byslantedlight: (Default)
Today was the kind of spring day that's not cold, even if it does start out misty and end up in rain...
2022-04-19 01MistyMorning 2022-04-19 02Rainbox

2022-04-19 03Cows 2022-04-19 04Trees
Very much a work day, although I did manage a quick walk around the track. You know, just before it rained. *headdesk*
byslantedlight: (Default)
I got to the end of work on Friday and seem to have almost switched off my laptop for the weekend - well not quite, since I ended up doing foodsaving for both Saturday and Sunday, which requires sorting and checking and printing and things like that before actually doing it, but close enough that I didn't end up posting photos. So here's a catch-up. *g*

Friday 8th April
Friday was work, punctuated by a quick trip to a local nursery that's not usually open to visitors but was having an open day. I... might have bought a cherry tree (patio-sized), and an orange-scented geranium (okay, pelargoinium), and a strawberry plant, even though I already have some. And a wild garlic plant, even though I've already planted some seeds to see if they'll grow. This one is for my shady trough-planter, though. The one I ordered the Generous Gardener shade-tolerant scented climbing rose for... *g* So a work day and a gardening day.
2022-04-08 01Blossom
(This is a pear blossom I think, a random pic from the nursery. *g*)

Saturday 9th April
Saturday was more trough-planter gardening. I sorted out all the earth-and-stones-and-turf that had been dumped in them for a basis, and then hied myself to another local nursery and bought many bags of compost to mix in... and I may have succumbed to some shade-loving plants/flowers for my rose trough too - some astilbes and a bleeding heart - and some columbines for my regular garden, because they were pretty, and some blue lithodora because it was my favourite blue...
2022-04-09 02Columbine 2022-04-09 03bleedingheart


Sunday 10th April
Today was a bit more interesting! I was bored with being at home by now, so I decided to fall for a local estate's locals discount for membership, and went over to see how it was all looking...
2022-04-10 01NewtBlossom 2022-04-10 02NewtMetalBucket

2022-04-10 03Checkered 2022-04-10 04TrainedApple

2022-04-10 05Pods 2022-04-10 06Springing

2022-04-10 07Houselet 2022-04-10 08WindowApothecary

2022-04-10 09Bonsai 2022-04-10 10IceCream
byslantedlight: (Slanted springblossom)
Post copied from lj

Spring is springing... and combined with getting together with [personal profile] f_m_parkinson, it made a rather lovely day. *g*
2022-04-07 01Hous 2022-04-07 02Tulip

2022-04-07 03CafeDecs 2022-04-07 04HouseDecs

2022-04-07 05HouseBlueSky 2022-04-07 06DaffsBeed

2022-04-07 07VillageBlossom 2022-04-07 08TreeRoots

2022-04-07 09WildGarlicWoods 2022-04-07 10TowerView

2022-04-07 11DaffsView 2022-04-07 12TowersideView

2022-04-07 13TowerClouds 2022-04-07 14Bluebells
Oh, and the gorgeous greenery around that wooded path? Made entirely of wild garlic! Yum!
byslantedlight: (Slanted springblossom)
Post copied from lj

April - a month of clouds but also colour... *g*
2022-04-06 01Clouds 2022-04-06 02Colour

2022-04-06 03Colour 2022-04-06 04Clouds


Most of today revolved around collecting a bed. It was free, but crucially it was made of metal - the kind of metal that I hope climbing roses can entwine around, and will support higher supports for said climbing roses as they reach towards the roof. *g* That's the bedhead in the photo. The foot is similar but slightly shorter, and I'm thinking courgettes. *g* And the base is wire mesh that I thought might work well against the fence at the end of my garden to keep the moos off my gooseberry bush - but actually it doesn't seem to quite fit. I'm now thinking that it might go along the long side of the oil tank, and offer additional garden tool-hanging space, and/or hanging planter space... *g* Once it's painted a nice dark green with any paint left over from when I do my garden table and chairs. When it stops raining.
2022-04-06 05ClimbingRoseFrame


And that was the 6th of April... How has yours been?
byslantedlight: (Default)
Spring is springing... and combined with getting together with [livejournal.com profile] f_m_parkinson, it made a rather lovely day. *g*
2022-04-07 01Hous 2022-04-07 02Tulip

2022-04-07 03CafeDecs 2022-04-07 04HouseDecs

2022-04-07 05HouseBlueSky 2022-04-07 06DaffsBeed

2022-04-07 07VillageBlossom 2022-04-07 08TreeRoots

2022-04-07 09WildGarlicWoods 2022-04-07 10TowerView

2022-04-07 11DaffsView 2022-04-07 12TowersideView

2022-04-07 13TowerClouds 2022-04-07 14Bluebells
Oh, and the gorgeous greenery around that wooded path? Made entirely of wild garlic! Yum!
byslantedlight: (Default)
April - a month of clouds but also colour... *g*
2022-04-06 01Clouds 2022-04-06 02Colour

2022-04-06 03Colour 2022-04-06 04Clouds


Most of today revolved around collecting a bed. It was free, but crucially it was made of metal - the kind of metal that I hope climbing roses can entwine around, and will support higher supports for said climbing roses as they reach towards the roof. *g* That's the bedhead in the photo. The foot is similar but slightly shorter, and I'm thinking courgettes. *g* And the base is wire mesh that I thought might work well against the fence at the end of my garden to keep the moos off my gooseberry bush - but actually it doesn't seem to quite fit. I'm now thinking that it might go along the long side of the oil tank, and offer additional garden tool-hanging space, and/or hanging planter space... *g* Once it's painted a nice dark green with any paint left over from when I do my garden table and chairs. When it stops raining.
2022-04-06 05ClimbingRoseFrame


And that was the 6th of April... How has yours been?
byslantedlight: (Slanted springblossom)
Post copied from lj

All the blackthorn blossom...
2022-04-05 01Blackthorntwig 2022-04-05 02BlackthornSpray

2022-04-05 03Blackthornflowers 2022-04-05 04BlackthornGate
byslantedlight: (Default)
All the blackthorn blossom...
2022-04-05 01Blackthorntwig 2022-04-05 02BlackthornSpray

2022-04-05 03Blackthornflowers 2022-04-05 04BlackthornGate

Le weekend that was...

Wednesday, 16 March 2022 01:20 pm
byslantedlight: (Default)
Going through all my old posts via backing up etc. reminds me how much I miss posting to lj when I don't do it, so here's a proper wanderings post, because I did manage a bit of wandering last weekend - I visited [livejournal.com profile] f_m_parkinson, and we went for a fab walk on Saturday. *g*

We walked through the watermeadows that controlled flooding around the river, a system probably introduced in the 17th century from Europe (says this website)...


...along wooded paths (through squelchy mud!), and over old bridges...


Ponderous carriages and gingerbread smiles... )

Le weekend that was...

Wednesday, 16 March 2022 11:35 am
byslantedlight: (Slanted springblossom)
Post copied from lj

Going through all my old posts via backing up etc. reminds me how much I miss posting to lj when I don't do it, so here's a proper wanderings post, because I did manage a bit of wandering last weekend - I visited [personal profile] f_m_parkinson, and we went for a fab walk on Saturday. *g*

We walked through the watermeadows that controlled flooding around the river, a system probably introduced in the 17th century from Europe (says this website)...


...along wooded paths (through squelchy mud!), and over old bridges...


Ponderous carriages and gingerbread smiles... )

Friday morning!

Friday, 26 February 2021 10:20 am
byslantedlight: (Default)
Good morning! Yesterday was a good work day - the document was not only actual proofreading rather than re-writing, it was an archaeology one! And I was good and started today's early-deadline one - and it also turned out to be proofreading instead of the usual basically-re-writing. Whee! So now I have half a day's work today - except that when it's the latter kind of doc it takes much longer. But still - cross fingers!

And there's going to be sun! It's misty right now, but it's already starting to clear, and there's blue sky appearing above my office-shed as I type this.
2021-02-26 01MistyMorning 2021-02-26 02 BellFlowers
And look - my potted bush is coming out all flowers already! Plus more of my bulbs are starting to come up. *g*

Here's what yesterday looked like. I settled my two main veggie beds on Wednesday, and added some organic peat-free compost to start doing its thing. Yeay! I planted some seeds inside too, and they're all snug on my windowsills now. *g*
2021-02-25 01GardenBeds 2021-02-25 02Sungold
I even managed a quick walk yesterday around sunset, despite all that work. *g*

2021-02-25 03Treegold 2021-02-25 04Deer
That's not a strange giant hare-type thing, that's one of the deer of course... *g*

Oh, but hang on - I have to show you my Monday walk! It was totally magical... First of all, I know you can't see it, but that first picture is of a woodpecker! I've never seen one around here, and of course I heard it first, and... woodpecker! A great spotted woodpecker, because it had a red tummy rather than a red head. *g* It's the next picture that's amazing though. I wondered what the silvery-line along the grass was as I walked through the paddock, because it looked like a suntrail on water - it turned out to be spider webs, and it moved with me as I walked across the field, because in fact it covered the whole entire field! It was a carpet of spider webbing, which seemed to radiate out from the far corner! I have never seen so much before!
2021-02-22 01 WoodpeckerMagic 2021-02-22 02 WebMagic


I don't have a pic of the next magic, but then I saw a barn owl flying low along the river, up past this old barn, and away...
2021-02-22 03SunsetMagic 2021-02-22 04SkyMagic
...and last but not least, met three of the deer as I was on my way back. Such a spring countryside walk! *g*

And it will still be light at 6pm tonight. Yeay! Le weekend!
byslantedlight: (Default)
Well, it's that day - Day 100 of 100 Days of Happiness! And naturally it had to be a challenging one... I woke late, with a headache, and perhaps rather foolishly a decision not to take painkillers because it was nearly a week later and I'd better see how I'm really feeling. I also, for some reason, had a slightly dodgy tummy. All in all, I couldn't concentrate on work either, with the consequence that as usual I'm here in the small hours trying to get finished. Which will mean I'll wake late tomorrow. Plus it was colder again - though at least it didn't rain. Grumble, grumble, grump!

So - I finally decided I'd better go down the garden for a look around in the vague hope that I might find something happy to post about! And it worked. *g*

The sky! The sky was doing gorgeous things with clouds! And when I got to the bottom of the field and peered over the hedge at the hill, there was the moon looking all big and pale and gorgeous.
2020-05-05 01MoonHill 2020-05-05 02SkyRing

2020-05-05 03SkyChurch 2020-05-05 04MoonSlaughterhouse

Also, as I stood near the Slaughterhouse, eying the gorgeous sky, I realised that I could hear baby birds from up under the roof, where I'd seen ravens going in and out. So I watched, and I watched, and I watched...
2020-05-05 05MoonSkySlaughterhouse 2020-05-05 06MoonBirdSlaughterhouseNest
...and sure enough the parents put in an appearance! It took me a fair few shots to get something recognisably bird-like rather than a scrappy black mass of something in the air, but that was fun too - and that is happy-making. *g*

And we have to finish with some flowers, because they are always happy-making. Some blossom still lingering on the fruit trees (hmmn, is that the quince?) And the yellow roses, standing high above the trellis against the gorgeous sky.
2020-05-05 07Blossom 2020-05-05 08YellowRoses

So - I started this 100 days way back on January 26th, when the world was a very different place... The UK was still (just) in the EU, I didn't yet own a metal detector, and people were allowed to leave their houses whenever they felt like it, and for no apparent reason at all... Perhaps a strange happy at the end of this 100 days is that I have a bit more faith in more people than I did at the start. There are some idiots out there, and there are some frightening idiots, but the vast majority of people in the world (that we're able to see, anyway) seem to be showing that maybe the Doctor was right after all - maybe humans are basically good and able to look out for each other. Some of them do it by going out and doing wonderful things, some do it just by staying home when they're told to, to avoid hurting other people, but it seems like more people are doing those things than trying to push their own selfish agendas. Most people are caring more about other people than they are about money, and I find that quite happy-making.

Now let's see if I can keep posting, even if I don't put "100 Days" in the subject header... *g*
byslantedlight: (Default)
Wow, penultimate day! Back to work Monday *sigh*, and my usual rubbish concentration. I also did a quick comparison and found out that I have had £800 less proofreading so far this tax year - and we're only six weeks in. Grrr covid-19!

Luckily there were also definitely happy things! I had a rest from going out foodsaving, cos tonight's volunteer was happy to go themselves! I caught up on the work I was behind on from tripping over last week. (*headdesk*)

And it was sunny enough to have breakfast outside again! (Not entirely warm enough, but close enough!)
2020-05-04 01Breakfast 2020-05-04 02ColourAndScent
And spring colours! The white flowers smell amazing...

How glorious are these yellow roses?
2020-05-04 03Roses 2020-05-04 04ScentedRoses
And these pink ones, hiding in the shed, smell divine... *g*

Finally - I have seen the honesty seedpods and the honesty flowers together for the first time! *g* I love honesty seedpods, but I'd oddly never noticed what flowers they came from until I saw them today! Someone actually told me these purple ones were honesty just this year, and now I really really know! *g*
2020-05-04 05Honesty

It's Monday (well, it was). How are you?
byslantedlight: (Default)
Today was another funny day, but mostly because it was the flip to yesterday, when I got loads done. Today I got little bits of stuff done, lost big bits of stuff I'd spent hours doing when I should have been doing other things, but at least mostly got my bedroom back to rights. There's still lots of bits floating around that need new homes cos of the change in space, but hopefully I'll get that done.

Anyway - despite forecast of possible rain, it didn't, and it stayed warm enough for fic reading in the garden. Among the dandelions. *g*
2020-04-26 01FicGardenReading 2020-04-26 02Dandelions

That columbine again (thanks [livejournal.com profile] thesmallhobbit!), back-lit and looking beautiful!
2020-04-26 03ColumbineLight 2020-04-26 04Sunset
And the sunset I saw when I was driving home from food saving (I ended up covering for someone tonight). But the someone said she liked my idea for a village mini-newsletter for people who aren't online, and her son drew a cartoon for it with a joke, and that was happy too. Now I've just got to do the rest of it. *g*

2020-04-26 05CrescentMoonVenus
And when I turned around from opening my door when I got home, there was the thin crescent new moon and Venus in the gorgeous evening-blue sky, and that is always a happy thing.

Oh - and I booked May Day off this year (expecting to go to the Glastonbury celebrations *sighs sadly*), and that's this Friday, and then the Friday after is also a bank holiday (they changed it from the May Day holiday to a 75th VE celebration - grrr, I'd rather celebrate May), then there's one more week and then it's my birthday week off, even if I won't be going anywhere this year, and that ends with an extra Monday bank holiday too. So May is kind of a fun month for holidays, which I'm determined to have rather than fretting about working, because if I don't take a break then I can't proofread well anyway, and I'm pretty much at that stage now... So the month of May in general - a happy thing to look forward to! *g*
byslantedlight: (Default)
So this was a tricky day. As I was waking up and thinking randomly, as you do, and lazily planning what to do for the day, I suddenly realised that what I might need to do to try and combat the damp in the bedroom was rearrange bookcases... because as I stared at the corner, I realised that I could fit another bookcase along the inside wall, and I probably only hadn't because I'd been trying to maximise the number of shelves by being able to put stuff on top too. And it would mean I could move the bookcase out of the nasty problematic corner too... Which would, in fact, make me quite happy. *g*

So I went from this to this... added bonus that I can access my Pros/fandom shelves and my books more easily. Why didn't I think of that before?!
2020-04-25 01Before 2020-04-25 02After
I guess it makes the room feel a little smaller, but I don't spend alot of time in there... and I do like looking at bookcases full of books. And fic. *g*

Less happily, it turned out there was another nasty damp patch on the back of the wall, and a gentle fluff of green on the back of the bookcase, so I had to clean that. Then, being me, I had to move the books from the other bookcase to the new one at the end of my bed, because then they'd run around the room starting from A, rather than in an alphabetical muddle (shush...), and since I was taking the books off it anyway, I thought I'd better move the other-corner bookcase and check and clean behind it - and although the wall looks fine, there was white mold on the bottom of the bookcase - waaah! So I had to deal with that too, and then it needed to dry overnight, so ack for mess of a room to go to bed in!
2020-04-25 03BeforeCorner 2020-04-25 04MidCorner

Luckily there were other happy things to think of - reading fic in the garden, and then discovering these odd tall purple flowers, growing randomly wildly beside my sitting-out garden! *g*
2020-04-25 05FicInGarden 2020-04-25 06Purple wildflowers
(Anyone know what they are?)

And the deep blue of these flowers always makes me happy. *g*
2020-04-25 07BlueFlowers

How about you - what's making you happy this weeknd?
byslantedlight: (Default)
Okay, this has obviously got very silly indeed, and if I'm not careful I'm actually going to miss the end of my 100 days! Sorry... and sorry to be awol for so long that someone messaged to make sure I was okay. I didn't mean to worry you! Although, ironically, it kind of made me a bit happy that someone noticed and thought about me, so thank you too! *g* I've started posting three or four times in the last week, and just got stuck every time cos everything else has been a bit mad...

Thursday 16th April 2020
Thursday was sunny, and it was happy-making to wander around the garden and seeing everything growing. Plus I found a corner with a view that I hadn't known was there! It's that kind of overgrown, where you can discover entire chicken sheds with views across neighbour's yards to other aspects of the hills!
2020-04-16 02Daisies 2020-04-16 03HiddenCorners

2020-04-16 04WildflowerPurple 2020-04-16 05GardenView

Friday 17th April 2020 )

Saturday 18th April 2020 )

Sunday 19th April 2020 )

Monday 20th April 2020 )

Tuesday 21st April 2020 )

Wednesday 22nd April 2020 )

Thursday 23rd April 2020 )

Friday 24th April 2020 )
byslantedlight: (Default)
Tuesday
Today started off quite cold, but the sky was a gorgeous blue and it felt warmer than it was by the afternoon. This blossom-dancing tree made me happy.
2020-04-14 01BlossomDance 2020-04-14 02BlossomBlueSky

Blossom and daisies everywhere - lovely! And this chap peering from the room of the slaughterhouse made me happy too! *g*
2020-04-14 03WhiteBlossomYellowDaisies 2020-04-14 04CrowWatcher

2020-04-14 05AllBlossom 2020-04-14 06BluebellDaisies

Wednesday
Landlords' gorgeous tulips made me happy. This pink one - so delicate! And the ta-da! of the red one. *g*
2020-04-15 01TulipDelicate 2020-04-15 02TulipBright

The gorgeous soft evening made me happy, walking back from food saving. And what really makes me happy? There are bats flying all around the village at dusk! *vbg*
2020-04-15 03Evening 2020-04-15 04BlossomChurch

These chaps in the first picture made me happy. Someone, years and years ago, apparently put that stone owl up on the top of the telegraph post to try and stop birds perching on the wires and making a mess of everyone's cars. If if ever worked in the first place, the crows have definitely got it sussed now. *g*
2020-04-15 05OwlPost 2020-04-15 06TulipSplay
More of landlord's tulips - the way they're all splayed out makes me very happy for some reason! None of this stand-to-attention tulips for them, they're far more relaxed! *g*

And finally, I wouldn't say it makes me happy, but I'm rather relieved that I've been sent a week's worth of work after all...
byslantedlight: (Default)
1. Livejournal extended my account for a month - that's nice of them, and that's a happy thing! *g*
2. Easter egg!
3. Bluebells!
4. A surprise slow worm, hiding under the compost bin. The black stripe means its a female, apparently. *g* I love seeing wildlife around!
5. An hour's metal detecting in the garden when the sun was out.

2020-04-13 01EasterEgg 2020-04-13 02Bluebells

2020-04-13 03SlowWorm 2020-04-13 04GardenDetecting

How're you doing?
byslantedlight: (Default)
Easter Weekend - far too much time spent in front of my computer trying to sort out food saving, but happy-making that it's getting going with the volunteers. Very happy making to be able to wear dresses and Crocs - wheeee! and the lovely blue sky, too. *g*

Saturday
There is a gloriously blossomed tree in the churchyard, and it came out for this weekend - and look what I spotted on it! Adopted paganism! It's a wishing tree this year! Full-circle back to where Christianity adopted existing traditions and celebrations!
2020-04-11 01RibbonTree 2020-04-11 02RibbonTreeRibbons

2020-04-11 03BlossomSky 2020-04-11 04SunshineWall
I can never resist golden sunshine on a wall, either... *g*

Sunday
More time in front of the computer on Sunday, but to stave off madness I took my detector into the garden, finally notched down the iron on it, and did an hour's detecting. And I found a spoon handle! That's not iron! *g* I also found a wee shoe buckle that wasn't iron too. Neither thing properly old and wonderful, but old enough and wonderful enough for me right now. And not made of iron! *g*
Shame the weather's on the turn now, and it's getting colder again, and perhaps damper... Mind you, I've been sent a day's work for Tuesday anyway, which doesn't exactly make me happy, but is something of a relief. Cross fingers for Wednesday now, I guess!
2020-04-12 01DetectedSpoon 2020-04-12 02ChurchyardBlossom

2020-04-12 03ChurchyardBlossom 2020-04-12 04ChurchyardBlossom
I had to walk past the churchyard at twilight, and couldn't resist the ribbons and blossom again...

Hope you've had a happy Easter weekend!

Hold Your Breath, Sunshine


A ship is safe in the harbour - but that's not what ships are for.

~o~

I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night. (Sarah Williams)

~o~

Could've.
Should've.
Would've.
Didn't. Didn't. Didn't.

~o~

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