Rose Red - 365Project

This week's 365Project theme is RED & so I roamed my garden looking for red things & happened on this lovely red rose which is called Taboo.  I had not noticed until then, that it was no longer a bud because it lives in a part of the garden that is a bit messy ;)

Gunnera - 365 Picture for Sunday 22nd

This huge plant grows at the base of a small hillside in my garden. Normally grown in bogs or the edge of ponds but this does just fine here as long as I keep its roots nice & moist. The spikes are the 'flowers' & are covered with tiny reddish-green florets which are the seeds. The spikes in this picture measure from 2.5' to about 4' long & the leaves are about 7-8' tall & 5' across.  We have had this amazing plant in our garden for the past 5 years & this is the first time I've found seedlings, which I'm nurturing in my greenhouse.

A link to more info about the plant & a close up of a 'flower' spike

Man am I ever running behind..

I tried to post yesterday but blogger would not let me upload my picture so here we go with the 365Project pictures for the 20th & 21st

This is the seedhead of an Arum Lily full of seeds almost ready to burst out & scatter all around.   I won't let that happen though, I intend to capture them & plant them to sell later in my plant sale..

Here is a tiny Hover Fly -1/2" long- commonly called Flower Fly of the Syrphid Fly family, on a Cone Flower.  I always thought they were tiny bees as they appeared to be collecting pollen but I know now that they actually eat the pollen & nectar & that their larvae eat ahpids etc so I am happy to see them in my garden..

 

Orange Crocosmia -365Project

This project has me thinking outside the box for my pictures & seeing things in ways I would never had thought to before.  Today's picture was taken with me almost flat on my back in the garden LOL but it gave me what I wanted; the clouds to add depth & the sun on the beautiful orange petals giving them a lovely glow.  This also fits in with this week's theme of 'repetition'.

365 Project - Today's pic

The 365Project  has a weekly theme & this week's is Repetition.

I missed this on Monday but my pic for yesterday ( the dandelion seedhead wtih the dew on it)  & today's pic are both in the theme.  I do like the idea of having a theme as it really makes you think & look for different ideas to photograph.  Can you tell I'm enjoying this?

Anyhoo here's today's shot, I called it 'Fading Glory' as these are the last of my Shasta Daisys, I had several large clumps of them in my garden but today they have to be cut down & put in the compost bin. 

365Project pics for Aug 14 to 17th

Opps I got a little behind with my posts, but here are my latest pictures...

This is a Gaillardia Burgundy, commonly called a Blanket Flower.  I love the colours of this flower .

Here we have a spider who made his/her home in a Shasta Daisy

A big bee getting pollon from the tiny Catnip flowers, he was so heavy he made the stem bend right over

Morning dew on grass & a dandelion that has gone to seed.

You really need to make this last picture bigger to see the drops of water on the grass & the fluffy seedheads

Daily pics

What a beautiful sunny day here at the beach, pity we didn't get more days like this..

Here are my 365Project pictures

For yesterday 8-12-10

Now I am not sure what this flower is but a girlfriend said it looks like a False St. John's Wort, now of course I googled it & only found pictures of St. John's Wort but this sure looks like the same flower. Click it to see a bigger pic & the incredible detail of this magical flower

 If it is SJW then how fitting,  as it grows in the garden of our local hospital..


Today's pic is a Yarrow flower just about to burst into bloom..

Daily pic

My 365Project shot for the day...

Gone to seed.

It is a thistle of some kind. In New Zealand we call it Sour Thistle or Puha, which is the Maori name for it.  I have sauted the leaves of this plant with chopped onions & garlic - it's similar to spinach. 

Baby Doll Factory & daily pic

Baby Doll Factory  What an amazing picture, Joe came across it & sent me the link, which I thought was too neat not to share.

Here is today's picture.
I was taking pics of the delightful flowers on the chives when this largish hornet landed on one.   I followed him with my camera & was able to get this nice picture for my 365Projcet

I thought I'd include the rest of the pictures as they are -IMHO- really nice.

Don't forget to click on the pics to bigen them ;)

365Project, Belly bulge & other EXCITING things

First, I read this study this evening & although I knew that belly fat was dangerous, I found the statistics in this article frightening, especially with so many of us without health insurance. 

Here is the study to you to read it yourself. - Study: Belly bulge can be deadly for older adults -

Maybe you have heard of the FlatBelly Diet but if you haven't, check it out, it really isn't a diet as much as it is a way to eat & is full of wonderful information for anyone wanting to work at their making their belly smaller.  Here are some FlatBelly Meals.  In fact Pevention.com is a wealth of information for those of us fighting the battle of the Bulge.

I am diabetic & so have trouble with my weight but I have lost a few pounds recently after putting back 11 of the 15 pounds I'd previously lost - sigh. So far I am down about 4 again but hey it's a start. I have lost a few inches from my waist too, which really makes me feel better & my pants a bit looser ;)  I read somewhere that measuring is a better way to keep track of weight loss than the scales. The study said a Woman's waist should be no bigger than 35", so of course I grabbed the tape & measured my waist & I am just a half inch over at 35.5" - no sucking it in either ;)  I have been doing some isometric exercises that target the core muscles & I think that, as well as my diet are helping be take control of my waist line.

Here is a whole bunch of links to a google search for isometrics aimed at weight loss, enjoy!

OK, some exciting news....  On July 17, my Granddaughter Katy became Mother to Jaxon a beautiful baby boy, making my Daughter Dear a GrandMother & me a Great GrandMother, how's that for exciting?

Today I joined the 365Project ..

 I've been taking a lot of pictures lately as the arthritis in my right hand is not letting me bead much ;( I thought taking pics might keep me busy.  Feel free to sign up to do the picture a day project & join me & hundreds of other folk with an eye for taking pictures..

Funny thing but a while back, the thought crossed my mind about doing a photo a day & posting it on here but that is all it ever was, a thought LOL

I really am going to try & commit to this for a year, so here goes nothing..

Here are the first two pictures..

I found this little guy/gal sitting waiting for dinner in the center of a daisy

As I sat there, a bug landed at the edge where all the pollen is & in the blink of an eye, the little spider had the bug in its grip & dinner was served..

I've started carrying my camera in the pocket of my jeans because I know how often I've thought 'Darn, I wish I had my camera', so now I do & hopefully I'll get some interesting shots over the space of the next 365 days..