The time I spent with my friend, Lee, in the bush in South Africa was way too short! We had a wonderful 3-night natter, relaxing, cooking and animal-watching – it was truly splendid. We had wild animals coming all the way – across a fence! – onto our stoep under cover. It was so lovely to get them up close. Our accommodation was called Hornbill Lodge and a hornbill came to say hello. Lee was ecstatic about ‘her’ kudu bull – a star of the species!
The birthday celebration with my beloved brother was extra special as my sister-in-law popped surprises out of the box like popcorn! I had a too short week with them and I’m hoping to repeat this soon.
Then it was back home and attempting to create order out of the chaos of my move… which was still hanging around! That didn’t stop me from going to art exhibitions though and at The Blue Iris Gallery, I’m ashamed to say, I bought a painting that I just could not leave behind… The artist is Derek Harris. Yeah… as if I don’t have enough paintings already!
Tree of Life
Not everyone’s cup of tee but I just love it!
Meanwhile, Sew Cyprus – www.sewcyprus.com – is making headway as more and more people learn about the place where you can go to learn to sew in Paphos! My daughter is in her element when teaching.
My voice is becoming well-known as I do our radio advertisements for Sew Cyprus. I have this tendency for fame and… well, no fortune!
Summer is upon us but we are having really strange weather patterns… A really warm wind, quite strong, prevailed for several days and it’s often overcast with a weak sun trying to peep through. My jasmine had burst into bloom but now… those dead blooms are scattered all over the garden! Another task to be done. However, I love being in my little garden; it’s such a tranquil space. And then the winds died down and I could open the big umbrella!
Eleven years ago the previous owners had the garden professionally laid out and raised flower beds installed – you can see them in the image above. I love what it looks like but it’s a little ‘dead’ as far as I’m concerned as there are only small trees and shrubs around. I like more colour and abundance for butterflies and bees. However, when I tried to get into one of the flower beds, it was like digging into concrete! I have a beautiful automatic irrigation system and lights installed and I’m a bit afraid of damaging the cables and tubes!
So, come next winter, I shall redo the beds to my taste… It will be another mess to work around but I live here now. This is where I need to be happy and contented. So far, I really am! Still waiting for the Land Registry to supply me with the Title Deeds – apparently they had a system failure and fell way behind… Well, this is Cyprus, they say!
Meanwhile, when I take a bit of a breather between tasks, I read Harry Potter… again! I’m on Book 5 at the moment. The first time I read those books I ploughed through them at breakneck speed whereas this time I’m savouring every moment.
This is all for now, folks! More next time.
artist on the move 