Going Wild in Greece!

Ttwo days after I sign up for the 30 day wild challenge, Mr E finds a holiday in Greece. Nothing for it but to take the challenge with me to Greece. We had a lovely time and Going Wild was wonderful. I even have some half decent photos and will only inflict one rubbish one on you.

Butterflies. Ever tried to photo a butterfly that just doesn’t land on a thing? There were lots of butterflies where we were. A whole host of brown ones. Here is the absolute best picture I could take.

I promise you that if you look very very carefully with a very high-powered magnifying glass there on the bend of the path are a whole flock of butterflies. I don’t suppose that the collective noun is really flock, perhaps someone can help out here. Elsewhere there white ones, blue ones, black and white ones and the most gorgeous yellow and orange ones and I got not one picture.

No matter it gets better from here on in.

Tahdah! Lizzard.

Swallow’s nest. There were lots and lots of swallows, just like at home. I swear it is a bumper swallow year.

A wonderful walk to a waterfall.

Less bad than the butterflies but not brilliant,  there really is a dragonfly there.

And some lovely wild flowers to finish with this time. The best is to come in the next post from our sojourn in Greece.

Now to tackle the wilderness that is our garden at home.

Sew, Knit and Natter Friday.

Sew, time for an update again. Actually I have been on holiday the last week or so. I never feel comfortable saying I am going, after all it’s a bit of an open invitation to a ne’er-do-well. The mountain of washing awaits, and I am a bit tired. Anyway we had a big nice time which is all that matters. Only mishap was Mr E thinks he got caught by a traffic cop coming home from the airport, oh and the dishwasher we hardly ever use, fused the house whilst we were away. How exactly could that happen? Never mind. What do you think about saying you are going away on your blog? Friendly or a plain daft thing to say? So apologies if you thought I was being a bit remote recently, I had drafted up some posts, and with the help of Mr Technical Wizard himself, I posted them, although it was weird posting pictures of rain drops when I knew the UK had a heat wave. All I can say  is that the heat wave could have lasted a bit longer so I could dry my washing.

Anyway I have two big thank you’s to begin with. Should there be an apostrophe there?  Probably not, but spell check is happy.

First  a big thank you to Robin from Imperial Crochet for nominating me for a Versatile Blogger Award. It’s always lovely when someone does that.Please pop over and visit her blog, she writes a lovely post. I am supposed to tell you 7 things about me that you may not know.

1. Mr E and I met as students many moons ago, we have been married nearly 43 years, if we don’t squabble too much and last that long.
2. There is a wedding in the family coming up soon. Oh you knew that?
3.  And a new baby. You knew that too, let’s try again
4. I was hopeless at school at anything crafty, needleworky etc. In fact I was asked not to do Art and Needlework O’Level because I talked too much and put the others off.
5. But somehow I managed to get a City and Guilds Creative Embroidery successfully under my hat. So there!!
6. I am a glass half full kind of person, I swear the sun will shine at some point in time today.
7. I loathe and I mean loathe beetroot.

I should now be nominating others for this  award, but since you are all just very versatile and great I nominate everyone, please tell us one thing about you which we may now know, or go the whole 7.

And secondly a big thank you to Wild Daffodil 

for this enormous pile of hearts for some bunting for the wedding. Did I mention a wedding before? Thank you from the bottom of my heart , such a kind and wonderful thing to do.

And

a pineapple, one of Daffy’s own patterns. How cute is this?

Sew, there hasn’t been much knitting etc going on round here, but I did get some buttons sewn on the baby’s jacket, did I mention a new baby before?

It’s for a boy, can you tell?

Well maybe there was a tiny bit of knitting whilst Mr E spent all day packing. I take an hour, he spends ALL DAY till I get him out the door.

A lot more knitting, crochet and maybe sewing next Friday. Meantime have a great weekend and I look forward to some natter, between washing that is.

Be Happy!

 

Going Wild in the garden

It’s not always possible to get out and about in the wild, sometimes it pays to just stay home. I have spent ages watching the birds go backwards and forwards gathering food, cleaning themselves and basically just doing what birds do. The wood pigeons have only just decided to start nest-building. And the swallows, are there more this year, or do I just notice more?

And bees. So many different bees. A bee was just a bee to me.

One sort of bee.

And another sort of bee, actually there were three different bees on the mock orange. But one flew away without his selfie! Said this wildlife photography was difficult. Nature just doesn’t cooperate.

At least this bee in the honeysuckle stayed put. And then of course it RAINS. We need rain, what can you do ,but wait for it to stop and take rain drop pictures. On the Lupin.

On the peony, my best effort. Shortly after this, I did some weeding. Now I have noticed that bees prefer the wildflowers to the garden flowers, says a lot about garden flowers, “Which do you prefer Mrs Bee, vetch or lupin?” “Vetch please”.  Sorry Mr E! ( For those who don’t know Mr E favours a city park look with dahlias in neat rows!)

Anyway I was weeding, goose grass. yes it brought me out in a rash, and the garden nemesis bindweed. I disturbed a frog who liked the overgrown wilderness, thank you very much. Don’t know who jumped further me or the frog.

I am beginning to think I won’t survive this challenge, but at least the sun is out again! In case you are wondering about the heat wave and why no mention, I am in catch up mode on blogging about 30 days wild, too busy getting out there in the world!

One a week photo challenge- Fiction

From my 17 for 2017, the Heap by the Bed. It’s gone down by 12 books so far, so just imagine how big it used to be.

Next weeks’ prompt is Wave!

Happy Snapping!

Wild about town!

Pickering really is quite remarkable, a steam railway and a fabulous Castle on the doorstep. Time to see what I could see at the Castle, stand by for my best ever wildlife photo, or not!

There are Kestrels nesting in this wall of the  Kings Tower. See them? Told you it was not my best picture. There is a telescope set up on the moat side below. I looked and looked. No Joy. A Yummy Mummy and her off spring came and they looked. “Oh look” says Yummy Mummy “I can see the babies and  a kestrel feeding them. ” The children couldn’t see them either. I rest my case.

The view from the Castle of Beacon Hill is jolly nice, the hill is at the back of our house. No you can’t see our house, but it is a nice view, don’t you think?

You can just about make out the sheep. You do have to peer a bit. Anyway after that I took myself down to the Quaker Community Garden. It is so lovely there, peaceful and pretty, and there is a grass maze to scamper round. A chap returning tables to the meeting-house encouraged me to have a go, and as no-one was looking I did it barefoot. And nothing attacked me.

I may spend the rest of this 30 day wild challenge sat on the bench, safer that way!

 

Sew, knit and natter Friday

Let’s chat. I haven’t started my next sewing project yet. I am working up courage to make the skirt for Little Miss F, I may have mentioned it several times already. It has a zip. I haven’t sewed a zip for many years since I was at school, and then I only did one. I am scaring myself!

But I have completed the 4ply cardigan with shawl collar for the new baby. I am rather pleased with how this looks, considering the fuss I was making last week.

I just need some nice buttons to finish it off.

And onto the needles next is a tank top for Master T. The yarn looked brighter on the website when the gremlin ordered it. I think he may have slipped, I don’t think it meets the brief Master T gave me for something with lots of bright colours. Ah well, maybe I will choose the next yarn from a real life shop all by myself.

The pile of hearts for the bunting is growing nicely and I think I have sussed out how I will join them. Hope to be able to show them next week.

Have a great weekend,

Be happy.

 

 

 

Going wild, with memories of Dad

The 30 days challenge- to go into the wild every day in June, I wanted to remember Dad as its three years ago this month that he died at the ripe old age of 91, having lived a full and by and large a happy life. If we were lucky as children we could persuade him at the weekend to walk in what is known locally as the Quarry Bottoms, well to the locals anyway, outsiders think it’s called Newbridge Old Quarry. PAH, what do they know! The Quarry Tops is a walk at the top of the old quarry and the Quarry Bottoms , is the walk, at well, the bottom.

First you have to negotiate a rather over grown footpath down Beacon Hill , well you do if you live where I do. Now one thing I havealready  learned about this going wild malarkey is that nature fights back. Day one I cleaned the bird baths out in the garden. Mr Blackbird said Yippee, took a dip, and promptly poohed in it as he left. I also got bitten by a red ant . And down this footpath, the brambles attacked me! Humph!

And so to the Quarry Bottoms. I love that you can see exactly how and where the stones for the castle were cut, and the way nature is re-claiming the rock face.

Apparently back in the day dinosaurs roamed here, by the shores of Lake Pickering. I keep looking for Jane Fonda to appear at any moment.

I just love how many plants are in this picture, until I started to really look, I would have walked straight passed this. I think it’s a kind of speedwell.

These were growing by the railway line, I think they may be garden escapees, going wild themselves.

I can manage to identify buttercups!

Home passed the rabbits on the hillside. This may be marginally better than the fish photo! Darned difficult this wildlife photography !

Hope you enjoyed this favourite walk, down my memory lane.