Sunday Selections #301

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. Himself arrived home at the end of last week.  He loved his time away and has thousands of photos to go through.  And I am not exaggerating.

However, this week I will give you more from the garden, part of a bird, and the last of the shots he sent me from his phone.

I am reverting to type and mostly featuring individual blooms.

Almost the last of the tulips.

The pergola, festooned with the white banksia rose.

A Green Goddess Calla Lily.  The white ones have been and gone, and the coloured ones are yet to bloom.

This orchid flower spike caused me to curse the birds.  It was eight or nine inches long, and had many buds.  Until a vandal bird pinched the end off it leaving only three blooms.  Sigh.

The deed had been done, so this wasn't the culprit, but he hightailed it along the veranda as soon as he saw me.  Guilty conscience?

And a return to China.  The skinny one went to the Great Wall on a weekend.  And it was very, very crowded.

So he went back again a few days later.

Much more better.

Sunday Selections #300

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.  Second verse, same as the first.  I am still stuck in the Home and Away theme I was using this time last year.  And still focussing on my obsessions. 

Starting with home.

And the sky.

And then to the garden.  We have had an unusally wet spring and everything is going gangbusters.  I usually show photos of individual blooms rather than the gardenjungle as a whole.  A friend complained about that on a regular basis.  So today it is jungle shots.  And yes, it is a big garden.  There are more beds too.

Front jungle.

Back jungle.

 

Needless to say there is a lot to be tracked inside (and I cannot convince the cats to wipe their feet).  So this week I lashed out and bought another two mats.

Back to my avian obsession.  

A female king parrot today.  And just look at the patterns on the underside of her tail.

   
The skinny one has been very busy.  Travelling on a bullet train, touring the Forbidden City and today I understand he is climbing part of the Great Wall of China.

However, his highlight of the week was a trip to Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors.

 There are thousands of them.  All hand moulded, all different.
Wow, wow and wow. 

 

Words for Wednesday

This meme was started by Delores a long time ago.  Week after week she provided us with challenging prompts.    Computer issues led her to bow out for a while and I took over.  When Delores' absence looked like being more permanent I begged and cajoled for other volunteers to share providing the prompts, and Words for Wednesday became a movable feast.  Delores discontinued her blog for a while, but she has returned.  Her new blog can be found here.

Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.  Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image.   What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore...  We can use some or all of the prompts.

Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog.  I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme.  If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.

This month the prompts were to be provided by Jacqueline aka The Cranky on her blog.  Sadly Jacqueline has had a stroke and is unable to participate.  Even sadder, it now seems unlikely she will be able to rejoin us.  My heart aches for her and for those who love her.  It seems so unfair that she was hit with this just when she was turning her life around.

So I am providing this month's prompts here.

This weeks prompts are:

1. noble 
2. shine
3. expressive 
4. charm
5. odd 
6. biggest

And/or

1. passion 
2. actuality 
3. top  
4. jar 
5. elevator 
6. angel

Happy playing.


Next month the prompts will be provided by  Carolyn McBride  on her blog.

In December,  Vest has joined us, and will post the prompts on his blog.

 Granny Annie will provide the prompts in January 2017.

 Delores will post the prompts on her blog for Februaray 2017.

In anyone else would like to join in, please let us know in the comments (or send me an email) .

Sunday Selections #299

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 going to revert to the Home and Away theme I was using this time last year.  
Starting with home, and some of my obsessions.

Shortly after dawn one morning this week.

   
And a more flamboyant dawn display a little while ago.

The birds who are gracing our yard.

You will notice that his crest is missing a feather or two.  I picked one up a few days ago, and here it is.

The garden continues to give me joy.  And work.  

Himself is still having a wonderful time.  An assortment of photos this time, showcasing the old and the new.

I was blown away when he mentioned the 'smallest' town he had visited had in the order of 5.000,000 inhabitants.  That makes me shudder worse than furry tofu.