A tourist in the city

On my way to the library this morning I saw a group of people in Victoria Square happily chatting. They looked like a small tour group. Then I spotted a Leisure Time Travel coach across the road. This is the same company I will be travelling with next week. I took it as a good sign.

The city seemed full of visitors enjoying the warm day. I was delighted to find the new part of Scorpio Books open and indulged in some ‘book bathing’ (a variation on forest bathing). I often feel like a visitor in my own city as so much is changing and there’s always something new to see. The changing inspirational quotes at the entrance to the bookshop are worth pausing to read.

Hidden surprise

while propping up an aquilegia flower stem which had ‘fainted’, I was delighted to find Lily of the Valley flowers hidden under Japanese anemone leaves . More investigation uncovered several flowers. Somehow, the Lily of the Valley has migrated from its original position by the front step after a new path was laid. The flowers are tiny and delightful.

It’s raining!

I can hear rain on the roof. Hurrah! The garden needs it. Everything feels refreshed. My car got a wash tonight too when I went to see Tempestuous, Penny Ashton’s one-woman show which was hugely entertaining. I bought some merch to support this brilliant woman and her work.

Three of Penny Ashton’s scripts (fridge magnets). She has also written an irreverent adaptation of Sense and Sensibility.

Tempestuous tea towel with a quote to remember and put to good use!

Here’s a Post Script: This morning it is still raining off and on, with occasional breaks of sunshine. I’ve been thinking about the show last night. I counted on my fingers that Penny Ashton played at least eight characters, was on the stage for almost two hours with a 15 minute interval, recited, sang and danced with great energy and a magnetic stage presence – and wrote the whole script herself, with help from William Shakespeare, taking bits and pieces from various of his plays to make her own story. At the end of the show, she was in the foyer cheerfully selling merchandise with her husband and with her proud father nearby who commented that people don’t usually acknowledge the parents of their talented progeny, so I congratulated him. He didn’t look at all worn down by having brought up such a force of nature!

Hoping for rain …

.. but, in the meantime there are the first sweet peas and banksia roses to cheer us up on this grey day. The vibrant azalea continues to flower.

Case in point

When a tree falls in a … carpark … fungi hear it.

Spotted outside a hardware store yesterday.

Felix is four

The 9th of October was the date given by the SPCA as Felix’s birthday. I would think that is a calculated guess as he was found abandoned, and a wise touch on their part to help owners bond with their pets. It’s more for our benefit than his!

He wasn’t wildly enthusiastic about his Party Mix (despite the claims of the ad on TV). Just before 11am he retired to Mum’s bed and he is still there nearly 6 hours later. We did have a game with a ping pong ball earlier, however, until it was lost under the furniture somewhere. I bought him another box full.

Here are some nostalgia shots:

Alive and well

Five days ago I photographed the first apple blossom. Before that I was pleased to see evidence of buds. I’d been worried that the tree might be dead. A couple of trees – shrubs really – have died along the driveway: a hebe, a honeysuckle and there’s a rhododendron which is looking sick. While the apple tree is on the other side of the garden, it didn’t look as if it was going to bloom at all.

Today, it’s hard to believe that I could have been worried.

A couple of people – including the nice young man who washed the roof some time ago – hinted that I might weed the paving stones nearby but, looking at the paved area this afternoon, those ‘weeds’ are flowering, and I’m glad I didn’t.

It takes a while to get over the tidy, everything-in-a-neat-line sort of gardening. So far, I’m holding out.

Makeover

I have just been amusing myself doing a makeover on a selfie. This is using the Portrait tool in Snapseed where you can select skin smoothing, eye brightening, eyebrow definition, eyebag removal, iris clarity, teeth, lips and face spotlight.

Hilarious! I think I prefer the ‘Before’.

Being there

In this morning’s garden, there’s more to lift the spirits.

The camellia has been flowering since the beginning of winter, as has the protea. Forsythia has been blooming for weeks.

I have been practising the techniques learnt in the Smartphone Photography course, such as holding the phone sideways with the camera on the lower side. This morning, I found I could get a better photo of a flower by holding the phone upside down. If the shutter is difficult to reach, you can push the sound up or down button and that will take the photo. Who knew?