A day off

We took S to nursery and then.....we took the day off! 
We had no plan at all, just to take it easy and go with the flow. We ended up in Blenheim Palace. I like the outside, but the inside didn't do it for me. Still, it was nice to visit and wonder around. Perfect place for walks and picnics on a nice day.

Autumn

Orange and green are vibrant and warm and go so well together. 

Photos from Oxford, starting from top left: 

1. St. John's College. The gardens are really lovely. Incredibly well kept.

2. Modern Art Museum Cafe. I don't usually like the exhibitions in this Museum, but they make lovely soup in the Cafe and going there makes me feel a bit arty.

3. Plant in the garden which I will try to identify by looking at the lovely book my Mum gave to us as a House warming, or shall I say, Garden warming present. 

4. Carrot cake I made. I subscribed to this website a while back and it got me inspired to do some baking.

So, this is the orange and green that has caught my eye recently. But I am sure that if I pay attention there will be much more around me. 

Have a good weekend!

Out and about

I went to the Natural History Museum in Oxford last weekend, and this are some of the things I saw. It is one of my favourite buildings. 

I went round using my Nikon to practice depth of field, something that I am into these days. I am finally getting to learn how to use a digital SLR. About time! I used to be a point and shoot auto kind of girl, but knowing how to use the camera allows me to be more creative and observant.

What are you learning about these days?

To like what you see

This is what happens when you don't follow the recipe properly....

Instead of 300 ml of sunflower oil, I put 300 gr! 

I was quite sleepy on Saturday morning when I prepared this mix..... Still, I did put it in the oven to see what happened, and it is not a pretty sight!

But it is not all bad news. I have managed to loose 3 kg thanks to all the exercise from moving boxes, going up and down stairs, painting, gardening, etc during the last month. Don't be fooled though. I am posing quite nicely here, and probably don't look so stylized in real life. But isn't it nice when you look at yourself in a picture and you actually like what you see?

Personality types

It is funny how some animals are really show offs

Others are shy. And others are in between.

Just like people.

Healthy colours

I have been unwell for the last few days with bad headaches and a tummy bug. 

The timing is really bad. We are moving to our new home this weekend. 

I am super excited, but just wished I had more energy.

I selected this photograph because bright colours always make everything better.

The hidden beauty

Open garden day in Oxford last Saturday.

 A lovely sunny day until the clouds came by. 

The light was dramatic. 

The flowers outstanding. 

The gardens were at the back of private houses. 

The owners were generous enough to open their doors to strangers in order to raise funds for the First World War Memorial, St. Margaret's Church, Oxford.
I have never had a garden, but I will very soon. 
Aren't these flowers beautiful?

Lazy Sunday

Rainy day today. 

Chilly out there, but cozy indoors. 

Under the duvet until 12.00. 

Watched a recorded program about Captain Scott in the afternoon.

Slept a little siesta. 

Had some tea and M & M's. 

A lazy Sunday.

This does not happen very often.....

Hope yours is as relaxed.

Saturday

I would recommend you saw and listened to this video with uplifting thoughts

There is so much to be grateful for. 

Enjoy your weekend.

On a sunny afternoon

These are photos of my walk last Friday. It was nice and sunny. Today the sun comes and goes behind the clouds. I will venture out with the camera in the afternoon, and probably go to the local pub for a restorative caffeine based drink afterwards. I like to have things to look forward to everyday.

I wonder what the garden looks like behind that door. Miau.

Numbers

Being ill kind of suits me.
Today it was the first day I have been out for 5 days. Still recovering, which means that my walk was very slow. I stopped some times, laying my back to walls or fences and just observing, seeing the world go by. I can only do one thing at a time, and not much at all anyway. It is as if I had had a chelaxing pill. This virus has really knocked me out, but it somehow feels that that is how life should be, shouldn't it? Being mindful, taking our time to see, to observe what is around us.
Still, I can't wait to be my usual self.

Happy weekend

I did it

So, I didn't chicken out after all and cycled into work. R gave me a new handle bar for the bike this Christmas. Yes, and odd kind of present, but most practical, and I really love it now that he has put it in place (not much use otherwise...). It makes me cycle straight, and I feel a bit Dutch, which reminds me of when we went to Amsterdam to celebrate our engagement last June.

Tip of the day: do not wear sticky gloss if you plan to cover your face with a wooly scarf.

Weekend

The weekend has come and gone as quickly as usual. It has been sunny outside, and still we spent much of our time indoors enjoying the warmth coming through the window. R is getting better and better at his bread making and this was one of the loafs that have been best so far.

I have been sewing a little bit too, but I feel a bit lost as it had been so long since I did any stitching. It was very nice to look through the fabrics whilst listening to the radio.

Another week ahead. What will it bring?

Garden

I haven't got a garden, and never have. I wouldn't know what to do with one, how to start looking after it. In the meantime, I enjoy outside spaces like this one, which are just so lovely.

Colourful ink

I don't do any calligraphy these days, but it is so cool to have all these inks!

I can then get into playing with colours any time I want.

I like that the illustrations on each box is quite different from one another. And my favourite colour? It depends on the day!

Sunday morning walk

Good morning everybody!

Today is a beautiful morning. The sun is not shinning, but the temperature is perfect and what a better way to start the day than going for a walk?

I wouldn't mind living in a house that looked like this one...in fact, I sometimes like to day dream and pretend in my imagination that I actually do live in a house like this one.

Not so much into boats, but a ride on one every so often must be fun. I usually wave to people on boats, and I always get a wave and a smile back. I don't do it if I am on my own though...I would come across as a bit of a lost case.

What do you think they use this shed for? Too nice and pretty for dirty tools, don't you think?

The canal is an interesting place, and I just love to see the flowers in people's gardens, the cute sheds and the little boats waiting to be taken for a ride.

No photos of ducks, but we saw a few, some of them young, and we fed them breakfast with dry bread.

Hope you are having a good weekend!

A perfect day

I love going to the Natural History Museum in Oxford. I like the building more than the collection, it is of the style of the one in London, but much nicer.

I love this coloured stone floor. It reminds me of a quilt.

And then I went through to the Pitt Rivers Museum, which is an odd place to go

They have all sorts of things in their collection: basketry, reduced heads, ceramics, etc. These are examples of beads used for trading.

The afternoon was also much fun: watching a couple of films (Duplicity and Sunshine Cleaning) and playing

Monopoly, which I hadn't played for many years

A wonderful Saturday

Would love to hear about your weekend, : )