clairesgarden

just trying something

2009-06-30T22:41:00.002+01:00

I need to have this picture so I can copy and paste it into my right hand column for a permanant link to Quantum Savvy. I had a wee picture and link before I updated my blog layout.....then all was lost......

whooohoooo!!

2009-06-23T21:43:00.003+01:00

here is Abbey waiting for her tea, she has passed her Level 1 with Quantum Savvy, a natural horsemanship programme,

here is our 'front page' with all our assignments 'ticked', whoohoo!! she is a good girl!!

still thriving

2009-06-10T10:33:00.003+01:00

I love looking at tree leaves, the way the light shines through them, and the colours of the leaves, It 'does not do it' with a photograph....I think it must be that movement creates a play of light and colour and I cannot capture it with a still photograph.

the bees are out and busy, due to comlete memory blankness the names of plants are totally escaping me today so I may come back later to 'identify'

love the colours, still no memory!

more busy bees

and my much neglected garden is still managing to grow, peas and beans here, there are also courgettes, onions, carrots, beetroot and pumpkin. tomato plants in the greenhouse and think a pepper too. the greenhouse temperatures are between 6 and 35 C. too much variation and too hot!!

this is the poppy produced by the tall, much awaited plant. there are lots of flowers, they don't seem to last long but there are more waiting to open.

and the blue poppy throws out another bloom. I love it.

natures paint palette

2009-06-02T22:50:00.002+01:00

I am so impressed with the 'pattern' of this hosta, swirling watercolour effect

and the blue poppy has survived and is flowering just now

more of natures watercolour in the leaf from the wild orchid

firmly labled!!

colour is happening!! weeding is not!!

2009-05-25T09:57:00.004+01:00

this poppy has been in 'leaf' for over a year, when I first got it I wasn't even sure what it was! hopefully it will flower soon. and thats where the pasta strainer went to....I maybe went out for salad and got distracted.....

the peony looks a bit reluctant to fully open...as soon as it does the wind will probably blow the petals off....

in the green house this sempervenium is flowering for the first time, funny little plants, they thrive on being neglected it seems!

the double poppy has been flowering for a good couple of weeks, its spreading to make a nice big colouful impact.

quaking grass, luckily neglected enough that I haven't weeded it out...

geranium pheum

also in white, very delicate looking but a tough hardy plant.

columbine

2009-05-22T11:47:00.004+01:00

lovely! also known as Grannys Bonnets and Aquliega

my bit...

2009-05-13T22:52:00.003+01:00

this is a small part of my friends large and neglected garden, there is beech hedge down one side and some established hostas and grasses. all the little plants are cuttings or splits from my plants so this is 'my bit' and I'll be keeping an eye on it. I've used plants that should look after themselves, its a difficult garden, exposed and windy with a very poor clay soil, and no gardener!! hopefully there will be an photo later in the year showing it all filled in.

and Abbey, my reason for neglecting my own garden.....

Abbey getting chubby...

2009-05-02T21:48:00.003+01:00

Abbey has lost a lot of her winter coat, still some to go especially the 'two tone' look on her head. she is starting to get a big grass belly, this will be monitered as I don't want her getting too fat!!

busy days

2009-04-29T22:03:00.003+01:00

I love the centre of the primrose

just the ideal subject for 'macro lens'

here is the 'cowslip' primrose. I grew these from seed and they've taken about two to three years to flower, one of those that you forget about and get a nice surprise when they turn up.

erythronuim

and a paler version. not long lasting but special when they are here.

I had a really busy day, house cleaning being the least popular but essential. much nicer time going to see Abbey. manged to fit in cutting the grass, some weeding and potting on in the greenhouse. as usual too many of some things but its nice to keep them growing and find other homes for them. also did some splitting of plants for sharing, easy things like Ladys Mantle, London Pride, some Foxgloves and some Aquilegia....I have a destination in mind for them already, a friends garden in need of some filling of spaces.

busy bee

2009-04-25T19:10:00.005+01:00

a very busy bee, I couldn't get him in focus!

the beautiful squares of the fritilary,

just fascinating, it took years for them to grow in the garden, there are about a dozen now. unfortunately when they are just growing they look like blades of grass so I think the first couple of years I weeded them out....so there are advantages to not getting around to weeding!

this pulmonaria was a cutting from a friend

and the pretty littly dodecatheon, with some more flowers to come

single species erradication

2009-04-23T21:23:00.003+01:00

too many weeds, too little time! so in order to feel I had accomplished something yesterday I chose to get rid of all the dandylions. I had tome to do it and did not let myself get distracted by all the other weeds......their time will come....

and here's my favourite primrose, Guinevere.

do not adjust your colour...

2009-04-17T08:58:00.003+01:00

sorry not the best picture, its a bit dull. I was gifted some lovely fresh eggs this week. the two light coloured eggs are pale blue, they look vey unusual when you are used to white and brown! laid by Crested Cream Legbars. and I can't re-take the photo as they have now been scrambled...

Mastercard and Eden Project Big Lunch Timelapse

2009-04-14T20:57:00.001+01:00

http://www.thebiglunch.com/

first....

2009-04-08T22:16:00.004+01:00

the first picture taken with a new camera of the first vegetable bed I have planted up this year. its all peas and beans....can't wait!

I badly scratched the lens of my fabulous Canon S2 IS, so its now been replaced with the newer version, a Canon S5 IS.

zoom works well too

and its got a 'movie mode', so Daisy was my first try with this new camera, and the new software allows you to extract a still from the movie, so this is the first one of those too!!

Abbey settles in

2009-04-03T08:45:00.002+01:00

heres a picture clearly showing the 'punky' line of hair that never lies over, funny wee pony!
this is a link to a short video on the Quantum Savvy video page, its Abbey meeting her new friends, getting chased a lot and then on day six how chilled they are.
http://www.qsvideo.com/index.php?m=video&v=1531

I have been getting busy in the greenhouse too, a bit late for starting some things, tomatoes etc, usually they would have been started in March but I've been busy playing with Abbey and neglecting my garden! most things should catch up, its been really cold to so there was a reluctance on my part to get out and get things going in an unheated greenhouse...there are signs I've been in there though, a pile of used coffee mugs that I keep forgetting to bring back in to wash....maybe when I run out them in here...

have you ever wondered. . .

2009-03-29T20:43:00.002+01:00

If the 24/7 shops are open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, why do they have locks on the doors?
Why is there braille on the drive-through ATM?
Why are "Clothes Horses" called as such?
If the Black Box is indestructible why isn't the whole plane made from the same material?
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are flat?
Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they know there is not enough?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?
What is the speed of darkness?
Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up every two hours?
If the temperature is zero outside today and it's going to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Did you ever stop and wonder......Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these pink dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?
Who was the first person to say, 'See that chicken there... I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta it's bum.
Why do toasters always have a setting so high that could burn the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?
Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their bum when they ask where the bathroom is?
Why does your Obstetrician, Gynaecologist leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs !
If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune? Stop singing and read on.......
Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

surprise find

2009-03-27T21:20:00.002Z

I've been trying to get some gardening done in-between showers, digging and weeding the veggy plots mostly. I found this little purple broccolli, its about a foot high and the broccoli was about an inch across, I say 'was' because I eat it immediately after photo shoot!

this morning

2009-03-25T09:29:00.005Z

the onions are growing happily in the greenhouse, hopefully get them outside into a cold frame to start hardening off. the weather here is warming up and cooling down with startling unpredictability so I'm taking my time with the garden, and waiting longer than I might to get things started...or thats an excuse...I am more often to be out playing with Abbey...

the rhubarb starts to unfurl itself, I love to see things growing....

and these are the leaves of the blue poppy, I was worried it might not come back but here it is, unattended and quietly appearingthe hellebores are giving a good show, nodding their heads down to hide

such a dark colour this one, I have to split this plant this year as I have a friend who really loves this, they don't like being disturbed so it may not flower next year after I have done this. it'll recover!

soooooo pretty!

and this smaller one has doen really well this year, it might outgrow its space by next year.

and the daffodills! I love daffodils!!

this afternoon I am off to move Abbey to a new stables. it wasn't my intention to move and move again but an opportunity has come up to go to a really nice place. I used to work there 20 years ago, for different people who had it then, but it feels to me like 'going home'. poor Abbey, to her it will probably feel like 'where am I? why am I here?' . . . she'll settle.

life in the garden

2009-03-05T13:23:00.003Z

I forget things are there sometimes...these little cyclamen showing their lovely dapples leaves and pretty little flowers.

the snowdrops have been out for while and will probably be over soon...unlike the snow....

these little daffodils are always the first ones out, I forget the variety.

and Snap! with Wildside, here's the little iris in my garden!

Photo tag...

2009-02-03T07:42:00.004Z

"go into your photo archive, pick the 4th folder in the archive, select the 4th picture in the folder, and write about it. A person then needs to tag 4 other people to do the same".

I was tagged to do this by Bonnie, over at her blog "Frogma".

so on this very wild and wintery day I'm pleasantly surprised with the photograph, its holding folder was titled 'Robbie goes Driving' so there was a fair bet you were getting a photo of a horse, but there was a run of flower photographs before him. there were three of a blue poppy, then this beautiful peony, then six pictures of an orange poppy, two of Cotton the cat and then six little mini movies of Robbie pulling his carriage.
this peony is still a small plant, it was a cutting handed fom my gardening friend Terri who lives across the road, it took a while to establish and flower, a coule of years I think. it has a short flowering season, dictated by the weather, as soon as it 'wind and rains' the petals deteriorate very quickly, but it is beautiful and worth having.

so my people to tag are
Peppylady
VegPlot
Alison Dyer
Snappys Garden Blog

an hour of weeding

2009-01-30T20:52:00.004Z

my first snowdrop appears under the hedge

and my new gardening gloves get their first outing, they were a present at christmas

these leaves have been growing since last year, I haven't the faintest idea what it is. I did plant it but can't remember if it had a name or was a gifted 'bit'
closer to the centre, you can see the furry leaves

closer in still.....
thats the gloves officially part of the garden

thankyou to Laughing Orca Ranch

2009-01-23T20:53:00.001Z

thankyou to Lisa of Laughing Orca Ranch for this 'award', it comes with this story
"This award is for those Bloggers who manifests exemplary attitude, respecting the nuances that pervade amongst different cultures and beliefs. The Blog contents inspire; strive to encourage and offer solutions. There is a clear purpose at the Blog; one that fosters a better understanding on Social, Political, Economic, the Arts, Cultures and Sciences and Beliefs. The Blog is refreshing and creative. The Blogger promotes friendship and positive thinking."

HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION - Radical Change Taking Root

2009-01-23T10:33:00.001Z

here's some inspiration!!

Abbey, the beginning of a journey

2009-01-19T20:58:00.006Z

well its been a good week, getting to know the wee horsey. I've been playing natural horsemanship games, here I'm standing high up and she walked and trotted circles round me.

and squeezing through a tight space, when she gets used to this I'll put some wood in the middle for her to walk on.

and this is the first time I've been on board, we did some flexing and a wee walk with bend to a halt. she did really well with the rope being thrown over her head(to change direction)
and after some nice dinner, she's back out in the field in a cosy rug.

on the subject of rugs, when I bought her she had a ripped one on, so I got her a nice blue one(like the one I bought Katie)....you know the poor wee horse deserves a nice rug.......that lasted a week and she totally ripped it..........in the same place her old one was so she obviously does not do well with rugs!!! those two rugs are now off to a good repair(restoration jobs!!) and very kindly this one was given by my friend Liz- it was meant to be the spare but there it is! and thanks to Liz too for coming along and taking the photographs of me and Abbey.

if you must buy yourself presents...

2009-01-08T11:03:00.003Z

make it a big one!!

this is 'Kevic Abbeydale', Abbey is her daily name, she is a Welsh Cob, Section D, about 14hh and about 9years old. we became an official partnership yesterday and I'm still a bit emotional about it all! we'll be following the Natural Horsemanship path of Quantum Savvy and I'm looking foward to the journey.