A Bug's Bouquet

My forced incarceration comes with an added bonus. Now that I can wonder aimlessly as a cloud around the garden, I actually have time to look more closely at the multitude of flowers blooming all over Hyde Parc in this fertile season. All I have to do is attempt to ignore the weeds...

With flowers come bugs. The garden is alive with them. Everywhere you look. 

Some as beautiful as the flowers themselves.

Some as detailed as they are bizarre.

Many have evolved their own methods of self-preservation.

A sting in the tail...

Or a sting at both ends...

Others may look beautiful, but decimate the local plants. This one's larvae eat palm trees...

Whereas others are both beautiful and work hard to keep the garden fertile...

So here, in summary, are sixty seven photos taken in the garden over the last couple of weeks.

Enjoy, a lot. Or cringe, a little...

Another One of the Gang is Gone

 Another of our much-loved 'Gang of Eight' has left us.

Sue may have had many skills and loves, but one thing is for sure, she could talk the hind legs of several donkeys at the same time. (Hmm, it’ll be interesting to see how that translates.) This propensity for chatter made it even an even more cruel blow that her long illness first chose to steal her voice, a long year before it stole her life.

There are many phrases used in this kind of situation, ranging from 'blessed relief' to 'a life well lived'. I’d just like to add how bloody awful it is to lose another one of us.

We’ve been close for a long time, our Gang. 

(Note: I wasn't in the photo because I took it, and Roger wasn't there because he was working. Again.)

Here’s a list of random memories in no particular order:

• When she redecorated the front of her house with a Mongolian meal after a heavy night out.
• Although, as noted above, she did used to chatter a lot, much of what she said used the phrase 'To be honest' repeatedly.
• Any answer to a question would entail a very long trail of vaguely related subjects before finally (with a gentle reminder from Tony) getting to the point. If she could remember what the point was...
• Although she would dance non-stop to Gangnam Style, it seems that she most loved doing the dusting to Phantom of the Opera.
• Her ability to eat was world renowned. Her highlight was demolishing an entire 'Death by Chocolate' after already having gorged on a large meal. We could only look on in admiration.
• When she visited us over here in the south of France, her greatest delight was searching for duck eggs. Her face would shine when she found one.

Er, that may not be from a duck Sue...

In her memory, we’ve added yet another statue to our garden. The obvious choice:

I’ve revisited a video I made a year or so ago, so as to include Sue. This is a video you really don't want to be in.

I, too, have recently had a close encounter of the terminal kind. This has led my ever-loving wife to urge me to get into print all the details of things she would need to know and do if I ‘ended up in hospital’ (a metaphor for shuffling off my mortal coil - erm, another tricky translation). I guess that now has to include how to edit videos so as to get my ugly mug into it.

There were happier times. Many of them. This video is a compilation of the last couple of times we were all together…

It's gutting that we shall once more not be able to attend a funeral of one we love. There's only one thing for it, and it's called Penderyn...

Sue, to be honest, you will be sorely missed...

It’s Time!

 As some of you will have gathered, much of my time is spent in conflict with my garden, attempting to control its every attempt at plant genocide. It does take time, surprisingly, but it’s good for the soul.

Except now. Having somehow taken host of a large boudin (blood sausage) in my lower limb area, a thrombus of giant proportions, I find myself struck down (although, somewhat obviously, still alive) and unable to don army kit and attack my apparently sentient plant life. 

Thus, all I can do is sit here and think of what has been achieved in this ongoing war. I have subsequently stumbled upon several photos taken back when the garden was just a twinkle in my eye, somewhere between 5 and 7 years ago. What if I could take some photos of the garden now and compare them to those old ones?

Thus, sneaking out without my hospital guard spotting me (“just going to the loo dear!”) I slowly realised that this was nearly impossible, due to the ground levels being different, brick walls having been built, and trees hurling themselves upwards at crazy speeds, often obliterating the old view.

Oh well, because it was impossible I went for it. 

This video is the result:

Happy 'Cause I'm Home

You may well be under the impression from watching the previous two videos, that all this chat about us heading off on our much-missed Gnome-Treks may mean that all we want to do is bugger off into the unknown.

Well, you'd be wrong. 

We love this humble abode of ours and many of you have asked; "Just how is that garden of yours looking?" Well, maybe not exactly many of you, but someone did hint that maybe I should shut up about the Pyrenees and show more about our little corner of paradise. 

After having a couple of difficult Springs where late frosts started the decimation of my much cherished garden (a decimation that was completed by a scorching summer without rain) we have had a most welcome season of perfect growing conditions. Loved by all my plants, especially the weeds. I await the coming summer with a certain amount of dread, and am spending much time tweaking the watering system and talking nicely to our water well.

So here is our garden now, put all together in a video for your pleasure:

Don't be surprised if the next garden video is of a desert wasteland...

Gnome Trek Series 4, Episode 2. Escaping Purgatory. Part Two

Thus leaving our abode in the capable hands of Annick's mum (aided somewhat by some others of our long-suffering family) we ventured forth in search of that higher ground...

(Part One here)

We had arrived and immediately set about that which we do best. Eating & drinking.... 

The next morning, after a quiet evening-in surrounded on all side by two screaming banshees, we set off in search of rocks.

We had arrived in the upper reaches of the Ariège. 

As can be seen in the photo above, it's mostly made of big rocks. Another great discovery.

The banshees set about terrorising the neighbourhood by climbing every mountain

then hurting downhill whilst filling the air with the sound of music (screaming)...

...then my two little favourite things ran Far. A long long way to run...

They subsequently attempted to hide from their weird granddad...

I searched high and low, I followed ev'ry by-way, every path you know.

Meanwhile, high on a hill was a lonely goatherd....

And so, we had escaped purgatory and arrived, finally, in paradise. A last walk with Sky up the mountain before returning to Mundania proved somewhat difficult for my canine companion. 

This was the very last time we would attempt a long walk, as she collapsed on the return downhill trip. Then, finally approaching our house after significant rest breaks, she was attacked by a bloody great Mastiff who attempted to eviscerate her. But only after failing to rip out her throat. 

Sky was, to say the least, mildly perturbed. 

When the dog bites. When the bee stings. When I'm feeling sad. I simply remember my favorite things. And then I don't feel so bad.

After a spell in intensive care (aka our kitchen. She likes being near food, especially if it is so close as to be in her stomach) we returned home, pouring the poor soul out of the van into home territory. We also dropped off the Krazy Kids and recuperated for a couple of days before, once again, heading for them thar hills.

This time it was just myself and my loving wife. With not even our dog to hold us back, we could ramble-on to our heart's content.

The weather, on the other hand, had different ideas.

It started like this...

...and ended like this...

Maybe sitting in front of the fire was a better idea.

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes. Silver white winters that melt into springs. These are a few of my favorite things

Many apologies for plagiarising the movie "The Sound of Music". I realise that I'm probably the only one left alive that even remembers it...

Gnome-Trek Series 4, Episode 1. Escaping Purgatory. Part One.

Purgatory, not quite the Final Frontier. 

These are the voyages of the Flying-Brick ‘Gnome’. Its four-day mission: to escape Purgatory, to seek out the higher ground, and generally swear a lot. To boldly ramble-on where no Gnome has rambled-on before...

For many months now I have slumbered here in Purgatory. Eons have passed since my last ramblings. Some of you may have pondered upon my fate, some of you may have had a passing concern, most of you will not know what the heck I'm going on about.

As usual.

The last few months have been, putting it mildly, something of a pain. Mostly centred around that part of the skull that normally holds a brain. 

A recent MRI revealed 'nothing'.  Hmmm. That sums me up then...

My time spent in Purgatory has not all been in a state of total agony. Paracetamol has been my constant companion. Heroin has also been prescribed, and this may go some way to explain my visions of strange floating shiny animals...

...and at other times; unicorns.

On one occasion I was fooled into thinking that I had escaped Purgatory and had achieved a higher plane of existence...

...where my disciples bent their heads to me...

It was just a passing fancy, a promise of something well beyond my reach. 

I woke once more, drenched in pain.

These passing visions provoked me. They propelled me towards recovery. That and my sluggish immune system (plus a bucket-load of medication).

Now? The ongoing attempts of Covid to lay me low finally appear to be receding, leaving just the usual feeling of utter knackered-ness. I hope to have bid a final farewell to the near constant aching head, and have spent the last month recuperating by taking out my weary anger upon the various malevolent weeds in the jungle surrounding us. 

I now feel it may be time to venture south, to that higher ground.

However, before that, as a prize for escaping a state of recently terminated interminable suffering; I have a new camera to play with. Having waited seven years for Sony to upgrade my previous love, I have finally given in and gone back to Canon, as they now appear to have produced the best camera ever (the Canon R7). 

I thought I'd give it a try. 

Here's some first attempts from our domain. Note the bluesy theme:

It is long past the time for another Gnome-Trek. These, of late, have been very few and far between. Looking back at last year, Episode 1 of Series 3 was our Gnome's only trip into the unknown. 

This year has to be different.

Maybe.

Thus leaving our abode in the capable hands of Annick's mum (aided somewhat by some others of our long-suffering family) we ventured forth in search of that higher ground...

..where Lyzëa demanded the 'flower in front of the face' photo. They say never to work with animals or children. They could be right...

To be continued here

Newsletter 2022

Seasons Greetings to one and all. Here are links to our our long awaited (well, approximately twelve months) Newsletter for 2022:  

Newsletter in English. 

Infolettre en français.

As an added bonus...

Here's a video of about a very special young woman...

Next, the video of our African Extravaganza:

Now, a video showing a different age...

And finally a random railway special...

Also, don't forget the book of the year here (Amazon UK) et ici (Amazon Fr). Or just type 'The Bloody Mara' in the Amazon of your choice. The Kindle version is available now, hard and paperback versions available in the new year. I bet you can't wait. All profits (hehe) go to the African Wildlife Foundation.