Of speculative fiction, reviews and random tangents
I had the good fortune of being away from the wings on the outgoing flight, with a window that didn’t look like a rhinoceros had been playing hangman on it by scratching the lines with its horn (I’ve not been so lucky on other flights). So I photographed clouds. Here are a few…
The seasonal merriment has started. At least, it has in my house, where we have people of mixed religious persuasions. The solstice involved mead (traditional) and Chinese food (not so traditional). I didn’t post about it when it happened, because I was busy eating. And then sleeping off the eating.
We also had a sparklie candle. It’s harder to see the sparkles when it’s lit, but the snowflakes are glittery.
Happy holidays to everyone, whichever ones you celebrate. May the season be full of sparklie candles.
The whole day was full of sudden bursts of rain, like the Earth’s gardener tipping out a bucket. It was also very sunny.
There was a rainbow. I had to go out. Yes, I was very soggy.
But it won’t be the first or last time I’ve gone out in the rain for pictures. My camera is very forgiving. And a bit waterproof.
As well as bucket pouring, we’ve also had a run of spiders this year. I blame the new wheely bins, as they don’t really keep out the flies. Nature did its thing. More flies = more spiders. They go and hide when the weather is cold, but anytime we have a warm spell they’re out and about. Rain means warmth in the winter.
So I went out to photograph the spiders. Whilst standing on my front path with the camera, a delivery person arrived with a parcel. I got some funny looks. I also got the parcel, but it wasn’t for me.
Rain is fun and full of spiders.
These are some photographs of the flowers in bloom in my local woodland (South England). I’ve been practising with my new camera, which allows closeups. So I went and invaded some floral personal spaces.
Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) – It was a cold and dimly lit morning, so most of them had their flowers closed. The woods are currently awash with wood anemones. I used to call them ‘Wooden Emilys’ when I was little. It’s a hard word…
Lesser Celendine (Ranunculus ficaria) – Celendines can often be found growing among the wood anemones.
Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) – Most of the bluebells haven’t flowered yet, but a few have come through in sheltered areas.
Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea) – These white flowers grow in a few sheltered spots.
Wild Violet (Viola riviniana) – A few wild violets are flowering, though there will be more later in the year. They’re small plants, so they’re easily missed. They’re my favourite of the woodland flowers.
Daffodil (Narcissus spp. ) – A cultivated variety of a native wild flower. The graveyard in the woods has many daffodils.