Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Today I am featuring some photos taken by my Other Half. We both love thistles and he has created a 'prickle garden' at the allotment to attract bees and butterflies. He recently spotted a clump of thistles by the side of the road and took the following stunning pictures. Although they are commonly thought of as weeds they are very beautiful if you stop and look at them closely. One thing that I have learnt from my City & Guilds courses is to take a closer look at the everyday things around us. You can find beauty in the most unexpected places - paving stones, panes of glass, moss growing on a tree stump, even weeds, the list goes on.

I am feeling very guilty because I am not helping my Other Half at the allotment at the moment. Last weekend he spent Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday digging and planting. Sometimes I suspect that he secretly likes being up there by himself - enjoying the peace and quiet! My excuse is that I have been concentrating on my beadwork and at last seem to be getting somewhere with my vase project. I have been struggling with covering the base and have tried different methods without success. Finally I decided to try netting and it worked. Now I just have to tackle the fluted top. Once I have finished covering the vase it is time to make lots of passion flowers, leaves, buds and insects to attach to the netting. the flowers themselves will probably not be faithful reproductions of passion flowers but inspired by them. More photos will be posted as the object develops.

And finally when we woke up yesterday morning we discovered that the borlotti beans my Other Half had planted were starting to grow. We had a really good crop last year and ate them both fresh and dried. I am looking forward to many tasty meals in the months to come.