Month: May 2022
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The things you miss . . .
Our walks over the past two days have been intriguing more for the things we didn’t immediately see than for those we clocked with only a casual glance. Within the beautiful cluster of aquilegias, growing wild beside the storm drain, a bumble bee was busy, searching for nectar inside the wrinkled blossoms. I wouldn’t have…
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The humbling grace of time
We made an unhurried trip to Kirkcudbright yesterday afternoon to visit the monthly Producers’ Market there, and then after acquiring our consumables (heath honey; cheese melt; basil plants; sea weed and juniper smellies; beer), we ventured into the Kirkcudbright Galleries across the road to see the Galloway Hoard exhibition. But it was only much later…
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The yellow water lilies are getting ready to bloom
Although there were some stiff breezes when we set out for a late-morning walk, the ambience was tranquil as we moved deeper into the marshland. Our eyes were caught by the plentiful buds of water lillies, which should open soon to provide a splash of vibrant yellow across the murky marsh water. I recall presenting…
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Joy of the little jobs
I find that maintaining a never-ending list of things to do, just here on my laptop desktop, is one way to achieve some sort of peace of mind. It’s good to see that I’ve accomplished something, whereupon I copy, cut and paste that job into the SORTED section along with a little tick. I don’t…
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BREAKING: Sunlight and rain create rainbow fragment
No matter that it’s a very common occurrence here, the appearance of a rainbow is always cause for delight. I must say, however, that it’s a rare happenstance to be able to record the appropriate juxtaposition of raindrops and sunlight in a single photograph. I feel as if I can reach out and touch those…
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Return of the European goldfinch
We’ve missed them, these brightly coloured little birds, though chaffinches, sparrows, dunnocks and the blackbirds have been here throughout the winter. I kept them nourished from the feeders that are designed to keep jackdaws and rats out, though the unwanted creatures are getting better at filleting out morsels even so. But late yesterday morning two…
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Clearing a path through the docks and nettles
Sometimes the easiest way forward is on your hands and knees. So it was with our two paths on either side of one of the potato patches/chicken runs. On the right side, looking out over the valley, soft fruit bushes (logan berry; blueberry; black and red currant) were once sequestered from the birds by black…
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A tidy conservatory . . .
Most of the time it’s a utilitarian usefulness that the space affords us. We never seem to have the time to sit and enjoy, but rather we’re busy in other rooms doing other crucial things. Yesterday I started clearing the staging (it had held the chitting potatoes, for example, and then seed trays) and then…
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Sharing broodiness
I feel sorry for the hens when I rustle underneath them to feel for their next eggs. Not quite so sorry when they each peck my hand! But they’re not fierce — they just don’t want to be disturbed in their hormonal delirium. The Barnies are the best layers we’ve had; their eggs are large…
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The joys of forgetfulness
Remembering is over-rated, while the peace of forgetfulness is too often seen as cause for despair. Our task, in Writers Group this week, is to consider the topic of ‘forgetfulness.’ But to my mind, the stimulus has said everything there is to say about the topic. Except for my own personal revelations, of course. I…
Roads to Joy 