Day 56

Ok, I know I posted a picture of my cat yesterday, but I couldn't pass this one up! more...

Day 55

A close-up of my furry lap rug. more...

Day 54

This caught my eye as I left work today. more...

Day 53

A misty morning in the park. more...

Day 52

Three ingredients for a perfect lazy summer afternoon: river, willow tree, and flowers.




The River Aire spilling over a weir.




Looking up into a big old willow tree.




A very, very lucky shot!
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Day 51

Gooseberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, and raspberries: the fruits of berry-picking at Lilac Farm. We ended up with about three pounds of gorgeous berries for a fiver. Well worth the scratches, nettle stings, and sunburn! more...

Day 50

I do wish contractors would clean up after themselves. Especially when they show up at inconvenient hours of the morning and annoy me. more...

Day 49

Great foliage combination: "Empress of India" nasturtiums and golden oregano. more...

Day 48

This clematis was such a lovely deep, dusky red. more...

Day 47

Tonight we went to an open-air production of Twelfth Night put on by the Theatre of the Dales. Here Sir Toby Belch, Feste the jester, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek are hiding in the shrubbery, laughing at Malvolio the steward's fantasies of marrying the Countess Olivia. more...

Day 46

My sister sent me a picture of her engagement ring, which inspired me to take a photo of my rings. It was surprisingly difficult! more...

Day 45

It may still be the world's ugliest gas fire, but the new bookshelves go a long way toward disguising it. more...

Day 44

Due to a miscommunication with my aunt, I had to change the day on my train tickets. In order to do this, the website insisted that I had to first pick up the original tickets from the train station. Then the only option for delivery they gave me was next-day post, at £5 per ticket. So I called them and was told that I should book a new ticket, call them back with the reference number, and they would issue a refund. This would allow me to pick up my tickets at the station rather than paying for delivery by post.

All of this was Monday night. Saturday afternoon I got an email from them, saying that my original tickets had apparently been picked up at the station, so I would need to post the tickets back before they could give me a refund. Of course, I had already thrown them away!

Fortunately, my wonderful husband managed to dredge them up again, rather worse for wear. more...

Day 43

Don't ask why I'm fond of snails but loathe slugs. more...

Day 42

I went up to Edinburgh to spend the afternoon with my aunt and uncle, who were touring Ireland and Scotland. They thought I should post a picture of the Falkirk Wheel, but I prefer the open mouths smiling faces of my nearest and dearest. And the not-so-smiling face of a Scottish tour guide. Actually, he was a good sport about our silly tourist photographs! more...

Day 41

My first trifle! Not quite as pretty as the picture, but far tastier. more...

Day 40

Happy St. Swithin's Day!

St Swithun's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St Swithun's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain na mair

I optimistically shot this view on the way to work, while it was sunny. It did cloud over during the day, but managed not to rain! more...

Day 39

This is the back - yes, the back! - of a lovely sterling teaspoon that belonged to my great-grandmother. (That's 1908, not 2008!) I adore Art Nouveau silver; the attention to detail always amazes me. This is the only piece I have in this pattern, which makes it extra special, just the thing to cheer me up on a dull Monday. more...

Day 38

I woke up this morning, stuck my head out the window, and immediately thought "Picnic!" So we packed up some food and headed for the countryside. It was a glorious day. more...

Day 37

The Festival of Colours at Kirkstall Abbey.





The coconut shy didn't appear to be popular.




Pony rides.




A colourful little carousel.




The fire-eater! (He did put the flaming torch in his mouth in accepted fashion eventually.)




I loved this sabre-tooth tiger.




A re-enaction of the life and times of the 8th company of the 33rd Regiment of Foot, who lost nearly half their men at Waterloo.




The Salvation Army band playing in the nave of Kirkstall Abbey.
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Day 36

Welcome to summer in England. more...

Day 35

I'm finally getting around to mailing get-well cards to my cousin and my grandmother. more...

Day 34

Spotted in an office window down the hall from me. more...

Day 33

My nasturtiums are coming up! These are "Empress of India," an heirloom variety, and even the seed leaves are a fantastic colour. more...

Day 32

Raindrops sparkling in the morning sun. more...

Day 31

The venerable institution of the Sunday afternoon nap. more...

Day 30

I was determined to take a photo of something besides computers or food! So here's an oddly appealing bit of graffiti in our neighbourhood. more...

Day 29

Who would have thought baking cupcakes would be such an ordeal? First we couldn't find buttermilk (ok, that's an easy substitution) or paper liners in the right size. Then I wasn't sure how to substitute UK plain flour for US cake flour, so I made it up. Close enough. Finally the tin was greased and floured and the batter scooped into it. But when I tried to put it in the oven, it didn't fit. Grrrrr!

I ended up baking the other batch, which was in silicone muffin cups. The batter from the tin was scooped back into the bowl and shoved in the fridge because it was getting late. We had a dreadful time getting the cupcakes out of the cups - so much for the nonstickiness of silicone - and they had serious structural issues.

Finally I got the cream cheese icing (rather lumpy) and the berries on them and managed to take a picture before midnight. And then we devoured them - and they were very yummy!

Happy 4th of July!!! more...

Day 28

Our Livebox is live again! We have internet at home at last. more...

Day 27

Mmmm, English strawberries! more...

Day 26

Together at last! more...