A darned cleg bit me the other day - just behind the ear where my glasses catch it. Everyone is complaining how bad they are on the Island this year. I cannot blame the above injury on the clegs though - this was self-mutilation caused by a coffee table stepping out and hitting me. Ironically since I took that photo I've done exactly the same thing again and now have a second mark about an inch lower. That was one of the many reasons I gave up work - I kept falling over and walking into things. I'm sure people used to think I was drunk. It's the neuropathy - it causes the sensory and motor nerves to pack in. So next time you see someone staggering or slurring their speech please don't automatically assume they are drunk. Unbeknown to you, they might have a neurological problem or Parkinson's disease or some other disorder. That's my lecture for the day over and done with...
GB's water jug and its glasses were much admired when they were used the other night. They are beautifully thin glass and a lovely shape to hold. The pattern of the decoration is moons and suns. They are definitely not the sort of thing to put in the dishwasher. The last time I used them was when they used to live in Mum and Dad's sideboard and it was a nostalgia trip for me to handle them again. I think they were a wedding present to Mum and Dad so that would make them 70 years old this month.
A wander around GB's garden produced a couple more weeds/wild flowers to add to my list including this beautiful little Wall Speedwell ( Veronica arvensis).
This is Shepherd's Purse, a weed I recall from my childhood.
As children we were shown how the seedpods resembled the shape of a medieval purse (as seen in this picture from http://www.longago.com/medievalmen.html )
A Large Red Damselfly settled on the vegetation of the pond.
Whenever I can I grab the opportunity for a walk down to the shore. On my last visit a Great Skua was harrying the Terns.
And a Rock Pipit kicked up a fuss at my presence.
This seaweed is Bladderwrack.
It is also known as Popweed because you can 'pop' the little air sacs.
Oh my goodness John, if I had realised the glass I was handling so casually at dinner the other night, was over 70 years old, I would have had a fit! I know I like to use my treasures all the time, but there is a difference between using your own and using another persons treasures!
ReplyDeleteAren't we having a superb summer? The damsel fly is archival quality. well done. Sorry about your disability...........It does give me ideas though.
ReplyDeleteSo you call them Clegs, never heard of a Horse Fly but clegs is awful. Think we had all your midges this morning and at 1200'. All the best and keep smiling and posting.
Treasures are there to be used, Spesh. Otherwise they are just museum pieces. And there are enough of us museum pieces around already - yourself excepted, of course!!
ReplyDeleteLovely post (except for your wound). The pictures are excellent, and the final one elicited a spontaneous, Wow!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to read that you've had a good day. We're in the middle of the day here, painting siding and generally sprucing things up. I'm taking a break to cool off as it's a sunny 30 out there.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are beautiful - the thunderstorm made me want to be there!
I have fallen in love with your blog - I am a British born woman living in Brazil with teenagers - met you on MMM! I SO loved the picture of bladderwrack - I remember it from the Isle of Sheppey where I lived before moving to Brazil...
ReplyDeleteHope the beast that maimed you is now on his way to the afterworld of beasties. Sorry to hear you are bumping into things, damned condition you have. I am always a bit wary if a person 'looks' inebriated' 'cos as you point out, it may not be the case.
ReplyDeleteSmashing pic of the bladderpods [our childhood version] Southport used to have heaps of it when the tide was right... and Oh boy did it pong!
Love Granny
I want to comment on a few photos, but by the time I get down here to write....I've forgotten what I might have said :) - so what's my excuse?
ReplyDeleteYou've got me wondering about the bumping into things, wobbling, walking into walls (oops, I do that). Seriously, the slur in the speech sometimes and the loss of balance...hmmmmm.