In a Vase on Monday

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden encourages us to share a vase highlighting what is growing in our gardens so here is my tussie mussie of foliage to start the week:

Variegated Vinca
Abelia
Pine
Winter Jasmine and Flowering Blackcurrant, not yet in flower


Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place In A Vase On Monday.

Six on Saturday

It’s exciting to see new developments in the garden as the days get longer.

Foliage is good, but flowers are better.  Bring it on!

 Disappears in Summer then braves the cold

 Euonymus emerald and gold brightens a grey day

We replenish our feeders in 3 locations every week but the birds let us down today when we were participating in Great British Birdwatch.  

 This Abelia is a good doer all year round

 Buds on the Honeysuckle on the fence near our seating area.  

 Euphorbia Tasmanian Tiger is always a delight.  The photo hasn't picked out the lower on the top branch

The Propagator generously hosts Six on Saturday.  Click on the link to his blog to see what he and his followers are growing and doing in their gardens this week.

Six on Saturday

As the days get longer, albeit a minute per day, I’m forever scanning the garden for new shoots, welcoming re-emerging plants and hoping that I’ll see others that so far elude me.

The viburnum is flowering nicely but the leaves are like lace curtains.  Any suggestions?

Winter Jasmine flowering its heart out

The Flowering Blackcurrant is about to show its colours a little earlier than usual

The variegated Vinca is bright and cheerful although its flowers are insignificant

On a visit to Temple Newsam Park, I saw the Rhodedendrons with big fat buds.  There are whole colourful avenues of them from late Spring

https://thirdageblogger.blogspot.com/2016/06/temple-newsam-park-and-gardens.html

….. and this is the greenhouse on the same day with its climbing geraniums

The Propagator generously hosts Six on Saturday.  Click on the link to his blog to see what he and his followers are growing and doing in their gardens this week.

Waving goodbye to 2019

I like to reflect on and record the highlights of the past year rather than dwell on any challenges and disappointments: 

Family and Friends

Inevitably, being part of a large family, we have lots of celebrations and get-togethers.  We welcomed two baby boys and celebrated my granddaughter’s Bat Chayil.  Sadly we lost our Auntie Flo, who passed away at age 99, just four months short of her hundredth birthday.  She was an outrageous flirt, loved to be the life and soul of any party and the last of her generation.  Fortunately we were able to record her reminiscences.  Large numbers of relatives and family friends turned up to see her off.  I suppose we are the “oldies” now.

Harry and Blake and Auntie Flo

Reading, Writing and Presenting

I have kept up with my writing, motivated by my writing group and their generous and constructive criticism and also the monthly local radio programme to which I contribute and help to produce. https://www.chapelfm.co.uk/elfm-player/shows/list/the-deli/

 We also contributed to LD50 a project celebrating 50 years of our town being twinned with Dortmund through the arts, particularly literature.  A series of exchanges between writers in Leeds and Dortmund took place culminating in a weekend festival at ChapelFM Arts Centre

https://www.chapelfm.co.uk/

and other venues across the city. I read some of their work in German, which I hope was understandable. 

I completed a short on-line course by FutureLearn and MMU, How to make a poem.

Interfaith activities

I am deeply saddened by the amount of racism and antisemitism which exists in the world, after we vowed never again.

Our local group of NisaNashim, a network for  Muslim and Jewish women across the UK  who come together to combat ignorance and learn from each other, have met regularly and enjoyed finding out about each other’s culture.

I have again participated in the winter shelters for asylum seekers.  Our guests our polite and helpful and make us delicious food.  Sadly, we are seeing the same people year after year as their appeals progress so slowly.  Asylum seekers have no access to housing or benefits and not allowed to work.  Every time, I hope the shelters will no longer be necessary, as with the Food Bank where the main cause I record is universal credit.

I was moved by the exhibition Eye as Witness which shows that the photos we see of the holocaust were mostly taken by the Nazis with particular agendas in mind. This exhibition also has rarely seen, secret taken by Jewish people and members of the anti-Nazi resistance, who, at great risk to themselves, used the camera to record the story as they saw it.  It allows visitors, by the use of virtual reality, to step through a Nazi photograph taken in the Warsaw Ghetto and observe the photographer taking the shot, and study what was left outside the frame of the image, which I found very emotional.

 This piece of paper recorded the camps this lady was sent to and kept in her shoe

Visits

After changing our membership from National Trust, having had many enjoyable visits, we are now members of the Historic House Association which have more properties in our area, which has allowed us to experience some interesting houses and beautiful grounds.
We saw the impressive Michaelangelo exhibition at Hull Minster which allowed us to see all the works from the Sistine Chapel which had been photographed and annotated.

This year we visited Portugal and Spain, Norfolk and spent a lot of time on our doorstep in Yorkshire.  Many trips are recorded on this blog.
We finished the year with a picnic in Morecambe on Christmas Day

Gardening

As a judge for Yorkshire in Bloom, I have the privilege of viewing the best gardens and parks and meeting their enthusiastic gardeners.


I also get the opportunity of learning about gardening and visiting amazing gardens through my gardening group, Friday Forum, a gardening group which is part of the Paxton Horticultural Society in Leeds, West Yorkshire

https://gardenersfridayforum.blogspot.com/

I enjoy reading and participating in Six on Saturday, generously hosted by The Propagator.   By clicking on the link to his blog, you can see what he and his followers are growing and doing in their gardens every week.

Looking forward to hearing about your highlights of 2019 and the challenges you have set for next year.

Wishing you all a peaceful and healthy 2020!

Shared Advent Storytelling 2019

Once again, Loren Eaton is hosting this event and links to all stories will be available on 21st January on her blog:  

https://isawlightningfall.blogspot.com/2019/12/advent-ghosts-2019-stories.html

The story has to be told in 100 words and here is my attempt:


On Christmas Eve morning, after my night shift, I collapsed on to the sofa, overwhelmed by the tasks to complete.  Tongue in cheek, I asked Alexa what preparations were needed..

My virtual assistant astounded me: 

“A list of the necessary tasks in order of priority has been sent to your phone.  Here is some energising music to help you.”

There was indeed a list and the uplifting music played while I beavered away.

My husband returned from work and praised my efforts.   I wanted to tell him how I had managed it but there was no message to be seen.

Happy holidays everyone and a all the best for a healthy and successful New Year.

Six on Sunday

I wasn't going to post, thinking there was nothing to write about but just collected some greenery to tart up the living room so (just for this week) it's my short and sweet six on Sunday.

So in this vase are holly, ivy, winter jasmine, abelia, grass and a shrub with no name.It's actually amazing what is growing including buds on trees, shoots of bulbs etc.
The Propagator generously hosts Six on Saturday.  Click on the link to his blog to see what he and his followers are growing and doing in their gardens this week.

Six on Saturday

 Here are my six which are around the front door to give some winter cheer.

 First blooms of Winter Jasmine.  Should stay until March.

 Trough with Pansies and Ajuga underplanted with bulbs 

Pot with Cyclamen, Calluna vulgaris and the silver one which had no label.  I later saw a load of these in Tesco all labelled (wrongly) Sedum Herbstfreude!  It's actually Calopcephalus browniI

The Propagator generously hosts Six on Saturday.  Click on the link to his blog to see what he and his followers are growing and doing in their gardens this week.