky pale yellow.
It’s a light fall only, tiny flakes like icing dusting a cake, but it’s still snow. #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
Dawn, just before sunrise, over the River Tern at Attingham Park. River gleams silver in frosted banks, mist drifts across the frosted fields beyond and the sky is an ombré of pastels, gold between the hills where the sun is about to come up, fading upwards through yellow, to blue, to pink on the right and purple on the left
Another dawn shot across the river, sky gilded gold, the river banks and fields silver white with frost and mist.
Close up of an oak in the frosted field beyond the river, mist drifting all around, firs visible on the far hills in grey silhouette against the golden dawn
View up river, away from the dawn lit east. The river is mirroring the trees on the banks and in the grey-pink sky are two ravens in flight
My final #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy offerings of 2025 are photos from my dawn New Year’s Eve walk through Attingham Park. It was beautiful despite the bitter cold. You get to experience it without the frost nipped fingers, nose and toes! We start where the path meets the River Tern:
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Exploring the Future of Sports Business at the AiSIA Seminar in Aichi #Japan #Nagoya #AiSIA #TheSmallThings #SportsBusiness
The tree of light in the gallery, so covered with fairy lights and reflective glass baubles, and mirrors on the floor, that it glows. There are many, many paintings - portraits and landscapes - in gold frames on the red walls behind the tree.
The “Games” tree in the library/parlour, with chess pieces and playing cards, dice and dominoes as decorations with the glittery baubles. Under the tree are many unwrapped board games and the wall behind is filled with shelves of books.
A more “modern” tree, in a variety of multicoloured lights, representing the 1950s when part of Attingham House was used as an Adult Education College. There are metallic paper chains hanging above the tree, a very old vacuum cleaner and boxes of decorations around it, as if the tree and room are still in the process of being decorated.
The Christmas tree in the Butler’s room below stairs, decorated with corks and miniature crates of wine as well as lights and baubles. On the floor around the tree are beer barrels, empty bottles of wine and champagne, and hop vines as decoration.
More festive fun #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
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The first Christmas tree in the entrance hall of Attingham Park, decorated with hand written envelopes, old stamps and baubles. The grey marble columns, walls and painted frieze are visible behind the tree
Christmas tree in the saloon, decorated with baubles made from champagne corks, bottles of wine, golden musical notes and glass baubles. The walls are grey-blue, the ceiling is pale brown and white and there are many larger framed pictures on the walls, including Bacchus and Ariadne by Angelica Kauffman
The Giving Tree, in the east corridor, reflecting the groups that the Lord and Lady of the house supported over the festive season. There are nurses aprons with red crosses from WWI and WI jam pots and medallions amongst the baubles and lights. In the background my father is making a cameo in the open door.
The main staircase out of the gallery with garlands strung up both hand rails, a massive pile of presents shaped like a tree in the landing where the stairs split and curve up and away to both sides, and the straight stairs up to the landing have two unwrapped children’s gifts - a dolls house and a book - as well as many more wrapped presents. Everything is in shades of purples, reds, golds and greens.
The sky is grey and the rain is pouring steadily down the windows so this week #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy are all festive and glittery; namely my favourite Christmas trees from last week’s visit, with Dad, to @nationaltrust.org.uk’s “A Very Attingham Christmas” at Attingham Park.
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A mature oak tree, with a large, lush crown that overhangs the road and the field that it is planted between. It is still, despite it being the start of December, covered in yellow-gold leaves. It is a bright, sunny day and the sky behind the tree is a vivid blue.
George, a grey squirrel, sitting on the empty water dish holder on a metal bird feeder - feet on one side of the ring, bushy tail draped over the other - nibbling decorously on a lump of suet that he has just liberated from the suet ball holder above him.
Dawn in the Attingham Park car park, bare branched trees dark silhouettes against a pink and purple sky.
Sunrise over the River Tern at Attigham Park. The top of the sky is pale blue, there are stretched patches of grey and white cloud, and then the horizon is pink and gold, with the top curve of the sun just visible above the trees on the horizon. The waterlogged field and the river reflect the pink and gold sky.
#TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy for this week are a variety of pics taken last week, from the last oak in the village to drop its leaves, George the Squirrel stealing the bird food, and a dawn visit to the Attingham Park grounds
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An extra #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy for us all this week as I’ve had a new, and rather delightful, visitor to my garden along with my regular sparrow flock. #GreaterSpottedWoodpecker #birds🪶
The banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, all frosted, with a fine layer of mist over the water and Shrewsbury School in the background.
What I think is a Snow-in-Summer plant growing down the rockery in the Dingle at Shrewsbury Quarry, all the foliage dusted with frost.
The formal planting beds in the Dingle, in Shrewsbury Quarry, all covered in a light dusting of frost and shaded from the sun, which is brightly illuminating the tree behind the beds.
The pond in the Dingle, in Shrewsbury Quarry, surrounded by trees and shrubs and lit brightly by the morning sun. In the foreground is a pottery slab with various places in Shrewsbury illustrated on it. This is part of a heritage trail through the town.
2/2 #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy more frost and sunshine!
The War Memorial in Shrewsbury Quarry - a black marble winged statue with a dome of white stone - and the surrounding parkland, covered in frost in the early morning.
Shrewsbury quarry - view of St Chad's on the skyline from the park side of the path along the severn. Everything is covered in frost and the sun, on the right of the photo has not yet risen above the tree line.
The River Severn through Shrewsbury, a tree leaning out towards the water, the bank frost covered, and mist floating above the water.
Close up of a fallen brown leaf on the bare ground, frost picking out every vein. Behind the leaf is the grass covered river bank, every blade frosted. The far bank, with trees in various autumnal shades, is out of focus in the background.
This week's #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy photos come from a visit to Shrewsbury, early in the morning, on a very bright but frosty day. I couldn't pick my favourite so you get another eight! 1/2
Close up of a deep green bramble leaf, the colour almost invisible under the covering of frost crystals.
The top of the hillock from the earlier pictures, with the bench just off centre of the photo. Both bench and grass are covered in frost, the surrounding trees are yellow in the sunlight and the sky is an expanse of bright blue, criss-crossed with plane trails.
Close up of a frost covered tuft of grass, with a stand of golden trees out of focus in the background.
A branch of winter flowering gorse, yellow flowers and green needle leaves dusted with frost.
#TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy Frost edition
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View from the path, across two completely frost rimed fields, the second rising into a small hillock with a bench at the top. The top is edged with trees, and two also flank the left and right sides of the photo. The sky is a cold pale blue fading to white on the horizon.
View from the highest point of the walk, out across the open fields, trees and then buildings mostly hidden by the trees. The sun is now fully above the horizon, directly behind me and the hillside I’m standing on, so the fields closest to me are in shadow, but glow cold with frost, and the trees in the distance are lit gold by the sun, as is the sky on the horizon. The clouds are white streaks trailing outwards from the centre of the horizon and the sky graduates from the gold through almost yellow green to a bright blue.
The frosty hillock from the earlier photo from another angle, the frosted field in shadow but the trees on the next hill glowing in the sun.
Close up of vivid green leaves on a newly planted tree, thick with frost crystals.
#TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy Frost edition
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The pond in a clearing in the woods, completely frozen over, the ice choppy in a way that shows it had frozen the day before and started to thaw before it froze again overnight. The grass surrounding is also rimed with frost, the trees edging the clearing look ragged with leaf loss and the sky is pale frost blue, streaked with white cloud and plane trails.
An oak gall on a branch surrounded by oak leaves, gall and leaves dusted in spiky frost crystals. The sky behind the tree is a cold pale blue.
What might possibly be a young hawthorn, lobed leaves completely rimed with frost crystals. There is a stand of silver birch, out of focus, in the background.
An oak leaf, still attached to the tree, mostly turned to brown but with one singular patch of yellow on the top right of the leaf as you look at the picture. It is completely covered in frost crystals.
I got up before dawn on Friday to take myself out into the magic of my local wood in the frost. I took a lot of photos and thus they become #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy this week, all shared in the order I took them on my walk.
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A cherry plum, covered in pink frilly blossom, with what leaves it has left turning yellow because it’s November!
Shining large dark green holly leaves surround their tiny white-with-pink-centres flowers
A fallen mature tree with many branches laying directly across the leaf strewn path in the woods, completely blocking the way as the path edges are bracketed with dense shrubs and other, still standing, trees.
A completely uprooted mature tree, fallen across, and then parallel to, the curved path. The still standing trees around it are in a circle, almost like mourners at a grave site. The sky above is a cloudy grey-blue.
This week (very belatedly) #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy are many, so come in two posts. Firstly, some flowers in the wrong season and the after effects of Storm Claudia on the local woods 1/2
A path through the woods, completely carpeted in brown fallen leaves and overhung with trees with a mixture of yellow and green leaves.
Close up of a dwarf orange flower, which looks rather like an orange poppy, with the rest of Attingham’s walled garden, out of focus, in the background.
A wooden bench underneath a tree covered in vivid yellow leaves. The ground around the bench is thickly carpeted in orange fallen leaves and beyond both bench and tree are more yellowing trees with several still green shrubs.
A crow sitting on a branch of an oak tree, head lifted and turned to meards the left side of the photo. The leaves behind the crow are still green whilst the ones in front of and below him are yellow-orange.
Autumn colours today for #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy all taken at Attingham Park. #Autumn #Birds 🪶
