One of the really fun things about this blog is the people I hear from who happen onto this site and let me know. This morning I had an email from someone in the north west of Lancashire hoping that her sunflowers will eventually bloom like mine have. It seems she was looking for an answer to a crossword clue, something to do with Galsworthy-The Forsythe saga!

This year I created a little bit of Provence by making a lavender and sunflower patch. One sunflower (grown from seed) ended up to be about 12 feet high!

Death in the afternoon....

Today's title pays tribute to my cousin John's very adept wasp swatting skills! Carole's delicious lunch attracted quite a swarm of them. We had a wonderful swim in Vesuvius Bay on Saltspring Island...warm enough to drift about for an hour without getting numb. Thanks John and Carole for a super afternoon. Forgot I had my camera until we got on the ferry to leave.

Richard has now participated twice in the 48 Hour Film Festival in Vancouver where groups are given a box of materials and have to make a film in 48 hours. It sounds like an interesting concept and seems to be a lot of fun.

In the box this year were:

Prop: Thai dancer figurine
Location: Under the bed
Music: Smack My Bitch Up
Photo: Halloween photo of kid dressed up as a clown
Craft services donation: stale ice cream cones

Certainly seems to provide lateral thinking! Some pix he took while filming are at Rich

Victoria's painting...




Madeleine's second painting...a quickie...(I didn't get a pix of her first one)

Victoria and Madeleine are doing their usual wonderful artwork...it's really fun for me to see them enjoying themselves in my studio. Madeleine is working on her second painting today and I forgot to take a picture last week of her scene of London. It was excellent with the London Eye and all sorts of great detail.





I wasn't too swift last week with the photos when we had lunch together. Everyone except David was too engaged in dessert to pose!

Here's just a few examples of that wonderful Art Nouveau architecture in Riga...known as the best collection in the world, I believe. Europeans come to the Baltic countries to see interesting architecture and also because it's relatively cheap. Unfortunately these countries have become places to have "stags" and "hen" parties for the Brits who do their usual "lager lout" thing. I was reading where the Brits (some of them anyway) cause quite a few problems getting drunk, while the Danes and Germans look at the architecture and then have a nice meal and don't cause trouble, and the Finns drink themselves into a stupor on the cheap beer and fall asleep so also don't cause a problem. Generalizations with some truth, no doubt.

Some more pix of Riga...


I thought this was a rather cool statue...to a poet, I believe.



Lots of brightly coloured streetcars.



The "bag ladies" in the Central Market.



While many shopkeepers seem to have a very dour outlook, the people in
the flower markett all seemed to be cheerful.



This the area of Jurmala just 20 minutes from Riga....23 miles of sandy beach and warm water
on the Baltic.



A neat little shop in the old town of Riga where I bought a tie to replace Jim's
favourite tie that I melted...thought the iron was on min and was on max...



Jim's new tie which is handpainted silk with a design of the buildings of Riga.

And finally some pix of Riga...really a very beautiful city!


In the "old town" around where our hotel was. Traffic very restricted so very pedestrian friendly.


The National Opera.


This could be Paris!


This is the canal and there's a very pretty river as well.


The Freedom monument.


Monument to honour those who fought in the freedom war or 1915-20.
Many lurches towards freedom and Lativia finally became an independent country
in only 1991. A very sad history of occupation by Sweden, the Nazis, the Soviets, etc.


Blackhead's House...beautifully restored.

Now some pix of our stay at Patty's wonderful thatched house in a great little village in Buckinghamshire. We were very spoiled with super meals and conversation.


I love the name of the house..."The Pightle"


Jim and Patty with the Pimms.


Jim under the famous apple tree.

Some pix of Patty's wonderful backyard and garden.




Jim and I in front of the house...Jim does have a rather "Lord of the Manor" look don't you think?

Some pix from our visit with the Bradshaws and the Gifford Circus that Barbara arranged for us all to see.
Great fun!


The tea tent...I loved the teapot.


Barbara and me at the circus.


The horse whisperer.


The strong man.


The tightrope walker...later he played a violin and did a jig.

Inspired by the circus, some of us tried it in the Bradshaw's back garden....


Jim teaching Rory and Georgia to juggle.


David doing his trampoline trick....


And the star of the show...Rory doing his famous flip!

A few more Dorset scenes....


Typical English seaside...cloudy, miserable weather and a Punch and Judy show.


I've always loved the idea of these daytime cabins at the seaside...apparently quite expensive to rent
and need to be leased over a period of years.



JIm and I in a thatched bus shelter.



Jim, Susan, and Alan and another great pub.



Tough old laws they had in Dorset!



On our walk into Dorchester we stopped to have a picnic on this little bridge
with swans to keep us company.