Sunday 13 September 2009

The Fourth of the Fourth

So, it is Sunday morning and I am up early. Why? Because of a ball of grey fluff, aka Willow, who decided that she didn't care that it was Sunday, she wanted out NOW. She did all the usual sitting on top of me, breathing right in my face, close enough so that her whiskers tickled my nose, purring in my ear, pawing at my armpit, walking up and down me while meowing. She even dragged all of her toys out of the closet, along with a t-shirt and a bra and a lot of yowling. OK, OK, I give up ............... out you go!


Is it just me, or does she look evil?

You may have noticed that I haven't been very active in the blog world of late - well, I have been on holiday and this means that I have done nothing. But all good holidays come to an end and so I am back. I still haven't finished my little jaunt around South America - I will get to that soon, but I was sent a little challenge by iRamble, so I thought that I would start back with that.

Here is the challenge, it is up to you whether you want to accept it:

Go to your picture folder, find the fourth photo, post it and explain it. Now, I have lots of photos, all organised into folders within folders, so I went to my fourth folder and picked the fourth photo in that. And here is what I found..........



Isn't it odd, all that travel that I do, all those thousands of shots of exotic flora and fauna from far flung places around the globe, and I end up with a picture of a bluebell. Taken in a pot just outside my front door.

So, what does this photo mean to me? It means home, it means memories; it means far more than many of the shots that I have taken while travelling the world. It takes me home, back home to England. It evokes memories of my childhood, of walks in the woods with my family, with my dog. Every May, even after twenty years of living away from home, I always think of the bluebells. Of that sea of blue, rolling and shimmering beneath a sky of vibrant green as the beech unfurl their fresh new leaves for another year of life.


It is amazing that a photo taken so close to home can take you so far in time and space.

18 comments:

Baino said...

See for me, Bluebells are exotic. We don't have them here but they're a flower from my past, fields of them ripe for picking and rolling in and that wonderful sign of spring. So pretty, it's such a shame they don't last as cut flowers.

Kate said...

How nice that amongst all your lovely photos this one made it to your post!! All good memories there too...

Bluebells take over my garden and drive me nuts when I'm trying to sort it out!!!

Well done Willow - Max goes a step further - he bites my elbows to get me up!!

jay said...

It's a beautiful photo, and you have the colour perfectly right, too - I remember being told how difficult that could be, in my photography class. Something about the particular blue of bluebells means they often comes out wrong in photographs.

And it's lovely that your fourth photo turned out to be a humble bluebell with so many good memories of home. :)

Cortes said...

Lovely photo, even more so as I do not remember the flowers in your back yard, will have to pay more attention during future visits. And yes, I do agree about the "evil" kitty, as mine always displayed that character trait, and pulled it off rather well!

Don't Bug Me! said...

Baino: It is funny to think about what each of us thinks is exotic. I think nothing of seeing coyotes or racoons trotting across the road, but if I were see a roo hopping along or a flock of galahs in a tree ...... well, that would be soooo exciting. Actually, I get excited when I see any kind of wildlife, common and everyday or as rare as a talking dog. I can't help myself!

Kate: Willow hasn't sussed out the biting thing, yet. Please don't tell her. I used to have a cat that would wake me at dawn every morning by biting my nose. Who needs an alarm clock!?!

Jay: I guess I must have remembered to set the correct colour balance on my camera - doesn't always happen. And, yes, I am quite glad that such a humble bluebell turned up as my fourth of fourth. One of my favourite flowers.

Cortes: Your memory is not quite as bad as you might think - the bluebells were in a container at the front of the house. Unfortunately, they did not come up this year and I fear that they may be gone forever :o(
Willow is definitely evil. She is sitting next to me right now, chewing a fly she just caught. It is not a pretty sound.

Carolina said...

A wonderful photo, lovely colour. We don't have the large bluebell covered woods here, but last spring I've discovered a couple of them spontaneously settled in our garden. I hope they will be back next spring and that they are planning a big family.

Nice post!

Carolina said...

Oh, and a beautiful cat!

Taffy's Mum said...

I know that Spring is Sprung when all the Bluebells come out in my local woods when I am walking my houndies. It gives me a great feeling to know that summer is finally on it's way!

Great Pic DBM, I could never do the Bluebells justice when I have tried to take a pic on my phd camera!

Don't Bug Me! said...

Carolina: Don't let her fool you - she is evil.

TM: I do love my Nikon SLR. I was looking at photos taken on my Mum's phd camera. They are good, but nothing like the clarity as mine.

Anonymous said...

She is evil ... but you gotta love her !!!!!...

As for the bluebells, i think they are a wonder of the world... see many beautiful things, and the bluebells are in that class

Coastal Aussie said...

A beautifully evocative blog post, Bugs. I don't think I've seen a bluebell in person, but your picture is so pretty and your words sound so nostalgic - really lovely.

Don't Bug Me! said...

Moon: I agree, she is evil but loveable and the bluebells are one of the most glorious sights in the world. All that travel we do, and there is wonder in our own backyards.

Hi CA! Not seen bluebells!?! Go get yourself a ticket to England for the beginning of May. You won't regret it - well, perhaps you might if you don't like flying ... it is an awfully long way.

Anya said...

Amazing post,
great shots
and a lovely cute cat :)
hugs from
Kareltje =^.^=

Sistertex said...

A little slow in getting around to all the places I like to frequent these days...so it will be until this session of school is over with.

I LOVE your flower photo...it is beautiful. Your kitty is just a cutie as well, your little alarm clock!

Don't Bug Me! said...

Anya: I have added you to my blog list, since you post so many lovely photos. I did have you on my blog list, but then i manged to delete the whole lot by accident one day and it is taking me a while to get everyone back. So, welcome back!

Sistertex: Luckily for you, I only manage to get around to posting every once in a while, so you don't miss much! And yes, she is cute, as far as alarm clocks go. But, being woken up at five when you don't need to get up until 7 is not so good.

English Mum said...

Aw I love bluebells. They remind me of my friend C. When she died, my lovely friend Jen came up and went off with the boys while I had a lie down (sad, rather than tired). They came back with (illegal, probably) armfuls of bluebells, which we put up on C's grave. There, now you've made ME cry. It's 1-all! x

Suldog said...

I just found out that you have me on your blogroll. Thank you very much! I'll be reciprocating momentarily. When I'm done with that, I'll be adding you to mine.

Don't Bug Me! said...

EM: Sorry about that - I guess not all memories can be happy ones.

Hi Suldog! Glad you popped by. I had a very interesting read when I arrived at your blog the other day - blush!