Stormy Sea

We have had such a week of storms this week we took the opportunity of a break in the lashing rain to  go for a walk on the beach today.  I was keen to see if anything interesting had washed up and to see if I could take any photos of the sea.

There was still a howling wind which actually made it hard to stand still enough to take photos, but I  managed a few.

Suspended Paper Shapes

I have been trying for quite a while to perfect the art of suspending my paper shapes so that they stay perfectly upright instead of leaning drunkenly to the side.

I think I have finally nailed it, as I hung them up last night and they are still hanging properly this morning.

Calico Bunting

I have been making miniature bunting using pages from old children's books, but now I have added to the bunting collection by using ripped calico squares threaded on industrial string.

The Letter Q

I have been dreading this one, but it wasn't actually as hard as I thought.

Qwerty keyboard



Quail



Quartz

Odd One Out

All of these pictures were taken today.  Spot the odd one out!

Is it the duck out of water?

 Is it the moorhen?

Is it because these ducks are facing left, not right?

Or a duck in a swimming pool...........

Darling Buds of May

Sometimes my northern hemisphere origins betray me.  My first thought when I noticed all the pink buds in the garden was "darling buds of May" although this expression only makes sense if you are north of the equator.

 Camellia

 Standard rose (curiously the buds are pink but the flowers are white)

Azalea



In fact the expression was first used by Shakespeare in one of his sonnets:

"Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May
And summer's lease hath all too short a date."

Nowadays it is said to mean an appreciation of what is fresh and new.

That works better for me.

Planting in Pots

I love planting things in containers because you can move them around or even give them as a present to someone.

I find it is better to have them in groups, as a single pot can look quite lonely whereas multiple pots create more of a focal point.

 Indoor succulents - good in a bathroom

Outdoor succulents displayed on an old wooden ladder

Violas in old glass jars

Symmetry in Nature

We had a major overhaul of the massive palm trees in our garden and now I can see parts of them  I never could see before.  They create wonderful shade in the summer but I never appreciated the symmetry of them until now.

The Letter P

Having a new grandchild is very distracting and I have been remiss in taking photos to post, unless you want to see hundreds of baby photos.

As well as being for "photos", P is for:

 Pith helmet

Pigeon

Paper

Good Things come in Small Packages

This is Jacob.

Born Saturday 9 July 2011.

My first grandchild, and a real treasure!

Rock, Paper, Scissors

I was sorting through my photos and the "rock, paper, scissors" thing just popped into my head, so today is a very frivolous post:

Moss and Mushrooms

Strange things are growing in my garden!



It's amazing seeing what can happen when you have a week of heavy rain after an 8 month drought.

It just goes to show how resilient nature is.

Hyde Park Take 2

Not long ago I did a post bemoaning the sorry state of Hyde Park after the long hot Summer - the lakes were almost empty and the birds had almost all left.

How things change after a week of heavy rain....

What's on your fridge?

Most people have a fridge not because they like fridges but because they are a fairly essential domestic appliance.

It's hard to ignore a large humming object in your kitchen, so why not put it to another use, like a pinboard?

 Cut out  little stencil shapes and then cover some magnets with vintage fabric to attach them to the fridge

Keep an eye out in op-shops for vintage shopping lists - always useful!

Rummage through old photos and rotate your favourite ones

Lovely old postcards never go amiss either

And, of course there is always the practical option - a calendar, timetables and random notes