A Garden Walk and Native Plants

Mum and Babies!

This is not a particularly good photograph but was doing some much need cleaning around the Pond House and looked out into the woods and there was a Mum deer and her two little ones!    I rushed (quietly) for my camera and this was the best I could do.  The little guys wandered off quite quickly but Mum stood for some consderable time sniffing the air, obviously scenting danger. 

Such plants as we have here in the garden, mostly hostas, seems to be of the type that aren't on a deer menu, which is excellent.  We've been away quite a bit, first to England and then to Oregon and Idaho so I have planted nothing.  I intend to have a dig around in the pole barn to find the seeds that I brought with me.  This despite the WT's pointing out that old seeds don't germinate!  Actually, WT, the sucess rate is quite high, though obviously less so as the years go on.  Hey, who took the horticultural classes :)?  I'm only going to scatter (think I'll give the ploughing a miss, lol!).

Anyway here's the pic (click on it and look through the lean to and you'll see one baby and the other is to right of the lean to) and I'll be back with another update soon (when have you heard THAT before!).  I love comments, as you know!!

Oh to be in England now that, well, May is here!

This is my first visit since 2004 and I'm having a great time though really quite glad that The Decision has been made and we have a new Prime Minister!  To see what I'veen up to, visit my other blog Random Thoughts from Abroad and please leave a comment here or there!

Beautiful Blogger Award from Carol

I was extremely tickled last night to receive the beautiful Blogger award from Carol a fellow Scot now living in Tennessee, tickled because right now beautiful is not quite how I would describe the blog, I'm thinking Carol has the gift of sight and is seeing the Pond House surrounded by some green and other colours!  Thank you, Carol! 

Simple rules


1. Accept the award

2. Thank the person who gave you the award

3. Add a link to the person who gave you the award

4. Put the award on your blog

5. Write 10 things about yourself others might not know

6. Pass the award on to 10 others

Ten things about me - hmmmm...

1. Although British, the longest I've lived anywhere at one time is in the States, in Sewickley, PA for nine years (in two houses, lol!)
2. I met my husband of nearly 39 years while ice skating in Gt Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK when I was 18
3. I was Head Girl of my school, at a convent in Norfolk!
4. I've been wearing purple since I was a teenager
5. We've lived here and paid taxes for twenty one years but still haven't taken the final step of citizenship
6. I attended 12 schools (and no, I wasn't thrown out of any of them!)
7. While living in Egypt I had a turkey as a pet, called Willy (I have a photograph)
8. I am chronically untidy (the WT told me I had to put that one in)
9. I am a champion procrastinator
10. I am a good listener

Now for the difficult part, as I read so many wonderful blogs....... but after much scratching of head here are my ten choices and many thanks to you all for allowing me to spend far too much time on the Internet following your blogs! 

1. Yvette, White Threads, because I've been enjoying her account of life in Ethopia
2. Ann, Calico and Cards, for her cooking, gardening and sewing
3. Nip it in the Bud as her ongoing posts about the Imperial War Museum are fascinating and I used to nip (sorry) there in my lunch hour when I worked in Lambeth
4. Roberta, Simply Stitching in the Garden, because I just enjoy the mix of posts on her blog
5. Abi, Stitching Bee, because it was through her blog that I found on Jane Greenoff's site, that I got into blogging.....
6. Lee, Lake Stitcher, as I love the title picture at the top of her blog (and the content also!)
7. Redwitch, because I like her humour and her cat!
8. Carol, Stitching Dreams, because I wish I'd known her when I lived in Sewickley and because she needs us for encouragement since she lives in a household of men!
9. Jo, Boos Mummy, as despite having three very young children, she manages to stitch!  I am also reminded of me at that stage in life.....AND we lived on the same army base in Germany, a hundred years apart!
10. And last but very much not least, YoYo, Dragon My Needle, because without her kind help I would not have been able to put in these links!

Goodness, that was hard picking and choosing!  Thank you again, Carol!

A Brown Sea

I think I am grateful for the torrential rain last night as it got rid of the last of the snow around the Pond House but rain brings clouds so my spirits droop accordingly!  The disappearance of the snow reveals brown leaves, trillions of them, as far as the eye can see!

 The previous people in the house were tenants and they apparently didn't think leaf clearing was one of their responsibilities.  We moved in around the middle of November and with all the unpacking and the absence of the WT for the first three weeks (don't ask, okay?) and then continuous (or so it seemed) snow cover until now,  leaf clearing was about # 52 on the To Do list!  Now of course they weigh a TON and are wet!  This is going to be a bit at a time project.  In case you're wondering I'm not planning on clearing back into the woods, just around the house and flowerbeds!

To show that all is not doom and gloom around here I'll leave you with a little bit of spring - on my kitchen counter!

Please leave a cheery comment or have a moan if you feel like it!