Celandine Carpet, Cat Caper, Cracking Crocus Chroma! — This Clivia Lily plant in my bay window sits there quietly all year round, not complaining about my neglect — and then rewards me with these amazing buds — which I suddenly spotted yesterday when I thought I should throw some water around in there.

Seasonal paintings by Susan Alison — SPRING ‘Spring is Coming’ by Ann Hawkshaw There is a whisper in the woods, The breath of soft winds passing through, And rustling ‘mid the dry brown leaves, Where last year’s primrose grew; And high upon the leafless boughs Blithe Robin cheerily is singing, And to and fro the anemones Like fairy bells are swinging! The rivulet…

Dogs are amazing. They look after us in many general ways just by being themselves. But they also look after us in many specific ways, too. There is a band of doggos known as ‘medical detection dogs’ whose lives are spent saving ours. A dog’s nose is capable of sniffing…

My jeans' button has come adrift. That’s the top one that holds the zip up and keeps everything together. The photo above had to be taken with it on PupperJack’s head or it would just have been a picture of a button. That would be boring. My jeans do actually…

How to Keep Creating: Part Two — Part One is mainly about creative block arising through over-thinking. Part Two is about creative block arising through over-feeling. So, along with constantly arguing with myself, I can also make myself afraid of trying stuff because it might turn out badly. This one affects me more with writing than with…

It makes doggo look grubby — Many of the rose bushes around the neighbourhood are bursting out with new leaves. They are just as colourful and fascinating as any flower.

The device used to measure your blood pressure (BP) is called a sphygmomanometer. Your BP is the strength with which your blood pushes on the sides of your arteries as it’s pumped around the temple that is your body. A sphygmomanometer usually has a cuff attached which wraps around your…

Japonica, bergenia, ceramic candlestick, hopscotch … — The Japanese quince, Chaenomeles japonica, is one of the first shows of colour in the spring in this neighbourhood. It’s also a favourite flower of mine and of many other artists for its clear and clean design. Lovely. Some of my neighbours also make quince jelly with the resulting fruit.

How to Keep Creating: Part One — All of us have at some time or other found ourselves staring at a blank piece of paper or a blank screen, and thinking — Oh, Dog, I have no ideas; I’ve run out of ideas; all my ideas have gone on holiday! Oh, woe! What am I gonna do? However, a ‘block’ is the same as…