Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Sunday 19 November 2017

Sunday Selections #354

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
 
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.

Like River I usually run with a theme. For the next few weeks I am reverting to the theme I was using this time last year - Home and Away.


Starting with some grafitti in a local bus shelter.  All our bus stops and shelters recently became smoke free which is a positive move.  This addition (around Halloween) tickled my childish fancy though.


Then to the garden (again).




I really like this double poppy and think it looks nearly as good from the underside.


Another wallflower, which I hope is as happy in the garden as the purple one.



I often describe the garden as a jungle, and this shot gives you some idea why.  I am decidedly not a minimalist.


We know this epiphyte as 'old man's beard' and acquired it (twenty years ago?) from himself's mama.  Like so many things in the garden it is laden with sentiment and memories.




Strawberries in a hanging pot by the back door.  I will be watching them with interest.  So will some of the birds.

And a late addition.  Late on Friday afternoon a hail storm tore through.  Some of the hail stones were marble sized and it was incredibly noisy.  



Hopefully not too much damage has been done.

And then to the much more exotic part of the post.  Himself is home (arrived last night) but I have been very grateful for the photos he has shared.  And when, in the fullness of time, he wakes will interrogate him about the trip.

Sadly he told me that a lot of the 'old buildings' have been torn down.  Progress I suppose.



He adores markets.  And who doesn't?




Loved the reflection here too.





In other trips he/we have got all 'templed out'.  I wonder whether he did this time.  And love the tea urn/samovar at the bottom of the steps.


128 comments:

  1. I would love to be templed out. I know I am cathedraled out and it did not take long I can assure you. But the temples, I believe I could spend the day just looking at detail and not be done.

    The double poppy is quite beautiful. I haven't had much luck with growing poppies here. It is a hot, damp climate I live in. The hail storm was quite fierce.

    It's good to have him back home. I'm sure at this point he is glad too. Cheers, Ann

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    1. Ann Bennett: I think he is glad to be home, but his feet will start to itch again before too long. I certainly remember being templed out (big time) in India. They were very, very beautiful, but it got overwhelming and way too much to take in.

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  2. The flower pictures are very pretty.

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  3. Must have been a great trip!

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  4. Hail feels wrong in your climate, EC.

    His photos conjure up wonderful sounds and smells from the market!

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    1. Marie Smith: Hail is not uncommon. And sometimes very destructive. I can remember one hail storm which shattered windows and wrote off cars.

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  5. I want to travel with himself!!

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    1. fishducky: You have more stamina than I do. I know that I cannot keep up.

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  6. I told River--I'm coming to wallow in spring.

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  7. I think I recognized the Forbidden City in the last few pictures, but I could be mistaken. And I love your magnificent abundance in the garden, including the quickly ripening strawberries. Thank you for your wonderful post, once again. :-)

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    1. DJan: You did indeed recognise the Forbidden City - and I am so glad it isn't.

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  8. Ha! Even your grafitti entertains.
    Have a great week, EC.

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    1. Rawknrobyn: I liked that little addition. Quirky fun - and there is always room for both in my world. I hope your week is wonderful.

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  9. Once "Himself" has woken, refreshed, I imagine there will be a lot of talking going on...questioning and listening...enjoy! I've enjoyed the photos he/you have shared with us, as I'm sure all others have, too. :)

    That double poppy is beautiful.

    Have a good week, EC...cuddles to Jazz...who will be happy now his best mate is home. :)

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    1. Lee: Himself is awake (sort of) and imbibing a cup of breakfast. Jazz is treating him with suspicion. His allegiance 'may' have shifted.

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  10. I love the little bit of graffiti. Such interesting photos from such an exotic place. It is unfortunate about pulling down old buildings, exactly what have done so often.

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    1. Andrew: We do pull down old buildings don't we? And often replace them with much less attractive versions.

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  11. The no smoking sign is funny. :-)

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  12. I love the no smoking sign, funny. And the gardens are beautiful. But I love the market, with it stalls, each one are superb. Oh, love the instruments stall, if only............

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    1. Bob Bushell: The markets had something for us all didn't they?

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  13. Hail! Oh no...did it damage your house? We had some not too long ago. Took out a window and some of our siding. I think there was a tornado nearby, but no one knew for sure.

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    1. Sandi: We were lucky. Some damage in the garden, but none that I can see to the house.

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  14. If I breathe very, very deeply...will I smell wallflower? In a long-ago garden, they were among my first sowings.

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    1. dinahmow: I hope so - if the wind is in the right direction. I really, really hope this one does as well as the purple, which has decided triffid ambitions.

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  15. I had to laugh at the graffiti on the sign, I actually like that.

    Your garden is beautiful, I would love to have just a piece of that in my back yard...very nice.

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    1. Jimmy: Isn't it nice to see a piece of 'clever' graffiti. Our garden is big. And a LOT of work.

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  16. Wonderful - I can look at your photos and dream... That samovar is beautiful. And maybe one day I will manage to grow a flamboyant double poppy like that one!

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    1. Alexia: Dreams are good. Dreams are essential. I really don't know where the poppy first came from, but I save and broadcast seeds each year.

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  17. I've never seen a "NO SMOKING" sign like that before until now, that's really funny! There are "NO SMOKING" signs here as well in our city on the bus stop shelters, yet when my wife and I go to wait for a bus there's almost always a person smoking.

    Your flowers are beautiful and what an interesting decorative tree that is! Furthermore, I must say, it must be nice to be able to just open a door and pick a strawberry!

    Thank you so much Elephant's Child for posting his photos and thank him as well from me, it gave me great pleasure in being able to see them!

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    1. Lon Anderson: It is lovely reaching out and picking strawberries. We will have to be quick though, because some of the birds are also partial to strawberries.
      I will pass your thanks on to himself.

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  18. Flowers are such a precious part of nature.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Janie Junebug: No arguments here. I hope you are feeling better.

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  19. I love browsing through markets too, I always make sure to not carry much money though, because I'd want to buy everything.
    I like your double poppy and the wallflower. I saw wallflowers in pots for sale yesterday at a local Christmas Craft fair, but I didn't have enough cash on me to buy one, I was quite surprised at the price tags on some of that stuff.
    Did himself bring you some silk fabric?

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    1. River: If himself did buy me some silk he hasn't said. He often holds back some of his purchases till Christmas. He did buy some spectacular embroidered slippers and hats (for himself). And earrings for me.

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  20. The graffitist at least has a sense of humour. Well spotted!
    We were fortunate to not get any hail during the week but there has been very heavy rainfall and hail that has done at lot of damage to crops further west.

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    1. CountryMum: The rain always seems to fall on the too little/too much scale doesn't it. We could do with some, and got very little.

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  21. Super collection today - both home and away. The away ones are amazing, the home/garden ones comforting. Do you grow strawberries from seeds? Just wondered, am clueless about gardening. Love visiting them though, even minimalistic Japanese style ones :)

    It always lifts my day and mood whenever I visit here. Thank you!

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    1. Nilanjana Bose: What a lovely thing to say. I am glad. We grow the strawberries from runners. I suppose a more talented gardener could grow them from seed, but I am way too impatient.

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  22. I saw that you got some hail the other day we got two drops of rain . Wow strawberries I've tried so hard to grow them but never much luck.
    Merle...............

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    1. Merlesworld: We got two drops of rain the go with the hail. I have found that the strawberries do better in hanging pots than they ever did in the ground where they got munched by slimy critters.

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  23. Lovely collection of photos on your post today, EC. Thanks for always visiting my blog; I've been absent from bloghopping due to Internet problems. Back online now again. Check out my post yesterday about my new accommodation in the mountains. Blessings. Jo

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  24. Yay! It's Sunday Selections Day! Let me first say hello to Jazz and Jewel on this Stupendous Sunday, EC. They look in full form. As always, the colorful flowers bring along a joyful feeling, and it's super to peek at strawberries when they're first growing. Our markets in the US are not nearly as interesting, so I enjoy looking at these pictures and more today! Hugs...RO

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    1. RO: Thank you. Jazz is still with us, but Jewel left the house (but not our hearts) last year. Our markets aren't as interesting as the ones he found in China/Kirgistan either.

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  25. Those hailstones would have sounded good on a tin roof. Great news about the smoke free areas, the graffiti reminds me of Casper which seems most appropriate. Love the photographs from the traveller too

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    1. Kim: I thought of the Friendly Ghost too. The hailstones would have been deafening on a tin roof. Ours is slate but the noise was still incredible. I received a phone call in the middle (from himself) and couldn't hear a thing over the hail.

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  26. That double poppy is stunning. Love himself's photos especially of the rug like sculpture. Youtwo will have much to catch up on today after he rests.

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    1. Sue in Italia/In the Land of Cancer: I really liked that sculpture too. Himself is not a talker, but slowly I am winkling out more about his trip.

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  27. I have never seen a double poppy. It is fantastic as well as all the the other pictures you have posted.

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    1. Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe: Until it popped up in our garden I hadn't seen a double poppy either. And I have been religously saving the seeds and broadcasting them ever since. I would like to find it in other colours too.

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  28. Those hail stones were huge!!! Hope they did not damage the flowers too much.

    Lovely pictures from "abroad" as well.

    : )

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    1. Caterina: We lost a few blooms to the hail (including a spectacular lily) but it could have been worse. He takes great photos doesn't he?

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  29. That is a TING at the foot of those final steps. It is a traditional shape for an incense burner. You garden, laden with sentiment and memories, sings to me. <3

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    1. Cloudia: Thank you for educating me. I am grateful,and it makes more sense than my erroneous assumption. The garden sings to us too - but some at least of the songs are about work.

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  30. So glad you're not a minimalist. Your "jungle" is beautiful. Thanks for the market pictures.

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    1. Myrna R.: There is an elegance to minimalism, but it isn't something I can achieve.

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  31. I love these Sunday reflections - snippet of a life across the globe. You had the sound of hail. We currently have acorns raining down in TX. The squirrels are fat and happy. Cheers to you for the week

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    1. Joanne: Acorns? They are probably as loud as hail. I do envy you squirrels though. Thank you - and I hope your week is wonderful.

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  32. I love exotic markets too, with goods of all sorts every way you turn. Mostly now I see them only in photos. When I lived briefly in California, I'd cross the border to Mexico and enjoy the markets. How I wish we had such flamboyant markets near here. Was the hail deposited by the same storm system Andrew wrote about? Those are large hunks of ice! I would want a helmet to be out in that.

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    1. Strayer: Mexican markets would float my boat. And the travellers too.
      I am not sure whether the hail was from the same system or not, I wasn't tracking it. Both were dramatic though.
      And yes, being caught in that hail would have hurt.

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  33. Dear EC
    That poppy is beautiful - are you going to save the seeds? Those hailstones are enormous - I would be surprised if they didn't cause much damage.
    It's good to hear that Himself is back safely. Judging from the photos, he had a wonderful time soaking up the atmosphere of different cultures.
    Best wishes
    Ellie
    Ellie

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    1. Ellie Foster: Of course I save the seeds. Always. I haven't heard of significant damage to property, but the garden certainly got cut about.
      He did have a marvellous time. As he always does while travelling.

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  34. I love jungle gardens! Much more interesting than formally laid out designs.
    I understand progress, but so many cities around the world look like cookie cutter renditions of each other. It's sad to wipe out the uniqueness of a culture while trying to better the living conditions of the residents.

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    1. River Fairchild: Yes. And in my experience 'progress' is of benefit to a select group rather than the whole quite often.

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  35. That it some big stonking hail. o_o

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  36. Happy Sunday. Don't get a lot of hail in Florida...but I can imagine how loud it would be on our steel roof. Erg.

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    1. Author R. Mac Wheeler: Monday now. The hail would have been deafening on a steel roof. As I expect rain can be.

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  37. The gum tree which sometimes makes a cameo in your photos is stunning. I can never resist and old gum with white bark and an interesting shape. Is it yours?

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    1. kylie: It is. We have three very large gums (among other trees) and I love them. That one is particularly lovely in very early morning light.

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  38. It's so lovely to see spring in your world!

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    1. Jono: Thank you. When summer bites I plan on revelling on cooling images from your side of the world.

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  39. Jungle-gardens are right down my alley! Mine often resembles a jungle as well, though not at the moment. I cleaned out a lot and trimmed down, preparing the garden for the winter. However, there are parts that still look jungle like.

    Love those pictures from China. I would love to go there one day, but I have no idea whether this will ever happen in this life. Perhaps in a future life...

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    1. Carola Bartz: I am glad. Some of us like jungles, and some people despise them.
      I am glad he went to China and the 'Stans. It had been a dream of mine, and yes a future life...

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  40. i absolutely adore clever, subtle and gentle graffiti! and markets... always the markets!

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    1. daisyfae: I am really glad that I noticed it. And yes, I did think it was clever. Markets are often a joy (and a temptation).

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  41. Lovely photos of nice things to see.
    Like that sign.

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  42. The hail is enormous - and it puzzled me at first. I thought maybe you'd had a cold snap and were out blowing bubbles again! But by the look of your flowers, I knew that was unlikely. I hope you didn't have too much damage.

    I would be all day looking at the items in the market stalls in your partner's pictures. Such unique (to me) items.

    Have fun catching up with each other's news, EC and SP :)

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    1. jenny_o: The hail was big. There was damage, but it could have been much worse.
      The markets kept him enthralled. And, like his last trip, he said he saw plenty of cats, but that they were all ginger.

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  43. What lovely photos of fun things. I like them all :)

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  44. I can almost smell the wallflowers! I’ve got one growing in a pot that comes back year after year, which is unusually in the UK as they are treated as annuals much like summer bedding plants. I put loads in my pots one year and the frost soon saw them off but not this one – it has a will to live and live it does!
    I’ve really enjoyed seeing your husband's photos, please thank him for me, and thank you to your garden is a treat.

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    1. Barbara Fisher: Wallflowers have a lovely scent don't they? Ours are definitely perennials. The the extent that a purple one has swallowed a garden bed.
      I will pass your thanks on to himself. And than you.

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  45. Thanks for the tour. Love the photos. I too enjoy strolls through markets.

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    1. Rasma Raisters: Markets seem to be a passion for a lot of us.

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  46. Beautiful blooms! I hope there wasn't much damage from the hail!

    I really love the reflection picture you shared from his travels. Always interesting to visit other places and see their markets and architecture!

    Thanks for sharing. :)
    ~Jess

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    1. DMS ~Jess: Thank you. Some hail damage - but it could have been a lot worse.
      I am looking forward to going through a lot of him photos. I suspect he may have taken thousands.

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  47. I loved that no smoking sign.
    I loved seeing all of the flowers.
    I loved seeing 'himself's' photographs, especially the market, so colourful.

    I would not have liked those hail stones - gosh they were huge, great pictures though!

    Hope your week has started well.

    All the best Jan

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    1. lowcarb team member ~Jan: I couldn't believe how LOUD the hail was. It was almost deafening and you certainly couldn't hear anything else.

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  48. Beautiful flowers. I’d love some of that grey foliage plant for the greenhouse. I recognise the photos of chine. I travelled there twice before my children were born. Such a place of contrasts. And I remember the cats! All the best - karen https://bramblegarden.com/2017/11/20/in-a-vase-on-monday-in-the-pink/

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    1. karen gimson: Welcome and thank you. China does indeed sound to be a place of contrasts, though sadly lots of the old is disappearing.

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  49. I love your jungle, and the double poppy. Really pretty. Also love the market pic with that colorful cloth hung above the stall. Makes me think of a pink peacock.

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    1. mshatch: I thought of a pink peacock too. And loved the cloth.

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  50. Lovely shots of China! And your garden is looking very pretty.

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  51. Beautiful flowers and strawberries:). Nice to see the pictures posted...

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    1. Weekend-Windup: Thank you. I notice this morning that there is a ripe strawberry to be picked.

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  52. A photographic extravaganza today. I loved the no smoking sign! And that tree with the beard--that's a wonderful way to keep someone in your mind. I have plants that I've gotten from friends years ago, and each time I tend them, I think of that person.

    China is a delight to visit; but the air when I was there was miserable. The Chinese didn't like to talk about it, but that's all we gringos had on our minds and in our lungs! Hope they get those coal plants under control.

    Great post as always.

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    1. cleemckenzie: Gardens are often filled with memories aren't they? And I can think of much worse ways to be remembered than through a plant.
      The air quality in China is still an issue. And now they issue warnings. Totally valid warnings. I hope that all of the world can step away from coal.

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  53. Good morning, I enjoyed that little ghost as well, quite clever, it probably caught much attention too. Hail, yes, that can be horribly cruel in such a short span of time too. Minnesota gets it often and you can see cars peppered with hail dents! What a sight.

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    1. Karen S.: I haven't seen anyone else so much as notice the ghost. And am glad I did. Hail can indeed do a lot of damage in a very short time.

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  54. I'm just peeking in to look at these fascinating pics again! Happy Tuesday, EC! Hugs...RO

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    1. RO: Thank you so much. Wednesday morning here. A bright and sunny Wednesday.

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  55. Ha. Ghost smoke. :) I do like a bit of creative graffiti. The poppies in your part of the world seem so grand to me. Our native poppy (and state flower) is rather modest by comparison. The stone relief work is very cool, too.

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    1. Bea: Most of the poppies we see are much less dramatic than this double. I still love them, plant them, nurture them.

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  56. I love your close up garden pics. I know the weeds etc would take me forever to clear out. You makes us see the beauty! Yes the teapot was huge! Time does change everything everywhere I guess. Progress?

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    1. Kim Standard: I have never, ever finished weeding. And will be out there again later today. Losing the battle.
      The 'teapot' is apparently an incense holder. It was big and lovely though.

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  57. I have never heard of that called epiphyte - it looks like what we call it Spanish Moss around here. That's so neat that you have it, too. It grows in the warmer climates of Georgia and Florida - my sister has it in her back yard, hanging from the oak trees.

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    1. Lynn: Himself's mother lived in a warm and humid climate where it thrived. Luckily it has also adapted to our cooler and drier climate.

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  58. Those strawberries are so young! Shoo, birds. Those belong to EC's taste buds.

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    1. John Wiswell: Thank you. Shoo doesn't work very well though...

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  59. The non-smoking sign is adorable! LOL! My garden is a jungle too! I understand! LOL! Love all your photos! I can't believe the hail!! Wow!! I hope there wasn't any damage! Beautiful market photos! Big Hugs!

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    1. Magic Love Crow: Isn't the sign a beauty? I am going in to town tomorrow and have the set intention of capturing another sign.

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  60. Spanish Moss is parasitic...love your garden wildness and the shots of his trip...

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    1. e: Thank you. Our Old Man's Beard isn't parasitic at all. The garden frequently gets away from me which accounts for some of the wildness, but I wouldn't/couldn't create a totally orderly space anyway.

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  61. It's interesting that things are coming alive where you live and and going to sleep here.
    Those pictures are beautiful as usual.
    R

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    1. Rick Watson: Thank you. Things are indeed coming alive, but as the heat increases some of them will crispify and die.

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  62. You have there lovely flowers, and we don't have any more any ones.
    I have bee a little bit lazy for visiting in any blogs at the last weeks, but I try to to improve my habit :)

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    1. orvokki: Don't apologise - you have been busy. And thank you for backtracking.

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