They are building

Posted on February 11, 2020February 11, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Building, Crane, Garden, Hedge, Life, Multi story, Overlooked, Sunrise, ViewLeave a comment

They (whoever they are) are building on the other side of the main road, beyond the shops that are near our garden. I knew the plans were for houses, but the thing across the road is taller by far than the ones surrounding it and is about four stories high. It wasn’t there last week. It appeared on Friday or Saturday. I looked out the window upstairs to see the dawn and there it was! Blocking the view. Once we have the hedge cut people who move in will be able to see into my kitchen and living room windows! I was thinking of having the trees thinned to let in more light, it feels like it won’t be worth it. Maybe I’m over reacting? I haven’t seen any plans of what it’s going to look like. I think our neighbours who live on the main road opposite it have moved out, perhaps because she felt overlooked? Oh well I guess it’s good to have new things happening.

Ivy grows

Posted on February 2, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Creative writing, Crocosmia, Fantasy, Garden, Horror, Ivy, Lawn, Ox eye daisies, Short story, Time lapse, WisteriaLeave a comment

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As she sat on the ground by the house she felt the warmth of the sun calming her and relaxing her. It had been a long morning gardening. Now she had sat down with a cup of tea and a biscuit.

The ground she was sitting on was laid to lawn. Behind her the bare brick was partly covered with a few strands of ivy.

As she dozed in the sun next doors ginger cat came and sat on her lap. She dreamt of a perfect cottage garden, she would lift up the lawn and plant a bank of crocosmia and ox eye daisies. On the wall behind her she would remove the ivy and plant clematis and wisteria. Maybe a peach with branches strung out along the wall.

She gradually fell into a deeper sleep. The scents of the roses wafted across the garden. Time crept by. If you had watched a time lapse film of the day you would have seen the ivy seem to pulse, and grow….. Tendrils of green stretching. Ariel roots burrowing, not just into mortar but flesh. No way was the ivy going to be removed. Around the body of the woman the branches grew.

Finally all the moisture in it was sucked out, there was just a dried husk left. Tearing through eye sockets. From the mouth. The ivy created tiny berries. Dust fell to the ground, what was left? A mug and a plate. The wall was covered.

Twig owl

Posted on January 27, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Garden, Image, Landscapes, Life, Mirrored and flipped images, Owl, Photos, SurrealLeave a comment

A process of cropping, mirroring and flipping images to create interesting patterns. I think the final result looks like a little owl reflected in water. I’ve changed the tones and hues slightly in the image to enhance the shadows in the cloudscape. The idea has always been to have abstract shapes apparently floating in the sky. It’s a recurring theme of mine.

Helibores are flowering

Posted on January 17, 2020January 17, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bluebells, Crocuses, Daffodils, Garden, Gardening, Poem, Poetry, Snowdrops, Spring, Windflower, Winter and spring, Wood anemoneLeave a comment

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Helibores are flowering,

Snowdrops soon will bloom,

Then will follow crocuses

With the light of the moon.

Daffodils and Tulips, all in a row,

Then come the wind flowers,

Wood anemone,

Finally in sunshine

Bluebells, for to see….

Spring will alive

With flowers for you and me.

Slugs must have some use?

Posted on January 14, 2020January 14, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blackbirds, Frogs, Garden, Gardening, Humour, Oem, Plants, Poetry, Slugs, Why?Leave a comment

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You know how it is..

You go into the garden

When it rains

And there are slugs.

What are they for?

They munch your broccoli,

Eat the hearts of your lettuce,

Nip the buds off peonies,

And eat your ripe tomatoes.

But they also eat old and diseased vegetables.

They help clear up leaves

In the autumn,

And they are food for blackbirds and frogs.

So not all bad then…?

Flowers

Posted on January 5, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Colours. Poem, Flowers, Garden, Photo, Poetry, Very short poemLeave a comment

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Random photo of flowers.

Just something to brighten your days.

Shining with colour.

Greens and purples.

Orange and mauve.

Blocks of plants.

Textures and petals.

Summer come again.

Soon.

Morning cat.

Posted on January 1, 2020 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Birds, Blogging, Cat, Garden, Morning, Sentinel, Statue, WatchingLeave a comment

About 7.50 this morning. The cat was on the window ledge looking out over the garden. Standing sentinel. Approving the occupants of the green place outside. Birds fly or scurry across the land, feeding on wild bird seed. Other cats stalk through the plants and drink the pond water. None miss my cats gaze. He also seems to protect us. Standing guard against interlopers. I feel secure seeing him sitting statue like. Patient, watching over us.

Holly

Posted on December 29, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Desiduous, Evergreen, Garden, Holly, Ivy, Leaves, Life, Plants, Spring bulbs, WinterLeave a comment

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Variegated Holly, a view of winter plants. When desiduous leaves have fallen, Ivy and Holly add green to the garden. We have three Holly bushes. This one, a tall spikey one with fully green leaves and one with pale green edges instead if yellow. The fully green one is the most robust. It is growing in a shady part of the garden and making even denser shade. The other two are in more open areas. We cut off lower branches to let more light into the lower layers of the garden so summer flowering plants are not completely shaded out. I can’t wait for the spring bulbs to come up, although the local squirrel population seems to like digging them up. There will be narcissi and crocus around the Holly in spring.

Green view

Posted on December 16, 2019December 16, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Animals, Autumn, Blogging, Cats, Garden, Gardening, Ivy, Life, Plants, Wild birdsLeave a comment

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Cold, wet and windy, but still a bit green where the ivy is growing up trees in the garden. Really it needs cutting back. I don’t want it strangling them. There are bird feeders out there, but there seem to be less birds than normal. Perhaps they have enough food, we haven’t seen evidence of them being predated by cats thankfully. I want to get out there and cut back the buddliea bushes. They need pruning.

The pond is OK, it’s hidden below the cherry tree. It has only frozen a couple of times and only thinly this autumn / winter. We hope to have tadpoles in the spring.

This is Woody, the abandoned cat.

Posted on November 16, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Abandoned cat, Cat, Garden, Lost, Love, Needs a home, Semi feral, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

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This is Woody, that’s what we’ve christened him. He’s been hanging round our garden for a year, eating food, and he’s gradually settled in our summerhouse. But it’s not ideal. I’d invite him in but my two rescue cats are timid, and I never got them their booster inoculations because they won’t get in the cat carriers. Anyway they are indoor cats so as long as Woody doesn’t come in they are safe.

But (and you knew this was coming, didn’t you?) I feel sorry for Woody and so I got someone to come round and check if he’s microchipped. Turns out he is but the phone number is dead and although we have been told he’s from a few streets away, they won’t tell us where because of Data protection.

No one has put missing posters up so I guess he is abandoned.

He’s a lovely friendly cat but after a year of being semi feral it’s going to be hard to get him rehomed. He doesn’t like being inside (we tried to get him in out of the rain), but I’d love him to be loved and snuggled down somewhere. Maybe on his own with a big garden to roam around, but also more cuddles than we can give.

If you live in Staffordshire maybe get in touch?

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Garden