Spring is springing methinks.

Our wonderful harbour is always busy. Here is a little ferry boat heading for the islands

Lucky to catch sight of the stag today

wow~!

One of my favourite plants, the Gloriosa lily. See how the tendrils form at the end of the leaves to help it climb.
(Forgive the weatherbeaten hand in shot, I gave my hand model the day off.)

Gees - Love the stag

Auntie - forget the hand who wants to see a model anyway , but lovely flower.



A new friend having lunch.

The garden and power plant at Alcatraz.

This is Gus. He is 5 years old today, April 1. My daughter is training him. When we got him 2 years ago, you couldn't even lead him. She just recently started riding him in tack in the roundpen at a walk. It's very slow going as he was a late starter. I'm very proud of the work she's done with him.

He looks lively! Lovely. Who is that in the hat?

Duck!

to ren33: The fellow in the hat is Oliver, registered name Oliver's Whisper, a Welsh pony. He'll be 5 in May and my daughter had a hand in training him too. He's farther along in his training and is a lesson pony at the barn I work at. As you can see, he's very laid back. We had all sorts of headgear on him that day and that one is my favorite. Gus is a POA, Pony of the Americas, which is an appalossa breed. Gus is quite lively and very friendly unless you are a veterinarian!

Awwwwww! So lovely. Thanks

To QB. Yes Duck?
Here is a Newent Drake in rather yucky water.

So would that be a yucky Duck? Or a mucky ducky?

The first colour to appear in the garden this year



Confession I have no idea what sort of plant it is,our grand-daughter threw the label away

The Seine from the top of the Eiffel tower...

Gees63, your mystery plant may be a Hebe (Veronica). I stand to be corrected though!



This darn thing is busted; almost as tragic as losing my camera would be. I won't need to replace it until August or so, just before Spring arrives Down Under.

errr, what is it, Auntie? :p

Today we went and had a campfire and made a damper for it - here's the campoven
I'm thinking damper might be an Australian thing? In case it is: it's like a bread

Auntie, I think that's a Hebe too. In fact it may be the one called Red Edge. Lovely.

Glad you asked, Copago! It's a Balance Arm Sensor Unit. It's sitting in a propagating bed with bottom heat where I sprout seeds or grow cuttings. When the mesh "leaf" on the left side dries out, it rises in see-saw fashion and a fine water mist cuts in. The weight of the mist causes the leaf to sink again and shut off the water.

Your camp oven has set me reminiscing! I used to do animal survey work with a diverse and interesting group of people. Sometimes we spent days in remote bush locations. Always my trusty (and heavy) camp oven came along, later to be joined by a smaller version. Everyone was responsible for his/her own meals, but "regulars" would plan one big camp-fire meal per trip which I usually cooked. (The cook was exempted from the afternoon task of opening the traps, and anyway it was MY camp oven!)
Over the years, we had magnificent roasts or stews and in the smaller oven I could do baked apples or golden dumplings.
And yes, dampers! I always took a jar of home-made jam to pass around. Gee, I miss those days.

Foxton Locks, on the Grand Union Canal, on a nice early Spring day.

I don't have a photo, but would like to comment on the above picture of the Foxton locks. I come from a small town in New York state on the Erie Canal called Lockport. There are 5 sets of locks (not in use anymore), and they rebuilt the locks with one big one now. The above photo reminded me of my birthplace. Thanks for posting this beautiful picture!

... and I'm from Panama, so seeing pics of locks (any locks) makes me homesick!! LOL



My bottleus azul tree is blooming!

Another typical British allotment in Wallington on the south end of London. These are rented out by councils for people without gardens or who want more space.

Cabbage on an allotment near me. (Altogether now ....Wow!!)