lithops

Reya asked for a picture of my new computer, so here it is, but it did occur to me that it looks scarcely very different from the old computer which has appeared here before, in situ.  A bit shinier maybe, cleaner and brighter.  And a far superior keyboard which will no longer hoard toast crumbs and general spong.

Otherwise, much the same, at least on the outside ...

But next to my new computer is a new plant which I'm also rather pleased about.

 

I remember a college friend having one/some of these, I was fascinated at the time. They are called lithops - literally "stone-like" - and they really are like little pebbles.  Also rather like little brains or aliens.

I found and bought this one with another London blogger at a delightful nursery in North London, where we didn't find lunch but we did find lithops.

And see how many different kinds and colours there are:

image from here

(and when did amazon start selling plants??)

(i'd have ordered one of these if they weren't out of stock...)

image from here

It will hopefully flower in the autumn or winter.

Whilst googling to learn more about lithops, I found this blog.  Isn't that wreath extraordinary?  I also love succulents and have quite a few varieties in the garden (and some indoors) though my succulents are not as succulent as her succulents. 

But I do have a hanging basket filled with them which is coming along quite nicely, it is a sort of tribute to Barcelona after a wonderful weekend there some years ago when I admired the cascades of houseleeks trailing tumbling and dangling from the balconies.

Given the choice of computer or lithops I would indeed choose the computer.  To say otherwise would be just silly talk.

But I am happy to have both.

Springing

back into bloglife

with a bright shiny new computer which is mine.

(for the first time ever in my life. And as a 3rd child I grew up used to hand-me-downs and I have a great affection and respect for second-hand-ness. 

But I love having a brand new bright shiny computer all for me.)

(and for LG whenever she is here and I am not)

(And Logan [kitten] sees my computer chair quite definitely as his)

(along with any random pens, paperclips or small chase-able things)

The garden is also springing, despite the miserable chillyness of this end of the week.

I am springily delighted to report that there is frogspawn in my little frog pool, despite lack of frogspawn last spring. 

I inadvertently chanced upon some frogs in the pool at the weekend, engaged in .... froggy activity....

Frogporn, as LG put it. 

Duly followed by a large splodge of frogspawn.

I  will be posting regular reports and pictures as the frogspawn develops into little wiggly things.

Which before too long, I hope, will be little springy sprongy things.

break

Regents Park tube station, London


Well this has now become a proper blog break, though I'm intending it will be only brief.

In addition to "life" pre-occupations and a week-long visit of the in-laws, my computer has finally given up the ghost and refuses to respond to any kind of coaxing.

Feeling more than a little monetarily reckless and irresponsible - given our uncertain employment future - we have nonetheless ordered a new one for me. Computers have become so central to both our work and other important aspects of life....

....

... justifications over...


I'm just looking forward to its arrival, and I fully intend to return to full and proper blogging once it is in place and all set up.

stair-cat

The stairs are quite tall and steep, for such a little cat, so sometimes he stops part-way down for a rest.




Sometimes he sits like this for some time.


He notices the dust and thinks that it would be a more comfortable spot for sitting if the stairs were hoovered more frequently.




Thursday Theme: animals


Disclaimer: I'm on a semi-blog break, not much visiting your blogs or visiting and not commenting much... bear with me. I hope to be a more interactive blogger again some time.

More Springlike. No sitting.

Greenwich Park


Brighter and warmer than the previous, but still not great for sitting.






Disclaimer: I'm on a semi-blog break, not much visiting your blogs or visiting and not commenting much... bear with me. I hope to be a more interactive blogger again some time.

Spring

Blackheath

Parts of the UK have had heavy snow again in the past week.
Not in London.

But I have enough pictures of February's snow to last for some time to come ...










4 pictures in Greenwich Park




Disclaimer: I'm on a semi-blog break, not much visiting your blogs or visiting and not commenting much... bear with me. I hope to be a more interactive blogger again some time.

Part of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, designed by Christopher Wren, completed in 1752.

Glimpses of sunlight and left-over snow (same day as picture on previous post).
Where I work. Some of the time. And for the time being.

Site of a lot of filming, including Stage Beauty, Wolf Man and The Duchess.

So there.




Disclaimer: I'm on a semi-blog break, not much visiting your blogs or visiting and not commenting much... bear with me. I hope to be a more interactive blogger again some time.

blog break lapse mute maybe...

Snowman corpses in Greenwich Park last month, looking up from the Maritime Museum up to the Royal Observatory.



Well.

I've been musing about whether or not to continue blogging having felt.... distanced... distracted.... muse-less... and largely wordless as well.


Each time I begin mentally to write a post saying something to that effect, I find myself becoming verbosely wordy. In my head.

Hah.

"know thyself"



And just look at this ridiculous blog title which is just as it fell out of my head.
Once I sit and begin to type, the words are clamouring in my head to get out here. But I'm not at all convinced they are words worth putting on a page.


Well, I really don't want to witter on here with too many words.
But I don't want to stop blogging by default rather than by decision.

And I'm not sure I really want to stop blogging anyway.



So.... what then?

Well, firstly, I do apologise that I'm not getting around to your blogs very much at the moment. And when I do sometimes visit, I am wordless and not commenting...

And secondly, I plan to post much more frequently, but primarily picture posts.


Unless I find myself thinking of words.
Words which aren't woeful... or witless...
... or too wordy.



Hows that for a plan?