Courtyard(s) - April & May 2023

We have had 2 months for this topic and I hope that you all think that it was worth the wait!  Here are all the various photographic interpretations of "courtyard" that you have come up with!

Sue - lunch in Reading

Steve - 2 courtyards in Bristol

(in 1769 John Wesley’s first Methodist chapel was opened, and in WWII somehow avoided being bombed. 269 years later and 100m away a temple to consumerism, Cabot Circus saw its first shoppers)

Steve

Ken - a colourful courtyard at Wisley

Ken - courtyard/cottage garden in Oxford

Stacey - my Dad in the 'courtyard' of the Disney Castle at Disneyland Paris

Stacey

Don - Marriott Courtyard hotel in downtown Houston

Jan - a sort of courtyard - Exbury Gardens

Keith - This is the view of the Rose Garden from the Garden Courtyard Restaurant we had lunch at after our Wine Tour at Ponte Winery, Temecula California.

Gaynor - the Wild Crown in Trinity College, Cambridge

(Hand woven from English willow by Trinity’s gardeners, the Wild Crown is wildlife friendly, sustainable and recyclable. Studded with succulent-plant ‘jewels’, topped with handwoven ball ‘finials’, and wrapped in ‘ermine’ wool, it will be dismantled and rewilded in Trinity’s gardens after the Coronation)

Kate - Ogmore castle in Wales

Kate, with some lateral thinking!

Andy - The Abbey of St Columba on Iona

Angela - courtyard in Corfu

... and what is our topic for May I hear you think?

"on the edge"

KIT - May 2023

Today's KIT was a closely fought (and very enjoyable) competition between the following:

Nigel, Ken, Tim, Arthur + Sue H, Gill, Rosie and Emma

It resulted in a final between:

Tim & Rosie and Ken & Emma

The final itself had everything - long rallies, winning shots, a few lucky shots, a long tie break to decide on the eventual winner etc etc.  It was great fun to play in - and that is from someone who ended up on the losing side!

Congratulations to Tim & Rosie - KIT winners 22nd May 2023!

Blossom - March 2023

I thought I would share a couple of very old blossom related  haiku with you before the photographs:

They blossom, and then

We gaze, and then the blooms

Scatter, and then ....

                                                                Onitsura

The cherry-bloom has gone -

A temple, in among the trees,

Is what it has become

                                                             Buson

Sue - Almond blossom up the mountain on Tenerife

John - An early Blossom (1pm perhaps?)

Ken - from the enclosed garden at Chawton House:

Gaynor - Blossoming of urban art, Christchurch, NZ.  

(SHIFT - urban art takeover of the Canterbury Museum) 

Angela - sadly not in my garden!

Kate - neither of my cherry blossom trees are in blossom yet so I went foraging in my garden and improvised!

Stacey

Steve - Magnolia and Camellia in my Mum's garden

Keith - this Perris is 20 years old and has flowered better than ever this year! 

Stacey - Blossom at the Eden Project in Cornwall

Don

Kate - Blossom tree at Bletchley Park

Gill - camellias in the local garden centre

Here are a couple of photos from Rosie:

Having just come back from a trip to RHS Wisley, I can recommend a visit to see, among many other things, their cherry trees in blossom.  

Here are a few of the photos I took, followed by a link to the Wisley site where it gives more detail about their current display of cherry blossom:

.... and here is the promised link to their website (it might take a few seconds to load):

Cherry Blossom at RHS Wisley at the moment

.... and that is all from you for this month!

Next month's challenge/topic is:

"courtyard(s)"

KIT - Monday 27th March 2023

Having passed the 50 milestone last time, back in November, today saw the resumption of the competition.

The players today were:

Don, Arthur, Graham and Ken + Gill, Sue, Rosie and Emma

It was great fun as usual with lots of close matches in the rounds.

 The end result was a final between: 

Rosie & Arthur and  Gill & Ken

............... and despite the whitewash win for Rosie & Arthur it was actually a very closely fought contest!

Rosie & Arthur - winners in March 2023!

Glass - February 2023

Another month and another excellent set of photos from you all - thank you!

Sue - it was half full a few minutes ago!

Ken - Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking

Stacey

Jan -  glass sculpture in the Cloud Forest in Singapore

John - is this the biggest glasshouse in the world?

.... and still (roughly) in that area of the globe, here are three from Don:

Intricate glass sculpting in Cicada Market, Hua Hin (Thailand)

Chilled glass Singha beers to cool down at the beach bar

whilst watching the wind surfers in Hua Hin, (Thailand)

No customers at the glass foot fish spa in the Hua Hin (Thailand) market!

Rosie - a glass full of sunshine!

Rosie - my favourite place!

Here are two from Keith in Winchester Cathedral at the "Kings & Scribes" exhibition:

Steve - when we had a frost a few weeks ago , I borrowed Angela’s crystal ball. Usually reserved for cheating at Wordle and influencing Wimbledon ticket ballots!

Gaynor - glass/mirror/southern lake 

Gill - our front door

Kate - Inspired by the topic, time to start cleaning the greenhouse

 in readiness for Spring! 

Kate - two down, six to go!

.....  and now to tell you about our next topic! 

While Spring doesn't officially start this year until 20th March, today (1st March) marks the start of Meteorological Spring.  So, when you are "out and about"  during March you need to be thinking about: 

"Blossom"