..of the very tame robins which used to eat out of our hands many years ago? In recent years the robins in my garden have seemed very shy but this little one has been hopping around my feet for a few days now..
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A whole day of sunshine. One of my favourite garden jobs - mowong the paths through the meadows. Then feet up. I even had twenty minutes in the hammock. .Yes, I know some of you are basking n the sun....but this was the weather when I had my friend to stay recenrly!
What do you see when you first open your eyes in the morning? If you are very lucky it will be the face of your beloved. Or is it used tissues, a dirty coffee cup, random clutter, clothes in a heap or a stain on the ceiling (I am embarassed to think how long I lived with that once upon a time!), or do you look at something that needs fixed, that could be easily fixed and that should have been fixed a long time ago? Make the first thng you see something beautiful, or happy, or funny - a favourite card, a flower, a photograph which makes you smile or feel grateful. Or create a little still life with all of these, and it might only take ten minutes. Start your day happy. Whyever not? Geranium Ann Folkard with it's lime green leaves and graceful habit is another I woul not be without. ..and interesting in its way but summery? 11 degrees (51.8 F) when I left home. It did brighten up a bit on the way back but was still chilly. Wouldn't it be wonderful if MaryB and Cathy could send us some sunshine from Texas and North Caroline?
Wishing you some sunshine this weekend.. to raise a family. Well appointed, vanilla scented residence in a quiet area. Something tiny is nesting here. I can't make out whether it is a blue tit or a coal tit.. ..of Danish aesthetics. This charming display was in a covered lane ourside a shop - not for sale as far as I could see - just for beauty. Candles in dayrime is a very Scandinavian thing I have copied many times. I have also found myself removing things and I replaced the lively paintings I usually have here with a simpler drawing of a lovely girl called Cecily who worked as a waitress in York and who I asked to sit for me. Are you ever influenced in this way by your travels? 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. ..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,) ..find me having that all-inportant first cup of coffee at the bedroom window. Often with pen and paper. I love a slow, thoughtful start to the day. Do you, when and if you get the chance that is! I hesitated to press Publish on that last post. I am still not sure if it was the right thing to do, but war weighs so heavily that I feel compelled to mention it although I know it is not the kind of content you expect here. Being an informed citizen is important but watching people kill each other, as it hapens, crosses a line... Meantime, thankfully, the tulips suffuse with yellow and the chaffinch visits the bird feeder. Beautiful.
..has been fun to do. Maybe a bit premature but away with the fur throw and the brushed cotton bedding and in with a bit of spring colour (extra layers still to hand of course!) I do think what you see when you first open your eyes in the morning should delight you..picked from the garden and sparking joy.
Since I wrote this earlier today it has snowed! ..and a variation on the kitchen shopping makeover. Free and very easy. Is there a place in yourc home that could do with a bit of a refresh? Maybe a shelf in the siitting room, or a corner of the bedroom? Or a table top in your entraneway. Decide on a colour you love that will give you a lift and go around the house and into all the cupboards to find objects of that colour and make a little arrangement of them in their new space. This surface in the sitting room has had the same things on it for years, and although I still like it, they say a change is as good as a rest and I think there is some truth in that.. I had not intended to chamge the painting until I remembered a series of green paintings I did when I was learning how to use Chinese brushes then I just had to add the red candle - a little bit of opposite colour always sparks joy, and it echoes my red 'chop' which I used on the chinese brush inspired paintings, and which reads 'still learning'. What colour will you choose, and I wonder what you will find.. A morning of sunshine, kind words of encouragement from lovely blog friends and all is well.
First lunch out of doors this year. I hope you had sun where you are, and time to relax in it. ..and a totally free and almost instnat kitchen makeover. When I unpacked the shopping today I kept out on view everything that was yellow and put out of sight everything that wasn't. I put things I wanted close at hand in a yellow carrier bag and hung it on a handle. I found my yellow apron and chose a few yellow cards from my lovely collection.
Just for fun. Next week it may be red. Or green. Tomorrow I will go and find some branches to put in the yellow pot. Thank you for all the recent links to colourful shoes ad slippers! I have recently discovered Kettlewell Colours and am awaiting my second order from them. They do have a sale on just now.. Meanwhile there is colour around the house to enjoy.
Here in UK we are having some horrible weather. I hope you are not affected by power cuts/floods/wind damage/transport diruption etc. I can get a bit cabin-feverish and sluggish staying indoors for a few days (especially when I had some interesting plans!). So it has been baking cakes and clearing cupboards for me. It might have been nicer to photgraph the cake!
How is your paper clearing challenge going? I have at times felt a little embarassed that I have to devise 'games' to make myself do the tedious chores but I have now found scientific justification for such methods. It goes something like this. Each tiny micro-goal achieved (each tick on the to-do list for example) gives a small hit of dopamine. Lots of small hits of dopamine produce adrenaline. Adrenaline gives you energy to achieve more goals and before you know iit you are feeling good! Yes? I didn't get very far! At the end of the drive I waited for the bus. It was still dark so I had my phone in my hand so that the driver would see me. Bitterly cold though the snow had gone, and so slippery underfoot. The bus never came. Black ice on the roads apparently. So I lit the fire and some candles and cooked a nice breakfast, baked a cake and cooried in. The shed door is frozen shut, as are the lids of the bins and the compost bin. Everything is silvered over and slippery underfoot. Just going out of the door feels like a wee adventure! But a thaw is forecast and I will be venturing a little bit further afield for a few days. Back soon. Have a good weekend and stay warm. Don't try to feed a heron who comes to your back door! The heron seemed to be looking at me so expectantly, so trustingly and patiently. I thought 'it must be hungry'. Having no fish (or frogs or voles) handy I foolishly held out a handful of suet bird food. Well, my fingers must have looked like nice little fishes! That neck is long, that beak is sharp (I felt it), and it was so fast I only just escaped with my fingers intact. I'm afraid it went away hungry from my door. It's not been back.. ..was standing in the garden and when I came in to fetch my camera it followed me up the steps! There are a lot of herons along our shores and they are often seen waiting very patiently for dinner to swim by. I didn't kmow that they also eat newts and voles and frogs. They nest high in the trees here and look rather incongruous sittting in the branches. This one looks like a juvenile and stayed around for 20 minutes or so, seemingly unafraid.
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July 2024
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