Favourite flowers?

I am doing a survey of what are people's favourite flowers.   It gives me practice doing data collection and so I can put it into some software and learn how to do it.   So please let me know your favourite flower.  Also your favourite colour.   It would  help me greatly and I would like to know what people like  :)

Love the curly tendrils

One from my mum's garden

So beautiful

Also my favourite colour is Orange

I used wordle to do the above, it was fun to do

Recent events

Our church was looking lovely at the weekend.  We had a wedding in it and I took this picture just before the ceremony took place.  It was so peaceful!

Yesterday we had a visitor down our chimney,  a collared dove. Luckily I got to him before my two dogs, but he did cause quite a commotion.     After capturing him and releasing he fluttered back up onto the roof and stayed there for quite a while.  I think the poor thing was still in shock.

A pigeon with post traumatic stress and some ruffled feathers.

Ladybirds are everywhere at the moment, everything you pick up in the garden they seem to be crawling on.   

Well its now steadily raining here now and it looks like its in for the whole day.   So hopefully I can finish one of my paintings as I don't have any excuses to go out. :)

Shoes

I am back blogging but what to blog?   I have been to three weddings recently and at one of them I was privileged to have taken some photographs.    This picture for some reason took my eye.   It was of the bride and grooms shoes.   I really love it, not sure why but it makes me smile whenever I see this picture!

Are they tapping out a rhythm?

Love the confetti,  the sparkle of the shoes and the swirl of the fabric.

Cornflowers

Hello again,  been a bit busy here so no blog posts for most of the month.  However I am hoping to get on here more over the next two months.   Summer hols are great for catching up.   Also I have been so inspired by lots of people recently so I am desperate to do some art!    So starting today I am going to try and do something for me every day!   Fingers crossed.

Anyway cornflowers,  I have a lovely group of them by my front fence and I sat for half an hour and got these amazing photographs.   I love the blue,  and the contrasting colours of the insects.

Wonderful bee eyes

A butterfly, a snail, a ladybird and Ely Cathedral

Yesterday it was a very busy day as I was going to watch the ordination of some friends at Ely Cathedral.  Before the event it was the usual dog walking and the butterflies were everywhere but they were on flitting all over the place.  After endless chases and disappointments I finally caught up with this one.  The detail on the wings were amazing so glad I managed to capture them in the photograph.

A Painted Lady

Other things spied was this ladybird on a seed head

 a wonderful snail shell  

Later I was off to Ely Cathedral to attend an Ordination Service, it was a grand event and the Ely Cathedral Choir were magnificent and the whole service was lovely.

Ely Cathedral the spire above the main door

The stain glassed window next to where I was sitting.

All in all a very busy day and a memorable one too!

Bees

Out and about again with the dogs,  I came across this curious little bee?

On researching via the internet I found out that he is a grey miner bee never seen one before.  He and lots of other bees were hanging on to a group of thistles.

  This got me thinking about all the bees that I have seen over the last few weeks and I sorted out these photographs which I have taken.

They are amazing creatures and I love looking for them on my walks now.  Bee spotting for the win!

Also came across this amazing seed head, and really liked the shape and geometry of it. 

Seagull

It's been pretty hectic here the last few weeks.  But one rush job I did do was make a seagull for our seaside themed week.  We were reading an online book about a Seagull called Sammy.    Well this was the best I could do in the time I had.    It's amazing what you can do with an old ruined white shirt, bubble wrap, wire, feathers and some old material scraps. When he comes home I will be looking for a suitable perch for him in my bathroom.

Sammy on the fence

Rubber Ducks and Shells

Two friends and I went to Hunstanton to explore the seaside for our forthcoming theme in school.  One of the books we are using is the Eric Carle book '10 Rubber Ducks', this wonderful and vibrant picture book is based on a true story about a consignment of plastic toys which were lost at sea and there subsequent arrival on beaches all over the world.   I have read the full account in a book by Donovan Hohn called 'Moby-Duck'.  The story is fascinating!  

We needed photographs to use with the topic so with my trusty camera I set about the job,  thought that I would post a small selection.  
   

Our ten rubber ducks just paddling on Hunstanton beach

They look so happy!

Sky, sea and sand

Black headed gull

A real duck family out and about.

Bits and bobs of shells picked up on the shoreline.

What is in the bottle?

"Owl whispers, children's laughter and seaspray from Achill, all mixed by a dragonfly's wings"

This is my answer to a question posed on Jackie Morris's blog 'Drawing a line in time' 

Do go and look it's a wonderful blog and enter the competition.

Sunday Morning Walk

The  Church fete yesterday went well, it didn't rain and everyone who came seemed to enjoy themselves. I  I didn't manage to take any photographs myself but my husband did,  so will post theme tomorrow maybe? 

Well its Sunday morning so its off again with the dogs in tow, or should that read with me in tow?    

The wind had dislodged the growth from the official sign post at the start of our walk, so I now knew where I was going.

I then came across this beautiful flower,  all on its own along the edge of a field.

A common scabious

It was then onward, looking all around for another glimpse of that "little owl",  it was not to be but I did come across this little fellow nestled on some cow parsley.

a ladybird

Further on we go along the road through the village and see this landmark.  I love the red telephone box, not sure its being used seeing as all of this growth is obstructing the front of the door. 

 Then it was back to our home, on the short walk back we encountered some nice flowers and a lovely view. 

A beautiful white dog rose.

A hairy poppy bud

Oilseed Rape and Poppies

Bees

Just a quick post of some pictures which I captured earlier in the week.  The bees were out and about and sitting by the window I heard there buzzing,  I went to investigate and managed to get these photographs.   There were so many bees visiting the flowers, and they were very busy indeed.

Red hot poker (Kniphofia uvaria) 

Yellow Iris with bee

It's our church fete tomorrow so I am hoping for a dry spell between 2pm and 4pm.   I feel very guilty wanting this as I know that the farmers are desperate for the rain.  But whatever the weather I am hoping for a  fun day.  We have the Long Melford Silver Band visiting and I know they will be wonderful!

Roses and Memories

When I was growing up my mum used to have lots of roses in the garden and I remember the names and they always make me smile.   Ena Harkness, Iceberg, Peace, Whisky Mac, Queen Elizabeth, Blue Moon, Circus, Rosemary, Superstar and Piccadilly. 

Peace

I too now have a selection of roses,  but only managed to get Ena Harkness, Peace and Iceberg so far into my collection.  I spoke to my mum this morning and told her that my rose "Peace" had just flowered. She described the colouring of the rose perfectly and she was 200 miles away.

Ena Harkness

I don't know the name of this one, its one I inherited when I bought the house.

A white horse

White horse  – Another memory from my childhood watching television and seeing the programme  “The White Horses”,  it was dreadfully dubbed but was a major favourite of mine then and I loved listening to the music and of course singing the song. This white horse is not a "lipizzaner" but he is beautiful.
 I see him most days and he makes me smile.

One that got away? Geese, dog related things and a poppy.

Whilst out walking I had a strange feeling of being watched.   On stopping and looking around I spied a little owl looking at me on a tree stump from about five feet away.
He was amazing with the most amazing eyes. Being startled by him  I wasn't quick enough to take a photograph and he flew away.  I did shout after him "Please come back"  - silly me.

 These geese however were easy to snap!   Foraging in a local farmer's field.

Dog Rose

Dog Daisy with a little visitor (other names,  Moon Daisy or Ox-eye Daisy)

The first Poppy I have come across in the local fields.  So paper like and beautiful.

Yesterday

It mixed bag yesterday, sadness at a colleague being taken ill, a joyous walk, then enjoying art and conversation with children.

There is so much beauty all around.  Sights and sounds!   It’s so easy to take for granted the sights around us, even more neglected by us is the sounds.   All the different bird song, insects humming, lambs bleating and the background noise of trees rustling, and the wind singing.   The wonder and inquisitiveness of children’s chatter!  

A child who I was walking with spotted this small creature going about its business, oblivious to the interest it was causing.

    Amazing !

 A pair of common blue damselflies in tandem and large red damselfly.  I was a little cross with myself,  I had only had my small camera not my canon. So picture is a little grainy.  Also I had moved closer  to get a better picture of the blue ones and the red one jumped in the photograph.  Lucky me!

Taking this picture brought an Eddi Reader song to mind "Dragonflies".  Which was a little strange as I had played the song before I had left for work that day.

I think I was being followed? (half an hour later)

Sheep and Lambs

It was a lovely walk, so much to see and enjoy and the company of wonderful children. Later I was privileged to be part of a small group using clay to make imaginary animals. The imagination of children is so wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed being part of their world and conversations.