A bonus post.

Posted on January 12, 2013 by nuvofelt

This photograph was originally taken to feature on the garden blog. It would probably have been there today, but after a little investigation I decided it warranted more than just a picture, hence the ‘bonus’ post.

It doesn’t look very interesting, does it? There is the tiniest evidence of new life on the left, but that blob of ‘snow’, what is the point of that? Well, it isn’t snow, and at first sight I thought it was spiders web. Further investigation revealed I was wrong, though, so you had better read on to find out!

Do you remember that I took you for a walk around part of the garden? It was part of 100 steps, and one of the photographs featured was part of a secret

It is the hidden gateway used by foxes and badgers. They pass through the garden during the night. Foxes are cheekier, and we are more likely to see them in the morning or evening, but badgers are more secretive and only visit during darkness. The white pictured above is the evidence. There were several small patches of white fur, each covered with tiny droplets of dew which created the impression of snow. Were they the result of a rough and tumble between two badgers? Maybe an itch had caused one to rub against a rough stick? Who knows, but it was fun to see them.

100 Steps – and a little more

Posted on January 7, 2013 by nuvofelt

I’m a day late with my 100 steps this week. It’s been a strange weekend, and there just wasn’t time to fit it in. It’s also been grey and depressing, so here’s another look back at brighter times in 2012. I’ve created a gallery for you, of a visit we made to a garden we hadn”t seen for some time. We visited a relative, and as you can see I had company on my stroll.

Afterwards we were treated to a delicious afternoon tea

It was a glorious day of sun and friendship, one we hope to repeat soon, however, the journey home was not good. I make no apologies for the quality of the following pictures – they were taken from a moving car.

This was our first glimpse of something unusual. It was a very dramatic scene.

Soon the heavens opened and the rain lashed down. Visibility became really bad as we drove south, but there was always that promise in the rainbow! And sure enough….. when we arrived home the sun was shining, and there was no evidence of rain whatsoever!

Do you fancy joining me with 100 steps? Full details are here.

That’s #100!

Posted on September 17, 2012 by nuvofelt

It will come as a surprise to most of you to discover that for the past 100 days I have been publishing a photograph from somewhere in our garden. The point is just to make a record. I chose the picture for a variety of reasons – the colour, the texture, the arrangement. I don’t claim that they are good pictures – but each one is a recording of a particular day, maybe for comparison at a later date.

Some are out of focus! For some reason, even on a really calm day, the wind will blow at just exactly the moment I want to take a closeup! This is the first picture on the blog. If you would like to see a few more this is the link. Can’t promise I’ll keep it up for another 100 days, but I’m hoping – even if I only show a picture of the ground in the middle of winter!

Amazingly I’ve seen views of over 400 in a day! It was meant as a personal record – but seems to have hit a nerve somewhere.

What’s that smell?

Posted on July 18, 2012 by nuvofelt

As a child there was one smell of summer that I dreaded. It was bound to set off my hay-fever, and although I’ve grown out of that now, my feeling of dread has not lessened. I hate the smell.

In the UK it was once the tradition to mark the boundary of your suburban property with a hedge. These were usually kept neatly trimmed, square and ‘proper’. Occasionally, though, these sharply edged perimeters would become ragged, and, horror of horrors, produce ‘flowers’. Hedges are not quite so prominent now, but they are beginning to come back into fashion. Sadly, I have noted one over the fence….. I’m not bothered about the fact that it is untidy, it’s the fact that it is in flower that scares me. If I hear the shears I’ll be closing all windows and doors, and hiding in a cupboard for a day or so (well, maybe that’s just a little bit of an exaggeration). The culprit?

Privet!

Welcome Home!

Posted on June 4, 2012 by nuvofelt

It’s lovely to go away – but equally lovely to return home. One of the bests things is seeing what has changed over even a few days. Our first morning home was dull and rainy. Look what was waiting to greet us, though.

Isn’t it beautiful. The droplets just add to the perfection, and I can see this as a future source of inspiration.

All quiet on the Western Front

Posted on March 14, 2012 by nuvofelt

Well, to be truthful, that should be ‘the Northern Front’. I decided that today had to be a quiet day, so I have taken our visitors in hand, and we have spent time in the garden.

It was warm and sunny,

so, where better to be than the garden?

First, we checked the new bronze growth on the tree heather. It’s coming through nicely, and shortly will look stunning.

Next we looked again at the Viburnum. It’s been flowering all through the winter, but it still looks fresh and pretty. (Sorry about the lines)

It was important to make sure that the standard rose had been properly pruned, too

Lastly, we made sure the birds had eaten their seeds before we gave them some more.

All in all – a quiet and peaceful day.

I should have known better…..

Posted on March 13, 2012 by nuvofelt

You know that we have visitors at the moment. I should have known that it would be dangerous to invite them to a dyer’s house.

This was the view that greeted me this morning.

Somehow, those feet look very pleased with themselves.

and judging by this photograph it wasn’t just the feet that were having fun

I don’t usually mix threads and viscose in the same container, but I made a mistake of doing so, and guess what…..

I really should have known better

They love the garden, though

I’ve discovered that they see it as a means of escape. But why?

Well, I should have guessed something was up when I found them playing with the beads

but that did not prepare me for what followed after their trip over the hedge.

They had hoped to ask our neighbour to teach them the dance of the seven veils!

Weekly photo challenge – Contrast

Posted on March 9, 2012 by nuvofelt

We all know that roses bloom in June in the UK, when it is warm and sunny.

Oops, got that wrong, didn’t I? This shows the contrast of Christmas red and green. The flowers look a little worse for wear in this shot – but they soon perked up once the snow had gone. (Taken in December)

Further details of the challenge, and lots more entries can be found here.

I’ve Got My Eye on You

Posted on January 29, 2012 by nuvofelt

It’s surprising what you see when you are quietly working. I was in my studio, dyeing as it happens, when I looked out through the window.

Apologies for the piece of paper that’s in the bottom right, but I needed to be quick. If you have been following my other blog you will already have seen this wood pigeon, it’s Hilda! She and Howard often visit for a drink, but this is the first time I’ve been able to actually catch one of them ‘in the act’, as it were.

I moved, very carefully and was able to get a much better view, but still through glass and with reflections. However, from this view I could see that I wasn’t the only one watching!

I watched for several minutes. Neither moved, then the cat saw me, turned and sloped off. I tried to creep outside and take a better photograph of Hilda, however, the door creaked and she was off in a flurry of wings. Howard came a while later, but I was up to my elbows in dye by that time.