Mrs Fox

Just recently a vixen started appearing in the garden during the day and sitting away from the back door, obviously looking for food. On a couple of occasions this week Mr and Mrs Fox have been sitting by the back door. She is slowing getting used to me but is certainly very camera shy.

Mr Fox

Living in the suburbs we get all sorts of wildlife in the garden. Some are encouraged others you just have to accept. Mr Fox has been a regular for some years now. He lays patiently by the back door knowing I'll be looking out for him. It's surprising how attached you get to an animal even though its wild and still keeps its distant. When I'm pottering in the greenhouse or around the garden if I hear him behind the shrubs and call his name he does come out. I do believe there is some connection between us and not just an easy meal!

Tomato Seedlings

It's surprising just how quickly tomato seeds germinate. These seedlings are looking pretty good.

Pigeon Steps

My thoughts last night as I went to bed and saw the snow falling against the street lights was one of excitement for what the following morning held. Alas I was to be disappointed. The light dusting of snow was already beginning to melt and the sky was a flat grey colour. No sparkly crystal gems to photograph, no pops of flowers and greenery to capture. Just the remains of the birds searching for food.

January Sowings

As a keen vegetable grower, this time of year you are itching to get sowing. January is a good time to start off veg that take a long growing season to ripen. Things like peppers, aubergines and chilli's are good to start off now as long as you have a warm sunny windowsill or a heated greenhouse. I've also taken a gamble and sown a few tomato seeds in an attempt to have some early tomato's growing in the greenhouse. We'll just have to wait and see if it pays off!

Salad Leaves

I cant believe its 2016! Its been such a mild winter here in Kent and my cut and come again salad leaves are still supplying me with tasty leaves for lunch. January is an exciting month, a time for sorting out seed boxes, deciding what to grow then planning the vegetable beds and greenhouse for the year ahead.

A prosperous New Year

Its great to be back home in the UK. Living abroad has made me appreciate what we have here especially in the back garden. With the sweet scent of Mahonia in the air and these busy honey bees to watch life is good.

Our garden visitor

I haven't been back in the UK long this summer but this fox seems to visit most days. Yesterday it came up to the back door as if asking for its dinner. Of course I obliged and afterwards it just laid down in the garden allowing me to photograph it. Its such an unusually tame and pretty fox.

Ice Ice Baby

Its been a freezing cold week in Iceland. Unfortunately the weather has been against us and we have only seen the slightest of northern lights. On the positive side we have seen lots of ice.

Weekend wonders

The weekend bike ride was a bit of an adventure. We ventured down unknown dirt tracks and pot hole roads which ended up in tiny villages scattered with a small numbers of houses and people. They were quite surprised to see these crazy westerners cycling through in the midday sun but were friendly and happy for me to take photos of them.

This man owned the small field of marigolds below.

Biking in Bangalore

Occasionally my husband can persuade me to ride out on our mountain bikes into the countryside and today was one of them. You certainly have to have your wits about you to avoid motor bikes, cars, cows, pot holes and the barking dogs along the single unfinished tracks. But you do see a different side of  Bangalore. Young children shout bye or hi as you ride through the run down villages or try to race you. The air feels cleaner and you are surrounded by greenery.  You come back hot and covered in red dust but you do feel very lucky to be able to get on your bike and see the sites we do. I love this tree is next to a temple we ride to and have a short break. It's on a river banks and you can quite happily sit and watch the wildlife and the locals coming to the river to wash their cows.

Washermans Village

A friend and I visited a dhobi ghat in Malleswaram, Bangalore. There are many of these manual laundry sites around Bangalore, generally washing the laundry of local hotels and businesses. They employ hundreds of local families offering multiply jobs like washing, rinsing, hanging the washing and then ironing. It's hard work and the exposure of harsh soap powder to their hands and feet over time result in a lot of skin problems. The local government have installed some automatic machines but the manual work provides many needed jobs.

Starting the day

It took us over 25 hours to travel from from India to NY for a crazy 48 hour stay. So what  better way to start this fresh clear day than a coffee and muffin in Starbucks! 

Well hello ....

I was busy reading emails and putting some rubbish in the bin when this squirrel made an appearance with a large chunk if sandwich in its mouth, which it dropped as we frightened each other. Is there anywhere these guys can't get to?

The time has arrived

After months of saving I purchased my D4 today! I remember when I was a young girl spotting a Victorian dressed doll in my local toy shop. In order to have the doll my mother took me to the toy shop each week with my pocket money and they would enter the amount in my little orange payment book. It took me 12 weeks before the doll was finally mine and I could take her home. I remember it so clearly and it made that doll more precious to me. I still have the doll, she is immaculate and in her original clothes. Having to save up for something really does make it feel much more rewarding.

Gardens by the Bay

We visited these amazing gardens in Singapore by night and day just to get the full impact. Such a magnificient piece of architectual design.

Pencil and paper

It's felt strange with all this time on my hands. I had this idea after my course I would do all these different things to keep me occupied but it proving a little difficult finding the motivation. Then a few days ago I came across an ipad app called Artstudio. What fun I had doing silly little drawings. It certainly started my drawing craving and whilst reading through a paper yesterday I came across a photo which I instantly wanted to draw. Paper, pencils and a day later this the result. It's probably about 24 odd years since I last sketched and I'm certainly a little rusty but I really enjoyed enjoyed myself. It made me realise that it's so easy to get bogged down with our crazy lives and we end up forgetting the things that we enjoy doing. I wouldn't replace taking photos but I do plan to do more sketching of things I see.

Frangipani

Just outside our front door the Frangipani has just come into bloom the scent first thing in the morning or early evening as you open the door is devine.

Sun, sea and sand!

That's pretty much it in the Maldives. Not forgetting all the wonderful food and drink. To make use of all the sand a sculpture artist, Peter Redmond from Australia is creating some iconic sand sculptures this weekend at The W Retreat & Spa. Here is a little taster!

Watch out... there's a squirrel about!

Easter here in India was a quiet affair. Some of the large hotels has special Sunday brunches and easter egg hunts. It has also marked a mile stone in my time here as I have just submitted my final project of the garden and landscape design course I have been studying over the last 18 months. I have no idea how I will fill my time going forward. Perhaps its a good opportunity to focus on my photography again. My first jobs are a lot of house admin and sorting out of my belongings, something I really didn't get the chance to do when we first moved here. Perhaps I will enjoy my surroundings for a while without feeling guilty that I am not studying. It's good to have lots of options I guess.

Whilst I was tidying up my study these two Indian palm squirrels caught my eye. They are very cute but can make a lot of noise when they suspect danger. We had an unfortunate incident whilst on holiday, one got into our house and sadly died on my day bed in my study. The smell was terrible and I had to throw the mattress away. They are considered sacred in India and are not to be harmed. Hindu families may also feed them and they can be domesticated. Im not sure I will enticing them into my house again!

Indian palm squirrels