I don’t know about you, but my intention to make my daily walks part of my exercise routine tends to fall flat. Each day, each week, each season brings something new and wonderful. The shapes, the colours, my phone camera in and out of my pocket, like a gunslinger, shooting images purely for my own satisfaction.

Brown mushrooms growing on rotting forest undergrowth
Magical Mushrooms
My canine walking buddy, Jedd, can become a tad frustrated, but he is patient.

In France, I am obsessed with mushrooms in autumn. I love the contrast of colours against the rich earth and rotting logs. Thousands of varieties to discover and study, all so unique, you can get lost in the hunt for hours, returning home covered in mud and slime from trying to be all arty and getting low down and dirty with my Mushroom muses.

Snowflakes and ice droplets in winter, it is nice to have true seasons. Growing up in Victoria, Australia, the running joke is that you must be prepared for all four seasons in one day. It is true, the weather is fickle, but here in the Correże, you can enjoy the changing seasons and actually put away most of your summer wardrobe for winter. There is such a huge difference between our little village house in the heart of France and the little beachside home in Australia; the seasons are pretty much exact opposites.
 
In the Medieval Village of Treignac in the Corrèze, winter brings low cloud, giving a mystical depth to the layers of trees covering the distant mountains. The Autumn leaves on the ground have become crisp underfoot with ice from the minus-degree temperatures. Frozen puddles with irresistible iced up shells, you just have to stomp on them to hear them crack like glass, so satisfying. It brings back childhood memories of winter family holidays. Until suddenly you slide A over T across the top of an unexpectedly thick frozen puddle, throw your hip out and end up dragged around by Jedd the Hound. All very entertaining for anyone watching the old lady and her dog.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Water freezing on a lake in France
Ice Freeze
The village is tres romantic with smoke billowing from chimneys, the villagers indoors, putting their handicraft skills to good use, creating and designing while they are snug and warm inside. There is beauty in the frozen water on the lake with mesmerising patterns created as the ice grows on the surface. Inspiration is endless, colours, shapes, texture and light, designs of nature.
The flowering trees and plants of spring, the birds singing, the vibrant colours, the bees, hummingbird moths and brilliant blue sky reflections upon the water will soon be upon us, so I enjoy the winter while it is upon us.
 
 
 

Inspirational Textile Artistry

 
 
An extremely talented friend of mine Jennie-maree Tempest is another who searches Nature for Inspiration. Jennie-maree is an Australian-based artist living in a beautiful coastal village on her hobby farm with her husband and their menagerie of animals.
 

The coastline offers an abundance of inspiration, and along with a rural lifestyle, she is never at a loss for her next subject, always pushing boundaries as a textile artist. She recently built a large studio with accommodation to run her busy workshops.

 

 

Jennie-maree Textile Artist creations
Jennie-maree’s amazing textile creations
 

 

Jennie-maree’s textile creations are intriguing and equally as intricate as the natural subject, each branch, leaf, petal, and stamen so authentic and convincing.

If you are interested in the wonderful world of textile artistry, I advise you to take a look at Jennie-maree’s social media and web page links.

Jennie‑maree recently built a large studio with workshops and conducts classes from her rural, coastal home and various other locations.

If you are looking for safe, reliable background on fungi and foraging, see mushroom identification and ecology.