Tropical Yorkshire

I know summer is over and it makes me very sad, so to cheer me (and you?) up a bit, here are some pics I took during a walk along the canal back in August. I'm pretty sure some of these flowers aren't endemic to Yorkshire but they certainly seem to be thriving!

I seem to have a thing for all fern-related plants at the moment. I even bought a huge one for my bathroom! It's not the happiest fern but it seem to be doing ok, I hope. I promise you'll get a peek of him soon!

As much as I complain about some aspects of living in our house (everything keeps breaking, the landlady couldn't care less, it's draughty as hell), it is lovely to live by the canal and to get to snap pictures of fancy boats whenever you go for a walk.

This cluster of houses is where the tropical (and general flowery) magic seems to take place. Ready to be transported to a fairyland of vibrant flowers and tiny garden gates and neatly growing lettuce in no particular order?

I also admire the hardy weeds that keep on going despite the layers of toxic paint that they get sprayed with every few weeks. It's not easy being green.

I'd like to finish off by showing you how the wildlife is doing. The geese are as hissy as ever with us humans but they seem to be getting on just fine with their Canadian cousins.

The local cats had a rather zen Summer, mainly spent sitting around with eyes half-closed, being cats.

Some are naturally more perplexed (and adorable) than others, but I can assure you, we love them all just the same.

So, that was Summer along the canal! I will be turning 30 (gaaaaaaaah) in 2 days and celebration preparations are in full swing (the brownie is in the oven. I repeat, the brownie is in the oven). I can't quite believe I'm a real grown-up now, I still feel like I'm just pretending most of the time. Oh well, here's to pretending, and being, and enjoying, and succeeding!

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

So that's what a freelance translator's Summer is like... let me just try and remember that for next year so that I can have all my fun during a different season... No really, sorry bunnies, I seem to have drowned in work over the last few months and am just creeping out of my nest and into the dazzling October sunlight. Forgive me for the long silence. I have lots of adventures to tell you about!

Let's start with an adventure that happened in July! My Mama came to visit us and it was the perfect occasion to go to Yorkshire Sculpture Park as I had been wanting to go for ages (this is the view from the restaurant balcony. Not too shabby). Ok, mostly because I had spotted these plates in their online gift shop and I really really liked them...

Well everything else in his exhibition was just as pretty. I wasn't sure if photos were allowed so I only took the one. You'll have to go and check it out for yourself!

The park is very big and of course we had a little look at some of the other exhibitions too. Now this artwork is by Ursula von Rydingsvard and the basic concept is that she carves big things out of wood and metal and sometimes glass (you can read a much more detailed description here).

I think this one looks better as it is outside. They just weren't as striking inside the exhibition hall. Boyfriend was so overwhelmed (ahem) with all this artistic creativity that he had to go for a lie-down under the tree while we carried on.

We also saw an exhibition by Ai Weiwei (more here) which I really liked. Simple yet moving, like a lot of his work. Photos aren't allowed inside the chapel so once again: you'll have to go and take a look yourself!

So this was our day at YSP! One of these days I'll get some decent pics of the lovely things I came home with!!