21 May 2015
The birds are singing, the sky is blue with fluffy white clouds. Creamy frothy blossom on a rowan tree. Dark blue spikes of bugle flowers. A splash of red campion. Everything is bright and fresh.
9 June 2015
A wild rose in flower and arching its shiny dark green leaves and delicate pink and white flowers against the blue sky. A mock orange (syringa) giving its sweet scent to the breeze. Rowan berries already starting to form, a herald of autumn. Ox-eye daisies starring the verge, with a few splashes of red poppies. Silvery poplar trees like a Corot painting.
11 June 2015
Wild roses trailing. Poplar trees flickering green and silver in the wind. Four Canada geese and eight goslings on the river. Ox-eye daisies everywhere. Hot sun beating down.
23 June 2015
The heady scents of mock orange blossom, honeysuckle, and roses. The sheer abundance of their flowers. The trees: oak, chestnut, poplar, willow, ash.
12 August 2015
Loads of hollyhocks - red, pink, single and double flowers. Apples ripening on the bough. Crab apples too, clustered thickly on the branch.
21 August 2015
A tiny pink paper parasol stuck into the parapet of Donnington Bridge. The circular swirly ripples made in the water by the oars of a passing rowing boat. A Hawthorn tree laden with red berries.
24 August 2015
Dreich this morning - but the river still has a silvery charm.
And there are plenty of hawthorn berries for the birds.
Showing posts with label small beauties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label small beauties. Show all posts
Monday, 24 August 2015
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Small beauties
Small beauties
23 March 2015
Morrissey and Ziggy snuggled on the bed this morning, washing each other. The flowers coming up in my garden (daffodils, crocuses, anemones, grape hyacinths). Warmer weather and sunshine. Blue flowers (chionodoxa or squill) growing under a hedge. Blackthorn blossom. Two robins on a gate. The birds singing. More light. Spring!
26 March 2015
A corkscrew hazel tree, all twisty and curly wurly. A truly psychedelic umbrella in the bus queue in front of me, brightening the day. The cherry blossom and quince flowers.
27 March 2015
Magnolia buds, all furry and with the petals like white flounces. The flowers waiting for the warmth of the sun before they open - the daisies (day's eyes) furled shut with their red tips showing. The clatter and scatter of trills of the birds' songs. A tree stump shaped like a dragon with a cheesy grin. Purple aubretia poking through a hedge.
28 March 2015
A tree with white blossom juxtaposed against a tree with pink blossom. The humble groundsel and goosegrass in the hedgerow. Red dogwood stalks with green leaves budding on them. The buds of kerria japonica (bachelor's buttons) just opening on its bare branches. More flowers opening in the garden.
21 April 2015
Spring flowers blooming: jack by the hedge, white dead nettle, bluebells, green alkanet. A huge patch of primroses by the A34. In the garden, my apple tree is blooming, the raspberry ripple tulips are fully out, and the dark red tulips are opening.
1 May 2015
A robin and a song thrush hopping about. A goose flying overhead, honking. Apple blossom everywhere. A woodpecker laughing. The birds singing to welcome May morning. The sun shining, and long wispy clouds floating high in the blue.
13 May 2015
A mackerel sky. Tiny scales of fluffy cloud high up in the blue. The hawthorn blossom in the hedgerows. A tunnel of green on the cycle path. One solitary poppy blooming on the grass verge. Poplar trees reflected in the river, silver-green in the blue depths.
Friday, 22 November 2013
small beauties 2
24 September
Every spider's web bejewelled with dew from the morning mist. The red leaves of Virginia Creeper and Boston Ivy draped over walls and fences.
8 October
A cat that looked like the Egyptian god Anubis. The sunshine. The reflections of the light from the water bouncing off the trees. A second and fuzzy shadow of me, made by the light from the water. Golden birch leaves, red virginia creeper, snowberries, tall lavender-coloured roses.
21 November
Green and gold leaves alternating on a silver birch. The first frost yesterday, leaves of many different shapes outlined with tiny crystals of ice. Autumnal trees, red, gold, copper. A rowan tree with blush-red leaves and berries the colour of pale peach flesh. The way the autumn sneaks up on you gradually.
22 November
What a beautiful morning. The sun is shining, the air is crisp and clear. The trees seemed almost to be glowing from within, with the gold and copper of the leaves lit up by the sun. Red dogwood stems stood out boldly against the background of a dark wood. A flock of Brent geese came down on the river, honking madly.
Every spider's web bejewelled with dew from the morning mist. The red leaves of Virginia Creeper and Boston Ivy draped over walls and fences.
8 October
A cat that looked like the Egyptian god Anubis. The sunshine. The reflections of the light from the water bouncing off the trees. A second and fuzzy shadow of me, made by the light from the water. Golden birch leaves, red virginia creeper, snowberries, tall lavender-coloured roses.
21 November
Green and gold leaves alternating on a silver birch. The first frost yesterday, leaves of many different shapes outlined with tiny crystals of ice. Autumnal trees, red, gold, copper. A rowan tree with blush-red leaves and berries the colour of pale peach flesh. The way the autumn sneaks up on you gradually.
22 November
What a beautiful morning. The sun is shining, the air is crisp and clear. The trees seemed almost to be glowing from within, with the gold and copper of the leaves lit up by the sun. Red dogwood stems stood out boldly against the background of a dark wood. A flock of Brent geese came down on the river, honking madly.
Friday, 6 September 2013
small beauties 1
A friend on Facebook started writing "small beauties" posts, which are little snippets about lovely things you have seen, written on the day they happened. So I started doing it too, but it is easy to lose things on Facebook, so I am also posting them here.
25 June
A man slowing his car whilst a squirrel scampered across the road, and smiling indulgently as it skittered off, probably oblivious to its near miss. A front door left open to let in the sunshine and fresh air. A man with tiny dreadlocks with rainbow colours of thread wrapped round them. All seen within five minutes of each other. Also, the sunshine, the flowers... valerian and ox-eye daisies and those blue meadow geraniums.
27 June
The new cat came out from under the bed and purred. There was a tern jinking about over the River Thames. The wild roses on the river bank.
5 July
A swallow skimming very low over the river. The lacy froth of elderflower blossom. The play of shadow, sunlight and reflection on the green depths of the river.
8 July
A black-headed gull preening itself on top of a lamp-post. The blue flowers of chicory along the river-bank. The grace of a solitary rower. The candy-stripes of convolvulus. A rabbit running across the cycle path in the early evening sunshine.
9 July
A bright pink mallow plant growing among parched yellow grass. A yellow rose reaching for the sky. A man on a bike wishing everyone good morning.
3 ducklings (so pleased to see them, as they're a bit late this year). A couple holding hands and swinging their arms. Being greeted by the cat on arriving home.
10 July
The woman at the bus-stop in the minty-green salwar kameez with lovely embroidery on it, who smiled back at me when I smiled at her (and a smile can really transform a face). A collared dove, doing its best to epitomise the term "dove-grey". The high wispy clouds in a very blue sky. The silvery willow trees rippling in the breeze. Purple loosestrife flowers. The pink pom-poms of the thistle flowers.
11 July
Both cats got on my lap and purred this morning (not at the same time as each other).
The dome and minaret of Oxford mosque (on Cowley Road), glimpsed through trees from the top of Rose Hill. A bird singing fit to bust from the top of a tree. The poplar leaves turning silver.
15 July
Weekend beauties, small and large... eating dinner outside overlooking the garden with my boyfriend.
Attending M and K's religious civil partnership and Unitarian wedding on Saturday. Seeing their love confirmed and celebrated publicly. The beautiful gardens of Unitarian meeting Bristol. Seeing old friends.
On Sunday, back in Oxford - went swimming with my boyfriend, and we saw lovely little blue dragonflies skimming over the water, and were at eye-level with the coots and moorhens. And there was a young lad there who swam his first three yards or so.
Today, gloriously sunny, birds singing. The little patch of pink-and-white striped convolvolus has spread even further. And there are even more chicory flowers.
23 July
Never thought I would be happy to see clouds - beautiful silvery-grey patterns and swirls
25 July
the massed lead and silver of the clouds, ready to pour more rain on the thirsty earth. The heavy rain last night that cooled everything down. A flock of Canada geese and goslings in a field. The chicory, purple loosestrife, and meadowsweet along the river.
31 July
a red umbrella under a tunnel of green leaves. A group of cherries ripening on the tree.
27 August
Big fat rosehips, pale snowberries, ripening blackberries, and huge clusters of rowanberries. Monkey balsam. Michaelmas daisies. Autumn is coming, and it's going to be good for berries.
28 August
About six weeks ago, I noticed two small elegantly hand-painted signs, with string stretched between them, over a piece of freshly dug earth on the verge of Meadow Lane. The signs read "wild flowers".
Now the flowers have come up and are blooming - some calendula and a bell-flower.
29 August
The shiniest cleanest narrowboat I have ever seen - navy blue, shiny brass portholes, called Meandrine. A couple of sober-suited and serious-looking crows. The quiet camaraderie of the drunks on the river towpath (in contrast to the slightly uptight-looking commuters on the street).
The last few days I have been noticing a vivid red rose against a whitewashed wall.
4 September
Reflections.
Light reflected off the water onto the side of a building.
Trees reflected in the water, shimmery and green.
Sky reflected in the water, blue and mysterious.
A narrow-boat reflected in the river - bright and colourful.
25 June
A man slowing his car whilst a squirrel scampered across the road, and smiling indulgently as it skittered off, probably oblivious to its near miss. A front door left open to let in the sunshine and fresh air. A man with tiny dreadlocks with rainbow colours of thread wrapped round them. All seen within five minutes of each other. Also, the sunshine, the flowers... valerian and ox-eye daisies and those blue meadow geraniums.
27 June
The new cat came out from under the bed and purred. There was a tern jinking about over the River Thames. The wild roses on the river bank.
5 July
A swallow skimming very low over the river. The lacy froth of elderflower blossom. The play of shadow, sunlight and reflection on the green depths of the river.
8 July
A black-headed gull preening itself on top of a lamp-post. The blue flowers of chicory along the river-bank. The grace of a solitary rower. The candy-stripes of convolvulus. A rabbit running across the cycle path in the early evening sunshine.
9 July
A bright pink mallow plant growing among parched yellow grass. A yellow rose reaching for the sky. A man on a bike wishing everyone good morning.
3 ducklings (so pleased to see them, as they're a bit late this year). A couple holding hands and swinging their arms. Being greeted by the cat on arriving home.
10 July
The woman at the bus-stop in the minty-green salwar kameez with lovely embroidery on it, who smiled back at me when I smiled at her (and a smile can really transform a face). A collared dove, doing its best to epitomise the term "dove-grey". The high wispy clouds in a very blue sky. The silvery willow trees rippling in the breeze. Purple loosestrife flowers. The pink pom-poms of the thistle flowers.
11 July
Both cats got on my lap and purred this morning (not at the same time as each other).
The dome and minaret of Oxford mosque (on Cowley Road), glimpsed through trees from the top of Rose Hill. A bird singing fit to bust from the top of a tree. The poplar leaves turning silver.
15 July
Weekend beauties, small and large... eating dinner outside overlooking the garden with my boyfriend.
Attending M and K's religious civil partnership and Unitarian wedding on Saturday. Seeing their love confirmed and celebrated publicly. The beautiful gardens of Unitarian meeting Bristol. Seeing old friends.
On Sunday, back in Oxford - went swimming with my boyfriend, and we saw lovely little blue dragonflies skimming over the water, and were at eye-level with the coots and moorhens. And there was a young lad there who swam his first three yards or so.
Today, gloriously sunny, birds singing. The little patch of pink-and-white striped convolvolus has spread even further. And there are even more chicory flowers.
23 July
Never thought I would be happy to see clouds - beautiful silvery-grey patterns and swirls
25 July
the massed lead and silver of the clouds, ready to pour more rain on the thirsty earth. The heavy rain last night that cooled everything down. A flock of Canada geese and goslings in a field. The chicory, purple loosestrife, and meadowsweet along the river.
31 July
a red umbrella under a tunnel of green leaves. A group of cherries ripening on the tree.
27 August
Big fat rosehips, pale snowberries, ripening blackberries, and huge clusters of rowanberries. Monkey balsam. Michaelmas daisies. Autumn is coming, and it's going to be good for berries.
28 August
About six weeks ago, I noticed two small elegantly hand-painted signs, with string stretched between them, over a piece of freshly dug earth on the verge of Meadow Lane. The signs read "wild flowers".
Now the flowers have come up and are blooming - some calendula and a bell-flower.
29 August
The shiniest cleanest narrowboat I have ever seen - navy blue, shiny brass portholes, called Meandrine. A couple of sober-suited and serious-looking crows. The quiet camaraderie of the drunks on the river towpath (in contrast to the slightly uptight-looking commuters on the street).
The last few days I have been noticing a vivid red rose against a whitewashed wall.
4 September
Reflections.
Light reflected off the water onto the side of a building.
Trees reflected in the water, shimmery and green.
Sky reflected in the water, blue and mysterious.
A narrow-boat reflected in the river - bright and colourful.
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