goodbye May, hello June

May. My favourite month. The garden luscious with growth, bursting with purple alliums waving their cheerful pompom heads above swathes of catmint and anthriscus, the apple tree in briefest blossom, cerinthe and hesperis romping in the cutting patch, and giddy delphinium spires reaching for the sky. Not a hint of wilt or decay yet to be seen. All so full of promise.

And along the riverbanks and foothpaths behind our house, the explosion of cowparsley and hawthorn, nature at its most fresh and verdant looking.  Bluebell woods in their full glory.

And of course the return of the swallows and swifts - always a moment that marks a happy tilt in the year's axis, a dip and a lurch towards the longest days and warm evenings if we are lucky.  Do you know this poem by Ted Hughs? He observes and captures the whistling elegance of swifts' flight so beautifully, and the feeling that their return brings - that all is still alright with the world.

I have been making many of my swift earrings and pendants this month, unsurprisingly they are always particularly popular this time of year. I have also been designing a new collection based on the slim petals of daisies, our lawn is cropping thousands a week, so the inspiration has been right infront of me all month!

So, this is what May has looked like in my corner of the world, mainly purple and white, and of course, silver!