Aida

Posted on 30th November 2010 in Art, Multimedia, Musings

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away (or so it seems these days) I wasn’t the Crazy Garden Lady, I was in fact the Dancing Queen.  I can canned my way through a life where feather boas and rhinestones and false eyelashes were the norm, and offices and permanent residences and 9 to 5 were things I read about in books.

I lived my dream for five years and then reality bit me on the fishnetted butt when the ankle and the knee and the hip flexor and the hamstring all went at the same time.  And having no talent for choreography and no patience for teaching, I did what all good retired showgirls do and segued into hospitality.
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Renaissance Skies and a Dead Nanny Soldier

Posted on 21st November 2010 in Art, Field at the Front

Mother Nature is a cow.

She lures you in with honeyed words and Renaissance skies and then when you’re least expecting it – when you haven’t watched the weather report on the telly or t’internet – she slams you with a good one and takes your soldiers out.
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Summer and the Cicada Army

Posted on 14th November 2010 in Art, Bugs, Just Stuff, Musings

I’ve always loved the song of the cicada. It’s the herald of summer and subsequently all the good things that come with the rise in the mercury. When I was a kid it was 6 weeks holiday from school, Christmas and the accompanying bag of books that Santa so thoughtfully gave me, the thought of being able to secret myself away in one of the many hidey-holes I had to eat homemade iceblocks and read one of the books from the bag, of nights so humid and hot I couldn’t sleep and so my 6 weeks holiday seemed twice as long.
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Crazy Car Mon-et?

Posted on 28th October 2010 in Art, Bugs, Carnivorous Plants, Crazy Car Man, Update

My camera is pretty good, but it sucks severely at certain jobs. It’s a Sony Cybershot point and shoot digital piece of wonderment that my folks gave me about six years ago. It takes a great photo for an amateur camera – all the photos on my blog (unless otherwise credited) are taken with my Sony, and being the luddite that I am, there’s no tweaking or airbrushing – partly because I don’t know how to do it, and partly because I can’t be bothered. The camera has traveled through 21 countries with me and the Man and has never put a foot wrong.
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It’s Not The Hoover But It’s Pretty

Posted on 21st September 2010 in Art, Crazy Car Man, Just Stuff, Not For Eating

All up and down our stretch of coast are small coal mines and accompanying small towns that evolved from the tents and shacks that housed the miners. And of course, where there are miners there are pubs and the need for beer, and back in ancient* times, a lot of the pubs not on the post track usually brewed their own ale, for which a fresh water source was desirable.

And I suppose it was useful for drinking and washing and brewing a cuppa as well.

Crazy Car Man had found our village’s original dam on one of his Rural Fire Service bush whacking adventures, and knowing my interest in ancient architecture, history and general planty things, he organised an excursion for me. So I donned walking boots, put the ankles to the test and went bush whacking with him to discover the spring from whence our village was sprung.
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The England Files: Part IIId – Harewood House

Posted on 22nd July 2010 in Art, Foreign Lands, Just Stuff, Not For Eating, The England Files

This is more of a homage to one particular plant than a study of the garden at Harewood House. I saw this plant in a number of locations throughout the north of England and each time I was struck silent in disbelief. It’s positively Jurassic looking! It feeds my fear of Velociraptors leaping out at me spitting poison in my eye and then consuming my delicious remains.
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Containers of Earthly Delights

Posted on 8th June 2010 in Armchair Gardening, Art, Just Stuff, Musings

My garden is not much like Hieronymus Bosch’s painting – clearly there are not masses of naked people frolicking amidst the containers – or at least not when I’m around and I’d assume not right now either, it’s winter and not the most flattering season for naked frolicking.  Unless, of course, goosebumps and purple mottled skin are the accessories du jour – note to self, check Vogue.
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