Month: Sep 2024

#1052 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn autumnLeave a comment

This week’s figs. Not freshly plucked from the Fig trees of Kalamata but picked off the shelf from Marks and Spencer. A sign of the times figuratively speaking.

Today is the Autumn Solstice, a calm acceptance that Summer is officially over. The autumn clear up of the yard is scheduled for today.

The huge success of this summer has been the trellis extension( the orange area)  to the wall. It gives us a foundation of better privacy in the yard. There are three seating areas to catch the sun and we use them much more often than we ever have before. Not that our neighbours are Ogres at all,but they do have a garden trampoline and goodness me I have an irrational dislike of those things. Now it is just a small black line on my extended horizon. The trellis also stops our dogs seeing the cats and chickens of our local area walking along the top of the wall. The dogs have an irrational need to be terratorial about such incursions.

A calm acceptance of the Autumn Solstice is a bit of a lie. Inside I am fuming, Summer arrived late in our yard and yet it is departing on time. I have enjoyed watching the progress and achievements of the climbing plants as they clamber their way up new wood and old stone to colonise the trellis. The Wisteria has something even more exciting to climb on, a massive rusty length of marine chain which was washed up during the last storm before summer established itself. In time the wisteria will cover the garage roof using the chain as a wayfinder.

So here we are Autumn, in theory my favourite season but I really only dislike winter.

The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. I am already signed in with my figs.

#1051 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Scrag End of Summer1 Comment

We’ve had great success with our  Canna growing this year.  All of them have bloomed. This from a historical and geographical perspective is quite the achievement. Our Cannas have been with us a long time. Some moved from the garden in Cornwall and others from Crystal Palace , they were always grown for the architectural shape of their leaves but we would have loved some flashes of red against the black fences of our two previous gardens. It seems they prefer a white stone yard to show off their blooms. Better late than never. Red is so energising. I just looked red up in my photo file and was hit by some great eye popping reds

It’s funny how the shortening days of autumn make me want to enjoy red and orange in my visual life but I don’t ever really wear a lot of red. Maybe the scrag end of September is the time to change that. Is it brave to wear red at any other time than Christmas?  I’m a bit shocked at how much I love these red grids. All started by my red  Canna blooming for the first time.

#1050 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity1 Comment

Memory is a funny thing

I have been exploring mine with a fine tooth comb or even a tooth pick for the past few weeks

I have been on holiday with a man that I was at school with 55 years ago. It seems there is no limit to the amount of useless information we have both retained from our school days or the village we lived in. Every small memory from one of us promoted a surprising response of more information from the other. Even really random observations helped us find a recognition of the cast or script of our distant past

So used to delving in the past am I, in my waking hours that my nocturnal meanderings in the dream world have also taken to historic recollection.  Dreaming about the past and revisiting the most mundane of old scenarios has become my nocturnal adventures. I find it both comforting and reassuring. Somehow I am braver in my dream world than I ever was in real life.

Memory is a privilidge I am happy to accomoadate.

#1049 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn SerendipityLeave a comment

Which topics would you like to be more informed about?

The world is a complicated place and I have a magpie mind. Never really knowing what will interest me next. Frequently I surprise myself. This week I have been intrigued by football chants and songs. Who knew?

Goodness knows what it will be next week. I also plan on baking macaron biscuits some time this week. Not delicate little french ones but chunky almond coated ones to accompany coffee. I also have a rather ugly piece of furniture that needs some TLC to make it acceptable as my bedside book store. I sense my magpie mind is busy storing projects to get me through the winter months, once this glorious early autumn descends into dreary dreariness.

Post holiday the yard is working hard as a drying space. The climbing plants managed very well while I was away. Climbing and flowering in my absence.

Probably happy not to have my interfering fingers trying to encourage them in directions of my choosing rather than their natural urge to find the best sunny spot for their new shoots.

Our yard planting is all about improving privacy and encouraging wildlife, alongside creating an outdoor space that we want to sit in.

Our first new visitor of the autumn is a Pug Moth.

Named, apparently, because at some angles it resembles the dogs with the same name. Not from any angle I could find. Maybe that is something I could be better informed about!

#1048 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Greece1 Comment
The Wednesday Catch Up

Our Greek road trip involved Hannah as our driver. Dai, an actual Navigational Officer. Yianna his Greek/ Australian wife and reader of all Greek road signs, and myself the google map reader. A car, full of people to get us to the right place at about the right time. Which we very much achieved despite many Kafenio stops, immense geographic beauty and a fair amount of mirth.

Things that we all lost in translation were the overviews of two of our overnight stops. One ‘ delightful and traditional’ townhouse had rooms decorated in the style of a high-class bordello of the ‘ Belle-Époque’ period. Concentrating on the harem end of the femininity scale.

The other intriguing townhouse surprised us with a very contemporary style, which in any language would best be described as ultra-modern swingers rooms. Along with all our other bookings, on the homemaker end of the scale, they were very lovely welcoming places to stay. As four weary travellers we could not really live up to the Town House interior design as fully as we could have.

Luckily one was booked by the English team and one by the Australian so the only thing to do was laugh.

Dai and I were at school together 55 years ago. We often reverted to our 11-17 year old selves.

When you see a pair of gold plated boots, a photo opportunity could not be ignored when we were in that juvenile mindset.

Have boots, will travel.

This was the start of our last Greek journey. Hannah had planned the route to take in one of the sinking bridges of the Corinth Canal. The rest of us had not listened to her.

We arrived at the sinking bridge.

Everyone apart from Hannah was in disbelief that such a thing could exist. Hoping for a passing boat there was much discussion.

But checking my trusty marine navigation app nothing was on the canal. We set off for a Kafenio, they cure all travel woes, actually all woes. We turned the car round on a dust bowl building site and headed off. But as we headed back to the bridge it had disappeared! Two unregistered boats were about to pass.

I took a video of it rising, sadly we had missed the sinking bridge sinking. The nattering at the end sets the scene. Disbelief all round. 4 mins long.

Info below on the submersible bridge.

https://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/09/submersible-bridges-at-corinth-canal.html?m=1

#1047 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn pondering1 Comment
© Gill Bobber

What would your life be like without music?

In theory, rather empty, but my head has the most delightful, personal Juke Box, playing in my subconscious, on demand. Sometimes in the form of earworms, when I least expect it.

©Lee Hunt.

As I write this Avalon by Roxy Music is playing. Absolutely no idea why.

©Lee Hunt.

#1046 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn autumn, Serendipity1 Comment

How do you celebrate holidays?

I am not sure that I have a way of celebrating holidays beyond enjoying them in whatever form they take. Our most recent holiday ended yesterday as we eased our Australian friends into their hire car and set them free to explore North Wales and East Anglia without us. It has been a holiday of joyful surprises and beautiful places. Embellished with great conversations around all subjects both ancient and modern, great and small.

The picture above was taken in a small mountain village called Stemnitsa in Arcadia. Early autumn leaves edging a storm drain. I knew, when I saw it, that this image would somehow symbolise the end of summer for me. Here we are now in the middle of September and it seems only sensible to accept that Summer 2024 has slipped away. Accepting that allows me to celebrate autumn.

Not with fat, fresh figs as I could in Arcadia but definitely with the fruits of an English Harvest. I am on the hunt for Quince again and optimistic for autumn sunshine. Both things to celebrate a summer well spent and an acceptance of a change of season.

#1045 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Anecdotes1 Comment

The weekend of the most unfortunate allergic reaction. A weekend when it was impossible to hide away and allow antihistamines and time to work their magic.

A weekend when I just had to put the lippy on and brazen it out as a woman who had visited the most inept plastic surgery practitioner ever.

To think, some people pay to look like this.

Before leaving the house I tried to catch myself in a good light.  But from the curious looks I got when out in the real world I realise that normal daylight or artificial light was not as kind as I had hoped.

Thankfully my unplanned and inexplicable tweakment has subsided. I will start the week looking more like my usual self. I will never consider fillers!

#1043 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Holidays, Serendipity1 Comment

One week apart, two windows with blinds project sun into a room. This one, this morning heralds a day to be spent in a beautiful harbour and scenic village. Maybe tomorrow’s blog.

This one, last Friday, heralded a day in Spetses. A beautiful harbour and a scenic town.

Sunshine flooding a room in the morning sets the day up well. Last week we had Turquoise sea and water taxis.

Today who knows what we will have?

Both blinds are casting light on holiday clothes.

In Spetses they were contained and orderly, knowing their place in holiday hand luggage. Back home they are scattered on the floor awaiting their turn in the great post- holiday  washing cycle. Sunshine an asset in both endeavours.

#1042 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Holidays1 Comment
Back to home bedding.

Do you see yourself as a leader?

I don’t particularly see myself as a leader because I am happy to follow while observing and learning. But life has a way of sometimes clearing the path and  leadership finds me. At that point I like to be certain that i am providing a safe environment for others to learn and move forward. I worry when people push forward as leaders without the skills or understanding that leading requires.

I am back to my home bedding folds. Yesterday my last holiday bedding fold looked like this.

With the addition of a breakfast tray to bring sunshine to my morning, high up in the attic of a Greek writers house.

I was certainly NOT leading yesterday as we drove from the Mani in Greece to Athens and then on to the West Country of England after a four hour flight

I was a back seat driver on a journey from overburdened Orange trees in vivid sunshineso to a chilly autumnal dawn, with apples already falling to the ground and blackberries on dew covered bramble bushes as we arrived home in the early hours.

So much blogging to be had in the next few weeks, sometimes I will lead but other times I will follow, always pondering a random thought.