Fall is coming...

On the calendar, fall is here, but in the southeastern U.S., we definitely have an long prolonged warm period into fall. After intense summer heat, the highs moderate, and the lows gradually drop, and finally, cooler air comes.

Tomorrow, the high is predicted to be only 72° F. That's warm, for northern folks, but cool for us for late September.

The Virginia creeper has already turned a lovely scarlet color -- maybe hastened by droughty conditions. This one is climbing up into the large Southern red oak near our house.

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus virginiana)

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Proud Mum.

Who would have thought that this cheerful toddler........


........would grow into a 6'4" Master of Physics and now is starting a PhD, (something to do with condensed matter/micro technology).

I was such a proud mum at Vytas' graduation at Leicester University this summer. (Don't look at my hair, the rainy weather turned me into a total frizzhead). Vytas is still living in Leicester with Kate who is doing a Masters at the uni. Sorry guys, I just had to put your photos up. When Vytas told me this morning that he'd got his PhD place I was so excited. I celebrated in the accepted fashion at work by taking in cakes and chocolate biscuits.

The weather is wet, and very windy though the wind which was coming from the west was surprisingly warm. I taught in the afternoon, all the kids were dressed as gardeners or flowers or scarecrows to celebrate Harvest Festival. Although many parents like uniform I think it regiments the children and I much prefer it when we have non-uniform days.

Kids are funny, I was doing an RE lesson about Joseph and Jacob and they got fixated on the blood on Joseph's coat. They wanted to know all the gruesome details , we didn't go into that, and then someone said 'they murdered the sheep', so I had to divert into talking about the fact that meat on the table is the result of animals being killed. A difficult concept at the best of times and with a recent bereavement in the class it was a fine line between truth and skipping over the facts. I hope I got it right.

The wind is howling outside this evening. Soon it will be time to light the woodburner for some extra warmth. The cats are starting to curl up together cutely by the rayburn in the kitchen.

This morning Donovan was on the tv, promoting his new album. It's funny to see how much he has changed but when he sang the voice was still the same.As a child of the 60s his music brought back memories so I've included an old clip for anyone else who remembers those times.

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Brown and Blue...and Pink!

I'm not the biggest fan of the brown and blue combo (although thechocolateblues.com is my most popular decor shopping blog), but this bedroom in the Traditional Home Built for Women Showhouse III designed by Scott Laslie is just so pretty. I love the block-print fabric for draperies and upholstered headboard, especially combined with the pink accents. And how about that chandelier? Wow.

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Good to be home

After a quick dash to the mountains this weekend, I'm finally feeling at home again. The light was extraordinary at sunset.

It illuminated the perennial border and the front meadow.

And Mocha, after a long weekend, just waited for my gardening companion to come home.

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Autumn Returns.

The weather was much cooler today, sunshine and showers. I was called into work for the morning and it started to rain just as I drove home. The lanes are beginning to look more autumnal, leaves turning brown and fewer flowers. At home I tried to get some work done in the garden but apart from burning up a big pile of brambles, rain kept stopping play. I had some urgent letters to post, (usually I just give my post to our friendly postie), so I drove to the nearest post box at East Down. The boys wanted to go to the pub so I drove them down and they walked home along the footpaths.

The Pyne Arms in East Down.

(The Prancing Pony?)

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Moises Esquenazi

I love this Los Angeles bungalow belonging to designer Moises Esquenazi. Such a fun mix of fabulous colors that leaves you feeling happy and rejuvenated. The outdoor space is to die for. I don't think it would be hard to entice friends over with a backyard like that! View more images and read all about the home at House Beautiful.

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Morning Visitors.

We were enjoying yet another sunny day with a lie in and a cup of tea when we realised that Coral and her foal were walking about on the lawn by the conservatory. Not a good idea, so I leapt out of bed, threw on some clothes and phoned next door before going outside and grabbing a bucket. Coral was quite skittish, cantering across the lawns, so I decided I would just calm them down and wait for my neighbour as I didn't want to send them flying up the road. My neighbour soon came and took them back down to the stables where they will be confined to quarters until the fence can be mended. Not too much damage apart from hoof prints in the lawn, but the grass will soon grow.

Went to church in Ilfracombe. Some of the youngsters raised money for a youth cafe that the church is opening in town, by auctioning themselves for a day. Their descriptions of themselves were very honest eg- not too good at cooking but willing to learn. it was all good fun and they raised a lot of money. Afterwards dropped in at Tesco so I could buy chocolate for yet another chocolate chunk cake.

The coast is on the right of the middle lamp post.

Then it was off to the car boot sale. I estimated over 600 buyers' cars in the field. I enjoy hunting for bargains though I try to be selective in what I buy. My aim is to declutter, not fill the house up again. I was especially pleased to get some Habitat paper lampshades that I had intended buying from Habitat the next time I went to Exeter or Bristol. I'm typing this post by the light of a touch lamp that a stall holder gave me last week because he just didn't want to take it home.

Not much else done today, the boys have just returned from a hike down to East Down and I think the cake is disappearing rapidly.

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Friday's Walk.

Another glorious day, and it's the weekend. How good is that? As I lay in bed this morning with only the sound of birdsong I thought what a long way we've come from when we were first married, over 30 years ago. Our first home was a council flat, new and very nice but overlooking a motorway with lorries roaring past, 24/7 and just a 5ft square balcony. And now we have all this.

Jake is staying over for the weekend so that he and Romas can shoot each other with their airsoft guns. They've also been electrocuting each other with some laser pistols and if that wasn't enough they've had a few bouts with big wooden home-made swords. I can see a bit of a pattern here. Speaking as an ardent pacifist I don't think I quite got the message across. Oldest son, Vytas, often spends his weekends taking part in battles with pike and armour. Oh, and I've got two swords hanging on the bedroom wall but I abhor fighting, honestly.

Gardening today was more cutting back of summer growth and general tidying up. There is still so much in flower, even the climbing roses have a good display and the passion flower is still producing flowers. It was barbecue time again, very civilised. I freecycled a double mattress which was surplus to requirements which was collected this afternoon but the single bed I also offered has no takers, so if we can get it in the car we'll take it to the recycling centre.

Some pictures from yesterday's walk.

Morning sunshine across the fields.

A cattle track which narrows and falls steeply into our valley.

Down at the bottom of the track is the same stream which flows 3ft from the back of the house.

Let's be thankful for our beautiful world.

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Just watch ....

Go watch this on Youtube : Planet Earth
Trust me.

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Silly Moos

It was a lovely sunny if slightly chilly morning so I decided to treat myself to a nice long walk across the fields, happy snapping as I went. Saving the rest of the photos for later as I wanted to post some fun stuff today. Spent most of the day working in the garden and enjoying the sun.

First the 'Silly Moos' seen on my drive around Shirwell.

I stopped in a gateway to check out the views and was spotted by these cows, (bullocks actually).

'Come on lads, lets see who that is at our gate.'

'You lead, we'll follow.'

'Careful, she might actually touch us.'

And then , on being offered a handful of grass, they all ran away.

Silly Moos.

More fun clips which hopefully will raise a smile.

This always made me laugh when I heard it on the radio.

This one gets Pete laughing.
When I first heard this I rang up the radio station to find out who it was by. The Youtube clip with Weird Al singing can't be copied but I found this one with the Lego people.

Enjoy. Back to normal tomorrow.

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A delightful urban nursery

I walked through a series of interesting neighborhoods to reach a small nursery in a developing district along N. Mississippi.

Some remarkable initiatives for community development (the 'trees' are the entrance to the Rebuilding Center), an excellent parking and all sorts of interesting landscapes were part of the experience.

But the nursery, Pistils, turned out to be wonderful -- full of great plants, a charming shop selling all sorts of things, and knowledgeable staff. It was well worth seeking out.

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Maps and More Maps

As a big fan of maps (as well as budget-friendly ideas!), I love how this room was created with only $150 worth of inexpensive maps. This particular room was designed by David H. Mitchell for Southern Accents 2005. Check out this post on Brilliant Asylum for even more great rooms featuring maps and globes!

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Cow's Muck.

Today I worked all day, reception in the morning and year 1 in the afternoon. Lots of the staff have really bad colds and the children are starting to go down with tummy bugs. Pretty standard for this time of year. I would not be surprised to get a phone call in the morning asking me to work. Hope not because I suspect I may have caught a tummy bug from the children. Don't worry , there'll be no further details.

Birthday has just arrived back home with rather a whiff of cow slurry about him. That's because the farmers have been at their favourite dry weather occupation - muck flinging. I like the smell of cows but whole fields of it gets rather pungent. One of Romas' friends remarked that you know you are a true North Devon person when the smell of cows' muck through the car window reminds you of home.

Note the dark brown area where the muck spreader has been. I assume the seagulls, which only flew off when I got out of the car to take a photo, were feeding on the small creatures that live in the muck - nice! The buzzard that was feeding only 10 ft from the car also flew away but that is part of the buzzard saga which hasn't yet reached its conclusion. Watch this space.

Some views of hills.

I've tried to analyse why hills fascinate me and I think it is because of the flowing lines creating such strong shapes. My favourite views are when the sun is low and casting shadows that highlight all the contours of the hillsides. It shouldn't be too long before the best conditions coincide with my journeys to and from work and I may be able to get some decent shots. That is of course if it isn't raining .

I was standing with my back to a fairly new housing development on the edge of Barnstaple , looking north. The planning regulations are so stringent here that there is very little chance of any further building on these lovely hills.





Down in the back valleys behind Shirwell. These hills are really steep which doesn't show too well in photos.

Most of the land around here is only used for grazing cattle or sheep.

What a view.

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Stacey Brandford

Thanks to Desire to Inspire, I discovered the portfolio of Canadian photographer Stacey Brandford. If you haven't checked it out for yourself, you must now! These images are just a taste of his skills. Such beautiful and inspirational shots! I especially love the first two of the dining room. So pretty!

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Greening your city

I don't live in a large city, but I'd like us to do more to green the streetscapes and business landscapes.


Portland isn't perfect, but their street plantings, "hell strip" plantings (that's the strip between the street and sidewalk), and containers are a big improvement from what I normally see.

Of course Portland has the perfect benign climate for container plantings, and tough site plantings.


But, this is what I saw in the downtown Pearl District of Portland today, and think about what you could encourage in your community. I know I'll be going home with good ideas about what to try.

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