Today it's my birthday. I'm feeling very laid back and happy today - not because I'm a year older of course - but because it's a beautiful day and I feel much more healthy.
I got up quite early to see Mateo before he went off for his last day at school. He's staying at a friend's house tonight so I won't see him until tomorrow. I'm glad he's going out to have some fun with his friends. After the less than perfect start to the new school year, he's adapted really well and although school's not his favourite place at all, he has let slip one or two comments to the effect that he likes his friends and most of his teachers - and that he thinks he will really enjoy next year....
I have been out to take a few photos of the garden. It's looking a little less jungle-like but there's still plenty to do. FR is tireless in tackling jobs and now I've finished teaching, I guess I shall have to buckle down and get my hands dirty a bit more.
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| These stunning plants are a member of the garlic family - and smell like it too! They had to stay outside! |
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| The vine is growing beautifully now after a little set back when we had snow in May... |
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| FR's rustic wall behind which we have sunflowers, peppers, watermelon and courgettes growing. |
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| One of my 20 sunflower plants. |
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| Originally thought to be cherry - this little pear tree has lots of fruit on it now |
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| We thought we might be able to eat the artichokes, but they'd been wild a bit too long.. |
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| However, they have redeemed themselves by these beautiful flowers! |
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| Plenty of shade now - Ikea curtains coming in very useful - another FR invention... |
And Casa Rosales is living up to its name - we have had lots of roses! Here are a few...
Seems like the right place to celebrate my birthday.
Happy Birthday Annie...what a wonderful place to celebrate. The garden is coming on beautifully, and despite your anxieties about giving up work for the time being...you are completely free to decide what happens next..what a brilliant position to be in. Enjoy your day. Lots of love Jxxxxx
ReplyDeleteThank you Janice - FR is out barbecuing a chicken and I've made a trifle for dessert. I think it's going to be a lovely day and I'm definitely over all my anxieties. Thanks again, Axxx
DeleteHappy birthday, Annie - so glad you're feeling better. ALl that lovely sunshine makes everything look brighter, and we've got it , too, for the moment, here in mid-Wales (even though the wind's still a bit on the chilly side!) Enjoy your summer - although I hope it's not too hot, or you'll have an awful lot of watering to do in your lovely garden!
ReplyDeleteAll good wishes
Thank you Helva! The sun and the colours here in Andalucia are beyond description. I do hope the sunshine lasts for you in mid-Wales...
DeleteAnd you are right - we have to water, water and water or else fizz! It all dries up!
Axxx
Happy Birthday beautiful! Have a wonderful day. x
ReplyDeleteThank you gorgeous! So far, so good. Axxx
DeleteHappy Birthday Annie. Hope that you enjoy a wonderful day, with perhaps a few sparkles to round it off.
ReplyDeleteYou sound happy and content. I'm so pleaed that Matoe has adapted to life at his new school. Making friends can make an enormous difference.
Thank you Gaynor. Today feels particularly good as I am now completely over any anxieties I had last week. As soon as these sinuses are clear - well, I could do ANYTHING! And I might!
DeleteAxxx
Happy birthday in a happy place.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you mean about the artichokes having been wild too long? I thought from the first photograph that they might be cardoons, but, no, from the second it's clear that they are artichokes.
Thank you Helen! Re. the artichokes - when we first moved in, we didn't realise what they were or what we had to do so they didn't get the water when they needed it. I suspect that for many years, they've been just left because they seemed to be in random places. The artichokes of the neighbours looked different - and ours had so little heart ('art) and so much 'choke' that they were inedible. I'm not keen on them anyway!
DeleteAxxx
Happy Happy Birthday Annie........what a lovely garden to spend your special day in, those pears look quite delicious and roses are one of my favourite blooms...............enjoy the rest of the day.......maybe a nice glass of cool wine or two in celebration.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you're feeling better. xx
Many thanks, Kim! The garden is showing signs of improvement and the roses certainly help to give an air of sophistication. I have carnations too. We've had a delicious lunch, watched a rather arty and strange film and later on, when the temperature cools a little, we'll venture outside again.
DeleteAxxx
Have a happy birthday. I love artichoke flowers, but not quite as much as eating artichokes, so never have any of these purple beauties. (You probably moved just too late for them to be edible)
ReplyDeleteThanks Annie! I'm not keen on artichokes at all but you're quite right about us arriving too late - they needed a bit of care and they definitely weren't edible. Very chokey.
DeleteAxxx
Have a wonderful birthday Annie.I enjoyed your garden photos.The plants and flowers against the blue sky background look very special. x Maria
ReplyDeleteThank you Maria! If you were here, you'd love the birds that come past. They're too quick for me but we've had some lovely ones - including some amazing bee-eaters! Axxx
DeleteOh, Happy Birthday Annie! A very blessed time of the year to have a birthday (I had mine yesterday) as there are the longest hours to celebrate in : ) I hope you had a lovely day today in your beautiful Casa Rosales! xxx
ReplyDeleteOh, Happy Birthday to you too, then Hita! It certainly is a glorious time of the year to have a birthday - I always like to know it was exactly six months between Christmas and my birthday...
DeleteWe've been having a lovely day here - it really is that sort of a house.
Axxx
Many happy returns of the day.
ReplyDeleteThank you - I didn't think I would enjoy my birthday as much as I have. Getting older isn't my favourite bit but today has been lovely.
DeleteAxxx
Happy Birthday Annie xxx
ReplyDelete"FR is tireless in doing jobs..." Blooming Heck! Do you realise how lucky you are? It must be like having a birthday every day!
Thank you Nilly! Yes, I do realise how lucky I am but occasionally I just wish he'd bloody well sit down!! (Makes me feel guilty if I'm not busy too, you see..) Axxx
DeleteHappy Birthday Annie, and the perfect place to spend it. As usual your photos are wonderful. It's all coming along very nicely isn't it?
ReplyDeleteThank you Ayak! I had a lovely, lovely day - totally chilled and oblivious to what day of the week it really was. We ate a barbecued chicken and then one of my special trifles...Mmmm (And now, I'm on a diet. :-(
DeleteAxxx
Oh, you've got one of those, have you, Annie? Mine drives me nuts when I'd like to relax and he's buzzing around making me feel guilty. :-)
ReplyDeleteSo sorry I missed this yesterday. I'm awfully behind with my blog-reading. Belated birthday greetings and I'm so glad you had a lovely day in your beautiful house and garden. Those roses are fabulous!
Thank you Perpetua - and it's the 'travelling' season - I missed a few blog-reading days last week and now -whoosh - you're in France! Hope the weather is being kind and that you are settling in now for the summer months in Normandy. Our roses are very lovely and I had an absolutely perfect birthday, thank you!
DeleteAxxx
Your roses are beautiful, as is your garden. It was interesting our first year here on the Cutoff, seeing what was growing, what we thought we weeds, and weren't, and, well, weeds that were not flowers but weeds. An adventure, for sure.
ReplyDeleteHappy belated birthday! I hope it was pleasant, Annie.
Thank you Penny. We will be able to do a lot more before this time next year but right now, the temperature has risen to the summer level - (which is well over 30 degrees, or about 90 degrees Farenheit) and exertion is not recommended. Not for me, anyway! A bit of watering and weeding first thing is all I can manage.
DeleteI had a lovely birthday! Axxx