Saturday 8 January 2011

Saturday this and that

My orchids are in bloom again - they are the one house plant I have had consistent success with, I am not very good with regular care, but the orchids like the kitchen windowsill and having them by the sink means I see them every day.  The photograph is from three years ago and was a very popular shot on flickr - it still pops up occasionally as somebody's favourite. This year they were in bloom by Christmas, a few weeks earlier than usual.

Carrying on the plant theme, I spotted this in the tree just outside our neighbours.

I couldn't believe my eyes at first to see mistletoe growing in the street  in a fairly young mountain ash. I suppose a bird left a deposit of the mistletoe seeds when coming to feed on the rowan berries. This  even has some berries on it which I spotted thanks to my zoom lens. Just as I popped out with my camera the whole world seemed to walk past  so I struck up one or two conversations to explain my apparent 'madness' at photographing an otherwise most unremarkable tree.
I have finished stitching my 'umbellifer' panels and now need to turn them into a box.
As I have finished the 'Honesty' book I am thinking that one featuring this enormous plant family would make a good subject too.

To conclude here is another Marvin sketch.

 and  a photograph of his predecessor Tessa, a dainty, blue-eyed Siamese cross, about as different from Marvin as you could get. When we lost her to old age I never thought another could replace her, but guess what?  Oh, us cat lovers, what fickle creatures we are!
Hope your weekend is bright and have a good week.
Jill