Garden in sunshine

Posted on August 28, 2022August 28, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Colours, Garden, Gardening, Growth, Heat, Humid, Moist, Plants, Summer, Water, WetLeave a comment

A less blurry shot of the yard. People asked me why its not as dried out? I think we have a microclimate. The yard is enclosed by bushes and the houses. The sun comes round in the afternoon but doesn’t stay on it for too long because we are on the ‘wrong’ side of the hill so it gets shady at East an hour before sunset. I also think because there’s a wall and we cram plants together everything stays moist. I have trouble drying my washing because it gets quite humid. Also because I put one hanging basket under another when one gets watered it flows through to the bottom one. And as they are underneath they are a bit more protected from the hot sunshine. Each pot has a bowl or a saucer underneath to catch and keep the water and I make sure each pot has crocks or broken polystyrene in them so the roots don’t get swamped.

Cherry tomatoes

Posted on August 28, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged cherry tomatoes, Food, Fruit, Gardening, Hanging basket, Harvest, Plants, Tasty, TomatoLeave a comment

Cherry tomatoes from a little hanging basket in the yard. They ripened over the last few days. Each one is a little burst of flavour. Sunshine in a red, shiny, tiny globe. Held in a yellow bowl. Delicious in today’s salad. We don’t grow much of our own produce but it is great to harvest things like this.

Fencing…

Posted on August 28, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Black and white drawing, black fine liner pen, Cartoon, Drawing, Fence, fencing, Imagination, Sketching2 Comments

Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt is ‘Fence’. Not sleeping well so decided to do a cartoon for this to take my mind off things. It’s called ‘fencing’ and it’s two neighbours fighting about a fence! Black fine liner pen.

2019 lake

Posted on August 27, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Day out, Lake, Lake railway, minature railway, Rudyard lake, Rushton Spencer, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, tripLeave a comment

I found this photo from 2019 and was amazed at the deep blue reflected in Rudyard Lake, which lies between Stoke-on-Trent and Leek. You get to it down winding roads. There is (was)? A small lake cruiser and a minature railway up one side of the lake that runs from the car park on the road between Rudyard and the road towards Macclesfield. Then it follows the lake side up towards the top end of the lake (the path finally goes to Rushton Spencer I think). The lake has something to do with Rudyard Kipling, not sure he was named after it? Its another lovely place near Stoke-on-Trent.

Ivy fairy

Posted on August 27, 2022August 27, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bushes, Colours, Fairy, flower fairy, Flowers, Found, Gardening, Hidden, Ivy, Laurel, WoodLeave a comment

Found in the garden under a bush. She was wrapped in ivy and laurel leaves. Lost in our garden. A wood fairy or sprite, turned not to stone, but sadly only resin. Still, she slowly danced through spring and autumn, summer and winter. Slowly submerged in vegetation. I’m glad she’s rescued. Now she’s in the yard, surrounded by petals and colours. Nasturtiums, petunias, fushias, begonias, a true flower fairy. Blooming lovely.

Last night

Posted on August 27, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Colours, Felt pens, hares, Layout app, Mirrored, Pareidolia, Poem, Poetry, Rabbits?, TwistedLeave a comment

Last night

I drew a pattern

Gave it a twist

Tied it down

Into quarters

Now I see

Rabbits or hares

With red eyes

Staring at me

Bright eyes

Burning like?

Rubies!

Blurry back yard

Posted on August 27, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Colours, Gardening, Happy, Ill, outdoors, Planting, Plants, pleasure, plethora, Shaking, shingles, TiredLeave a comment

Mad back yard. The heavy rain has pepped up all the plants. You have to avoid the baskets. I want to put some washing on the line but it’s clouded over again. I’m tired and hot. A friend came round and after a cup of tea helped cut back part of a large bush that had layered itself (spread outwards with side shoots). Of course I stayed inside for most of the time, but decided to say hi after a rest and ended up helping a bit by cutting off small twigs. By the time I came back in I was exhausted and tired out, hence the shaking. But looking at this really cheered me up. A real plethora and pleasure of flora!

Hot buttered toast

Posted on August 27, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Aches, Butter, decaffeinated, Food, Hot, Insomnia, Sleep, Sleepy, spread, Tired, ToastLeave a comment

When you get up after two hours lying awake at four o’clock in the morning and need comfort food. A lightly toasted slice of white bread and the spread of your choice, and a decaffeinated beverage helps. The first thing I thought last night when I woke up was ‘toast’, I’d got to take a tablet, and I didn’t want to take it on an empty stomach. I remember making toast for people for breakfast in one of my jobs. When all the residents had had theirs we were allowed a slice of toast and a cup of tea. A five minute rest in a hectic morning. And doesn’t it look good enough to eat? I’ve managed to get about three hours sleep in total and all I want to do is get back to bed. But the toast was lovely.

Red

Posted on August 26, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Childhood, deep red, dress, Life, Maroon, Memories, polkadot, RedLeave a comment

Red is the colour I loved as a child. Not pink. I had to have a bright red polkadot dress. I remember seeing a red setting sun for the first time when I was small. I liked red sweets, though I don’t remember the flavour. Red roses were beautiful, and red toffee apples were tasty.

Even now I like wearing red, but I’m a bit more adventurous, liking deep reds and maroons and bright reds. I still don’t like pink though.

Photosynthesis

Posted on August 26, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged botany, Green, Growth, Life, photosynthesis, Plants, Programme, starch, Thinking, TVLeave a comment

It took centuries to discover why plants are (usually) green and how they grow and create food from thin air. I was watching a programme about botany last night and there was a long explanation about the science of it.

First people experimented by weighing a plant before and after tending it for five years and finding that although it gained weight it did not affect the soil. Then they tried growing plants but without light, which meant they would not thrive. They realised that they created starch in their leaves, but took time realising they absorbed carbon dioxide and gave out oxygen as a byproduct.

The whole programme was very informative but I wasn’t taking notes. But the idea that humans could understand it and may be able to use the process artificially is amazing. The ability to turn sunlight into fuel would be something that could help humankind.