Assorted sundries

Huh–not much good to man or beast around here.  I kept meaning to have a day off and hadn’t done it–there has been so much to do to catch up and get the garden ready for the freezes that are on the way.  I built a little greenhouse for my passion flower, and was quite proud of it.  And painted a little spot that needed it.  And have taken the dogs for lots of walks, so they know they’re really loved.

But, not enough rest.  So last night, my back went out.  That’s what the body will do if you ignore it long enough–make you rest, whether you want to or not.   

I can read.  I can blog.  I can play on the Internet.  The photo above is a shot of a shed at Sissinghurst.  I could have stood there shooting for a couple of days, but CR was with me and being quite patient (he is so good about these things–he left me to go up the writing tower by myself and insisted I take my time), those reds are so insanely intense!   

So, uploaded photos to Flickr for friends and family viewing.  The one to the right is some amazing flower with a single red leaf that had fallen on it.  (Who can tell me what that flower is?  It looked like a giant crocus.) 

I’ve been listening to more music (I had an email from the wife of one of the Persuasions, by the way.  Can I say I was just tickled to pieces???), mainly Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol and a Patty Griffin song, maybe called Gonna Let Him Fly, which means the book is bubbling nicely there on the back of the stove.  Always intriguing  to notice what the girls want to hear.  It’s always something I’ll be sick to death of by the end of the book.

This is a shot of some thyme in the herb garden.  My mother really must see Sissinghurst one of these days, if only for this particular section of the garden.  I am also quite fond of the moat, which is one of the only filled moats I’ve seen.  There were squirrels in the oaks over it this time, tossing acorns down with little plops.

                                    A few mornings while in Hawkhurst visiting CR’s mum, I walked alo

ng one of the public footpaths nearby.
I’d love to get a good map and go traipsing across the country sometime–the few paths I’ve seen are staggeringly beautiful.  But then, England is a staggeringly beautiful place.   One morning, it was softly misty and softly sunny and I had the path to myself except for a dog and his master. 

More on the two conferences later.  I have information and photos for anyone who’d like to explore the idea of attending either Matera or the Magazine Conference next year.