Flowers

Posted on May 28, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Colours, Environment, Flowers, Gardening, Geology, Life, Photos, Plants, Random, Spring, WaterLeave a comment

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A few flowers from the garden today. The flowers are starting to develop, the big summer plants are a bit swamped with ivy and scrubby bushes and so we have cut back branches and peeled ivy off trees a bit today. Only what you can do with a pair of secateurs and a small pruning saw.

We need to lay some pathways, and where a spring has erupted in the garden we are going to put a few pebbles to simulate a stream flowing down under the hedge. We live on a hill which is a very old Volcanic plug. The water percolates out further up the hill and we think because that was built on a few years ago it might have got diverted down towards our house. I don’t know….

Gold finch on the feeder.

Posted on May 28, 2020May 28, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Animals, Back yard, Bad photos, Bird feeders, Birds, Blogging, Garden, Life, Photos, Pictures, SpringLeave a comment

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I tried to zoom in on this goldfinch but the colours are really bad. It’s got a bright red head and yellow flashes on its wings. I tried to enhance the colour and exposure but didn’t get very far. If I try and enhance the red the whole picture goes red. So I can only post these images.

There were also blue tits, house sparrows and blackbirds feeding this morning.

I misidentified it as a zebra finch. It is actually a goldfinch

Steps holding the pear tree up.

Posted on May 27, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Cherries, Crop, Garden, Gardening, Green, Life, Pears, PlantsLeave a comment

We have to put a piece of wood under one bough of the pear tree but in the strong winds last week we had to put step ladders under the other limb. Surprisingly there are lots of pears setting on it. It may be that it’s because it’s more horizontal and fruit does tend to set (develop) on horizontal branches. Thats why some fruit trees are tied onto walls. Is it called espalies?

The cherry tree behind it is also covered in fruit. Looks like it might be a bumper crop! The bush/tree cut in step shapes is an old evergreen we have had for years. It grows slowly and I practice topiary on it. The rest of the garden is very leafy. I’m going to have to get someone in in the autumn or winter, to cut things back slightly and let a bit more light in.

Time for a cool glass

Posted on May 27, 2020May 27, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, Cold drink, Digital drawing, Ice, Life, Random, Safe distance, Shopping, Thought, WaterLeave a comment

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Thirsty, I really fancy a cool glass of juice. But I don’t have any in. So a glass of cold water with some ice will have to suffice.

I had to do some shopping today. I was pushing a trolley and people kept scooting past me. Two meter distance? it seemed that people were not that bothered! I get in and out as quickly as I can. There is the problem of using touch screens, I walk round with gloves and a face mask, but have to take the gloves off to put my pin in! I could try ordering on line, but apparently there is a three week wait for slots!

Is anyone else washing their shopping?

Posted on May 26, 2020May 26, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Clean, Life, Shopping, Soap, Virus, Washing, Washing up liquid, WipeLeave a comment

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Is it strange to wash my shopping? I get in and wipe each item over with washing up liquid. It’s making my hands sore, but I think it’s important to do it. Sorry about the little sketch but I didn’t want to advertise what groceries I buy.

Anyway, I know the coverings might be perfectly clean, but my argument is that you don’t know who has handled them.

Noise nuisance

Posted on May 24, 2020May 24, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Disturbance, Memory, Noise, Noise nuisance, Pop music, Random, Reacting, remember, Sound, Taking action2 Comments

I just read a post on Facebook about a friend who’s neighbours THREE streets away are constantly playing loud music with a strong base beat. I suggested this and remembered a time a long time ago when I had similar problems…

“Can you reply by sitting outside his house in your car with your speakers on full blast playing Mozart?”

“When our old neighbours years ago used to play loud pop music I would wait till it went off late at night then play Mahler or Brahms through the wall at them, full blast…. Talk about passive aggressive. In the end it was so bad it kept the neighbour on the other side awake and she was eight months pregnant. I finally snapped and took my personal alarm, pulled the pin out of it and put my hand through the neighbours letterbox. (it was a terraced house). No one came to the door, so I went to the other neighbour and explained what I’d done. I was just coming out of there and my student neighbours started to come out to catch a taxi to the city centre. I stopped them and asked if they were at the local polytechnic. When they said yes, I asked if that meant they were intelligent. Because wasn’t it obvious that the noise they were making was disturbing their neighbours? They said it hadn’t mattered in the halls of residence, so I politely pointed out this was the ‘real’ world. A bit later the police arrived. I explained what I’d done and they decided to take no action!

70’s toys

Posted on May 24, 2020May 24, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 1970's, 70's toy, Blogging, Childhood, Drawing, Fun, Humour, Life, Memories, Random, Time, ToyLeave a comment

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Clackers.. Two balls on a string you waved up and down, with a little ring in the middle. They were meant to bounce off each other top and bottom. Many a broken finger….

Made of hard plastic, some luminous green, other colours too. I remember them being quite heavy. The cord holding them together was made of nylon. The string was tied round the ring at the halfway point. You moved your arm up and down fast, the balls would be sent flying and bounce at the top and bottom of their arc, making the characteristic ‘clacking’ noise. Hence the name.

As with other toys from the 70’s I doubt they would have been approved by health and safety now!

Whale

Posted on May 23, 2020May 23, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, Digital art, Drawing from ten years ago, Environment, Life, Nature, Picture, Sketchfu drawing, Whale2 Comments

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One of the animals I regret never having seen are Whales. I know they are endangered but I hope as life resumes that they will be left alone. I have the same feeling about Tigers and Elephants. But there are many creatures that most people have never seen that also are endangered. It doesn’t matter whether its the smallest or largest animal, each have their place in the Web of nature.

As lockdown is reduced, humans are going out and dumping fast food rubbish from their cars. Do they even care? It makes me really angry that eople have no consideration for the environment.

Anyway, rant over. Stay safe.

New Editor?

Posted on May 21, 2020May 21, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Change, Confused, Don't change the editor?, Don't understand, Don't want this, New editor, Thinking, What is it?, Why?, WordPress4 Comments

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Has anyone else seen notices on WordPress about a new editor being released? I’m just about OK with the classic editor, and I don’t like the Gutenberg one. Is that the right name for it? Anyway, I am confused. Is the new editor a brand new one or the Gutenberg one? There are posts saying get ahead with it. There were previous ones last year about ‘levelling up’. But I’m not a revolutionary sort of person. I don’t need change every year. Let me use the basic skills I have as a slightly older writer. Don’t force unnecessary change on me. Please.

Moth

Posted on May 20, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Black and red, Blogging, Burnet moth?, Garden, Insect, Invertebrate, Moth, Nature, SpringLeave a comment

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This was on the back door this morning. Resplendent in red and black, this is a Burnet moth I think. The black wings had little red patches on them. I couldn’t get a good photo because the light from outside was making it difficult to see the moth properly.

I feel lucky that we are finding such beauty in our garden.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Blogging