Allsorts

I have been having a play with my Windows Movie maker and have composed this little video called Allsorts. It contains all sorts of photographs I have taken. The subject matter I have used is the surrounding countryside where I live, my pets and general flora and fauna. Be warned I am only an amateur at this so the content may not be that good.. but it was fun compiling it and thought you may enjoy watching it....
Also as I write this entry I am having a bit of bother getting the video to load onto this post... so not sure quite how the final result will turn out... here goes..........

If you go down to the woods today.......

Well goodness me its Sunday already... where did those days go? And what have a I achieved.... seemingly nothing.. how does that song go 'busy doing nothing.. tra, la, la, la, la la... (what makes you think I cannot sing!!)

I have done the the everyday things.. but nothing extra and I always like to do something extra...

Ah well another list for another week and perhaps I might get a little more done.. their is much to do.

I have however had my daily walks with Basil and decided to walk near our local woods. I love the woods I find it such a magical place to be. A place of peace and beauty and so much to see, its like another world.
Their are two woods that I know of in the area where I live. The one wood you can walk through freely, the other wood that is over the road from me is private and is only opened one day a year to the public and that is on Good Friday. I can walk along side this woodland and peer longingly in and its so enticing. I see rabbits and deers popping in and out of the wood and the bird life is amazing. We even have buzzards nesting in there which has only occurred over the past two years. Another joy is watching the buzzards soar up in the air and glide on the thermals, so majestic.

I have taken the these photographs of the wood whilst on my walk and peering in. But I do have to admit to struggling over the barbed wire fence to enable me to stand just inside the wood... only on the very edge just to get that better picture, but not daring to go much further, as I was trespassing and although it seems so sad that I/we cannot enter this place, its all for the good in many ways because woodland and wildlife are left in peace to evolve and mature without mans interference.

Actually if my Mum was more into photography the very act of me getting over this barberd wire fence was something to behold... I got myself into quite a mess to be honest, I sort of got my leg stuck (serves me right I guess) I had gotten all of my body throught this tight gap but when it came to lifting my left leg through I began to loose my foothold as my left 'wellied' leg became too heavy to lift through the barbed wire gap if that makes any sense and my Mum had to come to my rescue and help me through whilst holding onto my camera... now if she had just managed to have taken that crucial snap this could have been a whole different story!!! (Getting back out of the wood was not pretty either.. coughs and turns a slight shade of red!!)

Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come.
- Chinese proverb

As I age
in the world it will rise and spread,
and be for this place horizon
and orison, the voice of its winds.
I have made myself a dream to dream
of its rising, that has gentled my nights.
Let me desire and wish well the life
these trees may live when I
no longer rise in the mornings
to be pleased with the green of them
shining, and their shadows on the ground,
and the sound of the wind in them.

- Wendell Berry, Planting Trees

And then we were treated to a wonderful sunset on the way home, which was truly beautiful.

We have nothing to fear and a great deal to learn
from trees, that vigorous and pacific tribe which
without stint produces strengthening essences for
us, soothing balms, and in whose gracious company
we spend so many cool, silent and intimate hours.
- Marcel Proust, Pleasures and Regrets, 1896

Wind

Yesterday was quite a mixed day weather wise... but on my morning walk with Basil the weather was windy and sunny. To me it was the perfect weather day.. I love the sun and I adore the wind. It was just so nice to walk along and take in the views, listen to the wind and birdsong. I could not resist an attempt at creating a little film on my camera. I have to admit I am only a amateur at this and my filming is certainly not the best, but I would like to think I have captured the moment somewhat so I can share it with you.....

And the cats came too....

I set off yesterday morning for my morning walk with Basil only to find we were been followed by Bold and Bootsie. They obviously also fancied a stroll out across the fields. It made my day and it was so funny. Bold my normally camera shy cat seemed quite happy for me to take photographs of him this time, I think he was so busy keeping up he did not notice me snapping away!!

Maybe they will come again today, they certainly seemed to enjoy themselves as they jumped in and out of the hedgerows exploring!

It became quite drizzly whilst we were out walking and whilst the cats both went off indoors to lick themselves dry, Basil needed a rub down.

Doesn't he look cute!! He really loves being dried with the towel and groomed which is just as well considering he has a long haired coat which takes some looking after. Its like Velcro and anything and everything clings to it!!

The rain seemed to persist after that and I thought we were in for another wet day.....

But later on the sun started to break its way through the clouds...

And by the end of the day we enjoyed some quite pleasant weather... and I was able to take a photograph of a perfect sunset on my way home from another of Basil's walks.....

Perfect end to a perfect day!! Which nicely brings me to this poem which I like very much: -

Perfect Day

Grandmother, on a winter's day,Milked the cows and fed them hay;Slopped the hogs, harnessed the mule,And got the children off to school.
Did a washing, mopped the floors,Washed the windows and did some chores,Cooked a dish of home-dried fruit,And pressed her husband's Sunday suit.
Swept the parlour, made the beds,Baked a dozen loaves of bread,Split the firewood, lugged some in,(enough to fill the kitchen bin.)
Churned the butter, baked a cake,And then exclaimed, "For goodness sake,Those darned calves are out again!"Went and chased them into the pen.
Gathered the eggs, locked the stable,Back to the house to set the table;Cooked a supper that was delicious,Afterward washed up all the dishes.
Fed the cat, sprinkled the clothes,Mended a basket full of hose,Then opened the organ and began to play"When You Come to the End of a Perfect Day!"
- Author Unknown

PS... Thought I would make an attempt at putting up a short video of Basil out on one of his walks. I am doing all the whistling and talking (useless at whistling!!) My mother is also with me and is talking to me at the start of the video. My Mum is 76 years old bless her heart! and joins me on my afternoon walk through wind, rain or shine... nothing stops her she and she really looks forward to it each day... we usually have quite a lot of fun.

I hope I am not coming across has obsessed with Basil and the cats... They are a big part of my day but I do many other things also and I will share those with you as I progress with my blog.

Have a perfect day!!

Rain, rain go away come back another day ......

Certainly had a good downpour of rain yesterday as you can see by the photographs ..... I know we should welcome the rain but one can have too much of a good thing! And after our non-existent summer the warm, sunny weather has been most welcome.

You feel so much better when the sun shines. I always feel so much more energized when the sun is out and the birds are singing, the bees are being busy little bees. I have a comfrey patch in my garden and the bees adore it. After the bees have finished with the comfrey I cut it down its good for the garden as a fertilizer and a compost activator.

The weather made no difference to Basil yesterday and you can see he his throughly enjoying his walk...

Whereas Bold my camera shy cat has found a snuggly spot and is quite happily sleeping his way through the dull and wet weather!!

Well off for another walk with Basil... and then I have quite a few chores awaiting me... changing beds, sorting through a few of my kitchen cupboards and some baking.... just love being busy!!!

This is a picture of a gap in the hedgerows that I use to get from one field to another whilst walking Basil... it always looks so magical... I call it ' natures doorway ' ..............

First day of Autumn.....

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."- Stanley Horowitz

This morning their is a distinct chill in the air.... and yesterday I noticed the first fall of leaves, it seemed to have happened overnight. Soon I will be able to kick my way through a pile of leaves and feel like a child again (don't think I have ever really grown up to be honest!!)

Had some really lovely walks with Basil yesterday, the sun was shinning and we had the world to ourselves (or so it seemed)

The birds were singing and their was a gentle breeze and it felt good to be alive. I noticed the fruits of autumn as I walked. The hedgerows seem to have an abundance of fruit and berries.....

Plenty of fruit and berries for wildlife... and us!! We enjoyed an apple and blackberry pie yesterday with lashings of cream... Mmmmmmmm
And of course the squirrels mustn't be left out......

Can just about see a green acorn ready to rippen for the squirrels.... nature is truly wonderful it seems think of everone!!

The sun has just broken through now and its warming up a little, our first autumn day.....

Saturday was a beautiful day!!

What a gorgeous day it has been... Just loving all this sunshine. On my walk with Basil this morning I noticed that it is becoming very Autumnal as the above picture shows .......

We usually take Basil three good walks a day. I take him on the morning and midday walk and my husband does the night one. I thoroughly enjoy walking with Basil... regardless of the weather its always nice to get out... its an opportunity to clear ones head and enjoy nature.

I must introduce you to our much loved cats..... This is Bootsie

Bootsie is a 10 year old grey tabby. He has a bit of a cankerous personality and gets himself into quite a few fights. I have had endless trips to the vets with Bootsie who has been involved in scraps! Once he was well and truly beaten up by another cat and he was in such a bad way his tongue had been partly ripped out. Thankfully we have fantastic vets and they soon had Boots patched up and on the mend again.

Now to introduce you to Bold. Bold is also 10 years old and a very quiet timid cat, but extremely loving.

Have tried to find a more descriptive photograph of Bold but this is so far the best I can do... Bold is not very photogenic and if he sees the camera he does a disappearing act.. just when I think I have snapped the perfect photograph Bold takes off and it turns into a blurry mess.... but I will keep on trying!!
Bootsie was rescue a cat and Bold was a rescued feral cat... My husband managed to catch Bold and his brother Fluffy (long haired ginger hence the name) Bold and Fluffy were both kittens when we took them in. They both became tame quite quickly. Sadly we lost Fluffy about eight years ago. Fluffy was very interested in some rabbits in a local wood. To get to the wood Fluffy walked half a mile up a nearby drive and had to cross the road to get to the woods... sadly this led to his death has he was hit by a car. It was heart breaking as you would expect and Bold really missed his brother, but with a lot of love and care he eventually got over the loss of Fluffy and now leads a happy and contented life. Bootsie and Bold are not overly keen on each other but are happy to tolerate one another. They have two cat friends next door that they both hang around with and wile away the days with various cat adventures.....

Well think this will have to do for today... its now the early hours of Sunday morning 2.11am to be precise and I must get my beauty sleep!!!
Would like an early start tomorrow as hubby and I have a date with the garden!!!!
Here's hoping for another glorious sunny day.........

First attempt!!

First attempt at blogging and have to admit to being somewhat nervous!

I follow quite a few blogs myself all of whom are so inspiring, I will add these on when I actually get the hang of things.

I have learned so much from blogging and have so enjoyed sharing everyday events with these wonderful people. I do hope that my blog can be interesting and maybe inspiring to others... we shall have to wait and see.

This is my first attempt at adding a picture and I do hope it works.... The picture is of our gorgeous border collie... Basil :-)