Counting Crows

Last night the sky finally ripped open. I was sitting by my computer and when I heard it start a feeling of excitement compelled me to go out and stand on the balcony. I got soaked and it was lovely. The heat is still lingering and the sun is doing its level best to try and burn through the clouds. I'm glad it rained, it was needed.

Yesterday was stiflingly hot. I always feel sorry for black animals & birds not to mention hardcore goths in this kind of weather. The crows in the park looked as if they were about to pass out in the heat. We saved them some grapes and cherries from our picnic.

Ten years ago when I was working at a nursery school nearby Alexandra Place I used to spend my lunch break reading in the park. I usually sat in the shade of a tall tree that also happened to be a favourite hangout for crows. Occasionally a crow would descend to the ground, remain at a safe distance and scope me out. It was summer and I was raw vegan at the time so my lunchbox usually contained a mix of vegetable florets and fruit, not foods that I thought a crow would be much interested in eating. One day however I'd rolled over in the grass a few times reading my book and I was lying far enough away from my lunchbox for the crow to feel brave enough to raid it. I looked over and there he was feasting out on my grapes. He ate his fill and then with a grape carefully held in his beak he ascended back into the tall tree. For the rest of that summer I brought grapes for the crows in my lunchbox.

Curtise mentioned in her last blog post that she's having some issues with deciding what time of day to take outfit pics at the moment. The harsh sunlight is wrecking havoc with most my pics as well and moving into the shade doesn't seem have the desired effect either. Even if the sun is blazing in the sky above and you are sporting more colour than a Rio Carnival float the pics all seem to come out looking a bit like a peeled cucumber, all watery and pale.

I'm sure there is something that can be done to remedy this effect but as it probably involves reading up on some serious photography techniques, I can't be arsed at the moment so watery and pale it is.

Handmade crochet top (pressie from my lovely mum), abstract print 90s cotton trousers, silk scarf, flip-flops, straw hat, aviator sunnies, parrot earrings, three necklaces, Leslie Works button bracelet, loadsa bangles and my POP-swatch from the late 80s.

I was standing against this sun baked yellow brick wall, thinking that it would provide a deliciously intense backdrop that would make the festival of colour I was wearing really pop out, how wrong was I...watery and pale.

You can't even tell that I've actually got the faint beginnings of a tan, I swear I do.

I'll love you and leave you with Counting Crows, enjoy ;)

Take care,

Jennie

xXx

Titsicles, winter's back!

What an absolutely freezacious Monday it had been!

Some time ago we set up a bird feeding station on the balcony and earlier today our little feathered friends were sent tumbling when caught by strong and icy cold gusts of wind.

I chopped up a suet & seed ball and stuck in a bowl on the floor, in an attempt to make it slightly easier for them but then it started snowing, och!

I'm chuffed to bits with the amount and variety of birds that are regular visitors now...

blackbird, chaffinch, robin, sparrow, starling, wood pigeon, blue tit and this morning we were even visited by a very inquisitive magpie.

It's lovely to just sit with my cup of coffee, watching the birds pick away at the seed balls outside.

 Yes peeps, it's official, I am a birdwatcher.

We're going through bags of seed every week so it's just as well that you can pick them up from the pound shop. 

I do want to try and make my own seed balls though and I've found a good tutorial on a blog called Dry Seasonings, so I'll give that a bash at the weekend.

Lilo and friends also get their daily visit without fail. 

On a day like today one could be tempted to give the pond a miss but I don't want my angel-winged pretty going hungry especially when it's as Baltic as it has been today.

They were filming something in the park, there were loads of lorries and one of those double decker catering buses parked on the basketball courts. 

I didn't spot anyone famous but I may have done?

 Especially if the celebrity looks like a hairy gaffer, cause there were a fair few of them about.

We were interrupted three times by crew peeps as we were trying to snap the outfit pics. 

I was standing there thinking...

"Excuse me, can you hold on three bleedin' seconds please, I'm getting titsicles standing here!".

'Titsicles' is pretty self explanatory I guess but just in case you are perplexed, it is the word my husband chooses to use for a pair of extremely cold boobies :)

Vintage 60s psychedelic print dress, 90s faux-fur jacket, 80s boots, tights, mohair hat, gloves & Frocktasia earrings & horse brass necklace.

In the pictures above you can see me clocking bearded men just about to walk right in front of the camera... you would have thought being in 'The Biz' they would know bleedin' better but I guess not.

Today's tune is by lovely Leslie's very talented son Erik, enjoy :)

Erik will be playing a six song gig at The Old Queen's Head on Sunday the 24th of March.

Mark and I will be going :)

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

Pulling a swinging sickie

In all honesty I should be lying in my bed right now with Gino the giraffe, my hot water bottle. 

I woke up yesterday with an extremely debilitating dose of the vileness...

cold as death, woolly headed, sneezy, wheezy and generally frigging sore all over, not to mention looking like a festering meat-bag.

I knew as soon as I got out of bed that I'd be absolutely no use to anybody, so the only sensible thing to do was to neck some night nurse & return to bed.

I'm still feeling pretty rancid today but we managed a quick walk up to the pond to feed the birds.

I thought that as I'd made the elephantine effort to peel myself off the bed, I'd try and cheer up my chops with another one of my loud psychedelic frocks and a bit of slap.

Plastering make-up on a flu bedraggled face is pretty daft I know but I was hoping that it would somehow magically make me look less dead....it didn't bleeding work :(

I also stuck a wiggy-woo on to keep my noggin warm & toasty.

At least the frock looks "fucking blinding" :)

Vintage 60s psychedelic print maxi dress, 70s  cropped suede jacket, 80s leather boots, 80s Kangol beret, wiggy-woo , gloves, pendant necklace  and bangles galore.

When we fed the birds the other day, I spotted a Canada goose that looked rather worse for wear. 

 It seemed to feed alright and it didn't look as if it was in distress but I still took some pics of it & contacted the RSPCA.

I've been a bit worried about the wee feathered fellow, so that's why we went back up to the park today with another baggy of delicious seed mix for the birdies...

Here's the poor wee thing, its wing is damaged and its rear end warps to one side...

I've read about a condition called 'Angel Wing' that is believed to be caused by a substandard diet, high in calories and low in nutrition. 

There's actually a notice up by the pond telling people not to feed the birds stuff like white bread but unfortunately some people still do.

Here are two other birds that were hanging by the pond today...

A pretty mandarin duck and a  handsome grey heron

Right, I can't even focus on the screen anymore, so I guess that's my cue to go back to bed.
Have a superlative Sunday folks!
Lot's of love,
Jennie
xXx