Week twenty three

155

This is only the second 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle I've tackled on my own, I've done the easy bit, now for the rest

156

A bouquet of flowers for me, picked from the Therapy Garden of The Wessex MS Therapy Centre, where I've been working for the past 21 months as Tuesday receptionist.

157

Sarah, one of my bosses and a very lovely lady, made me a carrot cake, doesn't it look magnificent?

158

Cassie, asleep on the bed.

159

A pepper plant, grown from a saved seed

160

Dandelion heads are really quite beautiful

161

I'm still enjoying the carrot cake

Week twenty two

148

Passing Stonehenge on a very wet morning

149

A favourite of mine

150

View from the front room window on a very wet day

151

Me

152

The highest Hill in Hampshire

153

For ages now I've been umming and ahhing about buying myself a smaller, pocket camera. Then someone living quite close to me was offering this, a half-price, one year old but hardly used second-hand camera. Couldn't really refuse, could I?

154

Gotta love a bit of random topiary. Came across this in the middle of nowhere. (Not sure I could even find it again if I wanted to!)

Week twenty-one

141

Blue bottle (not of the flying variety)

142

Octopus (cuddly)

143

Sunlight reflected (refracted) onto my dining room wall

144

I was at my mum's, she had thrown out some uneaten breakfast cereal for the birds, but they obviously weren't interested. Early the following morning some snails and a solitary ant were more than happy to feast on it.

145

Fifty plus years ago I bought this set of wine glasses for my parents after they had been on holiday to Germany and "discovered" wine. Miraculously the set is still intact, so I have brought them home with me. (Mine was/is the blue one)

146

My next blanket is coming along nicely - can't show more than this as it's a gift.

147

Recently, while unpacking a box marked "studio", I found my old bowl. I'm sure that it was originally part of a set, but sadly the jug (if there was one) has gone AWOL. It belonged to one or other of my grandmothers, although I couldn't say which one. There is a stamp on the bottom which says "Empire Works, Stoke-on-Trent" with a monogram in the centre which is slightly obliterated and therefore illegible. It is very impractical and takes up a lot of space, but I love it, so it stays.

Five on the fifth

It's that time again. Time to join in with Sandie's (itchifingers) 5 on 5 in 5, and this month I followed the rules (See, I can do it now and again).

As you will know if you are a regular reader, my garden is a blank canvas, the house is only two years old and the previous owner did nothing at all in the garden. There is a raised bed along the back in which the soil is pretty rubbish consisting mostly of clay and stones, however I have worked on a small area and have planted some runner bean plants and a couple of tomato plants. I've also placed some planted pots for a bit of colour, and have put my precious fig tree (son of, son of, son of the original from Devizes) in one corner. So my five on five today are of things that are growing "In my Garden"

To join in, or see other entries, please go here

Week twenty - handles

Almost five months has passed since the relocation, a good 90% of the unpacking is done and in order to do any more some new items of furniture need to be acquired. The garage is tidy, the garden is under control and the house is comfortable. Now that my studio is fully operational, change/improvement will slow down. A decision is needed as to whether or not a small conservatory is to be built on the back of the house, so garden planning is on hold until that decision has been made. Major works are needed in the kitchen/dining area, so a deal of thought and planning will precede any changes. So, it very much looks as if the next few weeks will be an opportunity for a bit of R and R. I fully intend to complete this 365, but from now on the emphasis will change away from the new house and back to normal "stuff". With this in mind, and in order to ease back gently into photography as an art form rather than as a means of reference, I decided to just wander round the house and snap some handles.

Day 134

Most of the internal doors have these.

Day 135

A drawer in the dresser

Day 136

The front door

Day 137

Chest of drawers in the bedroom

Day 138

Part of my "Willow pattern" collection, an inheritance from my maternal grandmother

Day 139

Part of my "silver" collection, an inheritance from my paternal side of the family

Day 140

The fairly boring handles on the kitchen units

Week nineteen

Day 127

I've made a start on unpacking, and populating my shelves, still a long way to go though.

Day 128

Likewise with my workstation unit and desk.

Day 129

I was given a pair of curtains that fit the lounge window perfectly, and will do the job for the time being.

Day 130

Sun-catcher and wind-chimes at my (south facing) studio window.

Day 131

The hydrangeas at the front of the house are opening up and putting on a good show, the lavender that can be seen in the background is, sadly, completely scentless.

Day 132

This project has now re-emerged and will be re-engaged shortly.

Day 133

Some of my "fridge" magnets on the side of my filing cabinet.

Week eighteen

. . . .  which has mostly been about my studio (at long last, I sigh).

Day 120

Everything that is still in the studio is piled up on the wall behind me, the filing cabinet is moved to its final destination, and some of the racking bits and pieces are ready for assembly.

Day 121

The first double unit is up and ready to be pressed into service

Day 122

GM takes a day off, so I'm free to start loading the shelves with some of my beloved books - this arrangement is only a start, I'll get more organised as the days go by and more stuff is unpacked.

Day 123

GM wanted a change from racking building, so he erected the other unit for the downstairs loo, although he had to remove the loo-roll holder so we could open the middle door. I think he intends to rehang the doors to open the other way, as this arrangement will offend anyone who, like me, prefers symmetry.

Day 124

The first half of the second double unit goes up, then the second half of it is attached.

Day 125

While I'm away at my mum's for the weekend, GM installs my work station,

Day 126

. . . and rebuilds my desk. Yippee, my new studio, all ready for me to start unpacking in earnest, what a pity it's probably going to be too hot to work in here for the next day or so - with a south facing window it's already too hot and it's only 9.30 am!