In a Kingdom by the sea.

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I awoke at dawn... one perfect morning... and travelled to a Kingdom by the sea.

 

Where bright Kniphofia and Delphinium reign supreme....

and Demeter, in all her glory, waits for me.

We walk...far, far out... onto the sea strand... where silver mer- maids and mer- men splash and frolic... leaving their fading footprints behind... for us to find...and follow...

in rapturous delight...of a perfect day ahead of us.

With distant views of a bold Atlantis....

shimmering like a mirage in the sand....

We walk through ancient civilizations and fading dreams....where gleaming ships were once produced.... on time...

 in forgotten days long past...

Suddenly....a dark opening appears...water cascading softly into the shadowy depths....from which her radiant daughter now ascends..... up crumbling spiral stairs.... to take her hand....

...our family group reunited again.

But neither land nor sea can ever claim us...      completely.

as we flit from realm to golden realm...

Each of us.....neither alive... nor dead....

.....or fuddled in the head....

simply happy to be out walking...

on this glorious July day....

of 24 degrees C....            :o)

....In that shimmering Kingdom by the sea.

 

Bored with potatoes or pasta recently I decided to swap over to rice meals every day for two weeks, usually mixed with a tin of chicken balti or here, above, with a jar of sweet and sour pineapple and mixed mild spices. The reason for the change was that I was reading The Beach by Alex Garland, a cult classic, and as they were eating rice every day in Thailand I thought I would get in character as well....complete immersion....with Daffy and Richard.... in that book... and steaming tropical jungle survival.................by steaming rice...

I do the same with music... every so often... bored with the music I've already heard... I search for true gems that sparkle.... and I often find them...been a fan of these siblings for years now...talent and treasure in abundance.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x35w8jc  

Although 10,000 steps a day are not really my thing... I'd be demented after only a week of it... I read recently that for older folks 21 minutes of walking exercise a day was plenty to keep yourself fit. Even I could do that! Then a couple of weeks went by and I couldn't remember if it was 21 minutes a day or 21 minutes per week or 21 steps a day.... or 21 steps a week. That sounded much more fun and a genuine challenge.... so I'm attempting all three.   or maybe it was just one step every 10,000 years....?

UK Wild Flower Guide. May June July 2024.

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This is a quick visual guide to wild flowers and garden escape or planted varieties I've spotted recently on local walks around my district. As much a guide for myself as for others.

 Coltsfoot. Photographed in spring. April May.

Tansy. Seen June July.

Great or Hairy Willowherb. June July. Several smaller varieties of this with smaller flowers but all pink.

The more familiar Rose Bay Willowherb along with Ragweed (in yellow at front.)

Ragweed (close up detail.)

Spiraea Salicifolia. If it has a common name I can't find it. Bottlebrush maybe?

What it looks like in a group. 

Valerian. It has a faint sweet smell.

Orange and yellow hawkweed. Found in meadows May June July on-wards. Fine in meadows but an increasing menace in garden lawns as it spreads rapidly from garden to garden. 

Mountain Bluet. Seen in parks/grasslands June July. Very similar to cornflower.

Cornflower.

Heath Bedstraw. Also called Baby's Breath. Grows in grasslands in May June July. Tiny, less than knee high but clearly visible due to it's abundance in grassy meadows.

Buddleia or Butterfly Bush. June on-wards. Medium to tall plant. Sometimes head height or more.

Honeysuckle. April May on-wards. Sweet smelling.

Hydrangea. Can be pink to blue colour depending on soil it grows in.

Hypericum (hidcote?) May on-wards. Popular in gardens and in retail park borders. Golfball to fist sized flowers. Several different varieties of Hypericum hence the question mark as to variety.

It's smaller cousin nearby. Potentilla. Looks similar but smaller flowers.

Yellow or garden Loosestrife. May June July on-wards. Purple Loosestrife grows around park ponds or water. This yellow stuff grows in grasslands or anywhere, usually in thick bunches like this.

Meadow Vetchling. Grows in grass and on road verges usually. May on-wards.

Vetch. Tufted? May on-wards. Several different varieties purple to yellow but similar tiny double sided leaf formation that's distinctive.

Purple clover. White variety as well. May on-wards. Low growing.

Musk Mallow. Waist high or taller.

Mugwort. Silver variety in this instance. Tall plant over waist high. June July etc.

Selfheal. Prunella Vulgaris. June July in parks/ grasslands. Small. Ankle high usually.

Viper's Bugloss. Knee high. May June July on-wards.

Thistle. Many different variety of thistle from purple to white. All spiky. Insects love them though.

Yarrow. June July on-wards.

Trifolium. Tiny yellow flowers spreading close to ground level. One flower I had not seen before. June July.

 Hogweed. Not to be confused with giant hogweed which can grow to ten feet tall or more this is waist high only. May June July. Similar to cow parsley and other umbellifers.

Meadow Cranesbill. Grows in grasslands and light woodlands. June on-wards. 

Helenium. Waist high garden and public park plant. July to October. Used in borders.

I've had a lot of fun and pleasure on walks over the decades noticing flowers, birds and insects as well as surrounding scenery so this post is hopefully giving outdoor walkers some extra enjoyment by knowing what the various flowers are at this time of year in the UK. I have a UK wild flower book in the house but weirdly many of these flowers featured here are not in it so that's why I thought it might be useful as an extra visual guide. If I find any more flowers not on this list I may do another post in Autumn.