Despite the grey skies and sudden downpours, this week has been a colourful week. Everywhere I look, I’ve been hit by pockets of wonderful colour. Special thanks go to my past self for thinking ahead and buying flowering plants for the large pots, this year. Not only that, but she put aside her usual slovenly approach to life and remembered to water them. It’s helped. Nothing says “oops” as much as a dried out husk of a plant in a big, almost empty pot.
Anyway, my pots are not the only colourful boost this week.
Street art
It started on Sunday, with our visit to Southville, Bristol to see a few of the painted walls. I’m betting today, with the rain and wind, these streets are a welcome sight to passers by, with so much sunshine and colourful images everywhere.
In the wild
Each year, we leave various areas of the garden to go wild, to encourage the wildlife. Long grass and wildflowers. It’s very pretty, in a non-cottage garden sense. There’s no saying what will thrive and it does varying each year. I’ve not seen our a frog hopper yet, this season, but we’ve had two other species of interest.
First up, is the cinnabar moth caterpillar. It’s such a pretty caterpillar. We spot the moth, but not the caterpillars often. The moths are beautiful, giving a flash of their bright red underwings and spotty top wings, as they flit around the garden. We followed one a few weekends ago, but it didn’t land. Every day, I’ve checked our ragwort for the caterpillars, with no luck. Not a single one. This week, while pulling up a patch of groundsel, I found about 70 caterpillars.
Munching happily through the weeds.
They are so colourful, that I’m not sure how I missed them.
Second notable species in the garden was one we’ve not seen in the garden before. We usually have to travel a mile or two to the next woods and it’s become a bit of a pilgrimage to see them each year. 
The silver washed fritillary. It’s a big, fast flying butterfly, usually found in woods. I was not expecting one in the garden. Another colourful addition to our garden, even if it was only fleeting.
On the craft table
I’ve been working on a dress, off and on. I think the hold up is that it is grey and I’m doubting my choice of colour. This week, I tackled the dress and decided it needed a touch of red added to it. Making it a bit more colourful, but not quite reaching the stage of looking like a tea lady uniform. I’m not a great tea maker, especially on a large scale. No-one wants to mistake me for the maker of a good cup of char. In fact, I’m doing everyone a favour by adding not too much colour to this dress.
(Incidentally, a client of ours used to have a tea trolley that came round to all the offices. A proper trolley and tea person, who made excellent tea, with proper utility style cups and saucers. I used to time my visits, just to indulge in this last bastion of office life from yesteryear, that I saw no where else.)
Anyway, I’ve added a red collar lining, to add a flash of colour like a cinnabar moth. The edge is now trimmed with light blue rickrack, peeking out to break up the harsh lines. It’s one of the reasons I love making my own clothes. I can add the personal little touches that make it mine. Next step is to sew it to the dress.
I’m feeling more excited about finishing this dress. It’s my go-to project for car trips at the moment. While the rest of the family went into Ikea, this week, I stayed in the car to tack my rickrack. Two reasons. First up, I love sewing in natural light, but never give myself the time at home, during the day. Secondly, I always buy stuff I don’t really need in Ikea and then clutter up the house with it. We don’t need to go there. (shakes head) Best avoided.
So, that’s my week. Colourful and wonderful, despite the rain.
Joining in Anne’s word of the week link up. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else is up to.
Also, curious if you’ve ever worked in an office with a tea trolley that came round?
What’s your word of the week?
How lovely to have a colourful week despite the grey weather. That street art is brilliant! I love it and the caterpillars really are bright and colourful. There were so many too. x
I love that street art in Southville – it’s so vibrant. Love seeing cinnabar moth caterpillars. We often see the moths but not the caterpillars as well and it’s lovely when you do manage to spot lots of them. I like the combination of the red collar lining and the blue rickrack on your dress. Glad adding it has helped make you more excited about finishing it. I’ve never worked in an office with a tea trolley but i used to take the tea trolley round the ward when I worked as a maternity care assistant during my midwifery training. #WotW
Loving the vibrancy of the colours in your week, especially the pretty dress you are making. The nearest I’ve come to the tea trolley scenario is when I taught at school and at parents evenings the student helpers would come around taking orders for tea and coffee. I aways say, hot chocolate, please. But all these years and I’m still waiting. They never catered for people who didn’t drink tea nor coffee.
Also, when I visited an elderly friend in the hospital, we used to see the trolley coming around with hot or cold drinks too.
I love your word of the week. It’s very cheerful.
Your agapanthus is so pretty, certain to cheer up a grey day.
The street art is fab too, there’s a lot of talent right there!
I absolutely love the nature in your garden. I have made a wild patch in our weir garden. It’s nice to keep it a little unkept and see what wildlife it invites.
I too should stay in the car when shopping at IKEA! It may stop my impulse buys, but then again, probably not!
wow, that is a lot of caterpillars! I love the colourful buildings. We have a place near us called The Custard Factory which is a series of colourful buildings, fountains and art work. I’m loving the dress what we can see of it. Grey is not a favourite colour of mine but I love the colours. I used to make tea for the customers in the bingo hall I worked in as a teenager, I didn’t have a trolley though. One thing I really love though is the sound of the tea trolley coming down the hospital corridor…something I’ve got very used to in the last few years.
Love the artwork in bristol. What amazing wildlife you have in your garden. I really like the colour of the dress you are making. I agree that Ikea trips are best avoided lol. My mum used to make tea for the staff in an office but she didn’t have a tea trolly #WotW