
It’s the season for quizzes. Half of these pictures were taken in Mississippi and half in England. Can you guess which is which? Continue reading “Where Was I?”

Celebrating gardens, photography and a creative life

It’s the season for quizzes. Half of these pictures were taken in Mississippi and half in England. Can you guess which is which? Continue reading “Where Was I?”

I’ve been fascinated by the use of containers clustered together to create the illusion of a garden since my first visit to Japan where the style is widespread. This fine example of a container garden is much closer to home.
Diminutive, but for me, as sweet as they come, it brightens up the entrance to a traditional stone-faced terrace that opens directly on to the pavement. Continue reading “Colourful Pavement Garden In Lancashire, England”

One of the most eye-catching bits of branding I’ve seen is on the corner of Fifth Street and North Lamar Boulevard, in Austin, Texas. Continue reading “ATX Public Art, Austin Texas”

Rosebay willowherb is a colonising weed that appeared in the final picture on my recent post about Darwen moor. While few of us who know it would care to cultivate it, I have seen a white form in some fancy gardens. The pink form, shown here, is eminently overlookable, not because it lacks beauty but because of its ubiquity. It would be impossible to take a countryside walk round here without meeting it along the way.
I found these plants growing wild on the edge of farmland and was struck by how lovely they looked in their autumn colours. Early evening light and a blue sky added a little magic. Continue reading “Kinda Bold”

Lichen-encrusted kindling tones perfectly with the colour scheme of this Mississippi-style porch chair. To me, its bright, cheerful design looks just as good with the extra textures heaped on by weather’s rust and flaking.
Its owner hurried to brush away the wood when he learned I wanted to take its picture, but I thought it was perfect as it was. Continue reading “Handpainted Metal Chair”

In Lancashire, our buildings are conservatively coloured. We don’t use each feature as an excuse to add a new colour. I wish we did. Continue reading “Contrasting House Colours and Trims in New Orleans”

Though I lived in Liverpool as a student, I’m just a tourist these days, popping back to savour its distinct style.
In its latest iteration, Grand Central, a Grade II listed building in the Ropewalks District, has a Gaudi theme – black and gold on the outside with a Bazaar of eating places and bars within, including the colourful Barcelona Bar. Continue reading “Barcelona Bar, Ropeworks District, Liverpool”