..Copenhagen!
Ballet shoes and bicybles
Brides! Thank you Grace for the great photograph.
Bouquets
Blossom everywhere
and beautifully wrapped bread
..Copenhagen! Ballet shoes and bicybles Brides! Thank you Grace for the great photograph. Bouquets Blossom everywhere and beautifully wrapped bread
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My head was full of Stephen Hough playing Rachmaninov when we came out of City Halls to this magical sight. There are times when life is a bit of an emotional roller-coaster aren't there! It's not simple, and it certainly isn't boring. May we all celebrate the good and wisely negotiate the bad. Be well, be safe and be happy. Back in a week or so. Next week I will deal with the warmongers, disarm the gangs, sort out the badly behaving politicians and solve the climate crisis. This week I have crises of my own, and will concentrate on supporting the people I know who are having a hard time one way and another. It's the best I can do right now and I will give it all I've got. Today was dry and sunny and I was so grateful! Watching the sun rise this morning.
..before I caught sight of myself in a mirror and realised I was having a really, really bad hair day! Just had to laugh.. The rescued tulip.
..to save our treasures! I was trying to protect the dark parrot tulip which had filled with rain and was bent over, but it was too windy to work so I cut the flower and put it under the lamp in the sitting room where I can watch it develop. Tulips do contintue to gow in the vase as I am sure you have noticed. They also drink lots of water and I will keep an eye on that. There was snow on the tops today. The tulips are standing up very well to the wind and the rain. They are big flowers on sturdy stems and are also packed close together which may help. I'm very interested in the idea of reilience in people as well as plants. The programme Dan Cruickshank's Warsaw, a History Ressurected is on iPlayer for just a couple more days. It is both a touching memoir and a story of incredible resilience. I thought it was beautifully made and inspiring. Have any of you seen it? ..on the west coast o Scotland can be both rewarding, and challenging. All in the same day. At last, breakfast ouside. Lovely. Later that same day! You do wonder how the plants survive.. ..of a full spring day in the garden. (Currently about one day in ten!) I spent much of it checking that my favourite plants had survived. I thought I might have lost the bronze leaved celandine Brazen Hussy when we dug the trench for the hedge, but not only did it survive but there is lots of it. Like many plants at this time of year it does its thing then disappears quietly, disturbing nothing. My favoutie hardy geranium Ann Folkard is planted throughout the garden and I was relieved to see it's distinctive lime green foliage showing in all but one place where I expecred it - thugh it may show yet Primroses also come and go, surprising me under hedges and in odd corners. Lovely - to pick for tiny glass bottles beside the bed or on the breakfast table. The wild cuckoo flower, cardamine pratensis appears in odd places too, varying in amount from year to year. No cuckoos yet though. Have they arrived where you are? ..in Port Glasgow is as you would expect, about shipping. Note the scale! This however is my favourite. Possibly my favourite public art anywhere. It says so much so eloquently and elegantly. Four ferries are now being built in Turkey, so I hope the future of Ferguson's can be secured. See here On my bus journey to the city I have watched this ship grow in the shipyard, and today I watched her being launched into the River Clyde. She was named by a young female welder who has just finished her apprenticeship at the yard. The view from the road. The moment she hit the water. The tugs approach. A great view from Newatk Castle.
There were big crowds and it was quite an emotional occasion for many as it was possibly the last traditionl launch on the Clyde (the modern way is to float a ship out on a barge then lower the barge so that the ship floats off - not nearly as exciting!) and an awareness of the great history of shipbuilding on the Clyde coupled with the fact that there are as yet no more oders on the books of the yard. I picked the ones which blew over in the gale, along with some foliage of philadelphus aureus which never flowers for me but has beautiful lime green foliage which lasts well in water. ..not in the breeze but in a force eight gale! Relenless rain for my visitors, but we spent it browsing plans and gardening books designing the garden for their new house. Most enjoyable. The chocolate eggs are still haning on their branches, silently. That is they are not calling out 'Eat me eat me' as chocolate annywhere in the house usually does! When I came back from the retreat having had three juices and one soup a day for almost a week, I found I could take it or leave it when it came to cakes and sweets - which is the way I have always wanted it to be. And I have finally lost those few pandemic pounds. SO pleased! Just half an hour from home is Benmore Botanic Garden and my sister and I had a beautiful walk there in lovely sunshine yesterday. I had exhibitions there and Barry was a garden guide, so lots of happy memories. ..blue skies, new lambs, Easter eggs, hot cross buns, blossom, bees and a birthday cake for my sister. I hope you have aslo had a lovely day. ..hello Spring! And Happy Easter everyone. (I have never been able to take a good photograph of this painting. It is called Freedom and is a very vibrant, clear yellow,) The force that through the green fuse dribes the flower. Dylan Thomas (On a more practical note don't forget that a few cubes of cheap smelly soap will stop deer eating your tulips,) ..my charts and stickers. I have made a list of all the good healthy habits I want to keep but I can't do them all ebery day, so I have headed the page SELECT FROM - and put a little sticker beside the ones I do each day. Ir's a bit nursery school and I do feel a bit silly doing it but it does motivate me and make me laugh too. Inside I am still that wee five yeaar old wanting a gold star with all my heart, See here. I am astonished to reaiise that the 14th anniversary of this blog was last week! (Almost) no sugar and definitely no News and I feeI like a new person, or rather, as if I am coming back to myself. Is there anything you could give up that would make you feel better, both physically and mentally? The unnspoilt parts of Scotland are so beautiful, and the roads so quiet at this time of year, I prefer holidaying out of season. It's a good time of year to detox and start moving again (if like me you have barely moved all winter!) After an early hour of yoga each day I realised I had forgotten how very pleasant it is to stretch and twist and really concentrate on moving. Walks in stunning countryside...I'd even stopped going for walks at home. Really let things slip without noticing. How easy it is to forget to do the simple things which cost nothing but make such a difference to our wellbeing. Moving, drinking water, eating just enough, meditating and resting properly, relaxing with good people, being outdoors. No cost, no special equipment, no membership fees or contracts. Simple. Silver on the water on a late afternon paddle. Breathtakingly beautiful and bteathtakingly cold!
..is one of the ccategories I will be posting under for the next few weeks, as well as Simply Eat, Simply Fitter, Simply Move and Simply A Student Of Old Age. I will aslo do an update on Simply Seeing..Or Not which I have not written about for a long time. That should keep me busy! I am SO energised by the retreat. (Depending what device you use the Catergories should be on the side bar, but if you are reading this on your phone the quickest way to gett to the categories list is probably to go to comments and scroll dowm.) In spite of the fonecast we had some lovely weather. We sunbathed one afternoon. I did not expect that. This beach is four minures walk from Samalaman House where we were staying. Homes modest.. and grand. Nice spot to barbecue your fish?
I was so lucky to be able to go to this retreat run by Katrina Mather. Katrina has a light touch approach. There is no coercion, but she describes everything so thoroughly, and with gentle humour that I found I wanted to try everything and really surprised myself at how much I could do after a rather lazy winter. The group were fabulous and the laughter round the table every time we got together was wonderful therapy in itself! More soon.. |
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April 2024
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