Flutterbys

Summer is hinting once again of what could be.

The butterflies are making an appearance at last.

 Why are they called butterflies, do they have a penchant for butter? I think flutterbys is more expressive its what they do especially when you are trying to take photos of them, they are quite camera shy, especially the peacocks, wouldn't you think they would want to show off.

This little fellow is actually bright blue but the scabious is pretty anyway

I think the little blue butterfly is a Holly Blue

 About ten snaps to get one peacock butterfly with its wings open.

Small tortoiseshell

I have spent the whole day in the garden just trying to play catch up with the weeds which are growing faster than anything else. I am also digging a new small flower bed which will be silver and white. I've only got room to dig one more bed after that. I'd like to dig the whole lawn up but I'm having trouble coping with the garden already. But at least then the other half wouldn't have to mow round lots of island beds full of plants trying to escape onto the grass.

Welcome

Just a quick post to say welcome to my newest follower, thanks for joining my blog.

Do you remember when

This photo was taken during our one hot sunny week of summer. Two people and a dog on the sand

bank between two areas of mud, love it.

 Since then we've had a fair amount of very heavy rain. When places upriver from us get flooded we get lots of wood. This trunk is about 40 foot long and covered in ivy. Unfortunately the ivy is very green and not useable hopefully the sea will leave it on the beach and I can saw some of the ivy off later.

 Lovely marks on another trunk.

 The trunk in the picture on the right is also very large, its difficult to portray the size in the photos. Its old gnarled and knobbly.

 You can just see the top of our yellow open top bus.

A natural still life.

Anthony Gormley

Went to Barrington Court yesterday, it rained all the way there and all the way back but was sunny and hot while we were there. No photos I'm afraid, hoping to get small lightweight camera for my birthday, the gardens were looking great. However our main object for visiting was to see Anthony Gormley's Field of the British Isles, my second visit,  they are in three different rooms, the first time the installation has been separated, still very strong imagery, the figures look so imploring you just want to gather them up and give them a great big hug. I watched the video this time narrated by the man himself,  he comes across as a very spiritual person. I love his work and have been to quite a few of his exhibitions and to Crosby Beach were his men are spread across the beach and is quite haunting. Also of course The Angel of the North which towers over the landscape and is truly anchored to the earth despite the huge wings.

Any excuse

Oh dear, oh dear, my last post was the last time I did any weaving and here we are a week later, what happens to the time. My excuse is my daughter was staying then the Olympics started, K Spoering is weaving and watching, http://kspoeringtapestries.blogspot.co.uk/  I couldn't do that. I thought the opening ceremony was brilliant, my son was part of Danny Boyle's team, did I already say that, well I'm a proud Mum.

Now my aunt is staying with my Mum who lives just round the corner so I'm spending time with them,
next week I MUST SPEND THE WHOLE WEEK WEAVING. I have a lot of projects piling up and its all going to catch up with me soon.

Summer at last

What fantastic weather I have sitting in the shade weaving outside today. I am back to making small hangings for my open studio event in August, the Skye tapestry has been put on hold temporarily. Long may I be able to weave outdoors and the opening ceremony of the Olympics to watch on Friday, my son was involved in some of the filming for this but its all very secretive.

Having a Rant

Have just finished an amazing book Ragnarok by A.S. Byatt, its about the Norse myths so if you don't like myth books I guess you won't be interested but if you see it in the library just read the epilogue, "Thoughts on myths". This is a story of our time, characters in Norse myths are more human than those in Christian myths, they are greedy and uncaring just as we are seeing in our own times at the moment.
To me these times of austerity are a time to get real about what we as humans are doing to our world and a time to show that for poorer countries getting rich quick is perhaps not what its all about. This could be a time to help equalise our human aspirations and take a long careful look at what we are doing, maybe we can still save the planet instead of just going back to the the get rich quick ethic of recent years.