Ranunculus acris

Now this is weird. Isn't it a bit late for these? Earlier I had them all over the place but not so any more. Planning my garden for next season and will go have a look what to plant later this season.

Cameleon house

As some of the paint was flaking and being generally scruffy I decided to change colours from classic ginger bread house to more modest and subdued colours. This is how it went.

First I brushed all loose material and dust away. Then a hard work out using a steel brush making sure all flaking old paint was coming off.

After a white base coat on all surfaces the inner frame got two layers of blue paint. This procedure was repeated for the grey outer frame. A bit different from before, eh? The full front will be revealed a bit later.

Berries in my garden

As said, snails I do not eat. What I do eat are berries growing in my garden. At twelve o'clock you see my first black currants, at three o'clock there are blueberries and at eight o'clock there are some raspberries.

Helix pomatia

Some people eat those, you know. Not something I could do myself I must say. Quite common in gardens and parks and very fun to watch if you have the time. There were several crawling about in my burn pit. I have absolutely no idea why they took a liking to this particular environment. Did they like the carbon? This species was probably brought by catholic monks as it was OK to eat while fasting. They still farm them in Germany and France for this purpose.

Brazilian hammock

A couple of weeks ago I bought myself a new hammock. It's from Brazil and made for two persons. Now I just have to find myself another person to go with it... If you find the trees a bit blurry you are correct; I'm in full swing mode while taking this photo.

As you might have concluded by now this one is black and white. Planning to get a couple more to have in my garden. Excellent when having friends and family over. There are a similar one striped as a rainbow for one person, I'll get one of those as well.

Oily business

My garden table is getting a big deal of rain nowadays, not so during July. I just had to put some oil to it so it will not rot away before my eyes. In a day or two it will have absorbed most of the oil and will be ready for more meals in the garden.

A cat with a hat

No, not a real hat but som sort of anti-scratching device. Had to come up with a funny title, though. Haha... Lying in my hammock I hear a squeal and a quick rush in the grass just behind me. This cat, in disguise as a tiger, hunted down an antelope (mouse) and promtly dined on it. The most interesting thing about this, besides the cat totally ignoring me altough I was just a foot away from it, was the cats ability to slice open the mouse and dispose of the guts. Just like a surgeons scalpell in action.

Wedgwood

A few days ago I decided to take away the old pots and saucers the former owner left behind. The pots were only ordinary pots, but low and behold what I found under the eons of dirt and grime collected on the saucers. Wedgwood! Bloody Wedgwood! This is classic goods from the United Kingdom right here at the heart of The Village. OK, I know it's not like having a Chippendale cabinet in your garden, but still. It is not IKEA, mind you.

However, this is not the Wedgwood I think is most famous. Enoch Wedgewood was a distant cousin to the world famous pottery designer, abolishionist and inventer Josiah Wedgewood. But I would like to believe that old Enoch made more for the common man in order to fill homes to the brink with nice pottery, so maybe this actually is the more famous Wedgwood.

Wedgwood & Co became Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd. in 1965 and is since 1980 Unicorn Pottery. Which name do you prefer? So much for heritage. Balmoral, yes, there is a certain likeness of my little house and the famous royal castle in Scotland...

And if you can take the very british flower decoration Wedgwood is definitely something.

Unlight me

Now we passed the solstice for sure. A bit cloudy tonight but just a few weeks ago it was possible to sit outside for a bit of reading at this time, 10.30 in the evening. Not so anymore.

Chasing tails

Finally I managed to sneak up on one of the local squirrels bouncing around all day here. I do not know wether it belongs to the ground or tree variety as it is just about everywhere all the time. Just like an electron or so. The squirrel got its name via latin from the greek word skiouros, meaning shadow tailed due to its bushy tail.

Of course I know it's an ordinary red squirrel, sciuris vulgaris, don't let anybody else let you know nothing else.

Ceiling it with a kiss

Back in The Village after a few days back home. Got a bit restless after breakfast so I broke open a jar of white paint and finished what I started before winter. So now I have a nice white ceiling. The paint is a bit transparent so it is still possible to see the wood grains but the effect is a bit more pleasing than the sauna feeling before painting.

Arion ater

One would think slugs are having a difficult time finding a mate, You know, just follow the slime track and sooner or later (much later) they will catch up. Or not. These two did find each other in the semi dark as I was about to go for a late swim after ten o' clock in the evening. What are they saying? "Fancy a drink or you wanna make out right away?". Wonder if being hermafrodite makes things easier regarding gender specific behaviour, no need for "Ah, you men!" or "Typically women!". Arion ater is latin for "bloody common black slug" or so.

Tettigonia viridissima

Took a few steps towards my house to get a bit more to eat and almost stepped on this little creature. It's a tettigonia viridissima and I was bound to see one these days in late July as this is their time of the year. Let's call it Benjamin.

Recycling

Got up fairly early this morning and filled my car twice for a couple of rides to the local recycling station. First time was as per above, to the brim of old wooden wardrobes. The second time was time to get rid of a pair of old beds. They fitted just right in! Now my middle house is empty of old trash. Phew!

The containers got full pretty quickly as people had worked hard during the weekend to clear out garages and basements of rubbish. Too bad there isn't any system of "half way trash" recycling so good materials can be used by someone else. If you leave something here it will be burned or recycled but not reused by someone in need of what you don't need anymore. What a pity.

Wrinkled wood?

As I clear the middle house of trash and rubbish from old cupboards and such I found this nice wood panel. How come it's wrinkled, you might say. Well, it's a thin fake wood film used for decorating the sides of the cupboard, I do say. Of 1968 vintage. A good year.

Sfinx ligustri

Passing my garden table I see something bright green on the underside. After a quick check in my book on such creatures I find it to be a sfinx ligusti. When growing up it will become a big beautiful butterfly, sucking nectar from flowers while hovering just like a humming bird.

Weather report 5

So, after more than three weeks of dry weather we finally got a bit of moisture. A few drops during the day turned into a deluge of biblical proportions in the evening. This means I do not have to water my plants or worry about my dry lawn anymore. In the middle of the photo is my very wet garden furniture. No harm done.

Biting the dust

No rain for a few weeks now, everything is turning brown and dusty. So is my car, The Comet. Driving on the little unpaved roads has its price. Funnily you can se the aerodynamic features on this photo. The dust has collected just over the back hatch and not much any place else. While writing this a few drops falls from a lead grey sky. Just a few drops.

Late evening walk

Spending my third week at The Village. Having my friend UL over for a few days. Yesterday we went for a walk on a small island nearby. Beautiful water lilies decorating the surface. An osprey is having its nest next to were we walk, an erie call goes out across the water.

Weather report 4

Just in time for vacation there is a massive high pressure over The City and The Village. Thank Lord for that! I´m off from work for four weeks now, absent from work but not absent in mind. And you may find me here every now and then reporting my non-events from my hamock.

Chili out!

I got a nice plant of chili peppers as I turned forty. Some weeks later it´s full of peppers, thirteen to be exact. Hell knows what to cook but be sure I find some kind of use for the red buggers.

Roses are red, Fiats are blue...

Ha, riding my bicycle this morning gave me a chance to take a closer look at a really nice Fiat 600. Riding at a quick pace down the street made this little gem look like a baby blue streak in the corner of my eye. A quick turn, a few snaps for my Fiat 500/600 photo file and then on my way to office again.

Window of opportunity

If you have three houses to care for you can be sure to have a few windows spread around. My windows are rather old and can be separated. This feature is good for ease of maintanance but also means a bit of dust will gather between the panes. I didn´t want to over do it this weekend but rather take it slow so only twentyeight separate sides got a dose of my cleaning ability. Twentyfour pieces of glass to go...

A special midsummer evening

As the beloved government of the peace loving People´s Democratic Monarcy have given its subjects a new Midsummer day to celebrate (some years ago and not on the actual summer solstice...) it was duly hailed yesterday by me and my family. On the sofa my brother can be seen sleeping all food off. Never counted all courses but it was a table set for the former king of France, Louis XIV (the Sun king himself) and not little people like us. Plate after plate was finished and so were we... One set of stripes is a cushion, the other set is my dad by the way.

An ordinary midsummer evening

Yesterday was the summer solstice. Although it was in the middle of the night it was light as if day. Woke up really early and went to work rather than staying in bed for another hour. The beautiful weather kept through the day and me and a couple of friends went for a nice meal at a british pub on the south side of The City. Herring, new potatoes, sour cream, leek and a bit of strong aged cheese.

By accident I ended up at an outdoor show in a park nearby home. Missed the first bit but the rest was great. Maybe I can find the show elsewhere as they tour The City during the summer.

As you can see the park was full of people enjoying themselves, having a bit to eat and drink in the fine evening.

You know you´re working too much...

...when you´re trying to open your home door with your office key!

Flapping flyer

It´s summer and it´s time for nature to fill the skies with things buzzing and flapping. Mostly this is good for birds nesting and breeding as they need the food, for us humans its sometimes a difficult time. Today was not so although the sky was home for a flying and flapping thing. A small Robinson helicopter was crisscrossing the airspace above me for quite some time. I think it landed a few times on a field in the area. Doing work for the farmer or doing birthday trips? Me no know. The Robinson is having a ordinary piston engine, not the more common turbine found in most modern helicopters. Guess this is what it sounded like in the first days of helicopter use some 60 years ago.

Moose on the loose

This just in: decided to take a couple of shots of my white little flowers in the garden before rain coming down and ruining everything. Just down from my litte photo session on the rock, turning around the corner of the house and...


...there it is, eight meters away. I almost feel it before I actually see it. Maybe my peripheral vision is on the alert? I´ve experienced this before, in the woods. Even closer.


I´m just about to walk indoors so I stay inside and shoot through the window. When I know I have a few good photos I go outside and press the shutter twice more before it sets off into the treeline between me and my neighbour´s.


It strides soundlessly around my neighbour´s house and then peeks through the trees just to decide if I´m good or bad. No good it decides and turns its back on me. Gone. Last years calf I´d say, still not old enough to stay away from gardens, feeling a bit lost since leaving its mom.


And this is what I went outside for...

Evening stroll

Clouds reflecting in the lake. A bit like Monet, or what? A blackbird was singing its heart out while I snapped this shot.


Found this adoring little stone house by the road. I´s a big boulder actually.


Bumblebees were busy doing their thing amongst these beauties. Found a field full of them. Plenty of food for all.


Another one...


Now this is the last... for now. Good night y'all.

Lavender etc.

After a late start in the morning I got in my car and went to TheVillage. It´s been a while since last time and I had no idea what to expect. All lush and green, dry and brown, lots of flowers, a need for the lawn to be mowed again? I turned off the road for a short visit at a local plants and gardening store. A big bag of high energy soil, some lavender plants and a gardening spade filled the trunk. Back on the road again. Took the short cut through old country where farmers and landlords been present for a few thousand years, nice flowing road. Back in The Village the mayor found everything to be in order. This seasons flowers were in full bloom and a few extra had popped up. Always a surprise to see what´s coming up in an old garden.


Soon to blossom! Go away ants, no eating on the premises.

Can you spot any blueberries? Hope there will be a few later this summer.

Where I ended up after a quick lunch... and stayed till dinner time.