Yup, this is a picture of my compost heap. I know… not beautiful and most definitely not the most glorious respresentation of earth that you will see for this challenge. However, I would argue that it is the most wonderous.

It will never cease to amaze me that I can chuck all manner of organic waste in there, including (but not limited to) manky vegetables and peelings, teabags, newspapers, grass cuttings, and even woolly jumpers, and given a few months it will all rot down and become a beautiful crumbly and sweet smelling compost that works wonders, feeding my soil and making flowers and vegetables strong, healthy and colourful. It is the eighth wonder of the world.

It is also quite a comfort to me to witness that waste produce something beautiful. Not being of a religious nature, I don’t believe in an afterlife, but knowing that whatever happens to my, and my families bodies once we’ve finished with them, whether they are burnt and scattered in the wind or buried, those organic remains will feed the earth and help to nourish the planet one way or another. All I ask is that my family don’t choose to keep my ashes in a pot on the mantlepiece! Well, that would be just creepy anyway. 🙂

Well, this is all getting a bit gloomy, so here’s some evidence that my beautiful compost is doing it’s work already this spring.

April 11, 2016 by rebootingkaye

They’re coming

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

The baby leaves are just unfurling on my gorgeous Japanese Acer. They’re delicate and lovely now, but I’m looking forward to seeing them at their fiery best in a few weeks time.

March 30, 2016 by rebootingkaye

Beware the Werewolves

Posted in response to the Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge. This week’s them ‘Half-Light’. A photograph inspired by a lyric, poem or story…

Though I love to see a full moon, and sometimes give it a howl, I am of course always on the lookout for rampant werewolves on full moon nights (look, I’ve seen Twilight, I know some of them might be ok, but I’m not taking any chances). Fortunately, this moon was so weird and bright that I would have seen them coming, and lets face it, I only need to have run inside and locked the door ’til daylight if one did manage to climb over the rose covered prickly fence into my garden from when this picture was taken. So hah! werewolves, go get you a chinese instead!

Of course, I’m referring to the song ‘Werewolves of London’ by Warren Zevon which surely has the finest first line of any song….e..ver… ‘I saw a werewolf with a chinese menu in his hand…’ For those of you who haven’t come across it, enjoy!

https://youtu.be/nhSc8qVMjKM

January 18, 2016 by rebootingkaye

Mine!

Posted in response to the Daily Posts Weekly Photo Challenge – this week’s theme ‘Alphabet’.

I was very excited to find this twiglet especially made for me!! 🙂

K twiglet (2)

April 13, 2015 by rebootingkaye

Floating

So hard to choose between pictures for this weeks Daily Post photo challenge so I’ve given you a selection. Let me know which you like best!! The prompt is ‘Afloat’:

Ok, this first one is a little self-indulgent. I didn’t take the picture either….’cos yes, that’s me up there, floating about, light as a feather, above the beautiful blue sea off the coast of Marmaris, Turkey. I was particularly chuffed with the smiley face parachute! 😉

This next one is of the harbour at Kovalam, Kerala, India. When you see these hundreds of fishing boats out at night with their lanterns lit, it looks like the stars have fallen from the sky and are bobbing about on the water.

These next three were all taken on the backwaters of Kerala.

We were astonished by the ‘school buses’ like the one below that were crammed alarmingly with chattering children on their way home!

It was very atmospheric in the deep dark midst of the backwaters!

But at least when you eventually surfaced into the open, you could get a snack from a floating restaurant!

Oh I nearly forgot my paper boat made with my own fair hands especially for this challenge. The photo’s weren’t as stunningly wonderful or even half as interesting as I’d imagined,but hey ho, I’m sharing anyway!!

March 30, 2015 by rebootingkaye

Ephemeral – a moment of my life

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

Ephemeral – lasting a very short time.

It took me six years of hard slog study to achieve my Open University degree at the age of 58. To say I was chuffed to have passed would be the understatement of the century. I know, I know, most people manage to get theirs in their early twenties, but better late than never eh?

Anyhoo, you may be wondering why I’ve been rambling about that as something ‘ephemeral’, when clearly the process was quite the opposite. Well… just like any other graduates, OU students are presented with their qualifications at a big glittery award. The ceremony I attended was at the famous Barbican Centre in London. My husband and daughters had come along to watch and be proud, and I was beyond excited. The event itself took a couple of hours, but prior to it, there was the thrill of getting my robe fitted (disappointingly the OU students don’t get to wear mortar boards though) and getting formal pictures taken. Then the nervous wait for my turn.

I’m sure most of you will know that these ceremonies are basically a long procession of students walking across the stage, shaking hands, taking their awards and walking off again. It’s like watching paint dry when it’s not one of your own. However, when it’s your turn, or the turn of someone you love, it really is a top couple of minutes.

I remember it exactly. The tip tap of my shoes on the polished wood, the clapping and cheering from the audience (they managed to keep it up for every single person), the brief exchange of words, and the exit, all of which I managed without falling over or generally making a fool of myself (and there were stairs, I hope you’re impressed!) It was indeed a very fleeting moment in the scheme of things, but one which meant so much and has made an indelible imprint on my mind.

Yes, that’s me!!

March 23, 2015 by rebootingkaye

Brrr….it’s a bit Fresh!

Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge. This week’s prompt ‘Fresh’.

Hmm.. I struggled with trying to find something anywhere near original for this. I have got quite a nice picture of a bowl of fruit that I took for practice when I first got my new camera, but that seemed to be a bit cliched, and anyway, I did use it for the ‘orange’ challenge a couple of weeks ago. I’m guessing pictures of snow are a bit cliched too, but really, I can’t think of anything else this morning and I do quite like these that I took in our garden after a sudden and heavy snowfall a couple of years ago. Apologies if it makes anyone feel a bit chilly 😉

p.s. Hope you like my freshly made, somewhat menacing snowman!

March 16, 2015 by rebootingkaye

Lace walls

Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge ‘Wall’

We were lucky enough to visit the exquisite Bahia Palace in Marrakesh on our brief trip to Morocco a few years ago. This is a detail from the cool and peaceful little courtyard. All the walls are heavily decorated which make them look as though they are made of lace! It’s a beautiful, calm, oasis in that exciting and colourful city.

March 9, 2015 by rebootingkaye

Orangey

This week’s Daily Post photo challenge is to post a selection of photo’s on the theme of ‘Orange’. As it happens my husband and I spent almost the entire weekend painting our new fence in ‘Harvest Gold’, which basically, looks orange, so a photo of that for posterity!! Most of the others were taken on our travels, though of course, I had to include a still life I took as practice when I first got my fancy camera.