A special evening

I`ve just met up with a fellow Blogger, Lorna, and what a great evening it turned out to be. I`d been looking forward to meeeting her for weeks, since she`d first let me know that she was coming to England. But as the time drew nearer to the visit, I`d found myself wondering what shall we talk about, how will it go, etc. But, I needn`t have worried, it was like meeting an old friend, conversation just flowed and the time flew past far too quickly.

I hope you enjoyed the evening Lorna, as much as I did.
I look forward to our next meeting.

Unusual sight

I was sitting in a waiting room yesterday afternoon, and in came a couple of people. They went to the reception desk then came and sat down. Nothing unusual about that you may think.

As soon as they`d sat down one of them opened their bag and out came a packet of crisps, a can of cola and some other eatables, I sat watching, surely they weren`t going to have a "picnic" and eat them here, were they? Then one proceeded to nonchantly eat an ice-cream, whilst the other opened the crisps and the can of drink and proceeded to devour them.

Why do I think this strange behaviour?... because it was in a doctors waiting room.
And, by the way other people were looking at them too, I don`t think I was the only one to think that!

You never know what you`ll see next, do you?!

Take three seeds.....

Take three seeds ...... and see what happens.

I wrote the other day (and posted a picture) of seedlings that I`d got growing from just three seeds that were given to me a couple of weeks ago. But those three seeds have done far more than growing a couple of plants!

I felt so inspired by them that they recultivated my interest in setting and growing things, along with the feel of the springlike weather and plants bursting into life in the garden. So off I went to a nearby garden centre last Saturday and home I came with 4 packets of flower seeds and carrot, beetroot, lettuce seeds and runner bean seeds too! A huge bag of compost (which I don`t think now that I should have lifted because I`ve had a pain somewhere ever since), and a few other sundries which I couldn`t resist!

Now, I`ve not got a lot of space in the garden because when I gave up growing things I had it all put down to grass with shrubs in the borders. So, although I found a few spare feet of ground to set some seeds in, I`ve experimented with setting some of the vegetable seeds in pots stood in the garden..... whether they`ll grow and produce a crop, I don`t know, but it will be fun to try.

Having just gone to water them, I see that some of the sweet pea seeds are starting to sprout already in their little individual pots. Isn`t nature wonderful.

Signs of Spring

Thought I`d share a few more of the signs of Spring with you today. I`m not sure what trees /shrubs the blossom is of, but its sheer daintyness and freshness appealed to me, as I stood and looked at it on my walk the other day.

A Proud Mother

Another lovely sign of spring.
I was enchanted standing watching this mother duck with her brood of little ducklings the other day. She so protectively led them up the bank from a lake of water on one side of the path I was on, across and down into the lake the other side. Were they all hers, I wondered, as there seemed so many of them.

Spring

Standing idly looking out of my kitchen window yesterday morning, I became aware of a blackbird busily pecking away at something on the gravel and then dashing across under the shrubs in the border, then back he would go again to peck at the item again, and repeated the process several times.


I looked harder at the base of the shrubs, and then I spotted the reason for its activity, it had a young fledgling hidden away, and was feeding it there.


I went and got my camera to try and take some photos, of this lovely sight just outside my window. I didn`t want to frighten the bird or its young, so I daren`t go outside to take them, (which is why the photo`s look slightly misty) but managed to get these shots of them. The youngster, seeming to get fed-up waiting for its parent, hopped along a bit into this clear space and stood looking up at me, for a few seconds before going back to the safety of being hidden by the foliage for its parent to feed it.

It really was a wonderful sign to me that Spring is here.

My Life?

One of the things I enjoy doing is quizzes. Not particularly General Knowledge quizzes, as I`m not up in history, geography, films, pop music etc...etc... but more the IQ and fun type quizzes. So when I came across this one on Dave`s blog I couldn`t resist having a go to see what it said about my life.
Here`s the results.

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	5.5
Mind:	5.4
Body:	7.3
Spirit:	6.3
Friends/Family:	1.9
Love:	0
Finance:	6.9
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Fairly true?...I`m not sure. I need to think about that!

Weeds or Flowers?

Found these in my lawn today, and with the sun on them they looked really beautiful, so I just had to go and get my camera and take a photo of them. The daisies reminded me of a verse of a hymn I used to sing as a child..."Daisies are our silver, buttercups our gold..." But I can`t remember how the rest of the verse/hymn went. Wonder if anyone else remembers it too?

Isn`t this little wild violet beautiful too... so dainty and delicate. I marvel at the way it has the strength to push its way up through the earth.

New Life

I decided last week, to give myself a weeks "holiday" from Blog writing, hence no posts last week. But now, I`m back to it, and will try to keep things interesting!

My Dad, although not a keen gardener, always used to grow vegetables in our back garden (although he didn`t eat vegetables himself), and on Good Friday each year, weather permitting, he set the seed potatoes and carrot and beetroot seeds, and I spent many happy hours over the years on that day helping him.

The other week, in church, we were given some seeds, compost and plastic cup as part of the theme of the service, so I kept mine to set on Good Friday... and here is the stage they have reached since then. There were three seeds, so hopefully the other one will germinate soon.

It`s several years since I set any seeds, but the wonder of the way something so dead looking can come to life, is still a miracle to me when I look at these tiny green leaves and stems.

I`ll from time to time over the next weeks give updates on their progress.

HAPPY EASTER TO YOU ALL

Good Friday

I again joined in a Good Friday Silent Procession of Witness. This is always a moving experience as a large heavy wooden cross is carried through the town and up on to a hill where it is erected to stand sentinal over a town for a week. (providing vandals don`t again chop it down). Each year the crowd following the cross seems to get bigger and bigger, and to be of all ages. Even people with walking frames and aids took part in the procession.

I`ve been up there in all kinds of weather on Good Fridays, from warm sunshine, rain and wind, to the most atmospheric year when black storm clouds hovered and thunder could be heard not far away. Today there was a mist blowing in off the sea partially hiding the town from the hill, again giving a different atmosphere. (this photo is from a previous year, it was too misty today for one)

The most moving part of it this year though, was after we`d sung 'There is a green hill far away' and said a prayer, instead of people chattering and departing, Everyone just stood there in a big circle and crowd round the Cross, looking up at the cross and there was just something about that silence that seemed unique. It was several minutes before anyone moved and it the silence was broken.

Parking Problems

Grrrr..... I`m not very happy with the Council this week!

For a number of years now, I`ve found it easiest to buy a yearly long stay season ticket for the car parks in this area. This enables me to park all day on one very near where I work, as well as on others in the town and other towns in the locality. And so was great value for money. I could stay all day, or use it just to pop into a town for a short few minutes to nip and do a bit of shopping, walk along the promenade, or anything else I needed to do in various places.

Leaving off work this Monday, I approach my car and find a big leaflet and a piece of white paper stuck under my windscreen wiper. (how I hate people who stick adverts etc under car wipers on car parks!). Anyway, I just glanced at this, about to throw it in the bin, when I saw something written on it in biro. It said "Your parking permit is not valid". I read it again, but I knew the permit was in date, I`d only got it in January. So I unfolded the white sheet of paper and discovered that it was a letter.

Apparently the Council 'in their wisdom' have decreed that this car park should be for short stay only, no more than three hours. Why? so that shoppers and visitors can park there. No consideration for those who work in the shops and offices, they now have to park on the long stay car park which is further out of town. Not too bad in good weather, but in rain, wind, or with heavy shopping or items for work, workers need the convenience of a handy car park as well as others.

So, that leaves me with a dilemna... with my long stay ticket (and being told its not valid on that car park, nor on similiar ones in other towns that I use), what happens when I only want to stay less than 3 hours. Have I got to pay again, or pay out to get an annual Short Stay ticket too, which would be grossly unfair. (I`ve emailed them to ask if they provide time indicators in the way that they do for disabled people or the short stay tickets.... but the automatic reply to the email says that my query will be dealt with by 16th. April!)
I feel like parking on the car park and sticking a note beside the permit, saying I`ll be back in xxx minutes, but I`m afraid if I do, and they won`t accept that and I`ll get a parking fine, and that would make it even more expensive to park.

Anyone any ideas on this?

Many a True Word Spoken in Jest ?

Sunday walk

A nice sunny spring afternoon, so off I went for a walk to my favourite place, along the cliff tops. Not too near the edge though, because as you can see by the photos in places its very deceptive from the top, in the way that the grass overhangs the cliff which has crumbled beneath it. Quite dangerous to the unwary as there are very few warning signs along the edge and no railings. But a beatiful place to walk, and to think.

1st. April

So, today was April Fools day, nothing was done to catch me out...or at least as far as I know, it wasn`t! Can you tell an April fool? Try this out. I got 7 out of 9 correct, can you do better?