botanical watercolours

The study of plants is an ancient science, and as with the oldest sciences, was tied to the mysteries of nature and the body. It was considered essential for anyone of learning to study and record plants and the way they grew. Even children in today's schools are encouraged to draw the parts of flowers and try to grow their own plants from seeds.

Botanical illustration therefore is one of the oldest uses of art. It is both art and science, a study and an appreciation of the beauty of nature. With our eyes and hands, we are analysing the structure of a living thing. Using ink and paint, we are learning to understand a growing thing from the outside in.

the heART of Spring

It has been a hard winter and a cold, wet spring. Despite the joyful work we do on our lives every day, there are times when we feel a little resentful, heartsick and lonely.

Robin in diary

writes of spring

The skies go grey, then bright, then grey again - British spring is not so much a season as a series of false starts. This week we're going through another cold dip after the brief period of warmth in March that is meant to get a Londoner's hopes up before the April windstorms drench our spirit again.

"real" British seasons, from Reddit

exploring curbside gardens with PlantNet

London is a city of parks, gardens and little squares of green. In spring and summer, there are flowers everywhere.

Red Valerian with English roses

studying, resting, writing, learning

Vaccinations are rolling out, variants rampant, summer days hot in one country and damp in the other. What are stay-at-home wonder | wander | women to do? Read, rest, write and learn!

Robin in the garden, watercolours in Paperblanks notebook

hope for the flowers

It's now been a year and a month since wonder | wander | women went into lockdown. Last year I was home with a month's worth of groceries, watching the cherry tree two streets over come into flower and then drop its blooms. I only saw it from my window, too anxious and disoriented to leave the house and cross the suddenly-silent city streets, even for our favourite flowers.

spring creeping up!

It's been a freezing few months, with snow, fog and winds keeping us from walking around our neighbourhoods. But in London at least, there are signs that spring is moving in again.

the language of flowers

Artists and art lovers are always fascinated by visuals with multiple meanings. Layering symbolism into an image can hold our attention for longer, engage our senses and brain, and leave us feeling more satisfied than an image with shallower appeal. Maybe that's why wonder | wander | women take so many pictures of flowers.

Summer in Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross, London

spring flowers & summer showers

We have been enjoying our seasonal blooms as we stroll around our Weehawken neighborhood. 

Walking off a happy meal and taking the time to chat with folks lovingly tending their gardens. 

The weather these past few days reminds us of this poem by Karen Chappell - 

April showers bring May flowers,
That is what they say.
But if all the showers turned to flowers,
We’d have quite a colourful day!

cherry blossom time

The wonder | wander | women have definitely watched too many Japanese films. We've seen many historical sword battles or the slow grieving process of a family losing a loved one. Meanwhile in every film, cherry trees (or sakura) in full bloom shed petals like tears in the background, reminding us about the transient beauty of human life.

Spring returns!

After the bitter weather of weeks past, wonder | wander | women were starting to wonder if spring was ever coming back. The week of snow definitely didn't help, although it was certainly pretty.

autumn foraging

The weather is definitely turning murkier and cool, everything washing out into monochrome. Bill Bryson compares the constant overcast to 'living inside Tupperware'.

sakura season!

It's safe to say the wonder | wander | women are a little obsessed with cherry blossoms, or sakura as they're known in Japan. One of our favourite spring pastimes is hunting blossoms to photograph - you might have noticed them guest starring in our vernal equinox post!

Spring rising - the vernal equinox

Last Sunday was the 'official' first day of spring - the vernal equinox!

garden walks

The wonder | wander | women are hardly ever in the same time zone, much less in the same place. So we spend as much time as we can in each other's company. Our favourite thing to do together (besides eating!) is take walks around our neighbourhood. (Often after eating!)

Barbican Conservatory: hothouse flowers

Two weeks ago we posted about the overflowing life in the Barbican Conservatory. We touched on the cacti in the desert room, and some of the plants along the tropical paths. But there are so many species in the Conservatory that one post wasn't enough to count all our favourites!

The gumamela, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, from our Conservatory post.

blooms & colors

It is good to be back in time to catch some cool summer breeze.

Especially after two scorching months in the tropics.

Manhattan NY from Weehawken NJ

It feels good to get back to regular walks around the neighborhood.

Pink!

This week in London has been very pink!

It's strange to go from blazing summer to a cool mild spring, but we're adjusting to it with the help of all the new growing flowers springing up everywhere this May.

spring blossoms

As wonder |wander | women pack to head for the tropics, the world around us is bursting in bloom.

Earth's Bounty

Bright baubles blossom all around us as Spring awakens through the chill and rain.