A Cloud of Amaryllis

Yesterday's Amaryllis seemed like a gathering, a drift, or a cloud.  There is a wealth of creative collective noun names for birds - yet flowers which are plentiful have only a few collective nouns. There are bunches, bouquets, sprays, gardens, beds, patches, drifts,  clumps and nosegays.For something that is so prominent on the planet.  Here's a few of our familiar collective nouns and what they describe: Bevy - of girls, ladies, swans, doves, beauties Caravan - of merchants, pilgrims, travellers Cluster - of grapes, islands, nuts, stars, rings Colony - of people, ants, badgers, beavers, penguins, rabbits, rats, seals, frogs, gulls, vultures Flight - of aircrafts, arrows, bees, birds, insects, locusts, stairs, steps Herd - of cattle, deer, swine, antelope, boar, buffalo, chamois, chinchillas, donkeys, elephants, elk, giraffes, gnus, goats, hippopotami, horses, kangaroos, llamas, moose, oxen, pigs, seals, swans, walruses, whales, yaks, zebras (when pasturing or driven together) And in reverse, we can see some of the collective nouns that describe something. Crows: Murder, congress, horde, muster, cauldron Soldiers - army, brigade, company, division, platoon, squad, unit Trees - forest, grove, orchard, stand, thicket Birds - flock, flight, parcel, pod, votary, brace, dissimulation Buffalo - a herd, group, gang or obstinacy Cats - a chowder, pounce, kindle, letter, intrigue, clutter, comfort, chowder, colony Someone has 'gathered' these collective nouns together for our enjoyment.  It is James Lipton - An Exaltation of Larks - The Ultimate Edition More Than 1,000 Terms. (free delivery worldwide from Britain) The back cover copy is a delight in itself: An "exaltation of larks"? Yes! And a "leap of leopards", a "parliament of owls", an "ostentation of peacocks", a "smack of jellyfish", and a "murder of crows"! For those who have ever wondered if the familiar "pride of lions" and "gaggle of geese" were only the tip of a linguistic iceberg, James Lipton has provided the definitive answer: here are hundreds of equally pithy, and often poetic, terms unearthed by Mr. Lipton in the Books of Venery that were the constant study of anyone who aspired to the title of gentleman in the fifteenth century. When Mr. Lipton's painstaking research revealed that five hundred years ago the terms of venery had already been turned into the Game of Venery, he embarked on an odyssey... Our image today was taken during the polar vortex a few years ago - frost on the conservatory glass in the shape of nature's own patterns - a Christmas tree.

Is Christmas Uncommon?

The website uncommongoods.com has a lot of gift ideas for Christmas.  It is full of interesting things.  What about Yoga Joes, Choose Your Dog Breed Socks, Bubble Wrap Calendar, Interstellar Puzzles, Yard Dice, Super Magnetic Putty, Bards Dispense Profanity Game, Crimson Heart Umbrella,  and Emergency Clown Nose. Here are some of the trending most popular: A City Map Glass Created by Brian Johnson Location Massachusetts Take a mental stroll through familiar streets with this rocks glass, etched with your city's distinct grid. “I hope my glasses serve as conversation pieces and fun ways to bring people together.” By day, Boston-based designer Brian Johnson creates high-performance composite products for the medical and military industries. By night, his passion for creating modern, functional home goods takes over. He enjoys working with simple, sustainable materials in striking ways and applying novel approaches to everyday objects. With eco-friendly manufacturing in mind, he selects recyclable and repurposed materials whenever possible and makes every effort to source materials and services locally through other small businesses in the United States.   Avocado Huggers - Set of 2 This silicone cup embraces half an avocado to keep the cut fruit fresh longer. Michelle Ivankovic and Adrienne McNicholas first met 15 years ago working together on fun and fashionable products for the home. Michelle's talents as an industrial designer and Adrienne's marketing and strategy skills were a great mix. Each project polished their teamwork and built their friendship. "Our mission is to design and create tools that make it easy to get the most enjoyment and nutrition possible from the groceries our customers buy and reduce the amount of food that gets wasted in the home," they say.   Personalized Library Card Pillow Check out these pillows personalized with your family's details in a playful homage to a classic library card. With your family name as title and parents' names as authors, children become the borrowers with their birthdays as check-out dates. Fun home decor accents for librarians, teachers, and book lovers, they'll quietly add color to any couch or bed.  Rebecca Rodriguez's background reflects her love of both academics and artistry. She has a B.A. from Yale University in American Art & Material Culture, and a Master’s Degree in American Material Culture (think Antiques Roadshow). She started a small business creating mindful and playful homewares infused with school-days nostalgia. She firmly believes that everyday life can be made better by creating playful and beautiful spaces in which to live and work. We're looking at the amazing bark of a pine tree at the Denver Botanical Garden.

Poinsettias in Niagara

Today's pictures traverse the landscape of the Poinsettia.  I went to Sunshine Express yesterday, and the sky was perfect with filtered overcast light so that the saturation was at an all-time high.  It seemed almost blinding to be in the greenhouse with the endless sea of reds, whites, and pinks, and even the orange ones.  These leaves show the lines and textures - puckered and billowy with wonderful colours. There appear to be no Poinsettia jokes for Christmas - I guess we take our plants seriously or not at all.  Here's the start of the Christmas humour:   Entering Heaven Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates. "In honor of this holy season," Saint Peter said, "You must each possess something that symbolizes  Christmas to get into heaven." The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. "It represents a candle," he said. "You may pass through the pearly gates," Saint Peter said. The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, "They're bells." Saint Peter said, "You may pass through the pearly gates." The third man started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's glasses. St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, "And just what do those symbolize?" The man replied, "They're Carol's."

Time Flows Downhill

We often think of time passing they way we read a book - we read it from left to right from the beginning to the end. There is a remote New Guinea tribe where time flows uphill.  The article is in the New Scientist here.  For this tribe, if they were facing downhill and talking about the future, the person would gesture backwards.  How interesting compared to us - we have a few standard notions of time's spacial orientation.   “HERE and now”, “Back in the 1950s”, “Going forward”… Western languages are full of spatial metaphors for time, and whether you are, say, British, French or German, you no doubt think of the past as behind you and the future as stretching out ahead. Time is a straight line that runs through your body." A standard memory pattern is to recall the past looking up to the left, and imagine the future looking up to the right.  You can find out if this is your internal process by considering a daily activity - e.g. brushing one's teeth.  First recall brushing your teeth yesterday, and the day before, etc.  Next imagine brushing your teeth tomorrow, the next day, etc.  You will likely 'see' an image of yourself placed in front of you to the right and the left.  Today's image is a weathered piece of wood on a St. Augustine dock, with the title "Time Flows Downhill".  How would we interpret this title compared to our New Guinea tribe?

Shells and Shells

In Florida, shells are everywhere - in the asphalt, the cement.  Of course, they are on the beach.  Here are a few encrusted in brick and cement where we go for a walk.  This is the inland waterway side - one can see it is calmer and has piers for boats.  The ocean side is a torrent of waves and tides, so is clear beach as far as one can see.

Lifehacker Thursday

The Cannas have finished blooming for the year, and the tubers are tucked away till next spring.  The leaves are a significant size.  That  means light in combination with the lines on the leaves make for wonderful abstracts. And I found this with the news today: There's a Top 10 website called Lifehacker.  In April, it celebrated its 10th anniversary and posted its most popular top ten lists of everything.  Take a look HERE.  With the website's success, Thursdays are known as "Lifehack Thursday".

On the Surface of Things

Whenever I go to conservatories and to Florida, I seem to take many pictures of the surface of palm branches, trunks, and other tropical plants.  They are unfamiliar and interesting.  They have so many patterns and designs.  Their textures are often in a horizontal pattern, compared to our northern trees which have more in the way of vertical patterns. Today we look at Palm patterns, with a Eucalyptus at the bottom.

Marvelling the Mushroom Series

Hi everyone,

Here's an extract from the Redbubble portfolio Marvelling the Mushroom.