Ten years ago. . . . . . . . .

Ten years ago, in January 2013, I was heading toward Antarctica. Some of you were already blog friends and followed that amazing journey as, dressed in many warm/waterproof layers, and often sporting a red nose, I sailed to the "end of the world" aboard an expedition ship with 120 excited passengers and a fabulous crew. Shipboard life was not new as I had already sailed the sub-Antarctic Islands of New Zealand and Australia in 2011 on another ship, and then traveled by that same ship to the Kimberley region of Western Australia in 2012. I had earned my sea legs, learned how to fend off seasickness, and become an adventurer rather late in life!  Other expeditions followed where being at sea for long periods became the most exciting times of my life.

This year January is following a December that was a month of joy and sadness. I'm not doing much here in blog land as my mind is still so busy with other things. My daily routine feels different. The weather is changeable from below freezing nights to a balmy 70F today. Brilliant green bluebell leaves are poking through the ground. Will the deer nibble them, will the cold nights freeze them? The garden looks sad and uncared for at this time of year. Thoughts of spring are mostly of hard work waiting out there to get plants and shrubs back to growing and blooming, and general cleaning and tidying up. 

In all honesty, I would like to be back in Antarctica. Any thoughts of green gardens and all the work they entail, would be struck from my mind as I once again sailed silently between mile long icebergs, viewing whales, seals and delightful penguins. Boarding Zodiacs to go ashore was a daily ritual I really loved. You do know I hope that Antarctica is not all white!  Blues of every shade are a feast for the eyes. . . . . you don't even miss the greens!

If you have the opportunity to go, do it, you won't be sorry!

Happy Weekend ----------

• Grass cut several times already
• Arbor, fence and gate re-painted and new white lights installed for Summer evening twinkling
• Azaleas blooming, bluebells 'ringing' all around the garden
• Birdhouse "Spring cleaned"
• Acer gorgeous after last year's professional pruning
• Red maple brilliant red, will then turn green
• Weeding, compost spreading, mulching being done this weekend
• Two new Boston ferns purchased for the front porch - last year's Swedish Ivy overwintered in neighbor's sunroom and now hanging on porch

Despite the recent ups and downs of life we are managing to get

 back to things requiring attention here at the cottage.  

Our neighborhood is looking beautiful.

March was a particularly tough month for us. 

Bob's brief hospital stay after a B/P-heart scare.

 Making the change to a new way of eating/cooking without salt has

 been a challenge. He's doing fine - I'm tired of reading labels to

 determine sodium content. Bottom line - DON'T eat anything that

comes in a box, bag, jar or can!

My ongoing herniated disc problem and leg pain preventing long walks.

Daughter had, and still needs, ongoing assistance/transportation

(we're providing) following shoulder surgery.

There are other serious family member medical issues to deal with.  

A nearby neighbor's unexpected death at home knocked us for a loop

and took us to a funeral.

 An amazing family member's death across the pond saddened us. . .

 but he was almost one hundred and five years young!!!

We felt doomed in March.

Life became a daily effort, just facing each morning was exhausting

 and, as you know, I became absent from here for most of the month.

We too are 'feeling our ages' but hoping with the arrival of Spring, better

weather, and plans for a short trip for a change of scenery soon will give

 us a lift. Then with a long-awaited trip home to England all planned and

 hopefully taking place after so many cancellations during COVID. . . . we

 will be 'up and running', or at least walking, for the remainder of the year.

Meanwhile off to tackle some weeding after the heavy rains of 

Thursday. . . . . then afternoon tea on the front porch, and this evening

 lighting the last fire on the hearth until next Winter!

Doing just a little Easter decor - will share in the coming week.

Thanks so much for your concerns - we are good and hope you are.

Enjoy your weekend dear friends.

Garden chores with professionals. . . . . hopefully!

If the rain stays away - unfortunately it's possible it will come later - I will be outside 

a lot today.  We've hired help to get the back garden cleaned up and of course I need

to keep an eye on things so the guys don't whack down the good plants, such as my

 climbers on the back fence. . . . jasmine, roses, honeysuckle etc.

It's very humid at present and out front, in the hot sunshine, the hydrangeas

 are already starting to fade. I should have some lovely heads to cut and dry

 later. . . . . . they seem exceptionally huge this year!

The dill seeds have grown, in pots, to several feet in height, and are so pretty

waving in the breeze, when we get one! I snipped tasty feathery leaves 

yesterday to add to egg salad.

The first morning glory blooms are opening. Planted seeds in a large pot and

 I'm training them up the front porch. In another pot are moonflowers with plenty

 of leaves but too early for flowers yet.

I'm seeing problems on Blogger this morning - mostly with importing photos!

Realizing this is the day they are probably facilitating their NEW platform for those

 who haven't already changed over (thank goodness I got that out of the way a

 couple of weeks back). Good luck to all who have yet to get up to speed with 

New Blogger - it's not so bad after all. I did accept help from blogging friends

and am grateful they were there for me. Anyone needing help be sure to 

ask and I'll help if/when I can.

Enjoy your day.

In the land of lost words -

My latest choice of books arrived last week - delivered to the door like so many other things these days. Browsing for an hour or so in a lovely independent bookshop, perhaps curled in a wingback chair with some classical music playing very softly in the background, is on hold of course. Just when we really need beautiful books and tantalizing stories, we have to get our hands on them via a computer, a wait, the grey Prime van pulling up at the bottom of the driveway, the loud 'plop' as the heavy box hits the top step outside the front door. Slash open the box, pop some bubble wrap - you do that too don't you? New books are lovely. You have your own favorite chair, your own music to play if you enjoy quiet background sounds. If warm, sit by the open window, birdsong is everywhere these days.  Life is still good, very good if you allow yourself to grab and hold on to loving your favorite things be it cooking, painting, writing, listening. . . . . and of course reading.

If interested in the reasons for my latest book picks, read here.

From top to bottom of the stack:

In Patagonia - Bruce Chatwin
"An exhilarating look at a place that still retains the exotic mystery of a far-off, unseen land."
Having visited there twice, I've had this classic by the great British travel writer on my 
list for a long time - starting it today.

The Shell Collector - Anthony Doerr
A book of short stories so wonderful I couldn't put it down. After enjoying his novel
 "All The Light We Cannot See" so much, I just had to read this. . . . .loved it, 
and will be reading over and over when in need of a fabulous short story, beautifully
written.

Peregrine Spring - Nancy Cowan
"A Master falconer's extraordinary life with birds of prey."
Nancy (and her husband Jim, a work colleague of Bob for many years), are friends.
 I have visited their internationally known New Hampshire School of Falconry and 
felt the weight of an exquisite, huge raptor fly in and land on my gloved hand to eat. 
An experience like no other!
This book is going to be wonderful, educational, and I'm anxious to read it.

A Way to Garden - Margaret Roach 
'A hands-on primer for every season'.
I know Margaret well from her wonderful online blog and many
years as garden editor for Martha Stewart Living magazine. 
She also writes a New York Times column.
Margaret's weekly blog post from upstate New York is always full of fabulous 
gardening tips, podcasts with other well known gardeners, and generous
 book give-a-ways (I won one!).
Now I will be opening her book often, enjoying the beautiful photos and learning
 more about a hobby I love. After all, "A garden is a job for ever".

The Lost Words - Robert MacFarlane & Jackie Morris
The lovely surprise was that this is an exquisite oversized book which looks 
perfect left out to be picked up, opened, and to be in awe of because of the
 beautiful illustrations.
Publication of the most recent edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary - widely
 used in schools around the world - dropped around forty common words
 concerning nature, as they weren't being used by children. "Lost words" 
included acorn, bluebell, fern, newt, otter, dandelion and willow. 
Words taking their place include attachment, broadband, cut-and-paste
 voice-mail and blog!

Powerful signs of the growing, and quite frightening to me, gulf between
 childhood and nature.
A picture book of the best kind - it is truly fabulous - and you will find me by
 that open window, listening to the birds, as I turn the pages during
 these days at home.

A weekend thought -

Wearing a mask inside your home is now highly recommended. 

Not so much to prevent COVID-19 but to stop eating!

Have a great weekend anyway dear readers!

Weather woes. . . . . . . . .

 I was up early today knowing the gardening crew we hired would be arriving

 to work on cutting, clearing and removing my lovely overgrown small trees,
 shrubs and plants along the front of the cottage. We are preparing for power
 washing, exterior wood repairs and a fresh coat of paint, so need
 unencumbered access for the carpenters, painters etc.

Memo to self: 
1. In the future cut back on planting everything I fall in love with at the
 garden center.
 2. Engage services of others when it come to keeping up with the big garden
 jobs from here on out.
3. Travel less!

We moved a lot of potted plants ourselves yesterday, ornamental ivy, small

 potted conifers, Summer herbs and fading annuals. Also moved lanterns,
 birdbaths and garden ornaments before heavy rain came late in the day. 
garden

Morning sun at the kitchen window.

Today started with bright sunshine, cooler temperatures, and continued
 until this evening, a near perfect weather day. Hopefully this is not the lull
 before the storm!
No rain expected for a few days but who knows what is going to happen
 when Hurricane Irma makes up her mind as to which direction she will take
 north from Florida this weekend.
We have lived through several hurricanes right here in
 Raleigh even though we're 2 hours inland from the coast - and have had severe
 damage to our home, cars and property. The most intense damage was
from Hurricane Fran which made a landfall here on September 5, 1996.
Fran hit us at night and was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained
 winds of 115 mph. We were without power for almost two weeks.
   Sadly 26 people were killed here during Fran, and $4.16 billion in damages
 made it the most expensive natural disaster ever for North Carolina. 

Irma is a category 5 packing sustained winds of 175 mph!

We are scared!

Calm in the front garden just after sunrise today.

Mr. Northern Cardinal who seems to love hanging out here in the south, but 
may be safer flying north by Sunday.

Today's garden visitors included the usual cardinals and finches, plus a lovely bright

surprise, a pair of precious goldfinches.

Good pickins' from the garden today - what may well be the last of enough

 basil to make one more batch of pesto to freeze for Winter. One good looking 

jalapeño pepper from my neighbor's plant. . . . . . . .and the rose? 

The last welcome bloom for some time from the pretty rose named PEACE.

This very old plant is now cut down as part of the ground clearing in front of the front

 porch - however she's a sturdy girl so I hope will return later with more fragrant flowers.

My thoughts tonight are with not just my own friends in Florida, but also with you if

 you are there, and your families and loved ones who might live there also. 

I pray you will all be spared injury and damage to your homes. Irma really does look

 like an unforgiving, horrific storm at this time, and now Hurricane Jose is following

 behind and growing stronger. . . . . . . .all of us in the southeast are really scared, 

and that's no lie!

August Nature Notes and a tough nut to crack!

 Yes, I know, it's a love/hate thing when it comes to squirrels in your garden.

Personally I love them because they are incredibly smart little guys who

 don't scare me. 

As long as they have food available, thanks to nut bearing trees, bird feeding people,
 and fruit, seed, and berry growing gardeners, they don't really cause a problem.

They don't hurt the garden birds, just chase them around a bit, and do a good

 clean up job under the feeders. If you really don't want squirrels near your 

house just discontinue feeding the birds - but to me that's sad because every 

garden needs beautiful songbirds.

Yesterday morning, on opening the blinds, who did I see but this messy guy. 

He/she was well into what looked like a lengthy feast on a hickory nut breakfast,

 and leaving a real mess. Stayed such a long time and didn't mind me snapping

 away through the kitchen window allowing me to get some nice closeup shots.

Not long after I took these photos I saw a young fox trot across the back garden. 

My little chipmunk has been showing up to nibble under the bird feeders so I'm a bit

 nervous for 'Chippy'. Fortunately he runs a mile a minute!  

Circling above is the screeching red-tailed hawk, and the accompanying crows

 cawing at him. Some birds who seemed to disappear during the heatwave,

 such as chickadees, are showing up again. Sadly, butterflies are few but there is

 a beautiful Black Swallowtail laying eggs on my dill plants. . . . . . . .and, always a thrill, 

two ruby-throated humming birds are showing up at their feeder on the front porch.

What's up in your garden?  

Are you, like me, awaiting cooler weather so the garden becomes more hospitable

 to work in and enjoy?  For me that really doesn't begin until after the first frost

 (a long way off, usually around first week of November here). Then, thankfully, we will

 see an end to mosquitoes as Autumn leaves start to fall. . . . . . and spending time

raking will be pleasant in cool temperatures.

My thoughts and prayers continue for all in Texas who are impacted
by the continuing effects of Hurricane Harvey, a truly devastating storm.

If cats could talk. . . . . . . . .

Time spent with cats is never wasted ~ Sigmund Freud

I'm cat-sitting again. 

My neighbor is paying me in cucumbers, peppers, and hopefully

 by the weekend, several ripe juicy tomatoes!

Heaven on earth - fresh veggies within reach of the kitchen.

The veggies are growing in the front garden in view of all and sundry.

I'm hoping the neighbors don't think I'm raiding his plot.

This is Ms. Nala, a shy, quiet, beautiful calico cat. Yes, she's 

a big girl, and very independent as most cats are.

It takes several days for her to get used to me even though

 I've visited often. I think she has to first get over her 'dad' leaving

 her and going on vacation before she will allow me to lift her on to my

 lap for a little cuddle. . . . . . . . and sharing some sweet purrs.

Nala apparently likes spending time on this corner of the bed where, 

when she looks out the window, she can watch me stealing harvesting

 her 'dad's' vegetables.

I can feel her beautiful eyes watching me.


Interesting Calico cat facts HERE

Blog tour 2014~~~~~~~~~

I've been invited by my dear friend Jane, well known in the blogosphere as "Blondie"

at Blondie's Journals, to be a part of the current blog tour……known as 

Touring Through Blogland.

I've met Jane, and her charming husband in person - in Asheville, NC and here in 

Raleigh, NC, and we had so much fun each time.

Jane's blog is awesome and enjoyed by a lot of gals who are into decorating their homes, 

enjoying time with their families, spending time lakeside in Summer, gardening, cooking etc.  

She always writes candidly and has a great sense of humor. Jane is the perfect blogger and if 

you don't already visit her I suggest you head on over soon.

I started my first blog, Across The Pond, in 2007, this current one in 2010, so have been 

blogging over seven years. In the early years it was a lot different of course, fewer 

bloggers and limited editing programs for posting great photos - and let's face it, we all 

want to share our photos don't we?

I'm to answer four questions………so here goes. 

All photos are my own.

My cottage home.

1.  What are you working on right now?
To be quite honest, not much!  In the oppressive heat of Summer here in the southeast,
being lazy seems to be the best thing, and having recently returned from a busy trip to the
Baltic and Russia, I'm just catching up on regular things around the cottage, while sipping
chilled beverages on the side!  Being British I do not like hot weather one bit. If it wasn't for
the humidity, bad evening storms bringing an overabundance of rain, followed by clouds of
mosquitoes, I would be outside gardening, perhaps painting some bits of furniture I see waiting
out in the potting shed, and of course walking much more. I am cooking a lot lately - easy hot
weather dishes - after buying a really great new vegetarian cookbook - will share that with you
another time.

2. How does my work differ from others in this genre?
I travel often and love taking photos of amazing places around this awesome planet.
Besides the usual vacation venues, I have been fortunate to do a lot of expedition travel via
small ships, not something enjoyed by the majority perhaps, but a special way of seeing areas
of other countries usually off the radar for regular travelers. Having now visited all seven
continents, Antarctica last year being the 'jewel in the crown', I have so loved sharing these
wild and wondrous places with blogging friends.

There are several thumbnails in the right column of my blog page which open up to many of the
places I've visited.  If you've not read those posts and would like to see my photos from around 
the world, please click on them.

My Garden over the past few Summers.

3. Why do I write/create what I do?
I am a creative person, born and bred, sharing my late talented mother's genes I suppose.

She was an amazing dressmaker who actually made clothes for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the mother of our present Queen, in the mid-1900's, then taught me to sew and acquire a great interest in textiles and fashion.

She let me redecorate my bedroom, over and over again, helping me choose wild
wallpaper designs of the '50's - hence perhaps my love of interior design.

She was a great 'from scratch' cook - doing it professionally for a while, and yes I love to cook too.

In my childhood garden she showed me how to raise and care for beautiful flowers,
from climbing sweet peas to dinner plate sized dahlias, fuchsia bushes the size of small trees,
and always gorgeous roses. Gardening, a very creative pastime and, as they say,
"A thing of beauty but a job forever",  I certainly agree.

Having worked in several professions, my most-loved were the years spent in the art and advertising business. My blog, though started as a way to journal and hopefully share aspects of my life for my children/grandchildren in the future, has really become my personal creative outlet. I love words and therefore try my best to write interesting content on my blog. As for photography skills, those I've had to teach myself. I was a lousy photographer with a basic camera when I started blogging, now with better equipment and fabulous places, wild animals, flora and fauna appearing in my lens, I'm doing much better but still have a long way to go. I am also prepared to spend hours editing my photos - this alone is probably the most creative time for me these days - I love playing with my photos!

Places I've been around the world.

4. How does your writing/creating process work?
I confess I spend perhaps too much time on blogging! Each morning when at home I'm here raring to go - to bring something cheerful to my readers' day. I don't post every day, sometimes writing one and then leaving it in draft for a later date. I could post daily as I'm never without something niggling at my brain, some subject to expound on, or a photo about which I can tell a little story. I do understand though that we bloggers already have a hard time keeping up with each other……there's just so much to read and comment on, right? When traveling I always carry my trusty MacBook Air, using it to post when Internet is available, and also downloading the photos I take each day so they are backed up in a second safe location. Although I have no further 'big trips' lined up for 2014, next year appears to be another busy travel period and I'm hoping to share many more interesting places with you here.

Thanks as always for stopping by - I love it when you have time to leave a comment but understand if you're too busy, then I just hope you enjoy peeking at something I've enjoyed sharing with you.

I now have to pass the baton to two more bloggers who hopefully will share their stories with you.
How about these two lovely ladies who lead interesting lives and take us along to special places~~~

My wonderful 'keeps me young' friend……whom I've spent so much creative time with 

over the past several years……Vanessa of Dreaming Shabby

My 'hope to meet in person' some day……long time, very kind Southern California blog friend
Sara of Come Away With Me 

Happy weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by.