Happy Mattress!

Scores of followers have been begging me to tell, did we get the mattress?  Well the answer is YES, and what's more, by happy coincidence, delivered just in time for my birthday tomorrow Happy Birthday Mattress to Me.  (other than this my birthday is forgotten in the panic leading up to Bs final exams (bac).

After a thoroughly enjoyable and very long and broad trial in the basement of HACEA  (hacea.fr)  we were happy with this make, Greensleep (http://www.greensleep.com/fr/sur-green-sleep) and with the information and service of this shop.

Pure natural latex from well managed sources, (latex is oblivious to mites) we were invited to customise one for our particular back pleasure, with different densities of latex in different areas and on different sides, a second layer of latex over the top, all wrapped up in a soft organic cotton cover.

It is quite squidgy, almost gelatinous, and yet...

YES YES YES UPLIFTMENT (in all the right places), yelps of pleasure ring out, I am massaged by a host of mattress angels, such relief, such heavenly perfume of marshmallow, oatmilk, hay in the sun and cream of cotton. 

• no mites
• light for ease of bedmaking
• smells divine
• feels divine
• improves quality of life immeasurably
• will last at least 15 years, so when price is spread over this time...

I would say the best of presents to offer oneself.

Woodland Garden end of April

 

The dry shade challenge continues, here are some (subtle) successes.  March to May is the best time in the forest, so after this lot it's almost over.  My favourite time to be out is early spring before the tree leaves, after long winter deprivation.    I'm fond of these glamorous relatives of the deadnettle (lamium) the pink one has thrived in a concrete-edged raised bed, draping itself over it prettily all year round with silver white leaves and marshmallow flowers, the yellow one has more subtle silver patterns on the leaves.

 Bugle is a woodland plant which makes a purply-green carpet and flowers just as the tree leaves start coming out, it will be hints of dark subtle blue, already just visible in the interior.  I love the way the leaves spread out horizontally on the flower stalk in contrast to the strong vertical flower.

 

Tiarella cordifolia (saxifrage variety)

On high stalks which raise them above the forest floor,  with the light behind them they are ethereal and fluffy, close up, the florets are elaborate and fascinating.

dicentra spectabilis
Not an obvious choice for a forest but bears part-shade so I planted in a relatively sunny patch of the forest just in front of my swing seat, in the centre of three rocks which I think helps keep humidity constant.    It is the French custom to sell plants only when they are in flower.  I bought this last Spring, at the end of its season, half price, and its hearts immediately dropped off and it died back ready to grow again next Spring, I wondered if it would have enough light and whether it would return.  I'm happy to announce it is back in glory.  Known as  'Coeur de Marie' (Mary's Heart) in France, and Bleeding Heart in English, and sometimes likened to a Dutch hat when the sides peel open and raise up on each side. 

Wild geranium just coming out, pink and purple flowers this year, I managed to get some grape hyacinth bulbs growing up through the leaves, and when they die back the geranium leaves will cover the tat (not sure the bulb leaves will get enough light to flower next year though).

Woodruff Galium Odoratum, smells good, and according to my mum this likes limy soil which we have, and was used in the past in mattresses to discourage unwanted wildlife.

Easter Greetings

Cosmic Easter Egg

 I finished the last illustration last night to the story of Ilmatar, maiden of the air, mother of the water, you can see her below smashing up the small eggs for the Cosmic Egg and moulding the earth, (bad quality photos of drawings).   JC and I told the story this morning the Chapelle de St Martin to assembled children,  ...then home for rare lunch all four of us, with egg (kindly broken by R), and then in rare sun, went to see the flowers...and tonight we have been invited to dinner, rareissimo, more social life than usual. 

R, channelling his inner Thracian Warrior from the Tribe of Astii, prepares to hammer the egg

 B does not entirely agree with the proposed treatment, he points out the egg falls into two neat halves when the elegant ribbon is elegantly removed...and looks down upon R's savagery in a way peculiar to older brothers

R has determined to go ahead, please note JC's vicarious pleasure

matching smug smirks...

It was jolly good, our baker is a chocolatier...

Fields of Stars in the Rain

Periwinkles

Google & Co; One Ring to Bind them All

GOOGLE'S CORE MISSION;  READ THE SMALL PRINT

 "Googlers (Google employees) solve complex problems everyday in the name of our core mission:

 to organize the WORLD'S information and make it UNIVERSALLY accessible*

*to our users

Thank you dear Google for allowing me to say this on my Google blog.

And indeed to access the aforementioned blog through your Search Engine

And indeed for owning my blog and everything in it.

Oh Great Google I thank you, you are the ground of my virtual being.  

And thank you for knowing all about me through the information I give you, from my shared photos and personal communications, my blogs,  from Google groups, gmail ... and for sending me creepy compilations of my own pictures from which your machines have gleaned information about where I was and what I was doing anywhere in the world.   I know that this is just a tiny foretaste of your true power, of the world power to come;  the power of influence is yours oh great One World Google.

Yes indeed I am thankful to the individual 'whole self' Googlers who are faithful to the Mission, who bring their individual differences, their freedom, their real concerns for real people to  

 'create and leverage technology for the greater good' 

through 'the power to impact'

Dear Google, I know that I am never out of your sight
thanks be to your Great Machines
Soon will come the time when
We shall all be your Users
In the Name of Your Core Mission
Ah WHAT???


PS could you arrange for this to go viral by any chance?
No?

Troll's Lament

Norty Norty Troll
Snuffled and truffled buttered toast
Heaps of soft brown sugar
and a packet of M&Ms
that R left carelessly on a chair
Troll is not sorry
No not I

Norty Norty Troll
Tomorrow Troll shall be punished
She calls it a Fast
I don't see what's fast about it
Time rolls slowly slowly by
on a day with
no FOOD

Violets; secret sweet delight

 

The wild violets have chosen to cluster prettily around the stone trio in front of my swingseat.  They have chosen to show themselves in their full range of colours,  lightening from deepest plum, to the intense inner-shining of purple to lilac-rose and white.
 

 

 

  I have to lie down and approach them at their level if I want to photograph them, they will have it no other way.  They turn their faces from me, turn their backs to me, strange angular backs and sides that make no sense, but sometimes one will accept to meet the lens face to face.

Funny little things, it makes me cry to see their familiar faces.

One day soon, their scent will come.  I will lie down again to  inhale it, and there are no words for such a sensation.