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Colder, darker and a bit of hot pink

Category: Ramblings | Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 7:48 pm

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We're nearing the time of the year when I really hate to live here. It's getting darker and colder, the snow limit is slowly but surely creeping down the mountain sides, and we're getting more rain, more wind and no flowers. The worst is the bare frost, when everything is frozen but there's no snow to play in. With snow the days at least have a semblance to brightness, and we can play in the white stuff. Without snow it's just boring, and I know our plants really dislike the unprotected frost.

If we have a nice snow fall, I can gallop in the fields and we can go skiing with the horses. We can make snow sculptures and snow lanterns, and the plants will have good insulation during their winter rest. Without that snow my patience is sorely tried. Our wet and grey winters are just so hard to get through, I often think about joining the starlings and move south for a few months. But being the home-body that I am, it's not a real option. *sigh*

On the bright side, my birthday is in autumn, and I got a nice present this year:



Inside that fancy carriage was enough money to buy a small wagon for Gabriella, which should keep me happy even if we get a snow-less, grey winter.

I have a small wish: Please post lots of colourful photos during our winter months! Many Stewbies have blooms when all of mine are gone, and to see them is a big help and a vitamin boost for me. Christmas isn't far away, and then it's just another couple of months before life becomes bearable again. I'll get through it this year as well. I'll get by with a bit of help from my friends.

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Learning to drive

Category: Ramblings | Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 9:28 pm

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This is what I'm struggling with this week-end. How to master a horse and a carriage. The worst thing was to sort out the harness. There are so many bits and pieces to it! I'm very glad I had good help. And I'm profoundly thankful that the pony knows what to do, because I most certainly don't! But I'm learning, which is the whole idea of this class.

We're starting, very carefully:



The patient instructor is giving us a few valuable tips as we go. My, we look very small in the back there!



I have been so lucky with this pony. She's very well-behaved and calm, and her confidence is rubbing off on me. Can you see that I'm enjoying myself immensely?



Tomorrow we're driving slalom at a trot. I can't wait!

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How to break a little girl's heart

Category: Garden | Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 8:23 pm

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Our plum tree had gotten way too tall and wide, and we knew we would have to take action this autumn. We should have dealt with it every year of course, but life isn't always what it should have been, so the tree has been neglected. We weren't prepared for the masses of plums we got this year, though, and we were certainly not prepared for snapping branches. The poor tree has been looking rather lop-sided and sorry, and I've tried to gather courage to actually do something to it.

Yesterday I had that courage, so I dug out the alligator saw and some long cords and set to work. I started by removing the snapped branches, and continued to saw off the rather thick, straight upwards-growing branches before finishing off with a couple of rather big limbs that grew in the wrong direction. The tree crown looked a lot more harmonic and the tree ended up being about 4 meters tall instead of 7. I was very pleased with my efforts as I started to cut the sawn-off limbs and branches into smaller, more managable parts.

Suddenly I realized that my youngest sat in the plum tree and cried. I switched the saw off and went over to check if she'd hurt herself. The poor, little thing cried so hard she could hardly breathe, let alone talk, but managed to tell me that I had ruined her tree! I had cut off both her favourite branches and now she wouldn't be able to climb so high anymore. No matter how I reasoned with her she kept going. In the end I admitted defeat and went to fetch me some coffee. The poor girl still sat in the tree and cried. Our neighbour came out to try and offer some comfort, but to no avail. The little one cried for an hour and a half, and I felt like the worst mother in the world!

I'm afraid that next time I dig out the saw the girls will chain themselves to their favourite trees. Being a gardening mother isn't always a lot of fun. *sigh*

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Rodos part V - flowers, critters and other bits and pieces

Category: Ramblings | Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:14 pm

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I saw a few plants and blooms in Rodos, and I actually remembered to photograph some too. Most of the time I forgot, because I was busy admiring them. Yes, hopeless, I know. The following photos are taken in the median of the main road into Rodos:













A few of the assorted blooms from here and there:

















This palm or fern really is something else, I've never seen it's like before:



A gorgeous Euphorbia:



Decorative pumpkins:



A trumpet vine at Captain's Garden:



Look at the ting, how it climbs:



This is a tree trunk, I love the colours of the bark:



More trees:







Probably a weed, but pretty:



Lots of Agave blooming:



We saw a few of these:



A lot of these:





The girls wondered what used to live inside these shells:



We found one, and had a closer look at it before letting it go:



A gorgeous butterfly:



And a looker of a beetle who had crawled inside an overripe fig:



These stick bugs (translated from Norwegian, sorry) jumped about in the dead straw:





Don't know what kind of birds these were, but there were lots of them:



One of the helicopters working the fire:



A very delicate bathroom in one of our favourite restaurants:



The little train that gives tours every hour:



Mouth-watering grapes:



Oh, how I miss the heat, smells and tastes already. *sigh*

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Wish me luck - I might need it!

Category: Ramblings | Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:32 pm

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This young lady was seven in July:



We never got round to celebrating her birthday before the holidays, so we'll do it this Saturday. We've rented the riding house, two extra ponies, an organizer and some extra help, and we've invited 23 children.

That means 25 children, four ponies, lots of hot dogs, a soda bottle for each child, probably ear muffs for the horses, a neighbourhood warning for the stables on both sides, ice creams, fun and games, and hopefully some very exhausted and very happy children when the two hours are out.

The last time we did this, I recommended hoovering the child outside and then put them in the shower before removing their clothing. *lol* The parents commended us for our "healthy" way of celebrating - no sweets or lots of fancy cakes, and lots of activity. Well, sweets are not needed. The horses are sweets enough, and the novelty adds to the celebration fun. It's an easy way to celebrate because of the very few preparations. I'm not very good when it comes to baking, and our house isn't big enough for so many children. This way, she can have all the boys and girls from her class sharing her special day.

It's going to be a tough two hours, but I'm certain it will be good fun. I'd still appreciate some good-luck-wishes though.

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My very special lily

Category: Garden | Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:57 pm

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I know I'm not alone in growing plants that hold a special meaning. This oriental lily, "Journey's End", is planted in memory of my father:



When he died at the age of 51 nearly 15 years ago, this lily was on his coffin. When I found the bulbs offered some years later, I was quick to order them. When it blooms, it reminds me of him. He's put to rest in another country, but the lily gives me a feeling that he's near us. It makes me both happy and sad, as loss and memories often do.

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Rodos part IV - the Acropolis

Category: Ramblings | Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 5:55 pm

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The acropolis of Rodos is on Monte Smith (that's how it's pronounced). The ruins of the temple and old stadium are impressive. The amphi theatre has been re-created and is used for performances. Let's go for a tour of the place.

The acropolis, Temple of Athena Polias and Zeus Polieus. It was excavated by Italians around 1912-1945, and then by the Greek from 1946 onwards. Not much standing, but the ruins are still impressive:









A remnant of a column of some kind:



These chaps were all over the place:



The walls are impressive:



Overview of the old stadium:



And the Odeion, the small theatre:



Olive trees are everywhere, even in ancient ruins:



On our way down to the stadium, looking up:





Looks like a threshold but no walls or door:



The Odeion:



A building ruin near the Odeion:



Overview:



Yep, it's really old:



Anyone for a run around here?



The furthest end:



The old stone seats really don't look very comfortable:



Wonder how old this tree is? It's flanked by laurel bushes, so we wouldn't have far to go to make a victory wreath:



Building ruins next to the stadium:



More olive trees. I wonder what they used to build up those small walls around them:



I hope they didn't use any of these pretty pieces of rock:



Is this a foot piece from an old statue I wonder:



A lovely, little stone trough. It would look pretty in a garden (oh, sacriledge!):



Good bye for now, acropolis:



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Rodos part III - Rodini park

Category: Ramblings | Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:52 pm

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We like to visit Rodini park when in Rodos. There's nothing awe-inspiring or colourful about it, but it's a peaceful oasis with lots of trees, water, peacocks, turtles and fish. There were animals and birds earlier, but not any more. It's been very overgrown for many years, but this year held a nice surprise for us. They've started to clean it up, and the café is open again. Here are a few photos from the park:

The welcome committee:



A lovely pond and fountain:



Waterlilies growing in the back of the pond:



Look at how they've supported the limbs of this tree with concrete columns:



Eucalyptus trees. They look bark-less:



There were a few dooleys floating about:



And a few of these, but they wouldn't show themselves properly:



Some sort of grass growing by the stream. It was at least 4 meters tall:



A lovely piece of aqueduct I think:



This furry herb smelled like Salvia, but had yellow buttonish blooms:



I wanted to snatch a couple of these bulbs, but didn't. I think they're Dranunculus bulbs:



I'm looking forward to seeing the park the next time we're visiting Rodos. There are grottos in the bank of the gully, and we're hoping to be allowed a peek inside them at some time.

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Rodos part II - Mandraki harbour and the old town

Category: Ramblings | Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 6:33 pm

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These lovely buildings are near Mandraki harbour:







The old fortress:



A fountain by the harbour:



One of the entrances to the new market. It's 3-400 years old, so of course it's "new":



From inside the new market:



A part of the wall surrounding the old town:



A gate into the old town, from the commercial harbour:



This is the gate we use the most, from inner Mandraki harbour:



The d'Ambois gate. It's so pretty:



A peek into the moat. It's nice to walk in it, but way too hot in July and August:



The Grand Master's Palace:



Shops, and more shops. We usually walk well towards the side with no shops:





The clock tower:



Fountains:





The pavement has a lovely pattern:



Street of the Knights:



This is Sokratous street, the biggest and busiest shopping street in the old town. Looking up:



And down:



The Suleiman mosque:



A couple of pretty houses:





I love their signs:



These towers look so majestic:



You can find shield marks like these on houses and on the outside of the wall. We're told it's the equivalent to "I'm guarding here":



Even the manhole lids are pretty:



And we leave the old town by the gate to Mandraki:



I hope you enjoyed it.

Last edited: Mon Aug 11, 2008 6:33 pm

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Rodos part I - where we stayed and surroundings

Category: Ramblings | Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:01 pm

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This is the hotel we stayed at in Rodos:



The apartments are very big. This is the kitchen and living area. There were two big bedrooms and a bathroom as well:



View from our balcony:







This is the view from my mother's balcony:








She also overlooked a lovely, little garden:









Narrow backstreets near our hotel:





These art works are at Hundred Palms Square. Note that St. George and the dragon has company. Since he's aiming his spear at St. George I think it must be an animal's rights activist:





The aquarium at the tip of Rodos island:



A different-looking mermaid is guarding the aquarium:



The beach on the windy side of Rodos:



A lovely house we passed by:



The best grafitti I've seen in ages:



We found a few of these around. This one looked particularly relaxed:





Last edited: Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:02 pm

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