curiouswombat: (notes from a small island)
curiouswombat ([personal profile] curiouswombat) wrote2011-06-05 04:46 pm
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Pic Spam.

Oddly, considering last week was TT Practice Week, and today is Mad Sunday, this post is completely free from pictures of motor-bikes. (TT - Tourist Trophy races - the centre of the TT Festival where our island plays host to about 15,000 motor-bikers. Mad Sunday - the midpoint of the two week festival - when everyone, and occasionally his dog, goes out to 'do a lap' of the course.)

Much of the week has seen me going 'get-up, go to work, go straight to church to help man the snack-bar, come home and take S2C to work, cook dinner, (about 10pm by then) and do some more baking for the snack-bar' as bikers eat an awful lot of cake whilst they watch the racing bikes go past.

But the pictures are a lot more tranquil!



I sat in a quiet lane on Tuesday afternoon to write up my patient notes on my net-book, in the car. Out of the car window I could see both honeysuckle and cow-parsley.

honeysuckle

cow parsley

And on Friday I sat doing the same thing looking over Port Erin Bay. The weather was glorious on Friday - the temperature reached about 24C and there were people down on the beach enjoying it -

Port Erin Bay in sunshine

And others out in boats taking advantage of the calm sea and slight breeze -

Port Erin wee boats out playing

The eagle eyed amongst you might have noticed something a bit odd happening to the left of that picture. Sure enough, when I zoomed the camera in, it was clear that someone had managed to tip over and was busy trying to get the boat back into the vertical.

Port Erin, boat-righting

For those of you even less au fait with small boats than me, they are standing on the keel hoping that their body weight will counter the weight of the wet sail and bring the boat back up-right.

Yesterday I spent from 10.30 to 3pm at church - the visitors were like a hoard of gannets - we couldn't keep filled baps, pasty and cake in font of them. Everyone was there helping - one of the seven year olds was running between kitchen and 'counter' with baskets of baps, and refilling the stacks of cans and bottles of water, while an 80 year old was dishing out the pasty and sausage rolls! And there were helpers of all ages between.

Then I went to do Mum's shopping and spend some time with her - before doing our shopping, and then trying to get my head back into the right place to get on with my Tolkien BigBang! Fic which is now a bit behind schedule. Oh - and deciding what to do in Sunday School today as it is hard for the children to concentrate as there are always thousands of bikes passing the window on Mad Sunday.

And I was right about that - whilst we talked about superheroes, drew pictures, and ate jelly-beans to help us with out prayers (I'll explain that another time!) - we saw not only the usual array of machinery and riders, but Winnie-the-Pooh, Eyeore and Piglet all went past on motorbikes, as did a fairy, a tiger, an elephant and a mouse...

I gave my camera to one of the boys - he took some nice pics of everyone - and I thought you might like to see his baby sister. She 'poses' as soon as she sees a camera - so this is Baby Bee by her big brother -

Baby B by her brother

And the warm weather is also suiting the garden - things are looking good - it was nice to have time to appreciate it this afternoon -

This year we are mainly doing pink...

As you can see, this year we are mainly doing pink! Also, yes, those are Lollo Rosso in the pot - they look so pretty and allow me to crop them for lunch a couple of times a week. And as you may also see, I must go out and weed between the paving stones sometime!

The cold winter killed a lot of my geraniums, many of which will usually over-winter. So I started again in the wall baskets. The new ones are just coming into flower - and this is the most exuberant one so far -

Now that's what I call pink!

Now that's what I would call shocking pink! The clematis that grows up through the tree is in bloom as well - and it is looking brighter this year than the last couple as well -

clematis 2

clematis

Finally - this is close-up of the geranium that is outside the kitchen window -

Geranium

When everything is at its peak I think I might need sunglasses.

I have some more baking to do - I am the queen of the carrot cake, and chocolate brownies, maybe - and some coconut ice to make, but as I am at work all week, and the actual racing takes place during the day, I won't be spending so much time at church this week. Hopefully I can get back on track with the BigBang story.

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 04:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

[identity profile] petzipellepingo.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 04:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Things are looking lovely this time of year. When I went out this AM I discovered that my Julia Child rose had an open bloom, my peonies are opening up and the honeysuckle vine on the fence appears to be ready to bloom in a day or two.

Those shots of the boats and the bay remind me of boating on Lake Clair, such blue water.

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 04:34 pm (UTC)(link)
It's lovely to go out each day and see if anything else is in flower. I keep meaning to get myself a peony.

[identity profile] petzipellepingo.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
They're long lasting plants that require the barest minimum of care and come in white, red and pinks. I've got two modern varieties and the rest are old fashioned no name varieties.

[identity profile] ukamikanasi.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 04:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Such nice weather! It's finally warming up here, but I've got a cold so I can't go out and enjoy it! :(

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 04:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh poor you! I hope you feel able to go out and get some sunshine soon - and that you have sunshine for days and weeks, not just a day or two.

[identity profile] ukamikanasi.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 06:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Aww, thanks! :)

[identity profile] brutti-ma-buoni.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 04:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Considering how busy you are, that's a wonderfully soothing and serene selection. I have a (fleeting) impulse to collage it and live with it for a while. Though I suspect the people trying to right their boat weren't feeling terribly serene.

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 04:37 pm (UTC)(link)
I must admit that the contrast between what I had pointed the camera at, and what I'd been doing, amused me - the soothing pictures were good for me in all the rushing around.

I'm sure they'd have got their boat upright eventually - but it would have been quite hard work.
ext_11988: made by lmbossy (ani giraffe)

[identity profile] kazzy-cee.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 04:29 pm (UTC)(link)

What glorious flowers! I must plant some things in my garden over the summer - it all looks so bare!!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Most of the geraniums came from the local supermarket - but they do brighten the place up.
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[identity profile] jay-of-lasgalen.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)
What beautiful flower pics! And thank you for pointing out what TT stands for - something I never knew!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you. I love TT - I always have - but I'm quite glad it is only 2 weeks out of 52...

[identity profile] cbtreks.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Looks like a very pleasant day. Does the sea ever warm up enough to swim (or do people swim even though it's not warm enough)? Your flowers are gorgeous - love that hot pink geranium!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 05:03 pm (UTC)(link)
In August the water temperature gets up to 15-16C - so not exactly warm, but warm enough for some.

The hot pink geranium is gorgeous, isn't it? I'm hoping one of the others will match it.

[identity profile] julia-here.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
You remind me that yesterday was the first really nice day of the spring, and all I took photos of was the coyote that had been killing my cousin's chickens struck dead on the road. Thank you for being sane and generous and joyful.

Julia, such a sourpuss I am sometimes.
Edited 2011-06-05 17:14 (UTC)

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 06:46 pm (UTC)(link)
A dead chicken-thieving coyote might not be terribly photogenic - but it would have been good news!

[identity profile] zanthinegirl.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 05:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Your garden is so beautiful! Mine is a sad shell this year, though I'm going to go work on it here when I finish my breakfast. I got a bunch of flowers and things should look much better soon!

And Yeah! Spring is finally hitting at your house too!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 06:47 pm (UTC)(link)
It's not really all that beautiful - I just don't show you the tatty bits - like the conifer that is, I have decided, basically dead...

But it is lovely to finally have things in flower - it's later than last year, I'm sure.

(Anonymous) 2011-06-05 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
You've told us this before, but I forgot: what type of camera do you use? Your pictures are fabulous! (And I do give props to the photographer, not just the camera.)

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 06:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you. It's a Fujifilm FinePix S5800. So not a tiny one, but not one with lots of gadgets, either.

[identity profile] inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Lovely photos and I can just imagine standing above that beach in the sunshine with a slight breeze coming in off the sea. Wonderful!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 08:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Being able to sit somewhere like that to write my notes is one of the real perks of the job, I must admit!

Have you finally got rain? You can see from the grass in those pictures that we have certainly had enough to keep things green.

[identity profile] inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Enough to keep things green but not growing. We had a little a week ago but that was the first for 3 weeks which was itself the first for a month!
shirebound: (Default)

[personal profile] shirebound 2011-06-05 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Those pictures are so full of happy! Thank you for sharing with us.

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
My pleasure - I'm so glad that you enjoyed them.

[identity profile] estelcontar1.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Beautiful pictures, beautiful flowers.

It was bound to happen: the day I left England was the day temperatures started going up again. LOL

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 10:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you - and what a pity about the weather misbehaving whilst you visited.

[identity profile] estelcontar1.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
It wasn't actually misbehaving. It was mostly beautifully sunny, though a bit cold and very windy. Since I have warm weather enough in Brazil, I didn't really mind the change. LOL

[identity profile] ningloreth.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I love the smell of cow parsley! The close-up pictures of the flowers remind me of Georgia O'Keeffe.

(I'm behind with my big bang story, too. And it's boring!)

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 10:52 pm (UTC)(link)
I see what you mean about Georgia O'Keefe - and am very flattered!

I'm at 11,000 words - it's just getting into the right mood and getting it out of my head onto the screen - of course ideas don't come complete with punctuation and good sentence structure... sometimes that's the hard bit - and getting from one scene in my head to the next one.

I would wager (as my brain is in elf-mode) that your story will turn out to not be boring at all.

[identity profile] ningloreth.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm at 11,000 words

So am I! Oh, I feel a lot better now!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 04:54 pm (UTC)(link)
And they've extended the deadline! Hurrah!!

[identity profile] ningloreth.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 05:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, I saw that :-)

[identity profile] bojojoti.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
Green hills, blues seas, and pink flowers--beautiful! But they hardly compare to the cuteness of Miss Bee!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 07:38 am (UTC)(link)
She's gorgeous, isn't she? And a blessing - her parents lost a daughter, still-born, at Christmas 2007.

[identity profile] keswindhover.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 07:43 am (UTC)(link)
I love that blue haze your island pictures always have. And flowers! They're blooming everywhere.

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 12:13 pm (UTC)(link)
I have wondered, sometimes, if the camera is inclined to the blue - but the same camera doesn't 'over-blue' other scenes we really do have a sort of blue haze!

I think the garden will look even more colourful by the end of the week - lots of things are well on their way to opening - suddenly everywhere is colourful.

[identity profile] binkaslibrary.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 09:01 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, lovely! Especially the photos of the sea -- managed to wake my sea-longing. Good that I'm going to go to the shores of the Baltic in Sept. for a short vacation. I live too far inland to love the sea as much as I actually do.

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 12:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh - a trip to the Baltic will be lovely! I used to suffer from sea-longing when I lived in England - all of 15 miles from it.
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[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 12:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you - it's my pleasure to share them.
syderia: lotus Syderia (Default)

[personal profile] syderia 2011-06-07 06:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Pretty pictures !

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2011-06-07 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed them.