When March is Being Moody

Blue skies

and blossom

Lavender Pomander still life on the grey, windy days

Strawberries and cream coloured roses

which help us be patient for the spring flowers just starting to push out of the earth.

They last a whole week and

I love them at all stages.

Next came some tulips

illuminated in the morning sun shining on my round table by the window.

An explosion of petals

and shadowy centres

I bought some primroses for a window box on my balcony.

Gorgeous sunshine yellow

and soft peachy petals .

Two little fairies plan their day

and flowing petals in soft shades of grey.

March is changeable

and has many moods.

Never a dull moment in each single day!

Day 10 - Refreshing

During these very hot days,

we're looking for cooling and refreshing drinks.

This is one of my favourites:

Cucumber, lemon slices and sliced ginger.

Put everything into a glass jar

and refrigerate.

Pour a glass to drink

and fill up the big jar again.

I usually keep my flavoured drinks for two days

and then make a new one, varying the flavours.

I use the ingredients in my salad or cooking afterwards.

The ingredients.

Try this refreshing drink and let me know how you like it!

Photo Journal July 2018: Day 1 - Summer

I thought I would enjoy doing a daily photo journal here during the month of July.

I know that some people like to follow photo prompts.

They can be helpful, 

but I prefer to have the freedom of creating my own as I go along!

I would love you to accompany me on this summer's journey

and I will enjoy following you on yours!

Although the summer season has already started, 

July and August really feel the most representative of summer to me!

There is the mounting heat

The buzzing of the bees

A quieter city with people going on holiday

Very early morning walks before the heat builds up

Straw hats

Good books and taking the time to read them

Cold and refreshing herb drinks

Relaxation.

This morning got me out of bed before 5 am!

I opened all the windows of my home to freshen the air and cool my apartment down.

Then a lovely morning walk between 6 and 7 am.

Back for breakfast on my balcony

and now a new book to read outside.

All this spells SUMMER to me!

***

What to Do on a Rainy Day

There are so many things I love to do on a rainy day!

Crochet is one of them - and I recently finished my spring wreath for the front door.

It makes me feel welcome when I come home

I love to capture nature abstracts

like in the harmonious curves of the petals of my Amaryllis.

Photography is something we can definitely do on a rainy day, even inside!

Bringing home a basket of three daffodil bulbs was like bringing spring sunshine

into my home.

No need to resist capturing them from every angle!

Just drink in their yellow beauty until the sunshine and blue skies return.

Sit down with a big cup of  a delicious warm drink.

This one is a ginger and lemon infusion.

Why not practice some fun self-portraits.

My favourites this week are double exposures!

Oh yes, and another thing to do on a rainy day!

Make a new blog entry!

Instead of  wanting to make everything incredibly perfect,

just do things the way they are today

and that is enough!

Blogger's Block

It is a known fact that writers sometimes suffer from writer's block.

So it seems only natural that those of us who have blogs can experience a similar feeling.

After writing a recent entry entitled "Why Blog?". 

It did seem that I had lost my own enthusiasm - even though I know that I write here

for myself above all, but also for any others who care to come this way.

With the convenience and rapidity of computers, the art of letter-writing

has become a thing of the past.

It seemed to happen overnight if I judge by the stashes of beautiful writing paper  

I still have in my cupboard.

Last year, I took out that pretty stationery and started writing letters again.

They don't need to be long, but they do need to be thoughtful and caring.

I can imagine how nice it must feel to receive a pretty envelope containing a few personal words

in the post-box among the usual bills.

I certainly haven't experienced any blockages in taking photographs

and have been enjoying taking still-life images, 

like this tiny exotic perfume bottle, offered to me by my son many years ago.

A souvenir from Sharm El-Sheikh on the edge of the Red Sea in Egypt.

I've been playing with depth of field and colour and enjoying the effects.

Black and white photography can be really interesting 

and is especially suited to abstracts

or capturing light and shadows in my home in the morning sun.

During the whole of February, I've been taking daily self-portraits

as part of a gathering of other ladies.

This is a challenge as the years go by, but it's all part of our acceptance journey

of embracing the changes that inevitably take place.

So without waiting any longer to be inspired to make the best blog entry ever,

perhaps the everyday happenings are enough

and I'm just being hard on myself or too much of a perfectionist!

We've been going through a Siberian-like cold snap through this latter part of February,

but after a few snowfalls tomorrow, things will start warming up again.

March is definitely coming in like a lion! 

So I think we deserve some beautiful tulips - to remind us that spring is on its way!