When I am old, I shall wear purple ...

While photographing local poppies - the words of this familiar poem came to mind

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me,

And I shall spend my pension

on brandy and summer gloves

And satin sandals,

and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired,

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells,

And run my stick along the public railings,

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

And pick the flowers in other people's gardens,

And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat,

And eat three pounds of sausages at a go,

Or only bread and pickle for a week,

And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats

and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry,

And pay our rent and not swear in the street,

And set a good example for the children.

We will have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?

So people who know me

are not too shocked and surprised,

When suddenly I am old

and start to wear purple! 

Jenny Joseph

(The poet and writer  Jenny_Joseph was born in 1932 in Birmingham England)

Perhaps it was the colour of the poppies that brought on this thought, or perhaps it was the activity of going about a field, taking random photos of poppies & being totally excited about the sheer beauty of them ...

At the annual Bridport Hat Festival bridport hat fest there is the ladies club who follow the tradition of wearing purple with red as immortalised in the poem ...





This poem always touches a nerve - we all, to greater & lesser degrees, live the 'sobriety of youth', follow the conventions of  feeding and clothing the children, paying the bills & sometimes, just sometimes,  the person just gets a little lost in the conventionalities & constraints of our everyday lives.

But, with age comes the confidence to be much freerer, eccentric behaviour is tolerated, even encouraged & with it the individuality we might have lost along the way due to responsibilities of life ...

My maternal grandparents each had a maiden sister who spent a lot of time with us when we were growing up & they certainly enriched our lives with their eccentric individuality, throwing off the constraints to just be themselves ...

So whenever I look at my pictures of the poppies, I  remember the purple poppy ♥

Will you be wearing purple with a red hat when you grow older? I know I shall ....

Thanks for stopping by,
Dee ~♥~

Traditional poppy fields in summer

The large pink & purple poppies in this post shropshire-field-poppies are not the common variety that seems to seed itself all over our beautiful Shire.

The traditional red ones thrive on neglect & they pop up all over the hedgerows & fields in late summer. Together with the Godsons & their Mum rambling-rosez , we went in search of some traditional fields on a warm, summers evening ...

Beautiful blue sky & the harvest ready for winter feed, then the sight to gladden any heart ...

Daughter setting off into the fields with the lads for some photos - youngest stayed to pose for some photos then had to find the other two in the field ...

Youngest daughter StacySparkle doing some of her own photos with a remote trigger on her camera

 

A perfect summer night in the open air to just enjoy the amazing beauty that is all around us ... So you like the 'rurals'? Are you a random type of person who is happy to grab the camera & head out when the opportunity strikes? Tell all ....

Thanks for stopping by, I always love your comments & feedback
Dee ~♥~

Shropshire field poppies

Our UK summer may have been terrible but the poppies have been stunning this year ...


A local farmer has a massive field filled with the most divine tall poppies that is just such a magnificent sight - you can see the pink / purple haze as you drive towards it, a mirage on the skyline ... then this sight ♥. I stopped next to the field & used a long lens to capture these images, just so gorgeous …



It is something to behold - to see so much beauty in one place. The detail is quite stunning, the intensity of colour so striking ...

and the promise of things to come

I hope you have enjoyed the poppy field with me - are you a fan of these colours?

Stop by again soon
Dee ~♥~

Solar lights at night ...

I have always loved a bit of twinkling light in the garden at night & have had solar lights in the garden for years. The first ones some 15 years ago were rather expensive & not terribly effective but I enjoyed them nevertheless.
The choice now is quite astounding - the selection is just so lovely with all shapes, sizes, colours & designs to choose from.

Our shed at the bottom of the garden does not have an electical connection so one of the first things we did was to put up two solar lights onto the outside of it.

 They are a welcoming sight with their white glow. The coloured lights were on a bush by the front door but they have now found a home there with their pretty colour.

Our patio against the house has a selection of the normal push in ones, some blue floating ones in the fountain & a recent addition of two strings of white lights on our pair of obelisks at the conservatory doors ...

The white light very elegant at night as it gives just a hint of the flowers & shapes.

I think they all add a soft glow to the garden at night; highlighting the various features like the shed, fountain, plants & structures.

Are you a night time garden person who enjoys a bit of light or do you just shut the curtains?

Till next time, thanks for stopping by
Dee ♥

Summer Solstice time ...

I rather like the rhythm of life - the patterns of the seasons & the interesting changes that come with it.

I wake up each morning & throw open my bedroom curtains to see what the new day will bring as my room faces east.

The Solstice sunrise was early & dramatic & it struggled through the clouds but it maked the longest day of the year for us in the UK ...
Daughter & I love an evening walk to unwind & chat;  our walk often takes us past our local lake which is a pretty walk

A dramatic end to our longest day as the sky changed colour constantly until it reached this stunning setting colour.

Do you observe, even in passing, the changes of the seasons?
Till next time, thanks for stopping by,
Dee ♥

Cake stands are back in fashion

For a long time, no one would own up to having a cake stand, even less to using them as they were thought of as a bit old fashioned but thankfully they are back in fashion & very much in demand.

Cake stands elevate the simpliest cakes & food into something quite special.

I have several ones that are used often. Some are vintage finds while others are new or shabby chic which goes perfectly with our lifetyle.

Glass or crystal stands sit easily with just about everything, especially if it is a good height to add a visual effect to a table setting.

 I used a selection of cake stands on my sideboard to welcome cakes for the Royal Wedding Watch Party so that as guests arrived with their fabulous bakes, they were ready & waiting  ...

I love this vintage pressed glass stand that I use for little tartlets

This morning tea setting was for a ladies birthday tea for a friend; I used some vintage silver ones too so that the setting felt special. Such settings take time to get them just right - do you like it?



A silver stand holds a selection of hot scones as the weather turned rather cold ...

Even a basic date & banana bread looks special on a nice stand or two ...

Cake stands are of course de rigueur for birthdays as birthday cakes are special ♥
This is a fun set I used when the girls were younger ...

Now they are older, they now tend to opt for these ...

and cake stands don't always have to hold cakes, sometimes perfect fruits from a market stall just need displaying too or fruits & pancakes ....

A cake stand used for cheese, bisuits & nibbles on a party  table

Of course you can also use it to hold pink champagne for the ladies ♥

Do you use cake stands or are they a bit naff? Which ones suit your lifestyle best?  Do you do vintage ones too? Tell all - how do you use your cake stand? 

Till next time, happy browsing,
Dee ♥