My 2012 Imac finally went black and effectively stayed that way. I spent a long time agonising about what I could afford to do and eventually opted for a refurbished 2015 Imac shipped from the UK through a EU company, which so far is a joy to use. Long may it remain so!
So these photos are from the last month and I apologise for the lack of text but I think the pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy.
We are the best of mates me and Nancy, brothers almost!I have dug about 15 holes ready for the next batch of trees and bushes which I hope to purchase in the next two weeks.This rice was going cheap because of its date, otherwise it’d have been a bit too expensive for my shopping trolley, but its really rather tasty. The tofu chunks were long fried with spices and then a dash of tommy ketchup thrown in….. wonderful!The leftover rice from the night before fried with damp cashews, garlic, lemon and melted cheese. I mean overkill perhaps but twas gorgeous. The saucy thing included potatos dug straight from the garden, old but still good.Sid will sleep just about anywhere but nothing is quite so comfortable as I am to a cat in search of a centrally heated cushion with whiskers.The mornings have become misty and damp and these sometimes illuminate the amazing spider web structures within the tall grass.My little raspberry bushes have not produced much in the way of fruit yet but just look at the richness of this colour, wonderful!This fluffy little critter was crawling slowly along when I noticed it . When I got close it curled up into this intmidating circle and so I backed off and searched for lunch elsewhere.Sid has taken to accompanying me on my recent daily trips down to cut fence posts from the woods. It’s a bit out of his usual territory (I think) and he tends to wowl a lot but obvioulsy finds the thrill of exploring greater than his fear of the unknown.Sid follows me down the winding path, through bramble alley, over the red gate – or in his case under it! – and into the woods!There’s a bunch of different mushrooms popping up all over the place at the moment but these are by far the whitest I’ve ever seen! So white indeed that the camera has trouble registering their detail.One can just imagine a little pixie , wood nymph or somesuch hopping off these and hiding as I approach! (Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten that other little mushroom!)I don’t remember what these flowers are called but I planted them back in April and they finally came out this month and quite a splash they make too!Aww how cute is that?, brothers greeting each other with a little kiss! Although that might once again be optomistic human projection on to a sinister “clear off bitch” quietly hissed through gritted teeth!This is the river in Karlovac that runs alongside where the flea market and out door festivals are held. As you can see it tends to flood and this bit has flood defences, good thing too!The Friday after the flood!Spot the Bug! Hidden in this photo is a well camoflaged Preying Mantis. Can you find him? No prizes other than a minor sense of glory and confirmation that your eyes are still functioning well.These beauties are popping up all over the wild field and stand out brightly amongst the more sobre autumnal colours. I wonder what they are called? These ones are just inside the fence surrounding my Indian Banana plant.This is my Sugar Maple tree that appears to have survived the rabbit attack back in early spring. Just look at the different colours of its leaves, magnificent!This Preying Mantis is a bit easier to spot climbing up the outer wall of the house but see how its adapted its colours to blend in as best it can, wicked! Actually after a bit of googling the colour change maybe just a stage its going through rather than intentional camoflage! Still, cool innit!Its all in the timing as the actress said to the bishop and in this case when you are about to take a picture of a flower in bloom and your cat is heading your way…… well why not wait and see if you can get them both in the pic!There was a week recently when every evening the sunsets were just superb.Who knew that ladybirds eat apples?More good looking but probably dangerous mushrooms in my wild garden.My compost bins needed attention. One was ready for emptying into bags ready for tree planting. Then the empty fences needed a serious upgrade and I decided to recycle some metal posts from an old gazebo , they work a treat. The other bin was topped off with a pile of grass and will now be left alone to rot down for a year or so.Take a guess at what this is…. I’ll be impressedif you get close! This is a dessert concoction of a Croatia ‘pudding’ mix which is pretty much the same as custard powder but with more additives! Then there are slithers of banana added and crumbled walnuts. The walnuts are freshly collected from under the tree by my gate which was condemend by my neighbour as in need of cutting down – the tree not the gate ! – and I think is doing rather well! I did prune some dead branches off it and will try to cut some more in the spring.Nope its not photo-shopped its still out there decorating the front fence!These have got to be the tallest thistles I’ve ever seen probably 2.5m tall maybe a little more!Why oh why has Sid taken to sleeping in the paper recycling bin? Maybe becuase he knows it makes a good photo? Today I went into the kitchen and noticed just his two ginger ears poking up out of the blue plastic, sadly I didn’t have a camera on me!A plate of walnuts collected from the ground around my gate. They make quite a noise when I drive over them!
A couple of weeks ago I was a bit worried that my guests from southern Croatia might feel the cold so I lit the first fire of the year. I haven’t lit one since but winter is coming!Old friends and a mother of one (a new friend!) came for a night. We were blessed with fine weather and they went around identifying all the plants I have planted and many I have not! The interesting thing was how much they appreciated the woods and water I have. They live on a Croatian island and have lots of figs, olives and sun but less firewood or sprng water. They took home loads of my apples and left behind a jar of homegrown grated aubergine in oil which is superb.Raking the grass off the freshly ‘Makita’d’ path in preparation of guests arriving. That brown patch above my head is a giant anthill!Ever wonder what a wooden block sees last thing before it is cut in two? Well now you know!The furry fruit have lost their hair and become brightly coloured quince. Next year I will work out how to prepare them for eating.I’m still digging up spuds planted in the spring. I know its a bit late and many have strated to sprout, but with a bit of deft knife work they are very roastable. Nancy came to see what I was up to.When I find myself wondering why I’m stuck out here in a cultural dessert with no mates I remind myself of moments like this, breakfast with a view.Sid casts a shadow. Is it his dark passenger come to life?My fig trees have been behaving wierdly what with growing the dying then regrowing. But I did get to eat two gorgeous home grown figs this year for which I am very grateful.Last year when the car was registered for the first time in my name I was issued with new number plates in green lettering! Why? “Because you are a stranger!” or rather because of Brexshit. At registration this year after a long long consultation and much reading and rereading of a wad of bureaucratic notes the same office decided I should switch back to black ones! I somehow feel less special now.
And here you are the first of the Spot the Cat games on this blog.
The first Spot the Cat on the Barabrith blog. This was taken today when Sid and Nancy joined me for a trip down the hill and in to the woods.
