The newest addition to TARDIS corner

I am privileged enough to have received 3 TARDIS art prints as presents from blogging friends.

Gemma James bought me the one on the left and Janet bought me the other two. I love them.

Then, look what came in the post this week... 

The lovely Alison who blogs at two Fatdormouse locations- here on Wordpress and here on Blogger is the most amazing Zentangle artist (I've included her Zentangle tag so you can look)- she made me a musical one once before.  I suggested that a TARDIS Zentangle might be interesting and she created this beautiful one. Even the calligraphed envelope was an utter work of art.  I am really thrilled with it so thank you very much Alison! Using the Time vortex for the Zentangle was really clever!

xx

5 brooches #28 - not 5 but the broochboard

 Hello there,

Hope you are all well.
For this occasion's 5 brooches, I thought it might be nice to share a picture of my brooch board as occasionally people have made comments about it being nice if I could show all my brooches together. That in itself is not possible yet as they are all stored in different places but a few months ago, I picked up this pinboard from Aldi and decided to pin some of my brooches to it. To be honest, it hasn't been totally useful so far since it is not up on the wall yet but propped up on the sideboard but I hope it will be.

I thought I'd do a few slighter close-ups so you could see a few.  Most, though not all of these have featured in 5 brooches. Can you spot any new ones or any that you recognise?

As always, this is procrastination from completing my packing. I hate packing!

xx

What is it? #46

Bonsoir from Chateau Snotville! I HATE having a cold this time of the year! I have sneezed SO many times today. Last night, I went to sleep with my hanky stuffed up my nose. I had really awful dreams, sort of weird scary film like I.A.LEGION or sort of Zombie-scary stuff going on. I was running all night in my sleep. Except when I had to wake up to blow my nose, to cough, to drink water or something. Weirdly in my dreams though, the hanky was still stuffed up my nose. I know you are loving all the extra-heinous details. You are welcome.

Here is today's cloud picture! I've had several of these in drafts as I took lots over Easter. Aren't you lucky?!?!?!

What do you see in this image besides a cloud?  Is there another image hidden? Be as detailed or as simple as you like. As we saw last week, we all have our weird and wacky ideas and they don't always correlate!!

Speaking of which, last week's picture...

When I saw this cloud in the sky. I seemed to see the simple figure of a man tripping over in the street, falling towads the left.  His head is a very odd shape, very small (one might even say, barely head shaped- he is a bit stylised), he is putting out his arm to save himself, the other one is up in the air and you can see his legs have gone flying- they are pointing out towards the right.


What did my illustrious commenters see?  Not that, that's for sure!

9 comments:

1. 
   bevchen6:26 am

   This one's easy... it's a dragon! He's facing left and you can see a wing sticking up at the top.

   ReplyDelete
2. 
   Ivana Split9:11 am

   It reminds me of Nessie...you know the famous Loch Ness monster!:):) It does look like a dinosaur of some kind but it looks cute so why not Nessie?
   
   Have a lovely day sweetie!

   ReplyDelete
3. 
   pastryandpurls1:26 pm

   Definitely something with pincers. Maybe a crab caught at a funny angle under a rock?

   ReplyDelete
4. 
   Polyester Princess2:23 pm

   It's a baby dragon, definitely! xxx

   ReplyDelete
5. 
   Nevena Krstic4:17 pm

   I kind of see a crazy chicken running haha! :) xx

   ReplyDelete
6. 
   Melanie8:12 pm

   Yes, it's a crabby thing, a bed-buggy, mitey, biting creature - blow away!

   ReplyDelete
7. 
   Julie9:20 pm

   It looks like one of those cartoon vultures running through the sky followed by a cloud of dust! X

   ReplyDelete
8. 
   Ellie Crossley10:24 pm

   I see a crocodile running on its hind legs!

   ReplyDelete
9. 
   Shamu Boo4:43 am

   A winged baby dragon, head right tail left, named Ernesto.

   ReplyDelete

Every one else was seeing some sort of creature- dragons, crocodiles, pincered crustaceans, vultures, chickens, Loch Ness monster! Great ideas here guys and I can see these when I look!

Over to you! What do you see this week?

Leave a comment and join in the fun!
xx

All about the lizards

When I lived in Bali, there was one unique part I adored. The lizards.  Growing up in England, the only wild creatures that would get into the house uninvited would be spiders, mosquitoes, flies, mice if you were really unlucky.  But in Indonesia, it was something a little different.

Houses in Bali would have little vents at the tops of windows- ornately carved.  And the Cecaks would creep in.  Cecaks (pronounced Cheh-Chack) were tiny little lizards, of not more than about 5cm long, who would sit high up on the walls.  Their name appears to be onomatopoeic since the sound they make is a "Chak, chak, chak".  I was utterly delighted by these shy little creatures. No worry that they would come and crawl on you, they lived high up on the walls and would eat the bane of my life, those awful relentless Nyamuk- or mosquitoes to us!
One of the cutest rhymes I was taught by a child there was this:

Cecak, Cecak, di dinding
Diam-diam merayap
Datung seekor nyamuk
HAP! Gagal/Lalu ditangkap!

"Lizards, geckos, wall
Silently creep
Suddenly mosquito!
HAP! Failed arrest
(apparently according to Wiki!)

They were so sweet- always there. I always longed to hold one of them but they were very shy.  I told my neighbour Ayu I wanted to hold on and one day I came home from school to find a very disgrunted-looking Cecak in a clear plastic bag with air holes.  She'd caught me one so I could hold him! I did so and he ran off immediately.

The other type of lizard, I heard before seeing.  The Dokeh or the Gecko in our language!  You would hear this:
Gudugudugudugudugudugudugudu
DOH- KEHHHHHH!
DOH- KEHHHHHHH!
DOH- KEHHHHHHH!
DOH- KEHHHHHHH!
DOH-----KEHHHHHH!

Children used to joke that you could tell the time with a Doh-keh! He's winding himself up like an alarm clock and then he chimes!

When I finally saw one, they were much larger than the Cecak and would camoflage against a tree. Less cute-looking, a bit more Crocodilish but still handsized.  darker skin.  I never managed to hold a Dohkeh!

I learnt to perfect my impression of a Dohkeh!

The other type of lizard that I never saw was the Komodo-dragon.  You could see these in the zoos in Bali (which I never went to) but I met a few people from the Indonesian Island of Flores where the Komodo-dragon comes from.  I'd have loved to meet one.
My friend Va'clav said that there was a larger lizard in our garden there but I never saw it.

The lizards were one of my favourite parts of life in Bali.  Something about having such a completely harmless animal sitting around on your walls, keeping you company.

Have you ever fallen in love with a creature indigenous to a place you have stayed?
Do share any foreign animal stories!

xxx

Recent doings

 Totally stolen this idea from Fatdormouse, who stole it from someone else, who stole it from someone else. It's a paradox, anyways...

So, here I go.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW...is dark. I am sitting at the dining room table facing a darkened garden. It is pouring with rain which is very audible in a bungalow! It is dark, I might add. I expect a fox has slunk past the window, they usually do and I usually catch them but I've been sitting in a different position from normal.


HEARING.. the whirring of the computer.  I haven't listened to any music today. I don't always.  I was going to sit and listen to Doctor Who series 7...

hold on...

haven't switched it on....

Now I am!

The Rings of Akhaten, which is appropriate as it is all about singing.

PONDERING... Have I forgotten to prepare anything for tomorrow's year 3 recorder concert.Have I got enough music stands for 90 children. Will child x, y, z, a and b behave or will they try to wreck it for everyone else?

PRAYING... not right now, but, amongst many other things, I am praying for 5 people specifically. The guest vicar at the team service last week, gave us all a piece of string to tie 5 knots in to remind us to pray for those people. It's tied to the buckle of my handbag and has worked well so far at reminding me.

THANKFUL... for a calm weekend alone in which I managed to get the housework done; lots of gardening done; for the weather holding out until I had done everything I needed, for CBC coming home safely from DofE, for the chocolate profiteroles (I cannot spell it but I cannot be bothered to check) that I got reduced in Sainsbury's; for my sore throat subsiding today; for a beautiful church service this morning; for the lift I received from church friend.

WEARING... Amazing Grace t-shirt, daisy brooch, Henry Holland floral skirt, navy blue leggings with a hole in the knee, odd socks, knitted slippers from Mummy; Primark Sailor cardigan, music camp sweatshirt (recent addition), Peony flower slide in hair.

GOING...to bed as soon as I have done this! 11.02!  I have been on the go all day since leaving for church at 8.10am!

READING:  Cakes and Ale by Somerset Maughan. It's ok so far but not adoring it.

LOOKING FORWARD TO...when this week is over.SOooooooooooooooooooo many concerts and trips! And going to Germany!!!! Schwarzwalderkirchetorte here I come!* (well, just the Schwarzwalder but I always like writing that word!)

HOPING... that I haven't offended a DoctorWho cosplayer by thinking he was cosplaying John Lumic because I didn't see the fez and bowtie on his head in the small picture in a group shot because of the person behind him. I was informed, by another cosplayer, that someone in a wheelchair doesn't just have to cosplay someone in a wheelchair. I didn't even think it was a wheelchair but I guess the point is, I didn't think or look close enough,  he must get that all the time, people not seeing past the wheelchair. Thus, I am really feeling sad that I might have offended him or continued the stereotype in some way.  Anyway, trying not to fret about it but hate upsetting anyone, I worry about it for days.

IN THE KITCHEN...is the ceramic oven dish which I cooked oven-roasted veg with with Bulgar wheat and red quinoa. Was delicious!!!

IN THE LEARNING ROOMS... er, not sure what this means. Well, I'm going to be TEACHING Year 1, year 3 and year 4 tomorrow as well as KS1 Singing assembly, Orchestra, Year 3 recorder concert with all the parents! Sigh...Really hoping I have enough music stands and music for all90 of them! Luckily I picked up a rainbow music stand in the charity shop yesterday for £3!!!

AROUND THE HOUSE... I tidied and cleaned!  There's 3 racks of clean clothes, some that got left in the rain, CBC used the electric drill to put up his amazing print of the Himalaya with a huge shrub in front this week that he bought from an artist in Prudhoe. He refused to put up my 3 TARDISES though-swine! So they are in TARDIS corner on top of the sideboard.

Right, really must be getting to bed!

xx

Garden life- Marvellous May

It's a joy having inherited, albeit temporarily, a beautiful garden.  I don't know what is going to bloom when.  

After the first surprise of crocuses in February, Daffodils in January, Blossom in April, I've been wondering what will come out next.

Here's a few new additions.

 This massive bush is near the house and it has burst out in beautiful pink blossoms.

 The Holly is also blossoming.  Not seen this before. Especially as I have been too kind to it so far.

 Whatever this is, is also blossoming.

 There's loads of these green-leafy plants. I suspect they are weeds but I don't know!  But I quite like the way they grow.

 We used to have this shrub in our old house.  They smell like Cardamon.

 These leaves are rather attractive.

 We have masses of rose bushes around the garden.  And here is the first rose!

 Delicate white blossoms have bloomed.

 And here, I saw the dawning of the first pink rose.

 This purple shrub is losing its first bloom but still pretty.

 The first of the peach-coloured roses.

 Is this Honeysuckle?

 The bird box is looking rather attractive here.

 As I was hacking into the thick ivy earlier, I had a dreadful shock when I saw this little fellow dangling from my secateurs. I screamed and dropped them and him, it was such a shock. He then hurried into the bushes. I hope he is ok, he looked alright on top but hope he wasn't hurt underneath with the secateurs.

I'll fill you in on what I've been doing in the garden at the end of the month!

How does your garden grow this month?

xx

Tea towel club

When I see our girls wearing those cute gingham school dresses, I remember the happy times of primary school summers when I could wear one of those pretty, cool dresses for school. Twas a happy time. I know, for some people, that school was not a happy time. But, for me, school was always happy. I cried when I got things wrong or couldn't understand something, but on the whole, I regard my school days, particularly primary as wonderful times. We had the most amazing school field. It was absolutely enormous- vast stretches of grass with trees around the fence.  Our favourite trees were the weeping willows- there were two of them that were leaning downwards forming a canopy/tent. My friends and I seemed to spend all lunchtime playing in there. I wonder, if any other children ever got a look in, because it seems like we were always there!  Even now, when I go past my old primary school, I smile upon it and recall a myriad happy times.

 Seguing into this dress.  We always used to say we were the tea towel club wearing our gingham summer dresses and when CBC bought me this Lindybop dress (that I had admired for well over a year but resisted buying when it was back in stock), I was put in mind of our school dresses. It is every bit as lovely as I imagined, comfy,cotton, pockets. All the good things.  It seemed appropriate to wear with this Erstwilder book owl brooch.   I really liked this design for ages- it is Harry Potteresque and fun, yet sweet. The owl has really benevolent eyes. I bought this with some birthday money from my Dad

Summer- times of cotton dresses and bare legs- no wrestling with tights in the morning! Hurrah!

Hope all is well with you.
xx

5 brooches #30

Hello there,

Hope all is well with you.

It's been a good day all in all but I am weary!!! I went for a run yesterday with a friend and my legs are reaaaaaaaaaaally aching now- so painful! It was good to do some exercise other than my daily 2.4 miles walk or the occasional swim.  Hope we can keep it up- at least once a week!

Onto the broochology...

 This Polar bear was from Tatty Devine. I received an ASOS voucher for my birthday and I bought this with it! Thanks to Madame Penguin for this!

 I've had this cute little badge since before Christmas. It came as a freebie with my Ladybird likes box!

 I couldn't resist wearing this with my Shrimp earrings and the pink flamingo outfit. Bought these from the Church Big day out a few years ago.

 Sass and Belle bluetit was perfect for this Dotty Perkins dress- so glad I can wear this for school now as I couldn't with my previous Headteacher as she also had it!

 Love my Dorothy brooch. I last wore this BEFORE the inauguration of 5 brooches I think! Worn with my Clara Flatline shirt!

Last but not least, Mr Pinchy, my Erstwilder lobster brooch- love him!

Have you seen or worn any nice brooches this week?

xx