Generally, I like to start the day early, feed the dog and head out to the garden with a cup of hot coffee (must be my favourite Emma Bridgewater cup, dash of milk, one sweetener and ‘big’ coat over dressing gown and PJs if you really want to picture the scene!)
It’s a small ritual, but one I treasure. Before emails, screens, work or even a morning run or swim there is stillness. There’s no planning or thinking about the day ahead, I just let my thoughts drift. Quiet contemplation. It’s one of my favourite moments of the day.
However, at this time of year, not long after 6am, the garden is anything but silent! The birds are already busy, filling the air with a cacophony of sound as they search for food and begin the serious work of nest building. It’s surprising just how noisy it can be at this time of the day. I have a little pair of binoculars so that I can watch the birds as they bob around the trees and garden beds. Armed with a little RSPB bird book and the amazing merlin App on my phone I’ve managed to identify over 20 different kinds of feathered garden visitors this spring.
We have returning Great tits in the apple tree, darting backwards and forwards before darting into their little home. Mr and Mrs Blackbird have settled into the ivy, always watchful, always alert. A hopeful pair of pigeons are attempting to nest in one of the overhanging trees, though their building technique seems to involve flinging a few twigs onto a branch and hoping for the best. Watching them makes me smile — nature doing its thing, imperfect and determined.
Inspired by these garden visitors I have begun a stitched artwork called Birds of Bramley Cottage, which will be featured in my summer exhibition. But it’s the black birds that are really inspiring my work at the moment. We seem to have so many, and they are very bold, often coming so close to me, foraging around or scrapping over territory. According to the RSPB they are one of our most common garden birds, with over 5 million breeding birds in the UK and apparently lead the morning dawn chorus in the Spring – I can certainly vouch for that here in North Yorkshire!
We’ve only been here at Bramley Cottage for 5 years and in that time, I’ve learnt so much about the birds that visit our garden and I’d very much like to share that with a much wider community. Which is why this June I’m launching a full day workshop inspired by the birds I watch every day.
Hand Stitched Bird Wall Hanging is a slow sewing session designed for rest, creativity, and gentle companionship. No sewing experience is needed at all — I’ll be providing plenty of templates, guidance, and clear instructions so everyone can relax and enjoy the day. If the weather is warm and kind, there are plenty of quiet corners in our green garden where people can sit, stitch, and enjoy the sunshine, and birds, in peace.
Like all my workshops, this session is my way of sharing the stillness, and peace I find in my garden each morning. Why not join me to slow down and reconnect — with nature, creativity, and yourself?
Did you know that birdsong helps you relax?
Did you know that a study commissioned by the National Trust found that listening to bird song, as part of a woodland soundscape, was 30% better at increasing feelings of relaxation than a voiced meditation app? Research from the University of Surrey also suggests that actively listening to birdsong contributes to perceived stress recovery and attention restoration.
Read more in this article looking at our relationship with nature and how it can support good mental health and wellbeing.