Simple Things Sunday

I was thinking that I might show some pictures of the last few days of our holiday this week, but then we went to the allotment yesterday and so much has happened there these past two weeks while we were away, plus you've already seen a few holiday pics, so allotmenting is the theme I'm going with this week.

It always amazes me, the way nature immediately takes a patch of land back, as soon as you stop tending it. We were only gone a fortnight, yet when we got there yesterday the whole plot was overgrown with some - admittedly very pretty - yellow flowers.

Pretty, no?

As for what was happening within the flower beds... well, let's just say that I didn't realise that courgettes could grow from basically non-existent to full-on take-over-the-world massive marrows within the space of 14 days.

Just look at those babies!

Overall there was a mix of over-grown wilderness and cultivation that was quite charming in its own way - not that I think the allotment committee would agree with me there. They have some pretty clear ideas of what an allotment is supposed to look like. But look at those pretty Dalias and sunflowers!

Well, D took to cutting the grass between the beds, and I went into full-on weeding mode. By the time we left it looked pretty tidy again.

In addition to the aforementioned marrows I also carried away a huge basket of vegetables and flowers.

I'll have to process all those beans and freeze them. The flowers however, are ready to grace our tables. I love that throughout summer we can always have a fresh bunch of flowers from the garden and the allotment on the table. So pretty.

Shared with Simple Things Sunday

Simple Things Sunday - Weekends spent at home

We stayed close this weekend, and sometimes that's just what is needed. Both D and I had been feeling a bit under the weather these past few days - summer colds and the like - and we thought we'd take it easy and not go far. I think we all had a lovely time - there was water play, which is always a favourite with all of them (and it means that my plants get watered too!), trips to the local stream, crayoning on the patio, and then there was the 'slime' that boy #1 brought home from a science birthday party that he attended on the Saturday. I even managed to get some knitting done - before the cat decided to put a stop to that.

I played along with Simple Things Sunday. Hop over there if you want to play too. 

Simple Things Sunday

Simple things I enjoyed this week: Visiting family and listening to the husband and the brother-in-law sitting in the sunshine and playing Tam Lin on the banjo and the guitar together, while the children played and occasionally came over to sit and listen while they caught their breath, before darting off again to re-immerse themselves in play. 

Simple Things Sunday

I've been reading blogs again, and on  Rebecca's blog Simple As That, I came across this photographic contemplation of the week. Since I'm always looking for excuses to take more photographs I thought I'd give it a go.

What I like most about photography is that it encourages you to look at the world with fresh eyes. To pay attention to the little things. The simple things. The small and the ordinary things. It takes those things and celebrates them and shows them in their extraordinary beauty. Having children does something quite similar because little children do all this quite naturally. There is no hierarchy of interest, no 'this is not important'. It's all fascinating, it's all beautiful.

We did oh so much this week, but this weekend we stayed close to home. The weather has been great, and we played in the garden. Today we went to the allotment to harvest strawberries and do some weeding. Hubby cut the grass. In the late afternoon we watched a movie together. It's been a lovely weekend, perhaps even more so because it was so 'ordinary': gardening, playing, watching films. Simple.

(click on the images to go to my Flickr album)