Blue Sky and Signage in Hastings

Lots and lots of photos of a perfect end of the summer trip to Hastings with my friend Chinmoyee. The sky really was this blue! There was lots of time for browsing in the second hand shops and a few little things came home with us. We had a lovely cafe lunch and a short walk on the beach. I took quite a few pictures of signs this time. I love Hastings, nearly as much as Dungeness! I am back at school now-the third week already, and also have lots of cat sitting. I have been painting and doll making, but neglecting the garden and the decorating I was planning. Oh well, there is only so much time in a day! No more writing in this post, just summery pictures to scroll through if you fancy. 

Sunflowers and the Beach

I planted these three months ago. I love them! They are so happy and so big! I had a few dicey moments when it was windy and rainy the other weekend, but bamboo stakes came to the rescue, and they survived. 

 The colours are like food for the eyes. The bees love them. 

The buds have a beautiful structure that reminds me of a Russian church dome. 

We decided to go to Dungeness on Saturday. We left early, had breakfast at a service station, spent time on the beach, had lunch in the cafe and left shortly afterwards,  so we were home in the later afternoon. It was lovely! It is still so hot, and it was great to be on the beach with the breeze.

 I love the view of the roofs over the shingle bank. 

The tide was far out, and the photos I took were with the zoom lens. They have come out quite blurry, with the effect of Impressionist paintings.

 Moth man in the distance. 

 The nuclear power station. I like the red chimneys against the green building.

 Pylons with personality. 

Saving a Bee and the Magic of the Moment

Yesterday I was in the nursery in the morning. In amongst all the seeming chaos of new children who are like babies compared to the older ones, an assembly practice in the hall and lots of ball related arguments, I noticed one of the boys trying to squash a bee that was resting on some blue fabric. I had seen it there earlier and it had been there quite a while. I rushed over to stop him from killing it, and explained that it was just having a rest and that he should just watch it to see what it did. We watched for a little while, then I remembered the sugar water thing-where you can revive a poorly bee by giving it a little. In the meanwhile, another child had become interested, and he went inside to ask an adult to get me some of the sugar water. I put a little on my finger and the bee had a drink. It then crawled onto my finger. A girl had also become interested in the bee. The two boys went off to play with balls, and the girl follwed me into the garden. We put the bee on a Jasmine flower. It fell off though, so I gave it some more of the water. The girl was so interested and concerned for the bee. After a little while I put it down near some flowers. It sat for a moment, then flew off! We were both so excited! It is these little moments that I love about teaching. They can happen in any age group and any setting, and, although they can contribute to the never ending assessment of children, they are more important than that. They are the moments that are remembered as a shared experience which emotionally affects all involved as human beings. They can't be planned for, though they can be helped by good provision. I was telling the nursery teacher what happened this morning, and she asked whether I got any pictures. No! If I had left the situation to get an iPad or ask another adult for one, the moment would be gone. The pictures are in my mind though and, hopefully in the minds of the children involved.

Wild Garden

These pictures don't show the wildness very well but it is there. Everything is growing at an amazing rate so I am just lettting it happen at the moment!
Verbena Bonariensis. I love the structure of this plant, and as it is so tall it has the blue background of the sky each day and looks beautiful. It has square prickly stems which are quite raspy on your skin. Some has self-seeded in the concrete where I took the decking up. I should probably pull it up but I am leaving it for now.

This is about a week ago. The sunflowers in the pots could really do with being in the ground as they wilt each day if I don't water them in time. The ones in the ground are quite tall now and there is not any more room to plant the others. I gave some to next door and have four stragglers left in small pots. I can't wait until they start to flower but hope they get really tall first.

 The daisies that grow in the corner of the steps are one of my  favourite plants. They flower for ages and look pretty there. The poor Christmas tree is still awaiting a bigger pot.

I grew the lavender from seed years ago and it reliably comes back each year. This year it has done particularly well and is filled with bees most of the time.

Random Catch Up Two

More catching up...

Cat seen on the way to a cat sitting visit. 

 Peter Rabbit's head. He is complete now, but I have no pictures yet.

 Yellow Flags in the pond, surrounded by pink geraniums. A bit wild but I love it. The bees and birds do too!

 This poor clematis has been in a pot for years. Each year it produces one perfect flower. I really need to move it this year.

 Beautiful green tiles on the way down the stairs from another cat visit. 

 Hanuman on the beach, as part of an ever growing sculpture. 

I found the pink ball like this, but didn't leave it there as it was just such a lovely faded colour.