Poppies

There is a whole cluster of poppies in poor soil round the corner from where I live.

These are tall oriental ones. But we also have Welsh poppies which are yellow and orange. We have grown ladybird poppies which are red and black and we once grew a Himalayan poppy, (mecanopsis?) which is bright blue.

So inevitably they get into my photos and paintings…..

Poppy, poppy, I see you flutter, blue sky, red headed beauty

Poppy, poppy, mediaeval sleep enhancer, narcotic, danger.

Poppies, poppy, seeds for flavour, thriving on old building sites.

Poppies, poppies, memories of war, petals fluttering down upon our heads.

Papaver, poppy , horticultural star. Giver of colour and Sun.

The contents of my kitchen

Are in my living room!

Its 10.21 am, and I am surrounded by “stuff” from the kitchen, pots, pans, plates, potatos, peas….ok enough p’s.. although I am a bit “peed” off.

We were promised that work would start today, well it was a bit of a vague promise along the lines of  “all being well”. Being a little naive about these things I expected the workman to arrive, possibly very early, to begin the job. But having seen numerous tv make over programmes I guessed it might not happen.  Especially after he didn’t answer his phone to me, so I have resorted to leaving text messages.

Having a husband with anxiety issues has made things doubly difficult. I cannot bin a lot of things because of his attachments to them. To be honest I’m also not able to let go of some things either. We have had to look at everything and decide what to keep and what to bin or give away. I’m posting photos …the heap of stuff is minus the bike parts which were in two of the cupboards.

What would you do in this situation?

UPDATE

Things were sorted out and we now have a starting date. I had assumed there was a problem when in actual fact it was a genuine mistake. However my excuse is that because of my husband’s anxiety things can seem far worse than they actually are.

 

The empty box at the front is for the cat!

 

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In my friends garden

I took these photos in a friend’s garden 6 years ago (they came up on my Facebook feed) I am a nut about colour and some of these just zing!

I think I used a little digital camera with no added features to take these. I was just amazed how the reds and oranges stood out in the green.

I wish I could time travel back to those simpler times. But time flies, tempus fugit, and before you know it you are 6 years older and perhaps not wiser!

But in the meantime I’m going to enjoy browsing through these again…

Cheers x

Grey cat

Grey Cat, you sit and wait, for Mum or Dad or daughter Dotty.

But none come, they are gone….

Did you leave them, or they you? No one knows,

abandoned or lost, you have no home, but a brick shell, dilapidated, fusty, dirty, roof gone, open to frost.

Grey Cat, you are friendly, dusty, big head, thin….

You are white that is grey, and grey that is dark grey.

Your human Mum and Dad may miss you, but have already grieved, your loss tore apart a family.

Grey Cat, you have a territory, but bulldozers encroach.

Are you a Dad, are your kittens with their Mum. Do they rest their paws on dirt, or on old willow pattern tiles?

Grey Cat, I wish you well, may your days be long and loved.

Fare you well…….

Biddulph Grange

Biddulph Grange, once a stately home near Biddulph, staffordshire, then a TB hospital. Now a National trust garden that was rebuilt and uncovered over the last few years.

Made up of garden rooms. Such as the China garden where a beautiful bridge reminiscent of the Spode willow patterns stands over a pool stocked with koi carp. There is a pavilion floating above the water, giving a serene feel to the garden. there is even a great wall taking you round to another aspect if the garden.

There are sphinxes in the Egyptian garden, daliahs in the daliahs walk….so much to see, so many ideas on one place. There is a Swiss cottage, and a frog staring at you from a stone wall. There is a golden calf which must have pagan overtones. The garden was created back in victorion time. I find the best time to visit is when the daliah walk is in flower. It is spectacular to see with the backdrop of a tower leading up to a higher level.

There are tunnels to walk through and various paths winding through the gardens. At the top of the long walk up the slope from the main building is a huge urn standing at the very top of the hill. You can look back and see the grounds spread out in front of you.

If you are in the vicinity why not call in?

 

 

Cee’s foto fun challenge, Chatterley and Whitfield

I have decided to add this photo to Cee’s challenge add a dilapidated barn or any other building.

Thus us the old Colliery building I was drawing on Saturday. It’s amazing that it is still standing, it reminds me of an old cathedral or castle…..a ruin of the future, which until a few decades ago supplied fuel for our homes and power stations.

Hopefully it will reopen as a museum to the hard work and skills of its former workers.FB_IMG_1526758834556

the old Colliery buildings

Trees and views

Leaves unfurl and block the view,                                                     the sky is shaded out,                                                                           green and orange, and yellow too,                                                    they cast their shade about.

Atop a hill, those huge trees grew,                                                     their roots spread wide no doubt,                                                           and round their branches… true                                                       delight I see the fields sprout.

Now came old autumn, when leaves flew,                                       they were madly strewn about,                                                          the world is seen as if anew,                                                                and “slumber trees!” I shout.

I’m not good at rhyming. I prefer blank verse, but I thought I would have a go at making a more traditional poem.

“View” and “Out” are such simple words…you can probably think of far more rhymes for them than I can. The poem is based on a visit to the Dorothy Clive Garden today. The leaves are starting to fill in the gaps between the branches and twigs, and some views will disappear until the leaves fall again in October or November, when the world beyond them will be revealed again. I think you can see three counties, Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire can be seen from the top of the quarry garden there.

It’s a beautiful place if you feel like visiting it.

Garden…

One day its winter, the next day the buds and flowers burst out and its Spring. The Sun goes through the Spring Equanox. Finally in the northern hemisphere days are longer than nights. In about 6 or 7 weeks it will be mid summer’s day.

The trees are covered I blossom.  Our Apple, Cherry, and Pear trees are full of it. I hope the frost does not come and damage them. A few years ago when the cherry tree was small I festooned it with garden fleece.  It’s far too tall and wide now.

The walls are bare. The hanging basket brackets devoid of their burdens. Later they will be filled with a glorious mix of trailing flowers, Lobelia, Surfinia, Pelargonium, Busy Lizzies. I even plant spider plants in them.

The back yard has its own microclimate. Last year we manages to grow a Banana plant and Lilies and Bouganvillia. (I dont know if that’s the right spelling), we also have Clematis and a small Apple tree round the back.

I sometimes paint the Poppies that grow to the size of small dinner plates in the summer. I have plans to do the same this year

X.

 

Tulips

Spring has finally sprung. Tulips are rising out of the earth following the refreshment of rain. Drinking in the water, their heads swelling and bursting into bright petals. Shimmering in the cold sunshine of early May.

The season’s are running behind the time here. Another cold and wet snap today, but hopefully better by the weekend.

I use the word hope a lot, I know, but thats how I feel. The colours of the tulips have raised my spirits. They photograph well and I have tried to create kaleidoscopic patterns from them.

Bright red juicy lips of deep red from a double tulip hold me enthralled.  Playing with the image to make it more contrasted, deeper, more shape to it.

I love spring, the fresh green leaves not totally burst from their buds even now we are in May. I hope it does warm up. I need energy to do more art!

 

Apostrophe to Catastrophe. ..

IMG_20180501_235109you know sometimes how two words of similar spelling can sound amazing together…..

Apostrophe to Catastrophe does that to me..                                   bang and hiss, a comma of bliss…

In the wron’g place, confuses the populace?                                     Make’s me s,mile. ..for a wh’Ile!

Each, word, divided, it can’t be hi’ded..                                             this poem’s lops’ided,

Like hiccups in the mi,st……                                                                 I’m really must de,sis,t!

Beware the comma, apostrophe….                                                     it may create a catastrophe!