Blooming April

 Another month and another bunch of photographs - another eclectic mix too!!

Spring has finally arrived and whilst it's not been particularly hot, the flowers are blooming, new leaves are unfurling and the bees are buzzing.  The Oak tree on our patio (it's in a tub to keep it small) has just started to come out and I love the photo of the Mountain Ash against the lovely blue sky.

Other than watching the garden come to life, we've been Spring cleaning down the Rifle Club.  The red danger flags (probably 20yrs old)  were mainly pink and full of holes so my husband bought some new red material, got my sewing machine out and made 4 new flags.  The wind flags we use were getting a bit faded too so I dyed them sunflower yellow.  We've also been cutting wood up for new duckboards.  Fun times!!

Whilst this year I'm not doing a photo a day, it's still like a diary and I'll look back in a few years time and remember life just now.  Anyway hope you are all keeping well and thanks for visiting!!

Elaine xx

March Flowers

 Well I was going to write Spring is well and truly here but these last few days have been much colder and there's been snow in the air.   However all the colour from the Spring bulbs makes up for it - you can't see all the yellow daffodils  without feeling cheerful.

So here's some colour to make you smile

Daffodils, Hellebore, Primroses, Winca, Grape Hyancinths, Narcissus and even the Christmas Cactus in the house has joined in.  I've done 3 weeks of exams in March so haven't had time to go out photographing much else so just enjoy the flowers!!

Elaine xx

February Colour

Well that was an interesting month - some good sunny days with high clouds in the sky, some beautiful sunsets and then 3 storms in a week and no water!

It started with the first few snowdrops out on 1st of the month, quickly followed by the cyclamen, crocus and early daffodils.  The bee was fast asleep in the purple crocus. The next day he was two flowers across and then I think he hid in there during the storms.   The sky was black, it blew a few pots over on the patio and in the end I had to go and rescue the umbrella on the bird stand - it was in danger of taking off!!

Sometimes I think I'd like to live on top of a hill so I could enjoy the sunrises and sunsets but then we get really windy days and I think maybe it's best to be a little more protected.  Anyway I'm looking forward to more of the Spring and more colour.

Thanks for looking!

Elaine xx

Views from a Window

Happy February everyone!!   Hopefully you've all survived January  - it's been a bit dull round here but we've had some clear skies so lots of moon photos.   It's been a relief not to have to take a photo every day but I've taken some and chosen 11 to represent the month. 

So we have the moon, the full moon,  the moon setting behind the trees and the new moon(?) in the morning. We have cobwebs, foggy days and new growth, the bulbs coming through, the heather out in full colour and the mahonia starting to blossom.  It's nice that there has been some colour!!

Elaine xx

Happy New Year

Before we fully start 2022 I thought I'd finish with 2021 so here are my last 31 photos for the Photo365 Challenge.  I worked out I took over 1500 photos during the year!!

December started on a positive note - well Covid positive!!   I had a bit of a twitchy and slightly runny nose but as I was doing exams at school I tested myself and the result came back positive.  No-one else caught it, I didn't manage to give it my family so I sat inside for the alloted 10 days taking photos out of the windows or the moon from the front door step!!

Looking back on all the photos life does seem very colourful and I've thoroughly enjoyed trying to find something different to photo every day.   It's a pictorial diary so I can look back and remember.  Take this last week or two - we had a lovely sunny frosty day on the 22nd, but ever since then it's been grey, wet, damp and dreary. Now the year has ended I'm not sure what I will do.  Maybe I will take the occasional photo, still create an A4 page but with bigger photos.  Anyway thank you for keeping me company all year - I'm amazed I finished!  

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for 2022!!

Elaine xx

Fading into Winter

November already and here are my 30 photos.  I thought I'd do something different and mute the colours to show more texture.  There is still lots of colour about but the leaves are blowing away and with this recent cold blast, the colourful berries are disappearing fast.   

Mrs Blackbird has now come to meet Mr Blackbird - she was sat hiding in the Pieres on Saturday when snow was forecast.  It was icy cold here in the south but we had no snow.

Only one more month to go then I will have completed the whole year.  I'm thinking of printing each month out and creating my own calendar, then I can admire the photos all over again.

Thanks for looking and take care everyone.

Elaine xx

All the leaves are brown

Well the leaves are nearly all brown except for the orange ones, yellow ones and red ones but there is still green out there.  I love this time of year (along with Spring) when everything changes.

My photos for October are all nature based, Birds have arrived back in the garden - we'll ignore the pigeons and magpies but we've got Mr Robin, Mr Blackbird, Bluetits, Starlings and a squirrel who seems to think he's a bird by his antics on the birdfeeder!!

   

My Blackbird tale - over the years a blackbird has arrived in my garden then a month or so later, it goes really cold and snows.  I was telling someone this tale and they said they have blackbirds all year.  There was I thinking they migrate from Africa or some such place  to my garden when it's getting cold.  No, they've been hiding half a mile away all summer.   I'm most disappointed but we'll see, when it snows!!

Now my Oak Tree tale.  About 20yrs ago we picked up an acorn at Wakehurst Place and planted it in a pot to see if it would grow.  Well, it's grown as you can see, it's about 6ft tall, the wind blows it over occasionally and it loses a branch but we keep picking it up, potting in larger pots and this year it had 2 acorns!!   In the set of photos above there is a set of oak leaf pictures - over 2 weeks they've got from green to brown and today they have blown off totally.  That's nature for you!!

Thanks for looking and see you next month..... still thinking of a theme.....

Elaine xx