The summer season is well in its stride now. In schools across the country children are counting down to the end of term and people are looking forward to leaving their routines behind as they embrace the holiday season. Out in the countryside the early, fresh lime growth has ripening to deep green and flowers and herbs are plentiful.

Out in the hedgerows the wild roses are opening and scenting the June air. For me they are the flower of early June. Along with sunshine and the bees that are so drawn to the rose blooms, they are the quintessential elements of English summertime.

For me, yellow is all about optimism, cheerfulness. Word I associate with the spring season too, so it seems fitting that so many of April’s flowers are yellow. Dandelions and cowslips are two of my wild, seasonal favourites

We’ve done it. We’ve made it to Spring!

It’s been a long time coming this year but now that we've passed the Vernal Equinox, it’s officially Spring. Outdoors, there’s real energy as the increasing light invigorates the natural world. Hibernation is over and life really gets going!

Pussy willow is one of the first signs of spring and it’s great to see those furry little buds popping up in the hedgerows in March. But what is pussy willow? I’ve been finding out more about this lovely seasonal phenomenon

March comes blustering in bringing with it good news because this is the month when green returns to the outdoors - hurrah! It’s also the month when the clocks change bringing more daylight to our evenings. Outdoors new life is emerging everywhere.

If like me you get excited about the first whiff of Spring in early February, then it can be tough reaching the middle of the month and realising it still feels like winter! But we’re definitely moving towards Spring!

So begins the month of February, the shortest of the year. This month is all about the push and pull between Winter and early Spring.

I’ve been considering new ways to embrace the winter months we’re in. Adjusting my mindset to welcome the quiet time, embrace the warmth and comfort indoors and the time to plan.

Hygge prevails!

After all the glitz of Christmas, January can seem like a long stretch of cold and dark. It can feel like all the fun has been packed away with the fairy lights and the Christmas tree decorations! But spring and summer are already under construction.

I love a seasonal celebration and ancient traditions that still have value in modern-day life. This time of year is wrapped up in festive tales and traditions

Rose hips are very symbolic of this time of year and my urge to collect, photograph and arrange goes into overdrive during rosehip season. I usually have a cluster in a little vase by my drawing board - a reminder that there’s still beauty and cheer out there in November!

As soon as we change the clocks at the start of November a strong sense of seasonal shift occurs. We spend more time indoors and the fire is a welcome source of heat

October is certainly a month for noticing the colours as well as observing the abundance. As I write the leaves are beginning to change colour and some are starting to leave the trees on gusts of wind.

Does October conjure up visions of traditional orchards for you? Tree branches laden with ripe fruit, dappled sunlight, the sweet smell of windfalls, scrumping and flagons of homemade cider and apple juice? If so then seize your opportunity to visit an orchard as part of Apple Day celebrations on 21 October.

Soft mornings are returning. The hedgerows are laden with berries and fruit and it’s time to go out walking with a small container to collect bounty. I think of this as gathering on a nature walk and always take just a little from each plant, leave plenty for animals

The second ancient harvest festival of the year falls on 22 September and marks the astronomical start of Autumn. The festival is named Mabon after a god from Welsh mythology, whose name means ‘child of light’.

There’s something very satisfying about collecting and cooking with the fruits of the season. Right now for me that means foraging in the local hedgerows for elderberries to make spiced elderberry syrups. Rich in vitamin A & C, flavonoids and antioxidants, elderberries make a great cold and flu remedy and the syrup tastes delicious too!

So here we are officially in September. Summer with its intense brightness, and heat has definitely yielded and there's been a distinct ‘softening’ over the last few weeks.

Out in the fields the crops and hedgerows are ripening and the sun is shining – mostly! We’re standing on the threshold of the first of the ancient harvest celebrations, as August 1st welcomes the festival of Lammas