Monday 28 April 2008

Vivid Green

Is it me or is everything a lot greener this year? I hear that one of the joys of withdrawing from benzos is that you get colours back. It's like there's a gradual notching up of the colour and contrast settings in my brain. Brilliant!

There are no photos to go with this observation as I was out unexpectedly for a walk along a canal towpath and didn't have my camera. Even if I had I feel I would need to have spent some time in Paintshop to achieve the level of greens my eyes were seeing :-)

How the hell did I get anywhere near a canal towpath from landlocked Brum? Well, apart from it having more canals than Venice it was my Mum's birthday. I made it out to the pub for a meal and as it was so quiet and trouble-free (just how I like meals out) I had enough energy to walk by the canal for a few mins. It was a joy. There was a bloke painting his 70 foot longboat. I asked him if he lived on it and he said yes, for about two years. I told him he looked well for his new life, and he remarked that though in many ways it was harder he was happier.

Good on him. In other news, we have frogspawn. Much excitement. Some will be transferred to a tank indoors so my son gets to see the whole cycle before we release them into our new pond...which is yet to be dug and no sign of the digger but oh well. Hasn't stopped me watching my gardening DVDs and planning, even if it takes forever.

7 comments:

D Phoenix said...

Green or no, what is a canal towpath?
Inquiring Canadians want to know,

seahorse said...

Before the days of motors barges were towed by horses. No horses needed now, and canals over in the UK are no longer used as a main means of transporting industrial freight. Largely people holidaying or indeed living in barges and houseboats. Nice life! Oh, and you get a really easy level walk on a towpath. Great cycle routes too. Only problem is they tend to run under roads, so the only access is via a steep path or steps leading from a bridge. That wasn't so great, but for a few minutes of country air and scenery it was worth it. Wonder if wheelchair access has ever been discussed with the waterways people? Hmmm.

Cusp said...

All sounds good. I love canal barges -- secretly loved watching 'Rosie and Jim' with my littl'uns when they were wee for that reason ;-)

Glad it's coming up green for you. Enjoy the frogs

fluttertongue said...

Wow! Frogspawn! I'm vainly hoping there will be some in our tiny pond but I think my cat had all the frogs before she popped her clogs. Perhaps we'll get an emigre or two.

I love spring. I can't quite fathom why everyone isn't staring transfixed at the bluebells or the magnolias. And, of course, ducklings are really just the best thing ever.

seahorse said...

Cusp, ah yes Rosie and Jim...cute or what?

Fluttertongue, must get out and see some baby ducklings! That's a definite feelgood Spring thing :-)

Maggie said...

You are so lucky to have frogspawn. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a bungalow with a garden and then we'll be able to have a pond. We're looking, at least we are when I'm not knackered from clearing my parent's flat.

Hugs from Liverpool

seahorse said...

Maggie, you have my total sympathy on the clearance front. And I've been doing it without the exhaustion that comes with bereavement. Clearing a house or flat is just such hard work isn't it? And if I'm honest I have grieved a little for the Grandma who used to be such a sparky live wire before Alzheimer's. Then I pull myself up and remember NOT to reject who she is now. No way. That's what so many people have done to me. Anyway, I digress. Frogspawn. It was pure chance as I wasn't thinking much about it when we moved last year :-) but I do think the benefits are immense. It gives one a wonderful sense of wellbeing to see a life cycle taking place in the back garden. Plus all those pesky snails and slugs just get gobbled right up. So I don't need coffee, eggshells or poisons to protect my plants...just frogs. And a bit of copper tape around my geranium pots.