Cosmos, Sweetgum, Risky Hospital Waiting Rooms, Nutmegs that aren’t Nutmegs
and: a New Exciting Look for PupperJack. But he’s resisting …
I thought these were sweet chestnuts, but the leaves aren’t right. A web search suggests they might be Liquidambar styraciflua or hazel pine, satin-walnut, star-leaved gum, or American sweetgum.
I wonder how it got here (Bristol, UK). Or maybe it isn’t a sweetgum …
Big sign on the wall in the waiting area of my local hospital proclaiming the creation of ‘calming places and healing spaces’ — not much chance of that if you were classified as CEV, i.e., clinically extremely vulnerable, during 2020/21/22/23 and then you’re surrounded by masses of people NOT wearing a mask between them, with no air filtration and no ventilation.
So I take my own these days.
Look at my fab little filtration unit! (above right) Awww — what a cutie!
No one tried to part me from my mask or my clean-air device, so that was something. I’ve heard some horrific tales of that happening to some people who then became ill, some to become even more weakened than before, some to die.
Coming back down the road, I spotted our local hardware store. Well — it’s not just hardware — it’s one of these shops that has absolutely everything in there, tucked away in some odd corner.
And they change their window to make it seasonal, so it’s now all autumnal and lovely!
PupperJack wants to know where they keep the dog treats.
They’re probably in the purple-fronted drawer third from the left, fifth from the top in the set of shelves in the back cubby, Pupper!
Christmas is coming! Twinkly lights are going up already.
These nutmeg shrubs are appearing all over the neighbourhood — I now have one that’s landed in one of my pots outside the front of the house. I’m pleased about that.
Having said that, apparently, Leycesteria formosa, the pheasant berry, is native to the Himalayas and southwestern China and is considered a noxious invasive species in New Zealand, Australia and a few other places.
Oh.
This plant has an impressive array of common names: Himalayan honeysuckle, pheasant-eye, Elishas tears, flowering nutmeg, spiderwort, Cape fuchsia, whistle stick, Himalaya nutmeg, granny’s curls, partridge berry, chocolate berry, shrimp plant/flower and treacle tree/berry.
Contrary to what one might think, given all those names, this plant is unrelated either to the nutmeg tree or to the fuchsia.
Another splash of colour (above right) is Black-eyed Susan, which has intertwined with some interesting foliage.
And it’s gone cold again, so that’ll sort out the hardy from the tender blooms in the days to come. Unless it suddenly warms up again like it did last week.
This doggo (above) loves these cold, crisp mornings.
But PupperJack says he’ll leave home if I make him wear earmuffs.
Mean thing.
Dennett started the Photo-a-Day Challenge to help combat the pandemic blues. Since then many others kindly share their week with us:
Erika Burkhalter, Anne Bonfert, Tracy Aston, Lisa Bolin, Juan O. Aguilera, David Wade Chambers, June Nguyen, Mia Verita, LensAfield, Barbara Radisavljevic, Diana Lotti, Barb Dalton, Kim Zuch, K. Barrett, Penny Grubb, Ellie Jacobson, Shruthi Sundaram, Jillian Amatt — Artistic Voyages, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, Ann James, Louise Peacock, Jane Frost (Jane Grows Garden Rooms)
(If your name should, or should not, be on this list, please let me know.)
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