Image (c) Kristen Bailey 2013
This birthday card for Isabel was inspired by my new hobby - catching snails munching holes in the plants in my parents' garden... and hurling them over the fence!
June 23, 2013
June 07, 2013
Free flowers!
(c) Kristen Bailey 2013
I can't afford to buy flowers at the moment but I spotted a huge swathe of germander speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys) growing in a shady spot at the side of the road, so I helped myself to a few (I only ever pick if there are plenty more left behind). They are so pretty, a beautiful purpley-blue. Not sure Cath Kidston would approve of the commemorative France 98 'vase' though.
* SONG OF THE DAY: George Gershwin - Rhapsody In Blue *
June 04, 2012
What's this then? Orange Hawkweed
All images: Orange Hawkweed (c) Kristen Bailey 2012
In the next of an ongoing series where I educate myself (a total townie) about wild stuff I spot on my walks round my suburban neighbourhood, we have this vibrant orange beauty.
It was growing on a grass verge by a busy road, in amongst buttercups and ox-eye daisies. I hadn't seen it before - it's tall, with a hairy stem, and has saw-tooth edged petals, rather like the 'lion's tooth' (dent-de-lion) on a dandelion.
A few minutes Googling revealed that it is Orange Hawkweed (Pilosella aurantiaca). Hawkweed gets its name from the belief that hawks would chew on the plant to improve their eyesight.
* SONG OF THE DAY: R.E.M. - Orange Crush *
February 13, 2012
Following footprints in the snow
The snow came a week ago, and we've had no more, but very little has melted yet. I pulled on my new wellies (new to me - they're a 'hand-me-down' from a nine-year old who has grown out of them - I'm a UK 4 and she's now a 6!) and took my camera out for a slow shuffle.
First I looked for bird footprints in the snow. These are probably from crows - we have loads of them in Crawley and that's how it got its name (Crow Lea - the place of crows).
I think these are the webbed footprints of a seagull. We're 20 miles inland, but still have plenty of gulls. They fight with the crows for the contents of our rubbish bags on bin day.
This strange, beautiful print (below, above the human boot print) had me puzzled for a while, but I decided it must have been made by a magpie standing in the snow with its wings and tail feathers extended - there is a pair of magpies which live in this road.
Lots of dogs had been running about in the snow...
...and loads of human beans too! I got a bit obsessed with the intricate patterns left by the soles of people's shoes:
After all that icy geekery, I decided to go home... before I turned into a snowman.
All images (c) Kristen Bailey 2012
* SONG OF THE DAY: Frances Nero – Footsteps Following Me *
January 03, 2012
Mushroom walks: Orange Jelly fungus
It was an unpleasantly windy day today, so my walk was fairly short, but just as I was heading home I spotted this amazing orangey-yellow jelly fungus - Dacrymyces palmatus - on a fallen branch lying on a grass verge.
Initially I got dead excited, cos the striking colour made my untrained eye think I'd found a slime mould (which I first heard of just a few days ago when I watched BBC Four's After Life: The Strange Science of Decay) but now I've correctly identified it (thanks to the fantastic Rogers Mushrooms website) I'm still pretty pleased with it!
Images (c) Kristen Bailey 2012
* SONG OF THE DAY: The Flaming Lips - She Don't Use Jelly *
April 06, 2010
Here comes the sun?
When I was putting away some crockery earlier I noticed this sunrise logo (above) on the bottom of an old saucer, which made me smile. I have been desperate for the sun to arrive.
Blimey, this winter has been hard work. The months of perishing cold have forced me to stay indoors whenever possible cos of my dodgy immune system, and the extended solitude has played havoc with my mental health. Hours and hours of time to fill, and plenty of projects I could be working on, but I've been too depressed to do any of them (including blogging!). Yuk. So every time we've had a sunny day I've got all excited at the prospect of Spring, but it keeps showing its face then disappearing again in high winds and pouring rain!
BUT... I was out this afternoon and I saw my first cherry and apple blossom of the year! What a sight for sore eyes. And there are daffs everywhere, and daisies in the grass and forsythia flowering and buds popping on trees and shrubs. It's all much later than last year, but maybe even more appreciated!
* SONG OF THE DAY: The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun *
September 15, 2009
September sunset in Hove
September sunset in Hove (c) Kristen Bailey, 2009
Slept most of the day as I'd been awake all night, but still managed to get outside for a walk as the sun went down. Beautiful, eh?
* SONG OF THE DAY: Belle & Sebastian - Another Sunny Day *
August 01, 2009
Jennifer's garden
White passionflower (c) Kristen Bailey 2009
Just down the road from me is a house which has a passionflower vine growing over its garden fence. Since spring I've been watching it develop with great anticipation - I love passionflowers, can't believe that something so exotic-looking grows in UK - and taking photos week by week.
Yesterday I was there again, taking a close-up of the fruit forming, when a lady came down the street and saw me as she went in through her gate. I explained, blushing, that I'd been keeping an eye on her passionflower vine, and she told me she also had a white passionflower and asked me if I'd like to see the rest of her garden!
There was so much going on I hardly knew where to look first! At the far end of the garden were several beehives - only one was being used but there were bees everywhere, getting on with the day's business. There was also a glass cloche (above) stacked with old honeycombs, to drain off the beeswax, which will be used to make candles!
Bee on white buddleia
To the righthand side of the garden were dozens of 7ft-high evening primrose plants which Jennifer said she'd left to do their own thing. She told me that she and her late husband used to make a 8pm date to come out to the garden and watch the flowers open.
Evening Primrose | Crocosmia 'Lucifer'
Around the garden's edges were at least a dozen water butts and a few young trees. There was a pond with frogs in, and she showed me the two drains where toads live - sadly not at home at the time!
We went round the garden with me taking photos and asking the names of things I didn't know - she knew all the Latin names and had a story to tell about how she'd come by each plant. She tore a seed pod off an honesty plant and tore it open to show me its three layers, and how the inside had a glossy sheen - crushing it in her fist and brushing the dust away just as I opened my mouth to ask if I could keep it (I was too shy to ask for another)!
I can't remember the name of this elegant pink bloom but it stuck in my mind because Jennifer said it reminded her of her mother's dresses. It's so delicate and beautiful, I really love the ways the buds look like 'lucky' origami stars.
Clockwise from top left: Lavender | Globe Buddleia | Cardoon | Gaura lindheimer
It was so lovely to be discover this half-wild garden in such a densely-populated area. Jennifer does a lot of work - there were potted seedlings stacked everywhere - but if something has thrived where it was planted (or has self-seeded) she likes to give it free rein.
She's told me to knock on the door anytime I'm passing and fancy another look - it will be wonderful to see how it changes through the coming seasons. And I only went out for a pint of milk!
All images in this post (c) Kristen Bailey 2009
* SONG OF THE DAY: Donovan - Jennifer Juniper *
July 20, 2009
A Strong Tower
Cloud over Hove (c) Kristen Bailey 2009
At yesterday's evening service, our pastor David was talking about how amazing clouds are and how awesome they can be - a showstopping reminder of the One who put them there (we believe).
Then today I was walking to Hove shops and as I turned into Blatchington Road I saw this massive tower of cloud, almost heart-shaped. It made me catch my breath and then spend the rest of the afternoon singing Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord* (but without the actions)!:
"The name of the Lord is
A strong tower
The righteous run into it
And they are saved!"
June 19, 2009
I don't need to go to Chelsea
Hydrangeas of Hove (c) Kristen Bailey, 19 June 2009
Watching all the recent coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show made me really want to be there in person. But I have to be realistic - I couldn't cope with the journey to London and a whole day on my feet in a crowded showground (plus it's really expensive to get in!).
Then, as I was doing my regular tour of the streets in my neighbourhood, camera in hand to snap the latest blooms, it occurred to me that all around me are lovely gardens which I can look at for free, which are constantly changing. Now I'm in the habit of taking my camera with me everywhere I go, I'm looking at everything I see more closely, and starting to read up on what I photograph. I don't need to go to Chelsea.
* SONG OF THE DAY: Elvis Costello and The Attractions: I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea *
June 17, 2009
June 07, 2009
Painted Ladies
Painted lady butterflies (c) Kristen Bailey 2009
Towards the end of my early morning walk last week there was a flower bed full of Red Valerian (Centranthus ruber) flowers, covered in orange butterflies. At one point I could see seven at once!
I managed to get this snap of two together, and am extra pleased that you can just see the curly tongue (proboscis) of the one on the left poking out (close-up view below). I was able to get really close without them flying off. They were all busily feeding - the way their tongues whipped in and out reminded me of a watch spring!
When I got home and went online to identify them - they were Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), which arrives in the UK from Africa every year! I visited Butterfly Conservation's Migrant Watch website to log my sighting. 2009 has seen a mass migration with millions of butterflies arriving over the May Bank Holiday. I felt very blessed to have seen so many on my doorstep.
* SONG OF THE DAY: Dolly Parton - Love Is Like A Butterfly *
Painted lady butterfly (c) Kristen Bailey 200
June 03, 2009
May 26, 2009
Dead body found on staircase
The deceased was found on the stairs approaching the second floor. Cause of death unknown but police have ruled out foul play.
* SONG OF THE DAY: Billie Piper - Honey To The Bee *
April 28, 2009
What's This Then? Ivy-leaved Toadflax
This stuff is everywhere, growing out of cracks in walls. The tiny mauve and yellow blooms are no bigger than a fingernail. As you can see from the pics below, it seems to need nothing more than a bit of grouting to fasten onto, and spreads across otherwise barren surfaces, making them beautiful!
I started my ill-informed Googling by trying 'minature pansy creeper' but got nowhere till I looked more closely at my photos and realised that its leaves looked a bit like ivy - indeed, ivy was often growing on the same surface. Bingo - it's Ivy-leaved Toadflax!
All images (c) Kristen Bailey 2009
April 21, 2009
A bouquet of weeds
Coming back from the corner shop yesterday, I decided to pick myself a free bunch of flowers from the weeds growing around the base of every tree, lamp-post and wall I passed. I had no idea how if they'd last - they were all rather droopy by the time I got home but once I'd cut their ends off and got them in water they really perked up.
I knew I'd picked Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), but I found I'd picked up another plant with a similar structure. It took quite a bit of Googling, but I have discovered that this is Thale Cress (Arabidopsis thaliana). I'd also grabbed what I thought must be a type of miniature dandelion, but is, I found out, Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris). Look at me, I'm learning!
Shepherd's Purse | Common Groundsel | Thale Cress
(click on pics for larger versions)
* SONG OF THE DAY: Pulp - Weeds *
April 03, 2009
Blossoming
Blossom on Eaton Gardens (c) Kristen Bailey 2009
Walking home from the supermarket on Tuesday, my spirits were lifted by all the different blossoms appearing on trees and bushes - I'm just an old romantic I guess!
I wish we had 'flower viewing' in our culture, as they do in Japan (hanami) - how much more fun would it be to have a 'blossom forecast' (sakurazensen) after the news bulletin?
* SONG OF THE DAY: Dolly Parton - Little Blossom *
Image: www.sakurazensen.com
March 06, 2009
Mellow Yellow
| Images (c) Kristen Bailey 2009 |
Yellow isn't a particularly favourite colour of mine, so I thought I'd see how much I could find in my flat. Unsurprisingly most of the yellow items are things I didn't buy for their looks (rubber gloves, duster, cornflakes box), apart from the glorious daffodils I bought myself this week!
* SONG OF THE DAY: Donovan - Mellow Yellow *
March 03, 2009
Green shoots
I took the walk back from the shops today slowly, looking for signs of spring. It was a grey, cold day, but it was green shoots a-go-go in Hove. Spring is here!
January 24, 2009
Snowdrops!
Spotted in the Pavilion Gardens this afternoon. Spring is on its way!
March 29, 2006
Murmuration
Murmuration of starlings over Brighton's Palace Pier
Rubbish photos taken last night - crap camera and it was blowing a gale so I couldn't stay still long enough... but they give just a hint of the weird and wonderful sight that is the murmuration of starlings at sunset on Brighton seafront most nights.
You can see them fly in from all directions and eventually they form this huge amorphous ball of black dots in the sky, and perform a strange dance before settling down to roost.
They usually favour the derelict West Pier (thousands roost there), but last evening they were doing the do over the Palace Pier.
30/03/2006: Thanks for your comment, Céline. Take a look at her video of the murmuration over the West Pier - gorgeous.
See also:
Flickr - SteveMcN: Murmuration Returns
My Brighton and Hove: Watching the Murmuration
My Brighton and Hove: The Starlings
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