Time Marches on ...

I am a bit tardy getting my March calendar pages posted, but I have actually started it, I have just had an adversion to going through the process of scanning the pages etc.

 I am glad to say good-bye to February - it has been not only a dreary month, but one of restlessness, especially the last couple of weeks.  Every few months I feel as if I am turning another corner in my creative journey so hopefully March will be the beginning of the next phase.

I rather slopped this page together in my new journal - I love filling in the little squares, but my creative energy has been focussed elsewhere. 

Thanks to everyone who was so encouraging after my last blog, ` I quickly came to a decision after writing it.  I have decided not to registar on a college course, but to try to follow my own path taking part in as many workshops as I can, buy books, build up my  local contacts and set myself goals.  When I began this blog with the sub-heading "chronicles of a mature learner" so that is what I am going be doing.  Watch this space.

I took advantage of the sun this afternoon,  so join me and Marvin in the garden.

Have a great weekend,

Jill

Did you know...

...that tulips keep on growing taller after they are picked?

Which is why it is best to put them up to their necks in a vase...

so as they grow taller, they won't droop.

I found that out from a friend who trained as a florist, but of course you may know that already ...

...in which case I hope you just enjoy this group of photos from my archives.

I seem to be very busy so I'll keep this brief,   hope you have a good week,

Jill

Try, try again

Every year when the Japanese anemones come into flower I want to capture them on paper. Often my attempts are rather stiff and lifeless so instead of picking a flower to paint I had a little plein air session in the garden today. This is still not quite right, but better than previous attempts.

It was a lovely sunny afternoon and the air was buzzing with hover flies. I was too busy to get the camera set up but I will share these I took last August.

Unfortunately this year my lilies have succumb to lily beetle and the recent heavy rain finished them off ...

...and the eryngium is very disappointing this year...

but there are plenty of these iridescent green flies flitting around.  

There are still a few swifts around, but they will be off soon. Early in the morning there are a dozen or so young blue tits and great tits at the feeders and occasionally a flock of long-tailed tits passes through the garden. It looks as if I shall be spending the summer at home again so it is great to have an eye for an urban safari. 

News for give-away recipients - all gifts are in the post!

Wednesday

My give away draw will stop this evening - there is still room for one more! Meanwhile I will share with you my hand made books I made at the Frances Pickering workshop. They are nearly full now.

First J is for ....

Now 'Come into my garden'...

I have a lot of Euphorbia wulfenni, it fills in lots of spaces and always looks elegant. 

The darling buds of May were inspired by ...

clematis montana 'Elizabeth'  that fills the garden with perfume.

You may recognise the pink campion from the previous post.

Can there be any gardens without dandelions?

And finally the daisy, one of my favourite pages, at the moment.

Over the rainbow ....

I woke up in an odd mood this morning. I don't know if it was the thought of the unknown political mayhem ahead - I am not going to discuss politics here - or the fact that it was very grey and damp and chilly - or that my whole body was crying out OLD AGE PENSIONER, but I was not very happy. There are many jobs I ought to do, many creative activities I could indulge myself in, but I don't feel like doing anything at all! However after a few 'ought to's ' some laundry, voting, paying bills and so on, the sun came out, so I took the opportunity to tour the 'estate' to see if I could spot any bumblebees. Walking round the veg patch I glanced down into an empty pot and there I saw this -

one of our Mid-wife toads, living in a hole! What an existence! I thought "Living in a hole in the bottom of an empty pot - that's a bit how I feel today,"    (shhh, I know it's not true). I thought I'd move the pot to make sure the toad had got up through the bottom and not fallen in and got trapped - and there I found...

...toad number two - right under toad number one! So all of a sudden the empty pot looked quite a cosy spot.

I got them both to pose on an old frog plant label, which was also under the pot, before they shuffled off to the shade.

By now I was feeling a bit more cheerful and took a few more photographs round the 'estate' which I am going to share with you. 

It is great how a few carefully taken photographs can make the most of your patch.

First here is our first row of peas with a few temporary sticks. They have got bottles on so Mr T doesn't poke himself in the eye. He had a stroke about 12 years ago and his perception down one side is effected, he can see, but is sometimes unaware of what is on his right hand side so inclined to bump into things. (He has made a near full recovery - he just can't read or write a lot - but that is another story). However with other health problems we  sometimes feel we are living in a hole, but we do have each other, a bit like those toads! 

Anyway back to the garden -

Here is a pretty little wild flower/weed, Herb Robert, which has seeded itself round the garden in the last couple of years. One of the cranesbill/geranium family with lovely feathery red foliage, I only pull it up when it is in the way.

Lots of honey bees in the Spartan apple, but no bumblebees just now.

(My Bumblebee Conservation Trust membership material has arrived and I have challenged myself to be able to recognise the most common bumblebees.)

Only a wretched Spanish bluebells which are everywhere in the garden. I pull them up by the handful, but they can look pretty.

Two sorts of lichen on the apple tree  - a Newton Wonder - which must be nearly a hundred years old - our 1930's house was built on the site of an old orchard. When we first moved in 20 years ago, you could still line up the trees in neighbouring gardens, but sadly most of them have gone now. 

My family of watering cans, a favourite subject of mine,

and a pretty shrub...

Exochorda 'The Bride'

...and finally after this rather long post - my 150th  and a celebration of a year of blogs, I will finish with one of last year's photographs and the inspiration for the title of this post, because a little bit of sunshine and a little bit of nature took me out of the gloom and over the rainbow today

Welcome Spring

It was such a gorgeous warm morning I had to get my camera out and Marvin shared the warm sunshine with me.

Alert to all possibilities

 

 Crocuses.

'Arty' shot

A beautiful bumble bee

Musical accompaniment

'Turn up the volume please'

A Comma feeding on the winter heather

...and just too much for some.

We hope you have been able to enjoy some spring too.

Spring is on it's way

What a beautiful morning - it was warm enough to be outside without a coat - as long as I stood in the sun. The birds were shouting and the air was zinging. I planted new crocuses last year and now they are coming out - and I have found a few snowdrops - in bud. I took this photograph of my established crocuses last year on February 27th. I remember I lay down on the grass on an empty compost bag to take it. I would not have wanted to do that today. The soil is water-logged and was still frozen at 11.00 am on the shady side of the garden. I really wanted to do a little weeding, but it was just too wet. If this dry weather keeps up, then maybe at the weekend I can have a go at the dandelions. I took the second photograph on the same day last year, but the purple crocuses were only just showing their colour today, but it will only take a bit of sunshine to bring them on. Oh and I saw what I think was a honey bee in the yellow crocuses, has to be the first of the year, of what ever kind - it is usually the bumble bees I see early. I will have to get my chart if I am going to start logging them. Hope you are enjoying some sun too, Jill.