Spring is on the air. It may be a fake Spring but Sunshine + Daffodils is a hint towards better things.
Posters for a genuine Spring exhibition are another sign that we are on the homeward stretch towards Spring 2024.
1200 Blogs of unfocussed ponderings. A daily pondering pilgrimage, pulling a nugget of nonsense out of my daily life. A few hundred words and some pictures tossed into the abyss of the internet. Landing on the devices of friends, family and strangers. Thank you for taking the time to ponder along with me.
Spring, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere is just in the next room.
Scrag end of summer in a wildflower meadow. Late August always feels a little worn around the edges but these wild flowers were as fresh as daisies this morning.
The sunflowers were turning their heads to the sun and all felt right with our world.
I enjoy the transition phases of the seasons. Autumn into winter is my least favourite but Christmas and the shortest day pull me through that slump. But right now the joy of sunflowers makes me smile.
Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?
This is a great prompt for Bloganuary. I don’t have an answer that I am certain of. The past is concrete it has happened and is unalterable, the future, even the next few minutes is unpredictable. I use the past to learn from, anticipating that the future can be improved or at least enhanced by reflection and better decision making. As an optimist I probably look more to the future but as a history lover I look back. I am probably a thinking equilibriumist.
I took this photo yesterday. It delightfully illustrates my thinking.
The jug is old and reliable. Humans less so.
The tulips were bought during the festive season but nobody thought to check if they had any water.
I should have binned them yesterday but instead I gave them long overdue water because I am an optimist. Despite their past I hoped they had a future.
Their floppy stalks are stiff with rehydration. They have a different beauty than the one predicted for them, the one they would have had in the past. But they are gorgeous in a different way. They still have a future. The equilibriumist with optomist tendencies at work.
Sometimes I can be a daft creature. Yesterday we popped out to visit a friend’s new shed.
” Why have you called it I-ow-ee-ah” I asked
It turns out the shed is on allotment 101A. There was me thinking the shed had a Hawaiian name for serenity or bountiful but no just an utterly practical plot number.
Allotments at dusk are magical places. Peaceful to a point. This set of community allotments are very close to Plymouth Argyle Football Club, which has been hosting Tribute bands for the last few evenings.
We were wandering on random mown pathways listening to the soundtrack of my youth. The soundtrack that had been playing as I snogged and caressed handsome strangers in the Nightclubs and Discos of North East Essex. Some tracks progressed with me to London, more interesting nightclub encounters, a more worldly world.
But allotment blooms at dusk are equally as interesting as my distant 1970’s nightlife musings.
Abstract shapes more fascinating in the slowly fading light.
And then a sunflower on the last track of our evening wander, still bright in the fading light.
It was a very west-windy kind of day yesterday. The sort of day where outdoor eating became a dangerous sport. With cans and napkins being whipped off tables, sending responsible diners chasing after their errant table paraphernalia. Outdoor eating is a favourite thing for us to do, because the dogs take a very dim view of being left at home on summer evenings. Earlier in the day I had taken photos of various blooms that were luxurious, because after many weeks of extraordinary sunshine, we had had a couple of days of light but persistent rain. I wonder if they were all so pristine after the winds had had their way with them.
The wind has also stopped any meaningful swimming for the weekend. So blooms it is to illustrate this blog. Have a fabulous Sunday.
The after-glow of a successful Open Garden event greeted me yesterday evening. Whilst on holiday in Thailand and Hong Kong I still ran the Social Media posts for a National Garden Scheme, Open Gardens event in Stonehouse. Trusty photographers sent me photos of the plants, visitors, cakes and musicians taking part in the two day event. My Social Media posting was both one step removed and half a world away. On my return last night I took a few minutes,and a cup of mint tea, to enjoy the calm of the space in post-party mood. The space was also gearing up to host a social evening of croquet and nattering in the evening sun.
The events of the weekend were a success and there has been praise and thanks to everyone who contributed their time and skills to making the event a success.
This gardener did not get an email or Whatsapp message of thanks, but they were confidently enjoying the warm afterglow of success on the tarmac path.
This rose, that clambers near the public toilet block, was full of perfume for everyone to enjoy. While the Arum lily enjoyed some evening shade.
Part of the charm of these gardens and Tennis Club is the amazing location.
Even the wild flowers put out a good effort over the weekend and yesterday evening.
As did the daisies in the club itself. Skilful mowing had allowed islands of daisies to play a part in the weekend of horticultural show-offery.
An English garden on a May evening is hard to beat. I wish I could look this good after a weekend of partying.
It’s dog grooming day, normally after getting chores done I return here for a coastal walk or a swim without doggy distractions but the view from the car tells you why I would rather catch-up on on ‘stuff’ on my phone.
Before we left I rescued the garden daffodils from the swirling winds and icy rain of the day
And rescued some figs from a fate of becoming over-ripe.
But the most Important task of the morning was to respond to a Government Consultation Document about the quality of sea water that we swim in at Firestone Bay. The bay has been used for swimming for more than a century but post-Covid the popularity of the area has hugely increased. If the area becomes a designated swimming area the water quality will be closely monitored during the official swimming season of mid-May to mid-September.
As regular readers know we swim year-round and none of our regular bobbers have ever become ill in the two years we have been bobbing. But becoming a Designated Swimming Zone will also ensure that our waterside environment remains safe and with adequate life saving equipment available. The link to the document is below if any bobbers are reading this. It only takes a few minutes to fill in.
Here we are, past the middle of February by some way and I have not given daffodils the usual blog space that is normal for this time of year. This year I am not driving all over Cornwall arranging arty stuff so I don’t get the thrill of seeing wild and often unusual daffodils growing in the hedgerows where they were discarded during the second World War, when flower fields were changed to food production. Our house has had the easily available £1 daffodil bunches available in most supermarkets. Pretty enough to bring joy to the house but standard looking. Until this week. This week’s bunch took a while to open and were unusual in that they have a different shape, a bit like a cross between a daf and a tulip. Their outside petals form a cup and don’t open.
Extensive googling can’t find the name of these unusual daffodils. I wonder if they were picked in error for the bottom end of the daffodil bunch market. I am very happy to have them. Googling however took me somewhere a little sad. Supermarket Flowers is a song written by Ed Sheeren in 2017.
The actual words were unknown to me but really resonate with the moments when a family gathers to clear up after a mum has died.
I took the supermarket flowers from the windowsill I threw the day old tea from the cup Packed up the photo album Matthew had made Memories of a life that’s been loved Took the get well soon cards and stuffed animals Poured the old ginger beer down the sink Dad always told me, “Don’t you cry when you’re down” But mum, there’s a tear every time that I blink
Oh I’m in pieces, it’s tearing me up, but I know A heart that’s broke is a heart that’s been loved
So I’ll sing Hallelujah You were an angel in the shape of my mum When I fell down you’d be there holding me up Spread your wings as you go And when God takes you back we’ll say Hallelujah You’re home
Fluffed the pillows, made the beds, stacked the chairs up Folded your nightgowns neatly in a case John says he’d drive then put his hand on my cheek And wiped a tear from the side of my face
I hope that I see the world as you did ’cause I know A life with love is a life that’s been lived
So I’ll sing Hallelujah You were an angel in the shape of my mum When I fell down you’d be there holding me up Spread your wings as you go And when God takes you back we’ll say Hallelujah You’re home
Quite the red letter day in the yard today. Firstly the bees were going crazy for the poppies in the early morning sun.
Then a small under gardener arrived from Hong Kong via London and Sennen Cove. Never has the 10:15 from Penzance brought such a precious person.
She quickly set about the watering tasks. Then it was time to find the play park and walk the dogs.
Dog walking is a serious business when you are 3 years old. But for us all wildlife spotting became very serious when we spotted a Smooth Hound Shark at Freemans Wharf, not far from home. That is setting the bar very high for the rest of her visit. We will do our best, but I fear we may have peaked too soon!
A high tide and the sun at the right angle makes a pretty picture but not one that is particularly good for the marine environment. Earlier this week we started drinking Butterfly Pea Tea , it arrived from Hong Kong as part of a birthday package.The tea and the sea, in this location are similar colours
We discovered the tea on Lamma Island, part of the Hong Kong archipelago, after a very hot circular hike. Even a dip in the sea had not cooled us down enough to be normal rational humans. The iced blue tea we bought did the job just before we caught the ferry home. New to us then it was refreshing and had that distinctive taste that lingers at the back of every flavour of Jelly Bean. To bring out the flavour of the tea a little lime juice, or anything acidic does the job. It also changes the colour. Butterfly pea is also a natural food colouring. I might try painting a watercolour with it.
Careful what you google is the warning to the next part of this blog. Like all things botanical Butterfly Peas have a latin name, in this case not one that should be tripped off the tongue without complete accuracy.
Clitoria Ternatea.
Then there are the benefits of drinking the tea which is rich in anti-oxidents and flavenoids. My brain will be boosted and my stomach and intestines soothed. The growth of any worms in my gut will be retarded!!
On that happy note have a fabulous weekend, not something the worms in my gut will be having!
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