Simple Things....

Supposedly simple things please simple minds. I am disproportionately proud of my achievement of getting the apple peel off in one go....here's the proof.....

A similar rush was achieved by my successful mission to get to the crust of the baguette yesterday as well. Yes I know I should share....on occasion I do. However, it's all out warfare here for the honour....all manner of dirty tricks are employed to claim it for yourself. Yesterday I won!

Hmmm I think the old adage perhaps could have been written about me....;-)

Arilx

The Fantastical Beasts of Winkworth

If you look very carefully there's always magic to behold......

Fairies at the bottom of the garden...their homes are there for those who see....

And fantastical beasts masquerading as tree branches.....

Magic can take many forms...its interpretation is down to the one who perceives. Some days it may be delights such as these....some days it may be the plant valiantly flowering in a crack in the pavement. Look for the sparkles and you will find them.

Arilx

Autumn Tints

Now belonging to the National Trust, Winkworth Arboretum was originally planned and planted as a garden which would come into its own in the Autumn. I hope its original owner, Dr Fox, would have been pleased with the results of his vision which he would have known he would never live to see.

The palette was enhanced even more by all the berries. These are the pink and white variants of the Mountain Ash which I've never encountered before.

Taken together it made for a stunning vista, as my friend E and I explored the grounds.

Arilx

Abracadabra!

Yes another birthday treat...my parents very kindly paid for us all to attend a live show at the head quarters of the Magic Circle in London.

Now many of us who grew up in the 1970s will have been fed a diet of Saturday night TV with more than its fair share of magicians. There was a lot in the way of light entertainment on offer back then and with only the three channels to watch not a great deal of choice. I've always enjoyed the spectacle of it all...the amazement and the smoke and mirrors used to create the illusion.

Magic has been performed since the time of the Egyptians....indeed the conjuring balls and cups is a trick still very much with us today. The word itself is derived from the Greek "mageia" meaning ritual and the oh so familiar "abracadabra" once appeared on amulets as a protective charm against dangerous and life threatening diseases.

The show itself consists of a series of close up performances. Once or twice I was able to work out how the magician had completed the trick [sitting in the front row with a sideways view helped], but most of the time I was completely foxed and spellbound. There seemed to be a lot of additional movement with the hands which I felt was designed to distract and confuse the brain of the observer. The second half was stage magic performed in the theatre...again equally impressive.

I don't want to give too much away as I don't want to spoil it for others suffice it to say that it was a chance to do something completely different. The whole evening was very special.

Arilx

Happy Halloween

Blessings to all those who celebrate the old ways.

Hallows Eve by Show of Hands.

Arilx

Bench Marks

What amazing weather we've enjoyed this October. I'd hoped that it might last out to the end of the month so there would be a fighting chance that the Autumn leaves at Winkworth Arboretum would still be hanging on. I am happy to report that they were amazing. However, it was the original seating arrangements that really caught my eye. Some had bodies sitting on them [not unreasonably], but I took a few snaps of those that were personless. It's fab when something so mundane and everyday is transformed so imaginatively.

Arilx

October Scavenger Hunt

Joining in again with this month's scavenger hunt organised by Hawthorn Spellweaver from http://livelovecraftme.blogspot.co.uk/  Every month she kindly puts up a list of words for us to interpret with our own photos. If you link back to her blog you can see the other entries.

1. 'A' is for aardvark. A shop sign in Chester which appealed to me greatly. The colours remind me of Elmer the Elephant.

2. Lunch. This is the lid of my son's old lunch bag from when he was a really small person. I keep bird food in it now, but seeing my elephant sketch reminded me that this was drawn as a reminder that if he kept only eating his crisps and not his fruit the elephant would tell me and there would be no crisps the next day. He only tried it on once and then decided he'd eat his fruit thereafter!

3. 11 o'clock. As Remembrance approaches this time of day always put me in mind of the two minute silence.

4. Black and white. I love corvids. Many I know do not share my enthusiasm.

5. Looking up. Anyone familiar with my blog will probably be expecting a roof boss of some sort. Instead my version of looking up is the frequent checking of spelling and synonyms needed to complete the crossword clues.

6. 'T' is for a Lyons Tea sign in a local village which is still on the side of a cafe wall. Perhaps a rare survival.

7. Landscape. I am cheating here and reusing a photo from a walk up on Leith Hill which I did with my good friend E and her bonkers sprocker Toby. It's a reminder of a lovely morning spent together and hopefully to be repeated this weekend when we see each other again.

8. Two. Two gift vouchers for cream tea given to me as 50th birthday presents. I am known for my cafe habit and love of cake and am looking forward to enjoying these treats over the coming months.

9. Swing. The pendulum in the clock in our lounge swinging from side to side.

10. My own choice. I love and am very drawn to the unusual/quirky. I don't go looking for it, but seem to attract it. This frog trio were seen in Chawton when we visited Jane Austen's house earlier this week. They are adult human size!

Arilx