Visit to the Seekers Trust

It was good to have some time at the Seekers Trust in Addington recently. The little flats are set in gardens with a wood next door to explore and a large pond. The seekers website here.

I have been going for some years for solitary retreats and creative stays and appreciate the healing chapels and Angelic connections.

Ruth and I went this time, armed with loads of water soluble media and my cameras. I enjoyed drawing with the water soluble crayons, pens, and coloured Inktense crayons.

As well as the woods and rose garden I drew the cherry tree outside our flat and used the spiritual connections and library to draw alchemical notes and Buddhas.

We also went to Aylesford Priory, and I was drawn to all the ancient trees around the site including a huge plane tree and fir at the back of the Priory. Their old barn, now a cafe and shop, was being re thatched, interesting to watch the craftsmen at work.

We came away with some pottery from the Aylesford Pottery founded by David Leach in the 1950's

Retreat at the Seekers Trust

I had a few days solitary retreat at the Seekers Trust as a meditation and art  space. The Seekers Trust website here
It was good to be back amongst the gardens and wood around the site.
They have been refurbishing the flats and have a new café and office space. There were bluebells and forget- me -nots in the woods  and mock orange by my door.

I was lucky to have good weather after the first day with showers and I took my canvases into the wood to do some drawings and back to the flat to paint them.

Some of my favourite trees remain in the wood, though some have fallen down or been cut down, such is the ecology of the woodland.  Many birds still around, lovely to hear them singing most of the day.

I was up at dawn on one day to hear and record the dawn chorus, I love that sense of being surrounded by bird song. It's always amazing how much sound can come out of such tiny birds.

I am still working on some paintings of the woods and church on the hill and on the photographs I took there. I'll upload them when I've finished them.

Retreat at the Seekers Trust

Last week I was at the Seekers Trust for a personal retreat. I used the time to sketch, write, meditate and study. I love the energy and atmosphere of the Seekers, with it's gardens and woodland and the healing chapels. Link to the Seekers website here

The weather was a mixture of sun and rain with some dramatic skies. I made some sketches and took some photos  of the skies. We seemed to escape most of the torrential rain that the rest of the country around us were getting and I was able to go for walks most days in sun and cloudy weather.

One morning I got up very early to hear and record the dawn chorus, the blackbirds seem to start the chorus at about 4.15am at the time, followed by the wrens, robins and then other birds. The chorus really is loud, it's hard to believe such small birds can make so much noise. I love that period before the sun comes up, not that I'm usually awake to see it very often. It's something about the light gradually building and the landscape becoming clearer and clearer.

More pages from my small sketch book. I have been writing a bit of poetry over the last few months and was inspired at the Seekers by the natural world. Original draft on my sketch book page at the top of the post.

The South East Wind

The South East wind blows through the trees,
cherry blossoms fall, confetti pink,
to celebrate events unknown, unrecognised.

Small nest shook free from fir trees, on the grass,
fine twigs, moss and feathers
built to last more than April showers,
could not withstand the Jet stream's dance
between Atlantic waves and land.

Tossed high above the church's tower,
jackdaws call in feathered disarray,
and bees sweet dance has other steps,
blown from the daisies far away.