Whitby on my mind

So, I'm off to the seaside on Wednesday.  My case has gone before me, I've promised the dog a pre-bus bath.
But now I'm thinking of illustrations:

Remember the stamp of Rincewind that I thought was too tidy?

Here he is as drawn in the 18th Century.  Maybe this isn't an illustration but I like it.

This is.  It's chaffinch song. 

I remember alarming my mum at about 14 (this was in 1964) saying I wanted to try LSD so that I could see music.  I'd been reading 'The 3 faces of Eve' and in the appendix it said how they had used LSD on subjects and they had seen music coming out of an old fashioned gramaphone horn.
Betty is an artist and doesn't need drugs to capture music in paint.

A nose full of rose

Monty Don said, 'Pick roses for the house once a week and deadhead at the same time.' I did, today, and the room looks so different when it smells of roses.

Here's Mum with them.

















My sewing is coming on, slow but sure.  I suppose that people who regularly finish things realise how patient you have to be when it gets to the dull bit.  Lack of patience runs in the family -  Mum is just complaining that her birthday won't get here quicker.

I've got to photo it flat when it is done and I clear a piece of floor big enough.

This is nearly finished too:

I'm stopping now cos I want to mess with my links - two (more) illustrators [I'm going to have to think why I like illustrations so much, but not now] and a quilter.  So have a look at the right hand column and you can go 'Ooo pretty' too.

Poor Jim hasn't got a garden

but before we get the violins out, this is the view from his living room window (screen snatched off skype)

and maybe, just maybe, being in walking distance of the mediterranean makes up for the lack.

When the wind is in the west...

I don't know but I woke up this morning full of go - like Mole before he got fed up of spring cleaning.  So the pile that has been festering behind the settee since Christmas has gone - true it's only transferred to upstairs but I can now push the settee back against the wall.
What was it?  A box of assorted magazines, notepads, books; two bags of knitting; three bags of material for sewing; a banana board; Mum's shopping bag; a bit of dog mat and a dog cushion(binned); one hat box full of bits for sewing; one hatbox full of paints.
Here's hoping no-one plans sleeping in the spare bed for a while.
Then there is the little bookcase - emptied and ready to go.
And the tall bookcase - emptied and reorganised
Two boxes of books thrown and either put on my kindle wish list or not regretted.  What makes a book worth keeping, is it remembering it - so it must be good
or not remembering it - so it can be reread
or remembering when I first read it?
ALL my CDs are now on my MP3 and I will work out how to use it properly now because I will have to - the sound system is also ready to go.
Back to the walk round the garden

Turn with your backs to the potatoes - which have grown a good six inches (15cm) since last week by the way and there is my shady patch on your right and where I am trying out runner beans (also shooting up the strings since last week) and sweet peas (not doing so well)









A quarter turn left and you're facing the house again.  The poppies on your left are open now and dusty pink - I'm sure they were mostly scarlet last year.  The pots and trays have gone to Beeston in Bloom, much diminished by slugs and the sweetpeas and beans are doing much better on the teepees than on the straight row - more sun or better soil?

Here's the bottom of that path.  The alliums (that I thought might be blue) are nearly in the state I really like, sort of skeletal and moonish.

The planting up I did last week has thrived - the tomatoes now have flowers on.  Not open yet, but there.
The pile of soil is full of ant eggs - long story and not very interesting.

Unlike the video of the first ants' nest I found which should be here but either will not upload or just not upload fast enough for me to think it is working.

'Needy and Naggy'? Who? Moi?

Follow me!
Follow me!
On Tuesday that was what this weeks blog was going to be about - then I decided that trying to explain blogging was like trying to explain skiing. I can't
By Thursday the successful completion of Susan's jacket looked like featuring - then I misread the instructions. It isn't
Yesterday (Saturday) I thought three weeks in and I've run out of steam.  I hadn't
Because
this morning the ground wasn't wet, it wasn't raining and I'm not going to claim that it's sunny but at least I could feed the birds without my coat on
AND
Everything in the garden is LOVELY!

The front garden is meant to look OK from the pavement

and gorgeous from the window and smell so sweet it overpowers the road.








It's not there yet but give it a year or two or even a month or two...

Here's a walk round the back garden from the door

Get to the round bit and turn back and look towards the house and down the short cut path towards the green house

Notice how the irises have recovered from having the shed on them and how the slugs haven't got all my letuces, yet!

Look up the other short cut path -

 see the broad beans flowering on the right, the little bushes of germander are going to make a hedge, the rose smells lovely as you walk past and hiding in the last of the daffs is next winter's broccoli supply.  You're looking towards the quince for the jam, the first year of bagged potato crop and the tip (but I've planted nasturtium to cover that so it can wait till next year to be tidied.)
Stop there cos it's time to walk Angel and I'll show you the rest next week.

Buttercup Beauty

Buttercup Beauty
Originally uploaded by jillyspoon

I don't rate horses but ...

Cow Procession

Cow Procession
Originally uploaded by jillyspoon

Republican or Monarchist? I only know I don't want a President.

The Sand Bags. Englands safe from any mob while men like me are on the job (1913) Walsh
Originally uploaded by peacay

Made me think of the Jubilee and the troops practicing.  Mum is very caught up in it and even the Guardian has now had two days running of pics of royals on the front page.
When I see what the mob might be in 1913 - thankyou yahoo and youtube http://youtu.be/n5bann98Nt8 it turns out it's Sylvia Pankhurst.  I'm not sure I'm republican cos I cannot see the point of a president instead of a monarch, and Prince Charles talking about his life with his Mama is sort of sweet, but maybe that's because they are so remote - Cameron and his pasty made me want to spit.
Hey ho. I'm starting to ramble.
Angel's been to the hairdresser, as well as me this week
Me:

 Angel:

I'm not sure I've finished but I've got (got? want) to get my quilt finished so I can start on the next thing, so with luck photos of that complete will be added.

Thankyou followers.  I'm not sure what effect not talking to myself will have.