Late this wet and windy afternoon and with very little enthusiasm, I ventured out with Ollie for a walk in Walsall Arboretum - and it turned out to be surprisingly pleasant. The wind dropped, the rain stopped and we meandered through the trees and ignored the muddy terrain, sticking mainly to the pathways. The trees … Continue reading Six from a Wet Walsall Arboretum!
Yet another wet week, giving very little opportunity for gardening, but I did manage to cut the grass yesterday and do some weeding and pruning during a dry couple of hours. It was better this morning, with bright sunshine and less wind, but the heavens opened again this afternoon just as I arrived home with … Continue reading Six on Saturday – Fungi!
It's been a dull but still today and I thought I'd have another attempt at getting some close up photographs with the macro lens Chris bought me for my birthday last year. I say another attempt because I'm finding this lens very challenging, particularly in selecting the area for the main focus point. Out of … Continue reading Six on Saturday – Macro
On a breezy but (so far) dry morning, I'm surprised to see that five of the plants I've chosen for today are having a late floral flush - maybe this shouldn't be unexpected as it's been such a warm September, even during the rain this week. As I write, the sun's made an appearance - … Continue reading Six on Saturday – Tales of the Unexpected!
I've lost count of the number of times I've heard people bemoaning the end of summer over the last 12 days - almost as if the start of Autumn equates to a period of mourning! Alright, I agree that not every day is ideal for the gardening enthusiast in Winter (although there's always something to … Continue reading Five Reasons to Love Autumn
Summer weather this year has been a heady mix for plants and trees in our garden in Wales, growth rates have been phenomenal! We hadn't been for a couple of weeks and as our most recent visits have been full of social gatherings, there's been little opportunity for garden maintenance. As a result we were … Continue reading Busy in Wales!
There's only so much you can do in a greenhouse during a wet weekend and so after I'd taken our dog Ollie for a very damp walk this afternoon, I decided to try and identify the wildflowers I photographed last weekend in Wales - I think I've got most of them! Ferns, gorse and heather … Continue reading Coastal Wildflowers
After a sun drenched week interspersed with the odd thunderstorm, it started pouring with rain at around 9am this morning and as it seems to have set in, it'll be a greenhouse afternoon for me! My star plant this week has to be the delightful daylily - it's a hard working stalwart of the mid-summer … Continue reading Six on Saturday – Delightful Daylilies
I've made quite a decision this week after visiting a friend's charity garden party last Saturday - the bed below is going to be filled with roses! The great bonus to visiting other gardens is that there is always at least one eureka moment when you suddenly see a solution you can apply to your … Continue reading Which Rose? Dilemma!
The June edition of the RHS's 'The Garden' journal included a thought provoking essay advocating that gardeners should 'read (and write) more poetry'. The author Sarah Salway contributed this interesting piece - I'm not intending to review it here (suffice to say it's well worth reading), my purpose in referring to it is that it … Continue reading Creative Writing Exercise
Minding my mind, one thought at a time.
Places in Korea and Financial Education to Filipinos
Creativity & Chronic Illness
There's always room for one more plant.
The Occasional Gardener
Teaching the art of composition for photography.
Cultivating the art of patience while gardening in a small space
Moving forward carrying grief
Flora in Focus Journal 