Sitting (mostly) on the fence

I was never able, if asked, to choose a favourite colour

or a favourite meal

or a favourite artist,

book,

film,

piece of music.

The Best of anything is a moveable feast thank goodness

and that's why I really can't choose

my most beautiful post.

(As for helpful - have I ever been helpful?

Given the title of the blog I'm abashed to say that usefulness

has been a bit thin on the ground, although 
I'm sure I remember a tutorial on pomanders in the distant past.)

So I'm dodging out of those answers

with this selection of recently beautiful scenes from the garden.

I might try to find a post that I'd like to air again

in case it was feeling neglected*,

but really, even a plethora of comments

can't be the defining factor that helps me to decide

on a post that surprised me with its success.

I'm surprised that anyone reads this at all,

and I'm quite proud that I have stuck to this blog

for three years now.

As for controversial, well

I didn't think I was courting controversy but this one

lost me a regular American commenter

so I blame Eddie Izzard and would urge you not to look again

if you know that you don't approve of him.


*Cathy has kindly reminded me of this one,
 so I'll shake it out for fresh attention, deserved or not.

Playing tag

 I was trying to comply with a request from Rebecca to join

in a blog project that is doing the rounds;

namely to disinter seven posts which answer the following questions:

What is your most beautiful post?

What is your most popular post?

What is your most controversial post?

What is your most helpful post?

Which post's success surprised you most?

Which of your post do you feel didn't get the attention it deserved?

Which post are you proudest of?

But it's not easy.
There are 835 posts to read and as is so often the case
with a questionnaire, I am struggling with the parameters
(and definitely taking it far too seriously).
I thought popular might be the easiest one to start with. 
The stats show one that has had far and away the most page views
and it is this one:
English Music in an English landscape
but does that make it popular or should I be looking for 
the one with the most comments?
That would be this one:
Silver and coral
because people are kind.


But then again early posts were whistling into the wind
and if I recycled them they might get whoops of acclaim 
from du monde.
As so often with a game of tag 
I find myself slightly out of breath and lurking on the sidelines.
Go and see what Mary found
and maybe I'll have got a second wind
if you come back.

The last dance

I can never look at fuchsia flowers without thinking of dancers.

You only had to add arms with a little bit of twig.

My flirtation with ballet was short-lived.

I have trochanteric bursitis.

It's a pain in the hip.


I suppose I could take up
crochet.


Sue is making a lovely Ravilious blanket.
Lucy has lots of patterns and tutorials in her sidebar
and I do like Vanessa's little squares scarf.

Silver and coral

Our son had waved to us on the scan.

It gave us the impetus we needed

to legalise a relationship 

that was already ten years established.

So twenty five years later

we have arrived at our official

silver wedding anniversary

and our unofficial coral anniversary.

I once had a beautiful silver and coral necklace from P.

I would have worn it today but it was stolen.

No matter. 

We're still smiling.

The gas man cameth

We got the power!

There's nothing to join it up to yet,

but at least it has reached the door.

The Lodger

 Did I mention that this is not our cat?

 And they are definitely not our fleas either.

This is our old cat.

He was rather a fine fellow

even if he did lash out sometimes.

You had to be a bit careful how you passed him on the stairs.

He lost his tail when young

which gave him a Complex.

His name was Rodgers, 

but he became Bodge after that.

I'm calling this one The Lodger.

He makes an empty house a bit homelier

so I haven't the heart to evict him.

Crab apple dusk

Sometimes a little scrap of fabric sits in a drawer

waiting for its moment in the sun.

Crab apple noon

The best bit of making crab apple jelly

is eating the skimmed off foam

with a bowl of Greek yogurt.

The second best bit

is making a tower out of the dangerously hot jars.

The third best bit 

will be a bit of action with the pinking shears and

sprigged fabric but I must attend to more

pressing matters now.

Crab apple dawn

Late bloomers

Pat Gallant-Charette is the oldest female to have 
swum the English Channel

at age 60.

Flora Thompson wrote Larkrise to Candleford 

at age 63.

Laura Ingalls Wilder had her first Little House book published

at age 65.

Alfred Wallis took up painting when his wife died,

at age 67.

Mary Wesley wrote her first novel

at age 70.

Mary Delany began her cut paper botanical collages

at age 72.

Minna Keal had her first orchestral work performed

at the BBC proms

at age 80.

Fauja Singh is still running marathons

at age 100.

I have taken up ballet

at age 57.

My pliés are comical and creaky.

I get cramp when I point my toes

and do not appear to know my left leg from my right

but, it is not quite too late

to follow in my mother's footsteps.

A shadow

of my former self.

Stand with a low sun at your back.

It wipes fifty years off your age

and fifty pounds off your frame.

Free spirits

We haven't received the deeds to the new house yet

and so there is some doubt about the ownership 

of one of the boundaries.

 These are mere legal niceties

 and are of no consequence,

 matter,

or import,

to the local feline and canine population 

who overstep them

with impunity.

Happy

A treasure hunt item scored

from a friendly porter.

He looks happy,

so I'm happy.

And that other treasure hunt was not in vain.

 Son one and the lovely girlfriend are engaged.

They look happy,

so I'm happy.