Close up in brown tones

My parents bought me a proper camera and close up lens (60mm Macro lens) so I've been enjoying getting up close to with around the house. So keen for warm weather and garden delights to get amongst though I'll still need my trusty old compact for wider angle shots.

Edinburgh Christmas lights 2013

Sunset with Robin

Sunset 14th November Autumn into WInter

It's been great to see the return of some lovely sunsets this week after a period of cloud and rain. Tonight was a real pleasure to watch, it looked lovely in all directions and changed from pale pastels to quite intense shades of pink and purple in the North...

And fast changing oranges and yellows with hints of purples in the South West (which became very fiery near the end before softening off at the end as the street lights came on. The trees have lost nearly all their leaves now but as long as some are still clinging on my head thinks it is Autumn, but dropping temperatures and early sunsets are telling a more Wintery story (this took place over 12 minutes from 5.17pm)

Ulrika Kestere, Hair, Blue Clothes

Ulrika Kestere - Winter horse poster €22 here

Ulrika Kestere - Ice Princess

I was originally directed towards the top photograph by Ulrika Kestere by someone saying she had a similar wardrobe to me. I thought they meant furniture wardrobe but clearly they meant likes to wear lots of different blues with a touch of red. The clothes are nice but it's the photo itself I like most. It is part of a series called "Girl with 7 horses" and she has made this one available to buy as a print here. You can see more of her photographs on her blog Ulicam. I liked the wintery one because I collect blue dresses and have long wanted to photograph them in snow, but it's always been too wet, too cold or too windy. She is tougher than I am.

I was looking at old photos this week and found one of me as a kid on the banks of the Mississippi River wearing blue with a touch of red (loved my bandanna) in 1984 when our parents bundled us all into a Camper Van and spent the Summer driving from LA to New York (having been living in LA 2yrs but returning to live in Scotland). I didn't realise I was doing non traditional hair buns in '84, I thought I didn't bun my hair until college in '89. Ulrika has an animated gif of braided hair that reminds me of why I put up with my really long but infuriatingly prone to tangling hair for so long. I loved playing with it, so many ways to express my mood. But when you have ME every bit of energy is precious and it's pointless wasting it on a daily battle with tuggy hair (you can see the tugs beginning to form a blur in centre of the bottom photo). Last January I chopped nearly all of it off and last month I did it again. But it's nice to find photo's of it long.


Me with my Brother. Watching Mississippi paddle steamer 1984

Me at Big Bear Lake, California 2008

Cactus Beetroot Cranberry

The flowers are nearly finished on the Christmas Cactus, they always brings such a great splash of neon pink over Christmas and this year they were especially abundant (having been scant after major pruning 2yrs earlier).

Another intense pink that lasts all through winter is of course beetroot. All that colour hints at it's high beta carotene content. When eaten regularly it's liver cleansing abilities are ideal for those of you who had more than the occasional tipple during the party season. My usual Summer salad of beetroot, pear and feta got a seasonal boost with fresh cranberries. Also good for your liver and packed with phytonutrients and antioxidants.

Not that my liver has suffered in any way, I barely drink at all, but I do like to dribble Tawny Port onto things around Christmas time so I can pretend they are trifle so I'm sure my liver is happy to have a pink boost to help cleanse it. Hopefully by next year my Cranberry plant will have settled in enough to produce an edible harvest so I won't need to depend on shops at all.

Winter returns

All photo's from Winter 2010, near my parents house.
Top 3: Frosty Umbel, Dried Rosebay Willowherb, Village House.

After a pretty consistently mild and gale filled few months Winter, in the sense that we are used to it here in Scotland, has finally returned. The gales have stopped and even the strong winds have eased in the last week or two, such a relief. This week much of the country is blanketed in snow so it seemed fitting to post some snowy shots (from 2010), though the snow seems to have missed us here. Instead we are getting hard frosts every night so a lot of the plants, especially the supposed annuals, that had been unnaturally surviving the winter are starting to peg out. I was thrilled they lasted at all so losing them isn't too sad, and their winter longevity meant I was able to get an extra season of cuttings to replace the Summer cuttings that didn't all do well. It's good to get a proper run of cold as it keeps things like greenfly from getting out of control outside (let's not get into my neglectful plant care which has allowed them to flourish inside!).

More Winter Colours

Indoor Hyacinth is more vivid than than outdoor plants in January

This was about 2 weeks ago, still in flower but determined to fall over at every opportunity. I usually grow them in soil and can pop a skewer in as support, not very attractive with a hyacinth vase. Out in the garden the pinks are paler, which fits well with the grey greens and frosted leaves.


Clematis stems with their own brand of winter beauty

Hydrangea Petiolaris (Climbing Hydrangea) has straddled the shed roof.

Clematis 'Markham's Pink' seed head

Osteospermum (perennial)

Frosty Hebe, the one I posted the frosty close-up of the other day.

I intended to do a big post of art that looked liked winter gardens but I need to sleep, here are two, hopefully I'll have time for more later in the week but family are in town so I may not blog much.

The work of paper artist Peter Gentenaar looking like a winter flower.

Paperstring chandelier by Nithikul Nimkulrat.

On a cold and frosty morning

Beautiful frosting on the Hebe this week.
It's been -4C, no more mildness, but a few breaks in the wind.


All the ground hugging foxglove leaves looked like this.


Alpine Strawberry leaves, a promise of things to come.


Frosty Epimedium


Same Epimedium without frost.
I've really appreciated it's glossy leaves through Winter


Subtle colouring on this small Azalea.
It will have lilac blooms around May


And of course, the seasons little wonders - snowdrops.
I'd seen some pushing through last week but then found that in other parts of the garden they were already in full bud. They will need a bit more time and sun to tempt them to open.

Indoor greenery

The lovely greens of a succulent and an indoor Hyacinth in December. The Hyacinth is in full flower now and smells great, especially in the evenings when there's some heating on and the warm air carries the scent through the room.

Christmas Traditions

Photographs of my parent's house, Christmas Day...




Heather shared some of her Christmas traditions and asked us me do to the same so...

1) A Christmas branch. I always get a fresh beautiful branch to decorate. Sometimes it is a compliment to a tree, other times it is instead of one.

2) Home-made decorations. I always make some decorations, usually paper based but sometimes using other materials. Paper snowflakes are a regular. I really truly do love most the kind of decorations that remind me of childhood. I still treasure my silver stars made about 10yrs ago from cut card wrapped with tinfoil. I really love them even though they, or maybe because, they look like a kid made them.

3) A Stocking. Some say I am too old but I still love the thrill of a stocking at the bottom of the bed, that rustling sound, seeing the wonderful way my mothers old tights (panty hose) can magically stretch to accomodate any shape of package. My mum (Santa) has been supplying them to my brother and I even though we left home years ago and if ever she couldn't then a friend or boyfriend could usually be persuaded to fill the gap and make my day.

4) Trifle! Christmas is always an excuse to indulge in a huge home-made trifle. I tend to make to, one for friends to share and one to have all to myself so that I don't eat the one for them! I like to really ladle on the port, it reminds me of visiting my grandparents in the holidays when I was really young.

5) A Bath. I'm a shower person for reasons of time, enrgy efficiency and money, but if I have access then I always like to have a long indulgent 2hr soak in a bath as a Christmas treat with dozens of candles, relaxing essential oils and beautiful music or an audio book.

Gosh, I typed this before Christmas and was waiting to get some images to go along with each tradition. But things didn't work out as planned and for the first time ever not one of those traditions has happened. I did get the contents of a Christmas stocking, but because I wasn't well enough to sleep over at my parent's house I didn't actually wake to a stocking.

Frost & fences

Hello again Liz, I forgot I also had these ones from the other week. Blurb about that day in my comments for this post.

Out in the cold

Hi Liz, a couple of frosty pics from the other week. Still not up to editing newer photo's or doing my 'white' posts but I'm determined to get something done before the year ends. Wish I could get out to take some right now, the sun is doing stunning things to the trees against a lovely sky, it looks subtle and fiery at the same time, delicious.