time to blog

I keep meaning to blog, but somehow the days pass and I don't. However, having been without a proper connection to the internet for a week (2kbps) I now have the luxury of a new router and nice fast connection, so no excuses. I will put some pictures of the family camping trip on the other blog. Here are a few pictures I took in the garden recently. The garden is very overgrown and quite chewed as we have had lots of rain over the last few weeks. It makes for fewer flowers and interesting pictures.

Screamin Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You

finally

I decided to try and get back into the blogging seat.
Bev reappeared and that was enough for me.
so here are a couple of pics I took a long time ago, not very good, click - might be easier to see - but I have really found this a difficult one to capture.
What is it? Well, some time ago I bought my dear hubby a mistletoe kit. these are a couple of the mistletoes just beginning to appear. Many of the others dropped off the trees, but a few have stayed on and some started sending out their funny feet. So this is the first stage. They develop very slowly and I will take more pics as they grow - hoping some survive. I have never seen how mistletoe develops so should be interesting

interesting if long

Marwood Hill Gardens

On Tuesday early morning we went to London so my daughter could see her friend. We boring adults went to Calais - by the Eurotunnel as the French fishermen were blockading the ferry terminal at Calais. We collected wine and beer, bought a few little bits and pieces and went back to London. Originally we intended to go out for the day on Thursday, maybe to Wisley or another of my favourite places, Kew Gardens.... anyhow - long story short - decided to drive back home yesterday and kind hubby took me and my mother to Marwood Hill Gardens today to make up for it. Weather not brilliant, but gardens lovely and I hope to go regularly to take pictures. Here are a few of the better ones I took today - I decided to try and present them as a slideshow. Dull light, but I think some of the loveliness shows through.I hope the slideshow is a bit better this way, maybe possible to see the pics a bit larger. If it isn't too good, will post them as individual pictures later

Easter mandalas

Which mandala do you prefer? Click to enlarge. I prefer one when they are small and the other enlarged. Strange.

happy easter

two of my Cyprus favourites as I haven't taken any of the garden since i got back. Have done quite a lot of gardening recently, planted a new climbing hydrangea and a new lonicera, a couple of window boxes as a surprise for my mother when she gets back today, with an azalea and lots of pretty violas in each. Quite a lot of pruning, still hoping some plants will turn out to have survived the very cold winter.
Meanwhile the garden is full of daffodils and narcissi of various sorts, tulips of all colours, and bluebells English and Spanish, even cyclamen, cherries are in bloom, magnolias and camellias covered in flower and so on and on.... It is lovely. I will take the camera into the garden when we get back from London. We are going for a few days, daughter to see friend, hubby and I day trip to buy wine in France to stock up for the year... then back here and back to work.
Hope you are relaxing and enjoying Spring.

some photos from the garden in Cyprus

I will be away

I don't expect any visitors as I have been awful about blogging recently. Every day I've intended to take some pictures of the flowers appearing in the garden.. and haven't done so. Finally - I went out at dusk today and took some, of course some of the flowers were already asleep for the night, but here is a selection. I have put some more on the other blog as I did take a few... LOL
Anyhow, hope you like them and see you in a couple of weeks when I get back from visiting my Dad in Cyprus. Yippee! I can't wait to see him and Jenny.
See you all

playing with Photoshop Elements and Pixelmator

one of the beach pics with photoshopelements6 and then with Pixelmator. Wodjer fink?

visiting and serendipity

I have not been visiting much recently - but today went to one of the greatest art blogs - that of Alfonso Brezmes. He is so inspiring. Do take a look at him at his paradise under construction
http://paraisoenobras.blogspot.com/

while visiting I followed on of his links, always a sensible option and went here

http://centripetalnotion.com/2007/09/13/13:26:26/

just great, fascinating.

Westward Ho!

This strange place was named after a book. My mother decided she would like to go there on her birthday and we were intending to walk around and have a light lunch there. When we arrived, the place sort of didn't materialise. It does look interesting from the Burrows and through the pouring rain/hail/sleet - so here are a few pics to make you glad you don't live in misty moisty North Devon, next to the ocean. The snow is on Exmoor - until we started on our day out, we didn't realise it had been snowing, as Ilfracombe is a bit warmer, for no apparent reason. Another time, I'll go when it is sunny and see if it is all more attractive. We were very glad to get back in the car and head for Appledore. Pics to follow. Also quite damp....

Mum's 77th birthday

My Mum wanted to go to Westward Ho! on her birthday.
Westward Ho! is not very interesting. We went to the Burrows and looked at the sea in a hailstorm. Which of these pictures do you like?

Busy busy busy

I am off to London for a few days tomorrow.
Mainly to see some exhibitions, including the Byzantium one with my sister-in-law and maybe to join in some demos on behalf of the Palestinians. I won't say more as my political views are my own and are based on many of my own emotions and experiences, so I'm not willing to discuss them with anyone who disagrees that Israel is behaving like a bastard. I maybe should say that I am a pacifist and deplore all violence.

My decision about whether to attend vigils and demos will just be based on the weather and my inclination at the time as I have no hope or belief that demonstrations have any effect on hardliners. I don't know what can change the minds of politicians or make them think in human terms rather than in general non-real ways, but I am pretty sure they take no notice of ordinary citizens saying they are not happy.

At the end of next week I will be into one of my seasons of work - making my little bit of money - so may be too busy to blog. I will try and put a pretty picture and a few cheery words on before that. We shall see.
Hope 2009 is okay for all of you so far and that it will get better and better right the way through. If you are that way inclined, say a prayer or cross your fingers for the torture of helpless civilians to stop very quickly.

Happy New Year

It is New Year's Eve here. Some of my friends have already rung in the New Year and some of them are still going about their daytime business.
I haven't taken any pictures for ages - have been busy sorting out other people's computers and trying to clear up after Christmas ready for visitors at the weekend and my daughter's birthday. Sorry
Anyway - I wish you all the best for 2009. We can't have too many good wishes, can we?
I'm about to have a delicious supper, to sit in front of the television for a couple of hours and maybe to go out into town to count down to the New Year. Unlikely, as it is a bit chilly even here in warm Devon.
I wish you whatever you wish yourself.

Evanescence - Cloud Nine

Is it a Temptation?

Urban Art 2 things challenge

Here are some I made earlier. Kaleidoscopes made from photographs from the window. I used pixelmator to make them and I like the funky effect of the kaleidoscope on the buildings. I think you have to click to see the urban details

2 things Apples/Oranges

I decided to take a straight picture of some of the apples and oranges in the kitchen. Who knew we had so many? I should have included some of the apples wrapped in newspaper, but was too lazy to go out in the cold to the shed to get some in. If I have time, I'll try and think of an interesting slant... or not!