Newt dream!

Posted on September 29, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Canoeing, Dream, Environment, Imagination, Life, memories newt, Nature, Pond, TimeLeave a comment

I just woke from a weird dream. I was in a wooden hut/ nature reserve and was with a large group of strangers. The team leader bought up the question that people were asking about, could we go canoeing?

I put up my hand to speak, but whilst other people voiced their opinions I was studiously ignored. Suddenly I saw a newt in a corner and I didn’t want it to get trampled. I went over and gently picked it up, wondering if I was allowed to. Don’t you have to have a licence for newt handling?

I came outside by the front door into a lovely natural wood, but the newt had dissappeared. I had to find it again. Meanwhile I was in a garden with a pond. I saw the newt and picked it up. I placed it in the foliage by the pond, and as I stood up I saw the newt tail in my hand.

Then I woke up! I have no idea what it meant. I was just glad that I remembered it. I don’t think it was a lucid dream but it was interesting. I wonder why I dreamt it?

Dead frog?

Posted on November 6, 2023November 6, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Amphibians, Art, BCB, Environment, Fine Art, Frog, frog sculpture, Nature, Poem, Poetry, Pond4 Comments

Photo from the BCB

A giant lies upon it’s back

It’s hop has gone, it’s knocked flat!

A human male looks on

At where nature has gone?

Ceramic frogs don’t jump

They don’t have a heart to pump.

But life has a way of staying

If we from nature aren’t straying.

So give frogs a chance

Put in water plants

Dig a new pond

If of frogs you are fond?

Protect anphibians

Their survival’s in your hands!

Gone

Posted on April 16, 2023April 16, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Environment, Frogs, Gardening, Hedgehog, Landscape, Life, Nature, Outside, Pond, PoolLeave a comment

Snowdrops gone, daffodils fading, tulips opening… Winter is over and Spring has sprung. I hope for warm spring days and new flowers opening. Blossom on the boughs of the cherry and pear trees, open already on the old plum tree and the walnut tree is starting to transform.

There are strong gusts and April Showers. Heavy rain and lightning, but we await the warmth of the sun. Not too hot. But the garden is growing and buds are breaking. I hope the hedgehogs and frogs reappear. It’s an effort to maintain things like the pond which needs a new liner. I must take some photos soon.

Little pool

Posted on February 21, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged dam, Landscape, Pond, Pool, Rode hall, Snowdrops, Spring, View, Water, Weather, WinterLeave a comment

Snowdrops surround the dam at the end of the pond at Rode Hall on the snowdrop walk at the weekend. Some of the daffodils are already up and we saw cyclamen and Helibores too. Spring is just round the corner and unseasonably warm weather has reached us from the south. Tomorrow we are expecting colder, more normal temperatures with possible snow showers. It’s no wonder the birds and insects get confused at this time of year.

Make a photo look like a reflection

Posted on February 10, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged flipped picture, imaginary lake, Lake, Photo, photo manipulation, Pond, Reflected, SymmetryLeave a comment

Simply use an app that can flip your photo over and join one image to the other. You can get some surreal images of apparent reflections. In this case I’ve created an image looking like the landscape is reflected in a lake or large pond. Symmetry is a wonderful thing!

Dorothy Clive is great

Posted on May 20, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Border, Cheshire, Dorothy Clive garden, Gardening, Life, Plants, Pond, quarry, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Tearoom, WillowbridgeLeave a comment

The Dorothy Clive Garden is at Willowbridge in Staffordshire on the border with Shropshire and Cheshire. It costs £10 for adults to visit.

At this time of year the garden is coming into bloom. It is planted on a sloping site and the main garden is full of blues, whites and purples at the moment. White and purple Alliums, Aqueigia, Irises, and other plants made a lovely display from the pond at the bottom up to the tearooms at the top. Then into the quarry garden. This is full of rhododendron and azalea flowers, the mature trees are in leaf and the waterfall drops from the rim of the quarry into its base.

We also walked along the Laburnum arch which is in full flower and is under planted with purple Alliums. Then there are ferns and lots of other interesting plants. We’ll worth a visit for the day.

Cool pool

Posted on July 15, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged cool pool, Dorothy Clive garden, Photo, Poem, Poetry, Pond, Water, Waterlilies, WetLeave a comment

Still and quiet

The waterlilies opening

Swirls from fish

Lazily catching flies

Circles on the surface

Reflections rippled then still

How deep are you?

Walking to the edge

Then dip a toe in

Feel the cool liquid

Gently caress.

Just sat down

Posted on June 8, 2021June 8, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged flag irises, Fun, Gardening, Life, Plants, Pond, Stream, Walking, YogaLeave a comment

It’s been a long day. I went out this morning and I’ve just sat down at 11.30pm. In that time I’ve been out and then later went and collected some flag irises that someone was giving away. They are now in our pond. We got stuck in traffic on the way to the place, so six miles took about forty minutes to drive there. Then later after doing work around the house I went to a yoga class, came home, went on a zoom meeting about college, then a choir practice. We went out for a walk, then I went shopping and finally cooked our evening meal. So that’s why I haven’t been online much today. The odd thing is my step counter doesn’t seem to have included the walk this evening. I know I’ve walked further than it is showing? Perhaps it’s a glitch. I must get a rest. Sorry for the boring post!

Curved edges

Posted on May 3, 2021May 3, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged curved edge, Green, Hartshill Park, Learning, nature reserve, Photo, Pond, WordPressLeave a comment

I’m not sure I’m keen on curved edges to my photos. It does look interesting but with the new WordPress block editor I’m not sure if you can move the shape around and change where the image is centered. I’ll keep on playing with it to learn how it works…

Goldfish?

Posted on April 19, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Black ink, black paint, Goldfish, Imagined, Life, Pond, Splodges, Water, Watercolours1 Comment

I used monoprint black splodges for this. They were collaged onto a page I’d printed dots from bubble wrap covered in black paint. I realised I could make out two goldfish in the patterns. So I used watercolours and black ink to complete the picture. Slightly reminds me of Japanese woodblock images.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Pond