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these cygnets were on the river just outside the Jubilee Stores building where i was potting tonight

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a farewell drink before i fly off to norway tomorrow for the long weekend...

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walking to cecil sharp house, home of the english folk dance and song society!

i wish i could spend more time here ....

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here are just a few roses coming out ..... there are millions of rose buds waiting to burst forth in the back garden

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spent a very pleasant Tuesday in Lymington with cousin Maggie & Bob. On returning the ferry ramp got stuck and cars & passengers trapped for over half an hour!

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i love these sultry evenings where it's too hot to sleep.

tonight,

it felt like there was a storm brewing ...

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signs of life ...

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this is what the snails see when they look up amongst the allium stems ....... it's a long way up

it's good to have access to a garden at work - it neutralises all the momentum of work pressures ........ unless you are a snail

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visited marwell zoo with friends.

the leopard was my favourite

(though the capybara and the ural owls were pretty awesome too).

impromptu belated birthday tea for hillman this afternoon

which was a lovely surprise!

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our first camping trip of the year, near studland in dorset.
i love sitting outside in the evenings
listening to the world...

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another busy morning in London but nice to escape the city to see the family in Woking and conclude the journey back over the Solent with a dramatic sky over the solent on a balmy evening

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saturday was a very welcome and enjoyable break in between two busy London trips

here is pagham nature reserve in the early evening, a place of wonderful tranquility with all the sights and sounds of nature at its best

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set out on Friday for London on a misty but sunny morning .... a hint of the nice weekend ahead

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new eye candy on the south bank ...

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self-portrait, after a night at the wine bar.

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back at brading today and took advantage again of some time at lunchtime to soak up a bit of sun - this pic is in the little roman garden where the fig tree is just coming into fruit ..... just like being back in cyprus

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i went to visit the bees on our office roof today.

the hives are a frenzy of activity now the weather has warmed up!

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back to work today but consoled by a wonderful sunny day and some lovely unvisited corners of the castle when you know where to look .....

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Tuesday. Ending my travels as I had begun them 10 days ago on Ryde Pier, greeted by blue skies.

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summer arrived unannounced some time between mid-morning and lunch time.

it took us all a bit by surprise.

after work, we sat out in the garden soaking up the sunshine.

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for the first time in ages,

we went for a walk after supper.

it was hazy and warm:

a sign of better weather to come ...

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Monday. Landed back in Blighty at about 3am to a freezing cold morning ........ but on surfacing (MUCH later!) what a pleasure to see the sun  in the UK - looks like we have imported some Cypriot weather for you all. The change in time zones has been very confusing to adjust back to.

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Sunday. This was the last day in Polis before setting off in the evening for the airport. It was again wonderful weather and the town was practically deserted. It was a good day to relax after the big excursion of the previous day, and this restaurant was particularly pleasing to chill out in with a glass of Pims and and excellent menu!

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Saturday. Went on a long organised excursion right around the West of Cyprus, entering the Turkish side, and back into Greek Cyprus through the Troodos mountains. Visited several amazing Greek Orthodox churches, archaeological sites, villages and saw wonderful scenery through the mountains. It was a long day but we saw a lot of Cyprus!

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Friday. It's not what you might think - this is the young growth around the trunk of a palm tree. There were endless interesting plants where ever we went, including all around the appartments endless orange groves with the MOST delicious oranges (the best I have ever tasted)which we just picked at random when out walking.

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Thursday. Spent the day in Paphos - in the morning in the old town where there were museums, a market etc, and in the afternoon briefly in the resort area for lunch, and escaped the millions of Brits to visit the huge protected area of the ancient city (archaeological site). But enough of ruins, here are some amazing trees with blue flowers growing in the old town centre.

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Wednesday (Happy Birthday Frances!). Did a long walk along the (deserted) beach to Latchi up the coast whch has a modern marina next to the fishing port. This ancient vessel was much more interesting than the new flashy motor boats.

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Tuesday. Began to explore Polis and surroundings - it's a nice small town untouched by the development of cities like Paphos (possibly not for much longer). Looking around the side-streets you come across some nice old derelict houses like this one.

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Monday. Day 1 in Polis, Cyprus acclimatizing to the sunshine by the pool side, and struggling with the difficult decisions of whether to have a swim, a drink or an ice cream ........ Sorry about the legs - they ARE less pale now!

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the spot where constable painted 'the hay wain' (minus the wain of hay).

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we spent the weekend in suffolk.

i wish i could explain how everything was so green

that we felt completely gorged on nature.

how the hedgerows were so weighed down with hawthorn that they sagged right over the road.

how somehow everything glowed even brighter because the sky was grey all weekend.

we cycled round a lake,

we rowed up the river (we became entangled with a tree).

we walked, and walked, and gawped at all the beautiful houses.

i am so in love with england this time of year.

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for the first time, i actually FORGOT to take my daily photo.

but this is what i was doing on day 138.

 

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a strange day of coincidences;

literally co-incidences.

the world is really not so huge a place.

tonight, holiday planning ...

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monday,

and back to the rain again

until this early evening sunlight sliced its way across the room.

spent the day in a training course

learning that i am greeny-blue with a splash of yellow.

that means don't shout at me,

give me the facts,

and then let's have a chat,

apparently.

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we didn't do anything to the flower bed on one side of our garden this spring,

and were really disappointed when only one daffodil showed its face where last year there had been loads;

and then all of a sudden, the whole place turned blue with forget-me-nots.

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the view from guildford castle.
spent a lovely sunny saturday afternoon
shopping and people-watching...

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the colours we can see from our window.

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it was a beautiful morning to cross the solent on the first leg of the holiday ....... hopefully blue skies await in cyprus!

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mr gull was skulking around the friday market this morning when i was on my last shopping foray before departing this island to visit another on Sunday (in the mediterranean sea :o) . i wonder if this gull has been there?

tomorrow's post probably the last from blighty for a week+

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i went on a lunch time walk to window-shop on carnaby street.

for once i enjoyed the hustle and bustle ...

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the part of the day i dislike most,

even more than having to haul myself out from beneath the duvet in the morning,

is making the following day's sandwiches.

it's such a money-saver,

but my god, it is absolutely mind-numbing.

i need some new lunch menu suggestions.

yawn.

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a view over sandown bay with customary low cloud

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if the weather comtinues like this i will get some of these firepalaces into commission ......

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so good to see/feel the sun today ..... this is one of my tulips in the back yard .....

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especially for you helen .......... and to follow, my actual tuesday pic ........

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the beginning of another four day week.

i feel like i could do with a week at home to catch up on everything.

our seedlings have shot up over the long weekend

and the trees outside our place have turned some amazing colours ...

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spent the morning visiting h's folks,

and then as soon as the clouds parted

we shot down to the south coast for a walk along our favourite beach.

we passed these amazing oilseed rape fields on the way ...

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can you tell we've been in the same places?!

dad's birthday was a pleasing combination of owls, ale and steam trains:

a juxtaposition you will only find on the isle of wight.

i desperately wanted to post the photo of me holding a tiny owl

but sadly i didn't take that one!