Wednesday 30 May 2012

Thank you Perpetua

Wild  purple spotted Orchid - the garden is full of these. They gravitate here from the land around us, and rather cleverly seem to settle in the pre-existing pots of flowers. There are half a dozen in this pot nestling up against a Phormium whose large strap leaves can be seen in the background.
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I have just been awarded a beautiful Sunshine blog award by Perpetua, the first I have ever received, but for all of her kindness and generosity, I have declined to accept it fully.
It feels very ungracious of me, and not at all the way I was brought up. We are relatively new to each other’s blogs but Perpetua came immediately to my aid when I had a blogspot problem. I love visiting her blog, her posts are always interesting and intelligent with a nice touch of humour. I consider her a blogger friend.
The reasons for my partially turning it down are that it would be impossible for me to pick my favourite blogs, as the British entertainer Bruce Forsyth would say 'you are all my favourites'. I love to receive your comments, and it is especially gratifying when blog friends tell you that they have enjoyed something you have written or photos you have taken.  I do the blog because at this moment in time I really enjoy the creative process and making contact with you all.  I hope that one day my Grandchildren may enjoy reading my family memories and recollections. It feels as if I have my own little magazine and that I am the Chief Editor, the Designer, the Compositor, and the Tea Girl all rolled into one.
My offering to you all and my grateful thanks are some flowers from the garden. To Perpetua in particular and to all friends who visit wherefivevalleysmeet - thank you - Rosemary♥♥♥
Cercis siliquastrum still flowering
Nectaroscordum siculum
Hardy geranium Johnson's Blue
Poppy
blossom on Swedish Hornbeam tree
Aeonium
Chives
The part of the award I am prepared to do is reveal a few things about myself.

Favourite colour: I like to wear black, charcoal grey and navy-blue which I can accessorise with brighter colours. 
Favourite animal:  I absolutely adore hippopotamus, especially the pygmy variety.
Favourite number: I do not have a favourite number, but I like dates such as 12th December 2012 (12.12.12)
Favourite drink: It has got to be coffee, but when returning from a day out or holidays, I am always dying for a cup of good traditional English tea.
Facebook or Twitter:  I have a Facebook but do not use it.
Your passion:  If you read my blog you know my passions only too well.
Giving or getting presents:  Not bothered about receiving, but enjoy giving. However, I love getting presents from the Grandchildren who make me the most amazing things

Favourite day:  Everyday is a blessing, but end of the month, pay day, is good.
Favourite flowers:  Impossible to answer. My favourite flower is the one that is just opening when I visit the garden first thing in the morning.
Since writing this post I have just received, in the context of my favourite animal,  this wonderful, rare pygmy hippo set in amber from my blogging friend Mark

32 comments:

  1. I love the soft pink Poppy. She's gorgeous. Wow it must be a beautiful to have wild orchids in your own garden.
    Have a nice evening Rosemary

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    1. Dear marijke - it is funny the way we think of flowers, some are 'he' and some are 'she'. Yes, the pale pink poppy is definitely a she and you are right she is gorgeous. She is smudging her pink tutu a little with her black pollen. Apart from the purple spotted orchid we also have the wild white Helleborine orchid growing too. The common where we live is covered in orchids, and I discovered recently that they actually spread by seed on the wind, so that is why we have so many in the garden.

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  2. Congratulations Rosemary,

    Like you say, I think we all have super blogs and each one of us something different to offer. I certainly have learned a lot through this last year.

    Happy wednesday and enjoy the lovely weather.
    val

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    1. Dear Val - thank you so much, and also for the great encouragement that you always give to me and to others.
      The weather is still gorgeous but our lawn has cracks in it due to the lack of rain.

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  3. Hello Rosemary:
    What a glorious garden bouquet to Perpetua in recognition of the award that you certainly do deserve. Rays of Sunshine pour from your blog and you are always spreading the sunshine further with your most thoughtful and considered replies and comments on the blogs of others.

    We can understand absolutely that you do not wish to choose any 'favourites' to whom the award would be given, but we have been intrigued to read your own 'favourites' in order to know a little more about you as a person.

    And, as for the spotted Orchids gently spreading themselves around your garden, now that is worthy of a 'sunshine award' in itself!

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    1. Dear Jane and Lance - you are both always so encouraging and supportive of mine and other people's blogs. Thank you for your lovely remarks, I always appreciate hearing from you.
      Did you pick up on anything in particular on my own favourites?
      As I mentioned above to Marjke, we also have the wild white Helleborine growing in the garden apart from the spotted Orchid. We are very happy for them to make their home with us.

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  4. Congratulations on your award Rosemary! The flowers in bloom in your garden look very special to me. Especially the spotted orchid. Such a beauty! I wish we had plants like this in Holland. I would love to have it in my garden.

    You guessed right about meeting J&L :-)! I will give them your love!

    Have a lovely evening!

    Madelief x

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    1. Dear Madelief - thank you.
      The spotted orchids in the garden are our free treat from nature. I think that they enjoy it with us because they look decidedly fat.
      Yes, I just put two and two together and made four. I knew J & L were entertaining friends from Holland this weekend. I hope that you all have a wonderful, wonderful time together.
      Take care and enjoy your trip♥

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  5. This is a perfect post Rosemary. I love your logic and reasoning, your appreciation of the wonderful Perpetua, and as always your spectacular photos. Your grandchildren are incredibly blessed to be able to have your thoughts and fabulous glimpses of things that you enjoy to look back on. Janice.

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    1. Dear Janice - If I was not so fond of you all, it would be possible, but I could not pick out a few and leave others out. You all have your own uniqueness which is what I enjoy.
      Hopefully one day the grandchildren may be interested. I often have regrets that I did not ask my grandparents more about their life. I did a special party for H a couple of years ago, and put photographs of his career on posters around the house, and our eldest granddaughter was enthralled, she kept saying 'I had no idea you did this Grandpa', that made me think it was a good idea.

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  6. I was sent over from Mark Ruffner's blog--I had seen your name attached to comments, but never realized that you produced your own blog, let alone such a splendid one. I am counting on having a good time exploring all your articles and brilliant photographs.
    --Road to Parnassus

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    1. Dear Parnassus - that is such a kind comment to make - thank you very much. Mark has given me a splendid gift today, one I shall treasure. He was my very first follower on the first day I started the blog.
      Look forward to your future visits.

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  7. You do have such a flair for flower photography! I did enjoying reading those little things about you... I agree with you about coming home to a nice cup of tea :-)

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    1. Dear Nat - I can cope with flowers, but unfortunately not very good with things that move, like birds and insects. I have not got the patients to stay down on my knees for long.
      Have a good trip to Croatia, I think that you are off soon and enjoy. We found it a beautiful country.

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  8. Dear Rosemary,
    I am new to your blog. Having read your comments on some of the other garden blogs, I decided to pop over. Delighted I did. Your photography is artistic and beautiful. I find it difficult to photograph my own garden....it is either too bright / harsh or too dark. I have been known to rush out during breakfast to snap a few shots of the garden when the sky is bluest in the morning. I love your close-ups....they have an abstract quality.
    Enjoying your photos from DC,
    Loi

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    1. Dear Loi - thank you for your generous comments. I am delighted that you like the photos. I only have an ordinary point and shoot camera. On the whole I think it is better if you can capture photographs before the sun is high and before it sinks away completely, alternatively if it is hiding behind a cloud. Using the macro lens is very addictive, my main difficulty is that I do not like crouching down for long to get the flowers. An example being the drooping umbels of the Nectaroscordum which I show above. It is not so interesting from the view above.
      I shall pop over to look at your blog, and thank you for becoming a follower, you are very welcome here.

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  9. Sweet Rosemary,
    Is very nice to have friends who love and help you. The post in your girlfriend is very interesting. Thank you for giving us flowers. In such a good person like you, I believe that all think of to donate something to you ! I give you a big smile from the sunlight Greece.
    Olympia

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    1. Dearest Olympia - this post has prompted several gifts. Your big smile and the sunlight from Greece are delightful gifts, thank you for your generosity and kindness♥

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  10. Thank you so much for your very kind words and glorious photos, Rosemary. That has to be the most gracious example of ungraciousness I've ever seen. :-) As I said in my post, I sit lightly to blog award conditions and am always happy for my recipients to accept, decline or reinterpret the offered award, as you have done. I loved reading your answers to the 9 questions, which helped us all to know you a little better.

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    1. Dear Perpetua - I am pleased that you were happy with my response. Thank you.
      I hope you noticed the lovely gift I received as a result of my answers to the 9 questions.
      By the way, we are still awaiting the promised rain!

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    2. No, I hadn't spotted it, Rosemary. How very sweet!

      The rain was later than first forecast and only arrived today with us, but it has rained quite steadily for much of the afternoon. I hope yours arrives soon. Thank goodness we got the grass cut on Tuesday....

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    3. That is good - our rain usually travels over here from Wales.

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  11. Rosemary, you have a wonderful selection of plants growing in your garden. The Nectaroscordum looks particularly interesting with it's dusky exterior. Is it a tall plant?

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    1. Dear Paul - Nectaroscordum is a member of the Allium family, and as such is about the same height - roughly 3ft/1m. It's bells are quite unusual and rather an offbeat colour.

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  12. Hi Rosemary - Thanks so much for your visit! Garden photography is rather new for me. I'm more used to shooting interiors and furniture for my antiques business. I'm not a professional photographer....just an amateur who enjoys experimenting. I, too, use a point and shoot most of the time...the quality is so good these days. I am really inspired by your photos, as mentioned.
    Cheers,
    Loi

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    1. Hello Loi - I shall look forward to seeing what you come up with. I thought that your photos of the peony flowers were lovely.

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  13. Rosemary, I feel just like you do! Blogging about my garden is just like having my own online scrapbook/photo album. It has been such a nice surprise to meet and share gardens with so many like-minded people around the world.

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    1. Dear Rosemary - I totally agree with you. When I first started blogging I had no idea that it would lead to connecting with such a lovely and diverse range of people. It feel as if I have so many more friends around the world. Surely that has got to be a good thing for the goodness of our planet.

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  14. Dear Rosemary, congratulations on your award. It is well deserved!
    I think it is wonderful to get to know a few more things about you. I also like the way you describe blogging. How true. Although I rarerly think about it, yes, I like the idea of having my own magazine...
    I have to tell you that your flower photographs are inspiring and always make me feel happy : )

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    1. Dear Demie - What a lovely comment to make.
      I shall try harder with the flowers just for you.
      Over a period of time I have realised that there is a great little writer over at your blog, you have a wonderful gift with words. So may be there is a little book? rather than a magazine over there with you!

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  15. Dear Rosemary,
    Congratulations on your well deserved award.
    Your wonderful posts have awakened my interest for old buildings again.
    Beautiful shots from your garden. What a beautiful orchid.
    Mette

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    1. Dear Mette - it is always lovely to see the wild orchids again. I enjoy photographing flowers, but sometimes is is good to focus on old buildings, landscapes or different objects for a change. You know what they say a change is as good as a rest♥

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