Exploring the Irish Woods in Early Spring

I don't know if it was the horribly wet winter we had (I wore wellie boots for months because our park was flooded) or the fact that this is the only patch of wilderness I've been exploring for the last few weeks, but the wood anemone has never looked lovelier. It blossoms every year, just before the the wild garlic and bluebells, a touch behind the daffodils and primroses, but in our woods it's usually in patches. Pockets of green and white star-shaped flowers with wide expanses of brown around them. This year though it is blanketing the forest floor, a generous sprinkling of spring magic.  

This is my favorite area to walk with Solomon, a short walk from our front door, but away from the paved paths and closer to the wild. Solomon loves to run around sniffing the badger holes and chasing squirrels (that he never comes within miles of catching!). I showed this area and some of my other favorite spots around the park in a wee vlog I made for Patreon recently. Walking there with a video camera talking about some of the flora and history of the park made me realize once again how lovely this area is. There is so much history in this wee patch of land, so many little stories you wouldn't know unless you did a bit of research or asked the locals. There's an ancient man-made island in the lake, a stone building that once housed a hermit, several resident swans with attitude issues... I don't dress like this for most of my dog walks, for one thing I almost always wear wellies as walking with Solomon often means going off the beaten path whether one wishes to or not. But right now there are few enough reasons to dress up, so putting on a new dress in broderie anglaise that mimics the shape of the wood anemone felt special. This dress is a custom-made one by Hearts&Found. It's actually the same style as one of my favorite autumn dresses (the Agnes dress) by Hearts&Found, but the autumn dress is in a cozy flannel and this version is in a breezy eyelet perfect for spring. The bodice and skirt are fully lined (and the latter has pockets!) so they're not at all sheer, but the sleeves I asked not to be lined and I love how they are light but covering--a perfect transitional piece as we are still in those days where "the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." I'm looking forward to more days of sunshine, quiet explorations of our local woods with my dog, and the world starting to mend.