Ah, an easy challenge!

This is my go to sulking spot, my ‘I vant to be alone’ spot, my ‘phew… ‘spot, my solitude spot, my snoozing spot. Also, as you can see, my ‘nice glass of wine’ on a sunny day spot.

The picture is a very poor selfie.. Sorry an’ all, but it’s not that easy taking photos with one hand whilst rocking in a hammock. And by the way, yes, I was fully clothed, I was wearing shorts, it was a hot day, so apologies for subjecting you to my pearly white pins (I’m a pale English rose..what can I say). Anyhoo, even if I was stark naked no-one could see me, it’s completely secluded, tucked away as it is, at the back of our garden.

Yep, I love our hammock, it is my happy place. However, it does have a bit of a drawback. It’s slung between two fruit trees, and you do occasionally get the odd apple falling from a great height on to your head, or worse, your stomach, while you’re ‘resting your eyes’, and of course, the wasps buzz about pretty constantly when the plums are ripening. Nevertheless, seeing the hammock being strung up in spring, after it’s winter sojourn in the garage, always makes me happy… Summer is a-coming!!

September 29, 2015 by rebootingkaye

The Wishing Well

The ancient vault of coins and dreams
where wishes are dropped
to be consumed
by a distant, soft splash

There, in those darkest depths
the dank walls echo to
the laughter of the gods
as they count their bounty

while anxious folk above
patiently pray, and wait
for miracles

September 2, 2015 by rebootingkaye

Well, he’s definitely not a stamp

Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge. This week’s theme ‘From Every Angle – take photographs of the same stationary subject from three different angles’

Found this little chap on my Clematis just now. He proved a perfect, uncomplaining model for this challenge! I’m not sure exactly what type of bug he is, he could be a green shield bug* but doesn’t seem quite so ‘shield’ shaped as others I’ve found in the garden in the past. Perhaps he’s just a rugged individualist! Anyhoo, I think he’s a cutie pie and could he look any more like a bit of leaf if he tried?

* this has reminded me – my mum used to collect green shield stamps from the grocers when i was a kid. If you spent a gazillion pounds and collected about 200 hundred bookfuls of them you could exchange them for a toaster or something. Happy days! 🙂

August 17, 2015 by rebootingkaye

Don’t blink…

Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge. This weeks theme ‘Creepy’.

One for any fellow Dr Who fans!

I’ve been watching Dr Who since it began in 1963 (good grief, am I old or what…). I’ve seen all the various incarnations of the Dr, liked some, haven’t liked others (most recently loved both David Tennant, and Matt Smith’s versions). Been irritated by pretty much all of his companions (except perhaps Jamie (played by Frazer Hines) who I had a bit of a crush on when I was thirteen, despite him being a bit thick). I’ve been freaked out by many of the baddies, and amused by some of the more rickety others – particularly by the Cybermen when they were updated and had quite groovy bell bottom legs.

Of course, the Daleks , are the most iconic of the Dr’s foes, with their beady eyes,robotic voices, sink plungers and egg whisks (that’s me in the picture having a bit of a moment with one of the ol’ fellers), but honestly, they are cutie pies compared to the ‘Weeping Angels’.

If you’ve not come across them, beware! When observed they stand still and rigid, much like any beautiful stone angel you might come across, but blink, just once, just for a millisecond, and they will lunge toward you. One touch of their icy finger can send you back in time, while they feast on your energy…. brrr….. sends shivers down my spine just thinking about them.

I guess on paper they don’t sound that terrifying, but trust me, watch them on TV on Saturday evening, and they’ll freeze your blood.

I came across this one at the Dr Who exhibition in Cardiff a couple of years ago. I don’t think I blinked, and I don’t think it touched me, but looking at this photo I’m not so sure. Perhaps I was hurtled back in time. Perhaps I’m really from the future. Would I know… Oh crikey, it’s messin’ with me mind!! 😉

August 13, 2015 by rebootingkaye

Thirsty Thursday

Today’s thirst quencher is…

Lavender Milk

Yeah, I know, it looks like a glass of bog standard milk, but believe me, it isn’t. It is light, frothy and fragrant, like drinking a cloud suffused with flowers.

It’s been my number one non-alcoholic summer drink since I found the recipe in a magazine last year, and I drink gallons of it, choosing to forget the sugar content, and convincing myself it must be healthy.

I pick the lavender heads from my garden (sorry bees) and making the syrup fills the kitchen with their scent. The syrup lasts for ages if kept in the fridge, so I make a biggish batch and it lasts for half the summer 🙂

To make the syrup just melt 100g of sugar in 100ml of water. Once the liquid is clarified add the flowers of 10 lavender heads (stalks removed) and leave for a minute or two on a very low simmer. Remove the liquid from the heat and leave to infuse for about 40 minutes or so. Then you can strain off the liquid into a sterilised container, seal it up, and store it in the fridge.

To make the Lavender Milk you need:

A handful of ice-cubes

As much milk as you fancy (i use semi-skimmed, but it’s your choice!)

Lavender syrup to taste

You can, of course, mix it all up in a glass, but I just bung it all in the blender and give it a good ol’ whizz. Bob’s your uncle… A glassful of Summer! Enjoy x

August 4, 2015 by rebootingkaye

So what does it mean?

Posted in response the Daily Post weekly photo challenge. This week’s theme ‘Inspiration’

Strangely, I’ve found this a toughie. When I’m stuck on these challenges, my first thought is ‘well, what does that actually mean’? Of course, I kinda know, but what is the actual definition? On these occasions, I don’t go for the usual quick internet dictionary, I go to the study and dig out my big ol’ Oxford English jobbie. You know, an old fashioned, proper big book of words. It’s a fat tome, with fine paper pages that rustle when you turn them, a red ribbon page marker, and finger hole marker thingys so that you can find the right initial letter easier. Apparently, it contains over 240,000 words, and I’m guessing that I will never use at least three quarters of them.

Whenever I look up a word, I always, always, find others around it that I’ve never heard of (did you know an Inselberg is an isolated hill rising abruptly from a plain, or Inspissate means to thicken or congeal? Me neither…), so I usually end up distracted from what I was doing (like now).

So back to what inspires me. Well, the definition in my dictionary is ‘The process or quality of being inspired’ errmmm… yeah….. ok, use it properly….to inspire is to ‘fill with the urge or ability to do or feel something; create a feeling in a person.’

So my dictionary itself inspires me to think about words, enjoy them, and learn. I’ve taken some pictures of it for you (below). Dull isn’t it. The thing with books is that you have to hold them and hear the pages, feel the heft (Ok, I admit it, I even smell my books) to appreciate them.

So what else inspires me? Well, everything and anything. The sunshine, my dog, the flowers – hey even looking at my baggy belly inspires me to go to the gym – (don’t worry, I won’t be posting a picture of that!)

The thing that’s been inspiring me recently though is a lovely idea for cheering up chronically sick children, PostPals. All you have to do is send a letter, or email to one of the ‘Pals’ to give them a smile. How brilliant is that? The children themselves are inspiring in their bravery (especial love to my friend Lewis who suffers from a form of the devastating Batten’s Disease). If you are interested please visit the PostPals website by clicking here.

Inspiring me today:

Inspires me to go for a walk

Inspiring me to get out my camera

ah, weeds…need to do some gardening!

Bees..always working..I should get some housework done..

August 3, 2015 by rebootingkaye

Reasons to be Cheerful

Well, they were playing this on the radio this morning, and while I was dancing around my bedroom I thought about all the reasons I have to be cheerful on this sunny Monday. Here is a selection. Not necessarily my top 20 but up there somewhere:

In no particular order…:

my family is healthy
It’s sunny even thought it’s August in England 😉 – we must be due for a storm…
I went to bed later than I should so I’m still sleepy, but I was lucky enough to be able to get a good night’s rest in a comfortable bed with a soft pillow
I had an invigorating shower with as much hot water as I cared to use
Despite ‘never having anything to wear’ I do actually have a huge selection of clean clothes to choose from
I still have my own teeth, and hair
I can still dance – after a fashion 🙂
none of the people I love smoke. This is something I am grateful for every single day (I have very strong opinions on smoking…don’t get me started!)
I have a very daft dog
I’ll be eating vegetables today that I have grown and picked myself
If I didn’t have my own veggies to eat, I could go to the supermarket and buy as many as I like
I have perfume to make me smell nice
Even though I know and appreciate that there are terrible, horrible, disgraceful, unfathomably nasty things going on in the world, I can still listen to jolly music on the radio in the mornings.
I am retired, though I don’t feel old enough to be
I have nice feet, and shoes to put on them
I know how to bake a cake and make wine….really, that’s all you need 🙂
I haven’t seen a spider in my house for several days
I can go out for a spin in Mavis, my new little red car, if I fancy it today
I can count at least five different species of birds in my garden right now… as I type..
I’ll get to have another session learning Japanese today

I’m wondering what your list might look like. I guess that one or two of your’s would match mine, but I’d love to hear what other’s you have. For inspiration here’s Ian Drury and the Blockheads for you:

Have a magical Monday x

July 27, 2015 by rebootingkaye

Beelove

Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge. This weeks theme ‘Close Up

I’m glad to say we have gazillions of bees in our garden at the mo’ and they particularly like my lavender. There are several different types, and lets face it, at first glance they all look the same, but with the help of a Friends of the Earth identification guide, I’m slowly beginning to recognise the differences. This one is a Common Carder Bumblebee (I think) which you can tell by his bouffant yellow ‘do’ and the yellow stripes that go right down to his bottom.

I’ve always rather fancied keeping a few hives, but really, having plenty of flowers in the garden has bought enough buzzy visitors in to satisfy my bee love.

You can find out about the FOE BEE CAUSE and get your own Bee Saver Kit by clicking here.

July 27, 2015 by rebootingkaye

Monday Motto

Oh, I do love a Latin motto, and this one is one of my favourites:

Nec Aspera Terrent

Which apparently means ‘difficulties be damned’.

I’ve picked up this translation from the Wikipedia page on the Kings Liverpool Regiment, who, along with other regiments, use this as their motto, but other sources, such as that on the Latin Discussion forum, suggest it’s more literal translation is ‘and the rough doesn’t deter’ or ‘and the tough stuff doesn’t scare [us] off’. They all mean roughly the same I guess, and I like the brevity (and alliteration) of Difficulties be Damned, so I’m plumping for that and will be saying it at every opportunity this week! 🙂

Have a great Monday everyone!