On Saturday I wanted to play around with the photographic possibilities of our bathroom window, which is made of this funky, ripply glass. So I sent Dave outside, which was admittedly a lot to ask of a guy who hates to have his photo taken, on a day when the temperature was something like 40º F. As a consolation prize I asked him to take a houseplant so he could conceal the lower part of his face. He went, and I took a few shots, and then he came back inside and said in a mock-annoyed voice, "No more projects."
I'm sure it's a pain to live with an amateur photographer. Almost as much of a pain as living with a writer.
Yesterday, Olga and I went to Wormwood Scrubs for a long walk. We found that the woody, brambly copses in the center of the Scrubs, normally impenetrable, are much more accessible now that the leaves are gone and the summer plant life has died back. Olga went exploring in one and blended in quite well. The squirrels, however, weren't fooled.
I found someone's intriguing painted rock. I left it there -- maybe it was marking a place of significance.
On the way home, we passed this anonymous little business (I think?) with no signage except a reindeer in the window. It used to be a cafe. Maybe it's under renovation?
Back home, I bathed Olga, watered all our houseplants and noticed that a goldfinch was once again on the teasels in the garden -- Dave saw some early yesterday morning, too. I'm glad they're hanging around, and I'm so glad we left these teasels standing.
Dave and I had our own little Christmas celebration last night. We exchanged gifts -- I got a couple of nice shirts from, you guessed it, Selfridge's! (Dave knows me well.) Then we watched Dave's favorite movie, "Auntie Mame," in which Christmas figures prominently, and I packed for our trip. This morning Simone will pick up poor, unsuspecting Olga and we will depart.
Coming to you tomorrow from the other side of the Atlantic!
The teasels are beautiful in their own right, aren't they?
ReplyDelete"Poor, unsuspecting Olga" . . . That's how I feel about impending doom for our cats (visits to the vet). It's probably better that way. As kids grow, they develop apprehension around negative experiences they've had, and a parent has to deal with the child's nerves as well as their own. Pets are blissfully unaware until The Thing That's Happening takes on characteristics they recognize as being OH NO NOT THIS AGAIN.
Safe travels! I'll wave vaguely at the sky sometime today and hope I've got the timing right! (Most of the flight paths from Britain to the US veer up over Atlantic Canada, if I remember right.)
Let me be the first to welcome you back to these shores. I'm counting on you and Dave to lend your mass to the embiggenment of sanity in this nation. These are weary times in the U S of A.
ReplyDeleteOn a personal note, I hope you enjoy the celebration of light in your homeland, and enjoy the happiness and fulfillment of family and decent Mexican food.
That IS some crazy glass!
ReplyDeleteHope you got off to the airport easily and well. I'm about to die of anxiety here, thinking suddenly of all of the things I haven't done to get ready for us to leave on our trip.
And yet, somehow it will all work out.
And Olga will be fine.
Olga knows the drill. she sees you packing and it is an annual event. the picture through the glass is kinda neat, almost like a reflection in water.
ReplyDeleteLove these photos and especially the view through the glass. Hope Olga has a good time with the dog-sitter. Thinking of you and Dave as you wing your way across the Atlantic.
ReplyDeletepoor dave...i had to laugh!
ReplyDeleteHave a safe trip.
ReplyDeleteThe ramshackle building with the reindeer in the window is not in fact a business. It is an art installation called "Britain After Brexit". It was made by an up and coming urban artist called Dave "Shagger" Cameron. I'm not sure what it means.
ReplyDeleteAs I write this, you are sipping a martini over The Bermuda Triangle but I hope you make it to Florida. Have a great holiday!
I'm guessing 40º is cold there?
ReplyDeleteHere in Minneapolis I was pleased to see we're in the 30s today = WARM!
Lovely photos--I especially like the stone.
I have a friend who leaves art she makes out in public for people to find and take--or leave. Anonymous messages of love & beauty & fun.
Bon voyage!
I like your experiment with the rippled glass. I hope you are having a safe and uneventful flight.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the horror that is flying these days. May customs wave you through with a smile and not a sneer. Merry Christmas!
I like the photo of Olga disguised (she thought) in the bushes.
ReplyDeleteLove the goldfinch on the teasel! And Dave and Houseplant Through Glass - very cool. I hope your trip is uneventful!
ReplyDeletevery good pictures -- I love the painted rock. We leave for our Christmas trip to Colorado (from California) in 2 days. So much to get done before then. Last year this time we were traveling in Morocco. A great way to spend 'the holidays.' In a Muslim country! A nice relief from the Christmas Crazies.
ReplyDeleteBon Voyage!