Tiny Collections...

The beautiful & creative Dawn also known as Country Girl has encouraged her followers to display their tiny nature collections. A beautiful idea. Except of course that, despite the fact that I'm out walking with Alice every day, I keep forgetting to collect anything. I'm far too busy checking that she isn't rolling in something disgusting or keeping an eye on the Dartmoor ponies that roam the hill. And I always return cross with myself that I've yet again not picked anything up!

So today, inspired by her latest post, I offer you a tiny collection from our garden to enjoy....

Two views, because on the left of the bottom picture is the beautiful ghost of a hydrangea flower that I loved so much I had to show you....but it was a little large in comparison to the rest!

Our garden used to be farmland (our house was a farmhouse once, in the 1700's) and so we're forever finding wonderful fragments of what must once have been lovely plates & pots. I show you three little examples here, together with a glorious snowdrop, a winter jasmine blossom and - bane of my life in summer - a (thankfully empty) snailshell. The picture is a little unfocussed as you may just be able to see the little ladybird who decided to model for you too! She was hibernating in the hydrangea, and I've returned her safely outside. A pretty little addition I thought!

It set me thinking about other tiny collections around our home. I love to put objects together:

just because I like them!

I also have, for years and years, collected matchboxes & cards from all the restaurants and bars we've been to...

this is just one bowl of them, so I suppose it can't strictly be called a tiny collection at all! I love to look through them though, and remember wonderful meals and happy times.

And since we've had Alice, we've started a collection of Fox Terriers too

although the large one was inherited from Paul's parents, so we had him already. When Alice was a tiny puppy she was smaller than this, and was terrified of him...woofing at him most bravely and refusing to pass him where he stood in the corner! So we moved him to this shelf, and the others have slowly joined! They're quite hard to find, but so satisfying when we do!

I'd love to know about your collections too - tiny or otherwise!

With love to you this last Thursday in February.....x