Thursday 18 September 2014

THE SPRING GARDEN.
I love the spring garden. The flowers come in succession according to the soil temperature and you get an almost daily surprise as one plant after another bursts into bloom.
Some photos of what I found in the garden today.















Tuesday 5 August 2014

THE MEADOW


Tread carefully in the meadow lest you step on my memories.
Memories of a five-year old boy gathering wildflowers for his teacher.
Making a posy of bright, yellow shining buttercups,
Sweet red clover and pink-tipped daisies, purple vetch and cow parsley.
See the teacher graciously receiving the bouquet.
She puts them on the window-sill in a crystal vase.

Now the boy with his twin sister is on his way home.
He boards the bus clutching  the penny fare in his little hand.
They mount the steps to the top of the double -decker bus.
From there they can look down to the stream by the mill
And the tops of the trees as they pass through the wood.
Walking from the bus stop,  there is time to gather flowers for mother.

After tea, the little boy makes his way to the stream with his big sister.
He carries in each hand a jam jar with a string handle.
Excitedly he dips each jar into the stream and waits patiently.
Meanwhile it is growing dark and the midges are beginning to bite.
From across the stream mother's voice is heard calling them in.
Time to return home across the bridge with his precious catch of tadpoles.


Monday 4 August 2014

THE MANY FACES OF ME - expressions I never Knew I had!

While visiting the Roosken family in The Netherlands, I went out and about and my friends Hans and Ludy took these candid photos of me. I never knew I had so many facial expressions.











Saturday 2 August 2014

Beautiful Places I Visited on My Trip

These are my photos of beautiful places I went to on my recent travels from 11 May to 1 July 2014:
Rishworth, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, England.

 A garden set in Portland, Maine, USA.
 Looking over Plymouth Harbour, Devon, England
 Scarborough Beach, Maine, USA
 River Dee, Chester, England

Belfast Docks, Northern Ireland

DOGS ON MY TRAVELS

When I arrived at my cousin Gail's house in Boston USA, we were almost at the door, when she asked me if I was O.K. with dogs. I had no sooner said yes than this little female Boston Terrier shot past her to lay a ball at my feet. She is called Wheezie because she makes that kind of a noise. She is a very appealing character and had me throwing a tennis ball outside and doing soccer moves indoors.
When we were packing to go up to Maine for a few days, she kept coming and putting her ball inside my bag and looking hopefully at me. She sometimes goes to stay at the house in Maine. but, not this time.
The dogs I knew well on my trip were Shell and Robin's

Fletcher and Toby and Sandra's Bubby that I call Bubsca, because it is such a funny little dog and about the size of a cat and furry. Toby, the Yorky is my favorite. He is very old now, about 15.
Bubsca waggled all over with delight when he saw me. Fletch would come and put his big head in my lap of an evening.

 Zac, is  a collie dog belonging to my cousin Jim in Aghincurk, Northern Ireland. He is old and blind. I met him in 2010.
When I knocked at the door, the four other collies, that I had not met barked but Zac did not. He could pick up my scent through the door and knew me from 2010. I do not play with him, but give him lots of pats and he likes to lie on my feet.

The first dog that befriended me on my 2014 trip, was called Twiglet. She is a dark Lurcher breed of dog and a rescued animal. She is still a pup. There was another Lurcher dog with her called Jazz, but apart from the first night, he didn't want to play. Twiglet had me throwing the plastic ball indoors most of the evening. In the morning she would be waiting at my bedroom door.