I is for Insects

 

Quickie today as we are somewhat distracted by re-watching Mentalist now Monkey has left us for the Far East. I tried to find some insects in the garden to photograph but there were no bees around and I could only find very tiny woodlice. Insect populations are being decimated worldwide so the presence of bees in your garden is always a cause for joy. I took this little film of bees in my yard during the summer 2020. Just sitting in the sunshine and watching them hop from flower to flower are some of the best moments of my summer. I look forward to many more this year too.

Linking back to the A to Z Challenge.

Stay safe. Be kind. Respect the bees.

H is for Hair (pink)

My kids have dyed their hair since teenagerhood. I had always kind of wanted to but was anxious about the process of having to bleach it, and the potential, however small, that it might all fall out. Then a friend of Monkey's gave me the idea to just dye a small lock of hair, underneath at the nape of my neck so that the roots did not really show as it grew out, which is what I did back in 2016.

Then during the pandemic, in May 2020, I finally took the plunge and did the whole lot. It has given me much joy. When I catch sight of the pink in the corner of my eye, or my reflection, it always lifts my mood.

I had it rainbow for a while too and it is now very grown out and in need of a refresh.

I have yet to persuade Dunk that it would be fun to dye his.

Linking back to the A to Z Challenge.

Stay safe. Be kind. Love your hair, whatever the colour.

G is for George Monbiot

wiki commons

There are some people who's presence on the planet makes it a better place, George Monbiot is one of those people. He has spent his career writing and speaking and campaigning to raise people's awareness of the crises, environmental and otherwise, that are affecting the world. I read this article in the Guardian just yesterday, and while reading what he writes about can alternatively be quite depressing, it is important to understand the problem before you can try and fix it. I met him a few years ago when he came to the Manchester Literature Festival to talk about ideas around 'rewinding'. And this brings me around to 'Wilding' by Isabella Tree:

that I borrowed from mum when I visited and have been reading on and off. It is delightful in the same way as George, because it is full of depressing statistics about the loss of species and habitats, and then it lifts you right up because of what her and her husband are achieving on their small portion of the planet by returning it to the uninhibited rhythms of nature. So joys come in many different forms. I learn stuff from reading George. Knowledge is also a joy. 

Linking back to the A to Z Challenge

Stay safe. Be kind. Learn new stuff.

F is for Fabulous Fukuoka Fountains

 

I was telling Monkey yesterday on WhatsApp about my A to Z and she shared some videos she had taken of these wonderful illuminated fountains in the shopping centre (which appear to be quite famous because they are on youtube as well). Apparently every half an hour they start a new different display and she had to keep going back and watching them. I said they are like water fireworks. And add a second joy to the fabulous Fukuoka fountains, because alphabetical blogging also lends itself beautifully to alliteration, and alliteration also gives me much joy. 

Stay safe. Be kind. Don't shop, just enjoy the sights.

E is for Echidna

I nearly fell at the first hurdle today but joys are always increased by sharing, so I asked Tish for a suggestion for the letter E that give her joy, and she immediately said 'baby echidna', because this is definitely the most adorable thing you will see today. Then it becomes a bit of a cheat because baby echidnas are actually called puggles, but as we know you can adapt the rules of the A to Z in any way you like. 

Stay safe. Be kind. Cuddle a puggle.

A to Z of Joys ( A through D)

So a few years ago I used to regularly do the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, and I signed up again this year, and promptly forgot all about it. Then it came to my attention again on Sunday and I thought, oh no, it's too late now. And then I thought, actually yes, it is fine, I will just catch up. Last summer I reviewed 'The Book of Delights' by Ross Gay, and it gave me much pleasure, so I thought I would do my A to Z of the little joys that punctuate my life. 

First up, A is for Ady, my lovely, lovely granddaughter, who's presence in the world gives me much joy:

B is for the blossom on my plum tree. It is in its second year now, and we hope for plums:

C is for cosiness. I have recently replaced the covers on my Ikea sofa. It's pretty old but I found a company called Comfort Works, who do new covers for all sorts of old sofas, and they made these lovely new blue velvet ones. It brings a whole new level of enjoyment to cuddling up under the hexipuff quilt:

D is for my dangling duck, that my sister Claire bought me for Christmas. He is made of bamboo and when the weather dries up he will go outside and adorn the garden and add a gentle bink-bonk when the summer breeze blows:

Stay safe. Be kind. Blog from A to Z.

Weird food

Fruit sandwiches

Strawberry pizza (all you can eat)

breakfast doughnuts

and the first japanese lizard

While Monkey has been eating weird food I have been living a normal boring life and reading a not very interesting book. 'At The Jerusalem' by Paul Bailey is about Faith, and how her declining faculties mean her family put her in a home. I was hoping we were going to get a quirky group of old lady characters but it became a meandering story about her poor relationship with her step-son and his family, and her grief over her daughter's death. She is so distressed by everything around her that she just withdraws into herself, but you get such a fragmented picture of her that it was hard to develop much empathy for her. The book failed to engage me as it lacked either strong characters or strong relationships, which was disappointing because I have enjoyed several old lady stories recently.

Stay safe. Be kind. Try another book.