Nature, planet earth's paintbox

It never ceases to amaze me the sheer amount of different plant forms and colours in this world. As artists, potters,  colourists, mixed media creators, photographers, paint shade developers, interior designers and creators struggle to find new combinations or ponder over which colour looks best with which, Nature already has its colour schemes worked out. Colours that we feel would clash violently if we put them together  look completely in the right place when in the context of gardens, woods, and countryside. We struggle with shapes , outlines and symmetry, all the while nature has all this stuff completely sorted. It doesn't worry about the latest trend in clean lines, the decision whether to have sharp or rounded corners, what will happen if we put that shape next to that one. Nature just throws the lot into the mix almost and sees what happens!
 I love each season for different reasons.
Spring brings new shoots, new life being created and formed, fresh colours that wake up the world from its winter sleep with a burst of green, yellow,blue in all sorts of shades of each. Snowdrops herald that spring and the promise of a new beginning that comes with the arrival of crocuses, daffodils, and fresh greens. New leaves sprout from the branches of trees that have stood bare and stark, giving the tree the first clothing of the year.  The  start of new life with the first lambs and chicks seeing the world for the first time. Spring is like turning over a new leaf and starting agin afresh with all that the new year has to offer. Wipe the mud of the old year off our shoes and put on our nice new ones. New chances, new opportunities, a chance to start again
Summer brings the flowers out in their warmest colours. Vibrant, full on and in your face. the garden is ablaze[hopefully!] with a riot of colour. It's party time for nature. Bring out the maracas, sunglasses and flowers get dancing in the sunshine, what we get of it!. Its festival time, holiday time and the bright colours make us feel happy and lift our spirits to a positive level. Time for playing in the garden, dad assuming chief cook status with the bbq, the kids splashing in the paddling pool and mum for once sitting down and chilling with something long cool and refreshing. Time to bask in the results of all that planting, watering and nurturing of those new plants and see all the glorious flowers that spring from them.
Autumn wears the years most glorious clothes I once saw written somewhere and if that means in colours , well we all know that the colours of autumn reflect the tones of wonderful sunsets, acorns, squirrels,foxes, and autumn fruits. Russets, reds, burnt oranges, golden yellows, what a lovely sight it is as the year has its last blast of warm colour. Time to harvest the results of those gorgeously spring blossoming apple and fruit trees, using the fruits for warming apple pies, picking blackberries in the autumn glow of the sky. Its time to put on that extra layer or two for long walks crunching our feet through the golden brown leaves that are falling from the trees as the year winds down and prepares to  wrap up in its winter clothing of snow and colder weather.
Winter, well what can I say about winter. The winter landscape has a beauty all of its own. True it may not be full of colour and the countryside may look bleak and stark but look further into into and you will still see a beautiful world. The scene of trees glistening with the glass like look of frost. the bright red chests of robins, the multitude of facets in a snowflake. The cool sky colours ranging from white cloud blankets moving through silver greys and darker skies.  The beauty of Christmas trees and  festive arrangements of holly, mistletoe and pine. Christmas and Yuletide decorations in the home didn't always used to be all tinsel and so many lights that it put blackpool illuminations to shame you know! Homes used to be fragrant with the smell of evergreens, oranges and more natural things.
Yes nature is such a wonderful thing that it is truly God's paintbox. After all , think of all the huge range of colours you find in flowers, plants, the countryside and the oceans, If you had to put all the shades in a paint palette, how big would it have to be! xx