Sun through the leaves

New leaves in the garden 7th May

Hey Jill, Great to hear of your functional desires in the garden, that's very much where I'm at with my sunny border (and by border I mean 4 slabs lifted). For years it had a mix of fennel, flowers, jerusalem artichokes and shrubs. It always looked pretty good and bushy but since the neighbours shed was built it's now the only full sun area left so I'm keen to devote it to things I can eat like goji berries (seedlings finally popped up, they are minute), gooseberries, herbs and perhaps some beans against the wall.

I've not got catmint in this garden, it died in my old garden but may fare better in this one, or round at Mr P's, so thanks for the reminder. I also used to have lemon balm, such a great smell. I had so many mints in my old garden, they really liked it there, but many went astray or died (from neglect!) when I moved, pineapple mint was my favourite for scent though it always looked a bit straggly and small. I think now I only have peppermint, spearmint and Eau de Cologne mint all needed to be placed somewhere more permanent.

Melted cat

On that really hot day (7th May) the cat, who had been rolling around baking in the dust outside, came in looking dazed and melted onto the bed in the shade. He was more asleep than I have ever known and didn't wake or even move his ears as I spent 20 minutes crawling around him taking photo's. He stayed like that, without moving for at least 1 hour. Hot happy cat.




The weather turned colder this week and today it's raining, but as always, I'm happy for the plants that will enjoy the water. I'm wondering how many of you are gardeners? I love how even a few pots or a window box with the right plants can bring as much pleasure as a large garden. I've still never found anyone willing to break up the vast areas of poured concrete in my garden so a lot of my plants have been surviving in pots, or carrier bags (now disintegrating) for 5 years. The hostas seem best adapted to bag life and never fail to perform, in spite of mass attack from slugs. What pests do you wrestle with? I know many of you live outside the UK so your pests could be very very different from mine.

Sheds & National Work from Home Day (UK)

Just accidentaly deleted most of the images and links for this post! Here's what is left...


Ukrainian architecture found via microscopic

What an amazing building, I'd like that as a home office. Here in the UK it's National Work from Home Day today which I discovered this when browsing the great blog Shedworking. I've been wanting to use waste pallets in the rebuild of my mobile home as well as for fencing and I've spent months trying to find examples. I was very pleased when I strayed upon Shedworking (I'm a true shed lover) and lo and behold, they had this post about a pallet built temporary shelter for refugees but it can be adapted for permanent use.

If I lived anywhere else I would have been testing all my house plans by building sheds (goodness knows I can never have enough storage space) but wooden sheds are now forbidden where I live, we are only allowed to put up metal ones, though luckily a wood one was already in place when I bought the house (and a metal one, I love having 2 sheds) and the rules only apply to new additions.

On the subject of sheds (and work), I was watching The Apprentice last night. What has the Apprentice got to do with sheds you ask? Well, according to this post on Shedblog (yes, another shed blog) contestants Michael and Lindi were carrying on in a shed in the garden of the house this year before Lindi was fired. UK readers probably already knew, but that is quite literally the only piece of gossip I have heard in months. If I got a man into my shed there'd be no nooky, I'd have him fixing a cross-brace to the back wall because the shed is slowly but surely tipping sideways on the sloped ground!

My current plan, for when I'm well enough to tackle things again, is to build a dog house for Lucy to stay cool in on hot days, a hedgehog house (he/she currently has a little leafy corner but it's not weatherproof) and some birdhouses... all with different types of green roof. Here is a link to another black lab called Lucy sitting outside her green roof dog house.


Sustainable Pet: Heart cat house (found via groovygreen)


Sustainable Pet: Birdhouse, bluebird

This will be my way of experimenting what will grow well because I really hope, one day, to have a green roof on my house extension. That is a very long way off, but it seems a good idea to start getting some practice with the plants now to see what survives best where I live.

I'm planning 3 tests. One with grasses, one with succulents and one with mosses. I suspect a combination of mosses and succulents will best suit the final roof, given that parts are in the shade (mosses) and the rest is nearly full sun. I like grass roofs, but I think it would cause too much trouble with the neighbours if it got straggly and I wouldn't be up there cutting it, though perhaps a loan of a rabbit would work.


Gallie Craig Coffee Shop, Drummore, Scotland.
Architect: IB McFadzean

I started the experiment a few years ago by putting broken bits of succulents on the nearly flat garage roof that backs onto my garden. The rain washed a lot of them away (it's not my garage so I can't build a retaining lip on it) but there was moss up there already and it held some in place. They are now doing quite well, though a lot is lost due to birds always pulling out the moss. On a proper green roof the succulents would have something to root into so I could pre-grow areas before putting them on the roof. Blimey, I didn't expect to witter on so much, but I never get to talk about my building passions these days with everything on hold.

Lichen, slate, stone

My first attempt at a sheduled post, the answer to my prayers. You will have noticed I go through periods of frantic multiple posting then have a blog drought. If this Blogger scheduling works I can stack up finish posts to self publish instead of overspilling, or worse, getting lost in my now enourmous backlog of draft posts.

73,000 Clustr hits

Clematis on stone, only 4 flowers this year :(

A big thank you to all of you who visited, linked to and commented on Cally Creates in the last year. My Clustr Map has just archived and it says there were 73,000 manual hits since 11th May '07. Amazing. I never imagined it was possible. It has cleared the picture now and started a fresh set of red dots on the global map which is nice because I can watch it fill up again and see if the pattern of readers has changed since last year. I've really enjoyed seeing where you all live, getting excited each time a red dot appeared in a new country, or became a bigger size, and now I can have that excitement all over again. Already I see there is quite a nice fresh sprinkle of you, like new Spring growth. Very seasonal.

Thank you all for still visiting, even when I'm not so well and can't vary the blog as much as I'd like. Can you believe I STILL have a load of white posts from Jan/Feb that I haven't got round to fixing the links on. On the bright side, if I don't get them done this year I can just do another White theme next January.

Did you have good weekends? We had thunder, lightening, rain, mist and cold winds, but I was glad because the plants needed the water and now my water butts are nice and full for what looks to be another week of sunshine, though not quite the heatwave of last week. The sun is out today and it's clear that the sun rain sun has really boosted the plant life outside, more amazingly speedy growth (by Scottish standards).

I'm finally able to see where the sun and shade are in my garden, and Mr P's garden, since the new house,fence and shed were built next door and the hedge removed. It's quite a drastic change and neither garden has any private space now, so no sitting around in my knickers doing my skin brushing! About 50% of my shade loving plants are now in sun and 30% of my sun loving plants are now in shade. I'm so desperate to dig them up and replant but I know that I'd be asking for trouble health-wise. I did a very minimum bit of moving to get the strawberries and ferns in better places, and then I got carried away and spent 6 days very slowly digging a hole to replant a clematis (a white one). I felt dreadful after that, completely worn out and aching from head to toe. That clematis better love it there! The upside of all the change is that there are less places for slugs and snails to hide. Now they have to go where the hedgehog can get at them. Midnight lunch munch.

Bleeding heart

Editing my flower photo's as I watch Grand Designs Live. I really liked the one last night with the guy who did lots of inventive things. He's the sort of bloke I've been looking for all my life so make my ideas a reality. He had made this brilliant running wheel in the garden for their dog, and the dog loved it. I'd have made one small change, I'd have it hooked up so the dog was generating electricity while running. I wondered if anyone was making wheels commercially and found this, not on sale yet but I will be keeping an eye open. It's presumably not as unique as the home-made one, but handy for those with no carpentry skills.

Lilac and bluebells

Daffodils and poppies

A shady place to sleep outside

I was wrong, it's not Spring, it's SUMMER!
26ºC yesterday. Today, it's 24.5 in the shade with the North breeze cooling in a nice way. Heavenly. Lucy is having a tail wagging dream just now and making whuffy noises, I bet she's dreaming that she's been left alone in the house with all the cat food. She's stolen his food twice recently, wee bizum.

22º c in the garden

Biplane over LA


Roadside plants, maybe wildflowers, as we drove through Malibu

Meanwhile back here in Scotland, it's 22ºc and it's not even lunchtime!
I got back on the bike today. First time in ages because my wrists and my balance were both bad for a few months there. I'm only doing 10 minutes by the house but it means I can give Lucy a really good fast run before the day heats up and then walk her more gently in late afternoon when it's cooling a little. Gave her a cold water rub soak when we got back because she was so hot from the run. She's outside drying off and completely fast asleep in the shade. I'm going to join her and do a bit more yoga. Mr P returns late tonight so I'll get my camera back for some Spring photo's.

I'm still not visiting blogs just now, I need to make the most of the sun to recharge my body after last year's non-summer. They say we will have a summer this year, but they said that last year. I'm taking no chances. There is rain due at the weekend so I'll do some blog reading then if I get the chance (Mr P may want to use my - ahem - I mean, his computer!). Happy days to you all. xxx

Spring is really here!

LA pictures above and below, Mr P has my camera so I've not been able to take any of the fine things around here this week but let me tell you, Spring is really here!

We've had two days of proper hot sun, and suddenly hundreds of shrubs and trees have burst into green growth. The path which, one week ago, was just bare branches and low winter grass is suddenly alive with birds, and insects. The grass, nettles and wildflowers have grown at what seems like miracle speed and the bushes that were light and airy are suddenly all lush and creating their lovely shadow filled covered pathway once again.

It's quite astonishing. Last week the lilac was just tight buds. This week it has leaves AND 3 inch long flower stems almost ready to open. I can hardly believe it. Wonderful. No more thermal long johns under my trousers, no jackets, no jumpers. I was out with a little vest top on doing yoga in the garden, with Lucy and the cat sleeping in the shade beside me.

Welcome home Spring, we've missed you.

Tunnock's in the sky

I was watching 'In the Shadow of the Moon' recently and took some photo's of the TV screen. I can't believe I never noticed this before, it looks like the moon landings, or rather, the return landings, were sponsored by Tunnock's Teacakes! See for yourself...





Imagine a GIANT teacake floating towards you. I'm getting the munchies just thinking about it. Teacakes have even got a page on Wikipedia now. I'd love to see a Tunnock's parachute, I also think a Tunnock's hot air balloon would be quite in impressive sight.



* Update: for anyone who's not from the UK, here's what Wikipedia says about Teacakes:

Products similar to the Tunnock's Teacake include the "Mallowpuff" (sold in New Zealand by Griffins Foods Ltd), the Israeli winter confectionary krembo, the Whippet cookie and Viva Puff in Canada the Negerkuss in Germany (more politically correct: "Schaumkuss") and mallomars in the United States.

Watch the skies

Spending a lot of time watching the sky. Like last year, May seems to be full of fast changing and often dramatic clouds. Hard to get any washing dry when rain threatens during even the sunniest moments. It's all about timing, get the washing out the minute the sun shines then watch the skies and whip it back in before it gets soaked by a downpour. Sun rain sun rain.

Looking East...

Looking West...

Every direction, every hour, brings new views.

Hair knot

First time I've actually liked my tangled hair. Trying to find the camera without the knot coming out was quite a challenge.

Loosening up

Net experiments 1990-92

I worked out some yoga adaptations to suit my health and my dodgy bones. So far so good. Aching all over from a year of tightening up, but I can feel, under the ache, a loosening up of the muscles (reason for tangled picture above) and a deepening of the breath (reason for picture below, which I've shown before but seems so appropriate just now).


Breath: ceramic tablet (intentionally broken) 1993

I've finally accepted that I simply can't bend and twist in ways that I used to, and it's ok. Even if I only manage 5% of a session it's still beneficial, and at the very least it amuses the cat. He likes it when I'm on the floor, and he can sit above me. Yes Your Feline Highness, you King of all you survey and I prostrate myself at your handsome feet.

Paul Beelen - jewellery

Paul Beelen: Brooch - Untitled 2006. Maple, amethyst, white pearl


Paul Beelen: Brooch - Untitled 2006. Maple, crystal

There is something deeply satisfying about whittling away at a piece of wood, letting the form reveal itself as you work. I think that's what attracts me to the sculptural wooden jewellery of Paul Beelen found via Klimt02. I'll add my wood carvings to the list of 'things I really must photograph and show on my blog one day'.


Paul Beelen: Ring - Untitled 2006. Maple, malachite


Paul Beelen: Ring - Untitled 2006. Maple, jasper

Drive-by shooting, the good kind

LA drive-by (click image to enlarge)

Mum used to worry about drive by shootings in LA. But it's ok when it's me doing the shooting, with my camera. This shot, like so many, was taken as we flew by in the car. I love it. I love the degrees of focus/unfocuss, blurring/sharpness. I love the white picket fence with the red/pink flowers peeking over the top against that lovely grey blue background and the man walking by with the baseball cap. I love the soft shadows on the building, the pistachio ice cream colour of the metal tubing (I think it was for a billboard). I love the crisp clean lines of the cables against the sky.


Marina Del Ray drive by (I think)

It's 4.53am. I can't sleep cause my PHN has flared up massively so I've spent 3hrs catching up on Alicia's blog. It's amazing to think that in the past I used to visit the people on my side links most days. Certainly not less than weekly. Now there are many I've not been to since New Year because I'm too tired. I feel bad because I do really want to keep up. My friend in Australia text me yesterday to ask how LA was. I felt so guilty cause I've never had the energy to write up a proper email about the trip. Even what I've posted here has been image based. She wants me to use facebook but I really struggle with anything that requires a password to access it. I have too many passwords to remember.

Plus, I dislike having to read everyone else's comments in order to get a context for what is being said. I mind find it easier if I knew the people, but almost everyone I know on facebook lives in another country, so the people are strangers to me and the extra effort of sifting through their writings fries my addled brain. Anyone else find that or is it just a Chronic Fatigue thing? I like things simple, find site, look at friends post/pics/email,respond if I have energy. No special access required. No unnecessary strain on the brain. My poor confused brain (Liz, your text made me laugh, the one about cognitive dysfunction, especially as those are my initials).


West Hollywood drive-by

The ME/CFS world talks a lot about 'brain fog' and it's certainly been a big reason for my comparative lack of computer use in the last year, especially when it comes to blogs that are heavy on writing and tell ongoing stories. It's like my brain just can't keep all the info together, it muddles up people, places, names and dates (and let's not get into how much is forgotten within seconds of entering, literally seconds). And, of course, I get sucked in, emotionally. I get excited, inspired, enthused, engrossed or perhaps saddened, and I want to leave comments. All things which take up energy I don't have anymore and add to the fizzing in my brain. So, until my brain cells are back to normal I'm afraid, friends, that the blog is still the best I can manage communication-wise. It covers the widest base of people I would normally contact in other ways. A one stop shop, and that all important place where I can feel I achieved something, even if it is just to put a few more pictures up.


Venice drive-by

Well, my goodness, I never expected all that to come tumbling out. Sometimes it just happens that way (usually in the wee small hours if I can't sleep). Yet if I had planned to write any of this it would never have happened. The weight of necessity really pulls me down, so when these spontaneous moments come it's best to go with the flow. But blimey, it's nearly 6am! I've just realised it's daylight outside. I can hear the birds singing and the radiator clickety clicking (weather still pretty cold). I was just saying to Alicia that we are going to have Daffodils in May (unless some more freak weather comes and squishes them before Thursday). It's all ahoo (yes Jill, still plugging away with Jack and Stephen). Speaking of Jack and Stephen, I read a nice line yesterday '...I saw him running about on deck before I came below, laughing like a holiday' (from The Surgeon's Mate, Patrick O'Brian). I like that, though the aforementioned addled brain had changed it to 'happy as a holiday' which I rather like.

Fly free zone

Decorative wire mesh food cover £8.95 at dotcomgiftshop

I've been trying to source decorative mesh deal with my Granny's rabbit problem (chicken wire and the like are not her thing). This popped up in the search, so summery and made me think instantly of Alicia. Shame it's not on a giant scale because my Granny would probably love something like that keeping the rabbits off her summer bedding plants. We have looked in to different plants, but the plants that rabbits don't like are also the plants she doesn't like.

Little and often

More from that fabulous box of goodies Daphne sent last month, I really love her illustration for the foxglove packets! And the hand stamped papers around the ribbon are ace, as are the colours (see, I'm not only about hte brights and the blues, as Daphne knows) Daphne, the foxglove seeds are going far and wide to all the places ravaged by trucks and diggers in the last year. They seem to be munching up the Edinburgh Greenbelt at a steadily increasing pace but at least now the dumped soil ca begin to have new life thanks to you. I'm also mixing in other seeds from my own plants, like feverfew and herb robert, buddliea and even transplanting some snowdrops, a few bulbs at a time on each walk with Lucy. Little and often.

Not much blogging, I had several emails to catch up on on Wednesday and it totally wiped me out. Not been reading any either, which is driving me crazy. However, I have managed, in small bursts, to finish the O' Brian book I had picked up again, and am half way through the next one. Again, little and often, even if it's only 2 pages at a time.

Have a great weekend folks, not sure if I will blog before next week, I'm really trying to rest up.

These people mean business...

One of a multitude of signs they had on this small parking area.




I'd love to write these around my garden where the kids keep breaking through and killing my plants. Instead of writing 'you will be towed!' I'd like to write 'You will be eaten!'. And maybe have some monstrous teeth drawn top and bottom of the sign :0)

I just bought...

On Ebay, isn't it cool? The legs can be folded away - I love this sort of thing! Sink, 2 gas hob plus grill and storage space. I have a new tap already.




I'm so happy, now I can squeeze a kitchen into my house extension so I will have a kitchen with a window! Ventilation, birdsong, daylight and not beside the bathroom. I'll probably keep the original kitchen sink area in the centre of the house to be a dedicated art sink. Happy times, though it won't be done this year, I'm getting it as a Christmas present from my parents.

And this...

What you don't see is the cat trying to eat these while I took the pictures. He was very persistent- those ends were not frayed till he gummed them (poor bugger only has 2 teeth so everything gets gummed, like a lizzard).

I just like this...

Whale watching, weather watching

One of our sayings on the trip was 'all roads lead to Lincoln'. It seemed like no matter where we went, we always ended up on Lincoln Blvd, which we liked because it was our local main road when we lived there, just one street up from our apartment, and later the house. One of my favourite parts of Lincoln is the Toyota dealership where I had my camera ready for some whale watching every time we passed. This mural is enormous, I suspect possibly it is life size. None of my drive-by photo's every captured the full image, but here are 3 sections, I love how it looks with the blue sky and the clouds...





Speaking of clouds... here in Scotland my daily preoccupation is watching the weather, hoping for a good day to wash/dry clothes. So far every sunny day except yesterday has been interrupted with rain,hail and sometimes sleet. Unfortunately yesterday I was barely able to move (and only awake for 4hrs) so I missed my chance. Today doesn't look promising...



The only gap is when I am out with Lucy but I tend to get where I'm going then sit for an hour till I have the energy to come back again. Looking out hte window now (10.30am) I can see the clouds hovering above, deciding whether to deliver hail or sleet, it's co-o-o-old out there though the sun is shining. Mid April, and there has only been one day (apart from LA) when I have not worn my thermal long john's under my trousers! Partly that's due to inactivity and bad circulation (I must buy more ginger for that) but mainly it's just down to cold winds.