A May miracle

This shrub needs no attention and yet produces these amazing blossoms every Spring. What I find astonishing is the impression of weight in light and radiantly white petals that clump together so densely. 

Chickens get peckish

                              

                                                          Come on - let's get her!

Cherry tree

I planted this cherry tree in the wrong place as other trees grew taller than it deprived it of light. Yet it kept shooting upwards into this uncharacteristic shape like a giant pink rocket. Perhaps it is in the right place after all.m

Wisteria

Each Spring I find I cannot believe wisteria: it appears so suddenly and hangs in huge bunches that look heavy and burst with colour. Amazing.

Mobile phone cover

   This object is the mobile phone cover that I lovingly knitted for my first ever such device. It has a neat button hole and green button to ensure the safety of its precious content and - wait for it - there is a cunning place for the antenna to poke out and catch the signal. In those days you couldn't choose from umpteen snazzy cases and so I got my needles to work.

  If it looks like a sock it's because it is about that size! These early models were quite large, very slow but endearing. I took my creation with me to protect my new iPhone on its way home from purchase pending buying a smart case for a smart phone - the assistants were mightily impressed. So nostalgic!
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Understanding French

   I have made serious efforts to improve my French, spending five years bent over grammar books and reading only French novels as well as attending classes at my local U3A. Has it worked?

  Oh yes! When watching Nick Robinson's excellent programme "Them and Us" on our historic relationship with the E. U. I understood the French speakers perfectly - provided they were over 75 years of age at the time we first joined them!

Jubilee River Pageant

   For some reason I keep remembering this fantastic array of boats - I suppose these last few days/weeks have been nostalgic nationally. I was lucky enough to be invited to watch from the Millennium Bridge. The day before had been sunny and people strolled along the Thames to look forward to the event or gave parties in their river-backing gardens.

  The day itself was cold and rainy: I wore 3 layers of thermals and clutched my brolly and collapsible chair decked in flags and bunting, accepting shamelessly any sausage roll or intoxication offered to me. I didn't warm up afterwards for five days when I got back home to Wales.

   But .... that moment when the vessels came through under the distant bridge! All shapes and sizes in a display that hasn't been seen for hundreds of years.  We cheered and yelled and sang and hugged one another.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and my throat catches when I think about it. So well organised and so moving.

London skyline

Remember the iconic photo taken in the Blitz? Now we have nearly buried that proud dome in multi-storey car parks.

Swan self-awareness

   I have always thought that swans know they are beautiful and here is one making sure!

May 1st

These jolly dancers are the Isca Morris Men and they have just finished cheering up a dreary wet day in Twyn Square, Usk with their fun. An old tradition for May Day and superbly revived.

You could have gone by bus to watch them.

  http://onthebusesm.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/usk-buses.html