Tuesday 30 August 2011

A NOT VERY SUNNY WALK ROUND THE PARK

It seems a long while since I took my camera into the Park. So although it was a very grey day, with rain threatening, I set off.



The first thing that caught my eye was the gnarled roots of the beech tree, and how the wet weather had made them really stand out. I was pleased to see that the grass was beginning to come through where they had squirted weed killer around the roots a month or so back. No, don't ask me why!




The early light through the willows and the reflections looked so calm and peaceful.




The two swans are still here, I am pleased to say but I couldn't persuade them to get into a more photogenic pose!




This Thing, for want of a better word, suddenly appeared by the skate park. No one knows what it is for. Those can't be seats, they are at an angle of 45 degrees. hardly a comfortable sitting position!




To my mind the red and yellow colour scheme this year looks a bit garish. It was quite nice before the salvias came out as there were some very dark reddish nicotinias, but they have finished now.




A small bed of antirrhinums are lovely - they are one of my favourite flowers.....




.......particularly the pure white ones against the very dark red.




Back just before it started raining, I love the way the water drops stay on the alchemilla leaves.




And my Echinaceas are doing well now I have managed to keep the slugs away in the Spring!

Its the last day of August today, should be Summer. But its cold and wet and feels more like October or even November! Don't know where our summer went!

Sunday 21 August 2011

BITS FROM THE GARDEN



Looking carefully where I went this afternoon I saw this tiny patch of moss on our stone wall. It had even sent baby outliers from it, presumably to colonise more wall!




And then I looked a few inches further on and there was another sort of moss, with moss "flowers".

It's amazing what you can see if you look down!




And I was very lucky to capture this visitor to my African Marigolds. I'm all for protecting and helping bees, and we never use insecticide in our garden.

Which probably explains why some things get eaten!

Speaking of looking and vision in particular, I was so fed up with not being able to see properly with what were supposed to be new glasses, with the latest prescription, even if the firm I went to had had to remedy a mistake by one of the opticians in the firm, that I took myself off to another firm, of independent, long-established opticians here. (The previous one was a "chain" firm, all rush and grab your money!)

To my total amazement, he said that I had been "over prescribed with prisms" and that I would be far more comfortable with 4 instead of 16, and my lenses would not be so heavy, etc. (For those of you who are lucky enough not to have to wear glasses, the prisms helped my eyes worked together. If I didn't have them, I would see double. As I tend to without glasses)

Well, I got my glasses, and do you know, he is dead right? I am far more comfortable, and can see better with these new ones, which I got yesterday. Not only that, this firm (if you pay to join an Eye Care Plan) will scan my eyes annually, and give me all sorts of other benefits as well. As my eyes are rather difficult, I was glad to pay the reasonable monthly charge and have my eyes looked after. I'm going for the scan on Wednesday.


Tuesday 2 August 2011

ODDS AND ENDS

There were a few "curiosities" that we came across on our holiday.



This golden stag (or reindeer, I'm not sure) looked out from one of the old houses along the Bergen waterfront. There were other statues on some of the other houses, but it was raining VERY hard and I decided one photo was enough!







Looking down to avoid puddles, or rough ground, I saw these two drain covers. The first one is in Bergen, and ship represents the overseas trade that made it so prosperous, and the other one was in Stavanger, but I don't know what the story behind the two figures is.



Whilst struggling (on my part) and walking (on Mr.G's part) through Stavanger Old Town we came across the Canning Museum. It was very crowded and we didn't go in, but in the front part there were tins and tins of sardines, kippers and mackerel fillets on sale. Some were in ordinary oil, some in chilli sauce, or just plain tomato. Needless to say, I had to buy some. The kipper fillets were lovely, we had them with salad, but the sardines surprised me as they were teeny weeny little fish, packed in a criss cross fashion, not nearly as juicy as the ones we are used to. But nice though!




And lastly, and nothing to do with Norway, I saw this cot for sale in the flea market in Leek (Staffs). They were asking £95!! I think it must have been a hospital cot, probably back in Edwardian times, and I wondered how many little children had sat and cried in it over the years?

Do you ever wonder about the story things like that cot could tell us?