Life with cats, and other things…
17th May 2026 There's another thing that's different this year...the lilac bush. Horrible gardener I may be, but I do appreciate the flora and I am fond of lilac, so when I acquired a property that included a rather splendid bush, I was quite pleased. Sadly, over the first few year's of our residence, I … Continue reading Chapters
0602/17th May 2026 Ever since arriving here in 2018, June has been a month of morning mist and spiderwebs, but so much is changing, who knows what next month will bring? For the past three years or so, June has also brought wildfire smoke, turning the Sun a baleful red. My first experience with this … Continue reading Benefits and drawbacks
Kep, Cambodia 1961 It may have been my Christmas present in 1956, or perhaps a 9th birthday gift the following February. At any rate, it was thereabouts that I was given the Kodak Brownie with which I took a few photographs when I went back to boarding school in Kep. . My first camera was … Continue reading Escape
A very wet field, 15th May 2026 There is a saying: "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Applying that logic, when the weather brings rain - celebrate wetness! In the same way that I am captivated by snow and ice, I am drawn to water drops. . How can you be expected to celebrate … Continue reading Grace
0527/12th May 2026 The current view is not as nice, but that is why I take pictures. . Route 372 has adopted its summer configuration. We cannot expect every day to be spectacular, after all. . A long bank of cloud impressed me the other day as we drove to Schuylerville. . It appeared to … Continue reading Posh
Torn Ear comes looking for peanuts shortly after 0530 now and no doubt as dawn arrives earlier, so will she. As Lily has been singing to me lately at 2 am, my nights are somewhat abbreviated currently, which does not mean I haven't time for some fascinating dreams. Last night, I seemed to be the … Continue reading Margarita
Cherry Plain State Park, NY. 10th May 2026 Is anyone else having problems accessing certain blog posts on WP? For no reason I can determine, I have to make a concerted effort to find a way in to some, whereas others feed in automatically. Commenting is also problematic. Email difficulties I was having a few … Continue reading A drive in the woods
1734/5th May 2026 The subject of greeting cards brought me to address books. How many does one get through over a lifetime? Perhaps they too are fading into the past as more and more information is stored on computers. Thanks to the invention of Tipp-ex or Wite-Out, I have managed to hold on to my … Continue reading Things you hold onto
0717/8th May 2026 Father's Day this year is 21st June in the UK and USA. Mother's Day in the UK was March 15th. In the USA May 10th. Why is that? I can think of no good reason why they should be different. When my mum went back to England that difference was something else … Continue reading Assume?
Couvent Des Oiseaux, Notre Dame du Langbian, Dalat, Vietnam. Some old photographs found their way to my inbox.... On 23rd December, 1959 my mother brought me to this building, the Couvent Des Oiseaux, where she turned me over to the group of French nuns who ran it. My father's 18-month contract with UNESCO in Saigon … Continue reading Schools