There are so many discoveries to be found in the forest – too many to cover. But here are a few that we’ve made over the years

The symmetrical dragonfly with its gossamer wings who attached itself to the building for a day or two.

Fallen antlers found on the forest floor and collections of rocks from the beach are an integral part of the decor.

The bright red mushrooms in the forest are said to be very poisonous. Beautiful but dangerous. They stand out from the leaves, pine needles and branches so you can’t miss them. And they are enormous!

And sometimes you stumble on a green one that mirrors the green leaves surrounding it. Monochromatic wonder.

Weathered driftwood abounds. Each piece is magnificent in soothing shades of silver. There are a number of old tree stumps at various points along the shoreline — Ancient artifacts of trees from the past.

The old tree stump on the beach used to move around a bit. It was always exciting to see where it had floated to each weekend. Once it had floated right up by the dock. It was a bit worrying when we docked the boat. But now it seems to have lodged itself in one spot. It has become the place where I hang my hat and towel while I swim. Nature’s coat rack.

Where the brook winds deep in the woods you can spot lots of deep green moss that is luxuriously soft.

I have brought in a few tall smooth branches and simply leant them against the wall as natural sculptures

The bunkie was filled with a number of old kitchen pieces when we first took over the property. I had to edit the items a lot! but I did end up keeping the old grater, the pewter sugar and cream set, and the metal flask plus a number of other things.

In the early days at the cottage we found so much evidence of deer kill — jaws, skulls, antlers, hooves. Now they are harder to come by but we still hear the wolves howling in the forest behind us at night.

But on the brighter side and by far the best discovery to date is this fawn who was born under our building during construction. The crew witnessed the doe lie down – under what is now our bedroom – and give birth. Arriz spotted mum and baby a few weeks later walking in the clearing behind the cottage and they were both doing well. I saw it as a wonderful omen to have this happen on our site.

I actually brought the pussy willows up from the city when we photographed the cottage for House & Home magazine back in 2009. They have dropped a number of fuzzy heads but they keep holding on. They have been sitting in the wooden bowl on our dining table for almost ten years now! I just can’t bring myself to throw them out.