Come away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o
Jude, the Macro Queen, quite approved of my house leek photos on Sunday and said that I should take macro shots more often. I used to try occasionally, but get irritated by the persistent Devon breeze and getting the right light. This evening I had a try in the garden, but failed and then I remembered the wax flower is blooming. Well it has one little bouquet of very tiny flowerlets.
It’s really interesting to see them close up, they look like fur fabric, who knew?
Three years ago, Rob Heard was feeling really low while recovering from an accident. Watching soldiers returning from Afghanistan on TV, led to him thinking about the loss of lives in wartime and the incredible numbers involved. He found it impossible to imagine the 19,240 men who died in just one day, July 1st 1916, at the battle of the Somme.
From a list of the names of every one of the 19240, he created a hand stitched shroud containing a 12 inch figure, crossing off names as he went. Rob didn’t have a plan when he began the project, but a friend, Steve Knightly a musician from the band Show of Hands, contacted the city council, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Exeter Chiefs rugby foundation. This has become the UK’s largest WW1 commemoration and has featured in the national news this week.
If you’re in the area, the 19240 Shrouds of the Somme can be seen at Northernhay Gardens, Exeter until July 7th. I’d recommend it, it’s a highly emotional commemoration to a part of history that must never be repeated.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a mention in a poem before, but here’s my friend Margi doing just that! Margi is a new blogger, a writer and poet and she’d love a visit if you have time. I see that when you reblog, the entire post is visible on the site that does the reblog, previously only the first few lines were there, so you had to go visit the original post. I wonder why they changed that, it was far better for the blog of origin before.
Day two
of wanderings round Amsterdam
Spotted a book market
Language strange
Yet – Classics, Art, History
Message the same
Colourful hand crafted
note-books
Gilly nowhere in sight
Yet here, in the centre of this city
Her creations
Or seemed to be
Daisies and pixies
making mischief in the grass
June celebration
Timeless: eternal, everlasting, perpetual, unchanging, unaffected by time or changing fashion.
Timeless is Paula’s theme for Black and White Sunday, and this is my entry.
This is William Morris wallpaper, that I saw in the dining room at Lanhydrock, a National Trust property in Cornwall. It’s actually two shades of blue, cream and with a tiny bit of pink. A timeless, classic design.
What constitutes a wild flower? Among Jude’s definitions are ones that haven’t been planted. I totally admire the tenacity of plants that burst up between rocks, through tiny gaps in paving stones and I’ve even seen Buddleia growing roof on guttering, three floors up. So, wild Campanula does grow in the UK, but this is an escapee, a seed deposited by the wind perhaps, that managed to attach itself to a minute grain of earthy material to help it germinate. I think the spot it’s chosen, attached to a container for things going on a journey, is a perfect foil for its wild spirit, do you agree?
The theme for Jude’s Garden Challenge this month is wild flowers, why not join in?
https://smallbluegreenflowers.wordpress.com/2016/05/22/garden-photography-solomons-seal/
Just to prove that I roly-poly’d and sharing Dartington to tempt my Cornish friend!
For many years I have been visiting Dartington Hall in Devon, twenty five miles from home and have often raved about it to my friends. It’s a stunning place held as a trust began by the Elmhursts, a visionary family since the 1920’s. Part of the estate is farmland and woods as well as a landscaped garden. It’s a major centre for education and performance of arts and until last year was home to Dartington College before its move to Falmouth. Each summer it hosts a literature festival, Ways With Words, when for two weeks the grounds are filled with people relaxing between events. The festival attracts world class writers from all genres and my only criticism is that perhaps it is becoming increasingly high brow. I’ve photographed the grounds in all seasons, there is always something to see.
I think one of my favourite times to visit is February…
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TO celebrate FIVE years of blogging at WordPress, I’m re-blogging my most popular post ever, with 10,144 views. It was first posted on 1st December 2013 and one of the images, the pink Dartmoor sky is still on the first page of a google search for sky even now. I’m also about to become lucidgypsy.com . Thank you all for your loyalty, friendship and support, you’re wonderful!
Ailsa has the most amazing photo on her site as part of her Sky theme. The one of Bonneville Salt Flats, have a look, I’m sure you’ll like it too. While you’re there, think about joining her challenge this week, everyone has good sky photos!
This is a local one taken on Dartmoor a few years ago.
The sun going down over Tunku Abdul Raman Park – the islands off of Kota Kinabalu.
Looking through the sky down to the Alps somewhere over northern Italy.
This one is on Borneo, I think the cloud is ascending through a hole in the sky.
To join in visit Ailsa, http://wheresmybackpack.com/2013/11/29/travel-theme-sky/
Jude’s Garden Photography Challenge this month has the theme of wild flowers. She says, ‘this can be at the side of the road, a meadow, a wild flower garden, a single flower.’
Mine is from last year, but it’s May already and they’ll soon be back. In case some of you perhaps from different climates, don’t recognise it, it’s a foxglove, digitalis purpurea. Although the plant is poisonous, the leaves from digitalis is an ingredient used in heart drugs.
If you’d like to join Jude with a wild flower or two you have all of May to do so!
If I danced whenever I want to, many more people would know I’m even crazier than they thought. Just a few days ago I was lamenting my inability to sing or play a musical instrument, she said ‘I bet you can dance Gilly’. She was right, I love dance in all it’s forms, but the very best kind is spontaneous.
when you’re moved by the beat
right there on the street
come on feel the heat
now get up on your feet
and dance with a perfect stranger
