Blogtober - Day Twenty one

 Shall we have a Five on Friday?  

Perhaps a bit of cheering colour is needed this week.

1. Spotted in the entrance to a supermarket

Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar in crochet.

 

  Very charming and colourful.

 

2.  Also very charming and colourful

This Robin stayed long enough for a photograph.  He was by the smaller lake at Westport Lakes where we walked earlier this week.  There were one or two Robins about but we still wait to see that bright blue flash of the Kingfisher.

3.  Halloween Displays

Seasonal displays at the farmshop and cafe in Hartington on our way back from Bakewell a week ago.

 

Halloween black cats decorate the fireplace.  The tables were trimmed with pumpkins or ghosts.  I didn't take photos of these as there were lots of people about enjoying a late lunch.

 

Pumpkins galore - everywhere. 

 

4.  Garden Visitors

 

A week ago I posted a photo of a bird on a barbed wire fence. We thought it may be a Meadow Pippit.   It was taken on Fenton Fields which is just two streets away from home.  Earlier this week this bird landed on the lawn.  I think it may be the same type of bird.  We've never seen one in the garden before but it could have decided to have a little adventure and vist some nearby gardens.

Edit 6.30p.m.  Thank you to Coastal Ripples and Ragged Robin who recognised the bird above as a Redwing.  First time I've known one visit our garden.

 

A lovely Red Admiral visited in between showers this morning.  It spent ages on the winter pansies in the hanging basket just outside the kitchen window.
 

 5. New Street Art

 

This small area at the bottom of the Strand just by Times Square and opposite the station has been turned into a memorial garden just in time for Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday next month.

 We've driven by many times over the last few weeks on our way home and we've seen the work in progress. Often just one artist up a ladder.  A couple of weeks ago we noticed it had been opened up so we stopped to take photos.

Monday Miscellany

Just a short post as I haven't written a 'Monday miscellany' one so far this year.

We had such grey and damp weather over the weekend. Friday night's snowfall seemed like just a dream.

 When we called at the supermarket on Friday morning I bought a couple of bunches of daffodils to bring some colour into the house.

The daffodil bulbs we planted in the Autumn are doing well in the garden.  Usually when we plant bulbs the squirrels dig them up, they seem to be partial to crocus and dwarf iris but they aren't interested in daffodil bulbs.

Perhaps they are as poisonous to them as they are to us.

The bulbs in the little planters we received as a Christmas gift have started to grow.  Narcissi to the left muscari to the right.

I took the first photo on Sunday morning and the one above this morning - the muscari have advanced in size over night.

Today is less grey and damp, there has even been a little sunshine.  It was too grey and overcast to see the beautiful moon early this morning so the daffodils will have to compensate with their vibrant colour.

I'll hopefully be back later this week with my photos for the Scavenger Photo Hunt - I still have some to find - and also our results for the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch.

Season of Colour

This week I've been noticing colours, mostly seasonal colours as this time of year produces such rich, glossy colours, here are just some of the things I've recorded as I've been on my walks this week.

but first I want to share this photo I took a couple of weeks ago of a squirrel in our garden with a shiny, copper brown conker that it had just stripped of its outer layer.  It was fascinating watching the little creature with its prize - it ran off with the conker no doubt to cache it away for darker, colder winter weather.

 Lovely orange colours above and below in the gardens at Haddon Hall last Sunday where we went to listen to a performance by Piva in the great hall.

On Thursday we walked at Tittesworth, near Leek.  The reservoir was very low after all the exceptionally dry weather we've been experiencing over the last few weeks.

I can't remember what the plant above is called but it was very colourful with its dark red leaves and black berries.

The soft, gossamer seeds of the Willow herbs were lining the paths and drifting around in the slight breeze.

 This morning we walked around Trentham Gardens and lakeside.  Above - a Dahlia in The Secret Garden - one of the small show gardens in the grounds.

 Along the path we saw huge glossy red rose hips

 More conkers on a Horse Chestnut tree

 Sweet, juicy blackberries

and leaves changing colour

on some of the trees

Not quite so colourful but very seasonal and interesting were the different fungi we found on the forest floor.
 

A final burst of seasonal colour on the kitchen table - a bunch of cheerful red asters from the supermarket.

Weekend Flowers

I felt in need of some colour so what better way to provide it than flowers?

 Red tulips on the kitchen table

 Pink hyacinths on the table in the conservatory

The man behind the counter of the fruit and veg shop where we bought them said if they were in a pink pot they would be pink - he was right.

 Blue Iris in the living room

Some blooms just unfurling their petals with plenty more buds to open

Also in the conservatory the Money Plant has flowered

 and the cyclamen are looking good too

They have flowered every year without fail for the last eight or nine years if not more.  There have been more flowers than ever this year.

I nearly forgot the daffodils which have now been replaced by the iris! I'm sure it won't be too long before there are some of these pushing their green shoots up in the garden ready to burst into flower.

I hope you all have a great weekend! 

Splash of Colour for January

I've just remembered that it is time for 'A Splash of Colour' again!  As I haven't been out since our walk on Sunday due to still having the worst cough I've had in ages, in fact probably ever had,  I thought I'd show you one of my Christmas presents. 

Lovely bright pink, rose scented drawer liners!   According to the little V&A tag the pattern is adapted from an original design called 'Pink and Rose' by William Morris.

The original, in the V&A collections, is actually hand-block-printed wallpaper from about 1890 and is typical of Morris's later style.

Today is a strange day as I am now officially an OAP - I've had to wait a few months since my birthday as I'm in one of the first batch of women who will be  'moved forward' as the government gradually change the retirement age from 60 to 65 for all of us.  I can now go and get a bus-pass!  However did I get here?

Perhaps I'll venture out to do it as soon as this cough disappears.  I coughed so much yesterday I tired myself out - still, I'm not complaining as a friend of a friend has had the same bug and coughed so much that she has cracked a rib - I'm just grateful for small mercies! 

I'm also longing to get out and have my hair cut  and this morning my hairdryer gave up the ghost - perhaps it couldn't cope with the state of my hair anymore!  Neither can I!

Right, I'm off to sort out my drawers and re-arrange my underwear on top of some lovely rose-scented paper.

A Splash of Colour for December

I'm a bit late with December's Splash of Colour!  The grey-white I've been surrounded by for what seems like weeks, but is really only days, has been replaced by a dull greeny-brown; making it hard to find much colour out and about!

Pot of basil in my kitchen window.

Oranges, ribbons and cloves ready to make pomanders.

I made them last year as you can see below.  I've washed and ironed some of the ribbons from last year to use again.

Also on the table is a square of material I bought at Amerton Farm ready to make some festive scented hearts like the ones below that I made a couple of years ago. 

A much needed Splash of Colour

I found this super idea on Kathy's 'Postcards at the P.P. ' blog  and decided to join in and have a go at bringing some colour into November.  The idea comes from a lovely blog called silverpebble. I've been reading quite a few blogs this week and it seems that lots of us are feeling low and not particularly looking forward to the coming winter so 'Splash of Colour' is about helping us to feel a bit brighter.

Some of the photos are from this time last year as I haven't been able to get out and about with a camera this week; I hope you enjoy them!

Colourful hats in Cromford taken late October 2009

Rows of colourful mugs at the Emma Bridgewater factory shop, Lichfield Street, Hanley.

Colourful tree with dangling hearts - taken at Consall Hall Gardens - October 2009

Beautiful Acer tree - Consall Hall Gardens October 2009

Blue, blue sky - taken at Staunton Harold a couple of weeks ago

and Chloe - who always brings  joy and colour into my life