
Red and green begonia. The flowers were blooming in the pots at Dorothy Clive garden this weekend. I was amazed at how many had proliferated in numerous containers around the garden. There were other lovely plants but these were the most noticeable.
New paintings and regular art updates.

Red and green begonia. The flowers were blooming in the pots at Dorothy Clive garden this weekend. I was amazed at how many had proliferated in numerous containers around the garden. There were other lovely plants but these were the most noticeable.

So many things have gone wrong lately. I lost a letter from the government and didn’t know what to do. It had warned me I might get fined if I didn’t fill in a form.
First I rang the local council, they gave me a phone number. Yesterday I rang it but due to technical problems they were not accepting calls.
So today I rang back. I spoke to a lovely and helpful man called Keith. He said he could help find the letter and what form I needed to fill in but the system was down so he would ring me back…
A few minutes later he called back. He had found my account and could complete the form with me over the phone but I would have to submit it myself so he would save it for me.
I’m so glad he helped, the 20 questions were complex and vague at the same time. I tried my best to answer accurately. I think I did OK. Once we were finished he gave me a long reference number and explained what I needed to do to submit the form. I explained that I sometimes shake I can hit the wrong keys. I asked what to do if I went wrong. He said just ring the department back with the reference number.
Then he said he could stay on the line and talk me through it! He did so and the form was submitted successfully! Thank you Keith!

I went out for afternoon tea with some lovely ladies. It was a spur of the moment thing but I was really pleased to be invited. It’s not something English people do everyday!
The meal included various small sandwiches, mini quiche, a scone with jam and clotted cream, a mini Victoria sponge and a mini chocolate brownie.
And lashings of cups of tea or coffee (normal or decaff). The result was a delicious and tasty meal.
The Quarter cafe is at the Spode Site at Elanora Street, Stoke upon Trent. I think there is another one in the city centre (Hanley). You have to book the tea you can’t just arrive. Service was really good, the waitress was very helpful.

One of the loveliest and unusual songs we sing at choir practice is River River.
These are words from memory but I think they are pretty accurate. I had to look up the writers name as we didn’t have it. I hope I’m not breaching copyright by writing out the lyrics? I will delete ths post if here is a problem?
River River where do you flow
With your water the colour of tea
Gold and red in your sandy bed
Do you flow to the wide green sea?
No said the river I flow inland
Sink down deep beneath the rock and the sand.
Under the Geeji and the Mugar tree
Where the desert people can find me
Earth belongs to all, she belongs to no one, she belongs to herself
Earth belongs to all, she belongs to no one, she belongs to herself…..
I was answering someone’s question about how it goes because they recently joined the choir, and I see an image a bit like my drawing in my mind when I sing it.

And cute,
And weird
And wary.
her eyes are bright
As shiny buttons
She jumps and leaps
With mad exuberance.
Behind the tv
Up the curtains
Racing upstairs
Before you can say go!

Cat hiding, but not very well. His eyes give him away. Golden and gleaming. He’s getting well fed and sleeps in the shed. I’m trying to get our own cats inoculated so they can go out in the garden and meet him. I hope they will all get on. Then he will have to go to the vets and be inoculated too. The plan is by winter this abandoned cat will be part of the family. We can’t get anyone else to take him in and he deserves a home. In the meantime he’s having a good life.
X

Blurry kitten
Went away
To a new home
Three years ago
To stay
Kittens grown
And feeling loved
But I would have
You back
Today