Melantrys’ Page

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… I am sorry.
I am so terribly, utterly sorry.

But it was so tempting.

And so unexpected.

And then really unexpected.

I never meant for it to happen.

It just did.

And I am quite sure we had fun.

Um, we are selling pet brushes…..
I just thought I might mention that.

Ahem.

Dear, confused reader,

when I left work yesterday a cat like this was sitting in the parking lot, staring into the shrubbery.

I made trying-to-attract-a-cat noises, and it turned and looked at me while staying where it was.
So I slowly walked over towards it, fully expecting it to run or saunter off, depending on its temperament.

But it stayed.

It never started purring, and its tail was even twitching a bit, but soon after I had started petting it it began rolling around on the floor.
The sandy, dirty parking lot….

And it rolled, and presented its belly to be rubbed, and let me tickle it under its chin, and rolled and rolled around on the dirty floor.

The trust this animal was showing me, the strange human, was so spell-binding that I just couldn’t stop petting the poor thing.

I am so sorry about the ruined fur, I really am….

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…This is becoming a “season’s greetings” blog.
The next holiday is upon us.

Merry Christmas, everyone, and I hope you’ll enjoy the wintery photos I took around the house and neighbourhood.

*hugs everyone and throws some tinsel*

outdoor Christmas tree

icicles

winter sun

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For a couple of years now people have been warning the population on and off of the common ragweed or Ambrosia artemisiifolia (more informative article here) which - although being a North American plant - has started to spread over here as well.

And why is it spreading? Because winter bird feed manufacturers put it into their feed mixes.
Very clever idea, that, putting the seeds of a plant whose pollen causes strong allergic reactions even in people who have never shown any signs of hay fever and the touching of which occasionally causes some really nasty rashes in people into most feed mixes…

They can’t seriously be thinking that the birdies are eating every single seed and not spreading ‘em around like the little table manner monsters that they are?

Well, anyway, I’ve been reading about it and bookmarking the odd “How to recognize Ambrosia” page as I am, well, not prone to hay fever as such (although I suspect I am suffering from a mild one by now) but have had my share of trouble with a nickel allergy that often affects what I can eat as well.
So a highly allergenic plant seemed something to be worth watching out for.

So.

I noticed those nice plants growing under the plum tree. The - not to put too fine a point on it - winter bird feeding tree.

I got this feeling I should have a look at my Ambrosia bookmarks again.

One pack of seed mix in addition to the sunflower seeds and - presto - ragweed plantation. Thankfully not in bloom…. yet.

I snapped some farewell photos, put on gloves and set to work.

They do look nice, don’t they?

budding flower….

most of the patch

the end of them

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Let’s take a break from the stones for a moment and take a look at the surroundings.
First we have…

… a typical kid.

We were waiting for him to fall into the lake, but got disappointed.
The youth of today - totally unreliable…

Ok, back to nature though.
I usually know deadnettles with white flowers, so this one (and its myriad cousins growing all around the place) delighted me no end.
As I now know it used to be considered as another deadnettle or lamium but now is seen only as being closely related. In German it is merely called a Goldnessel (gold nettle), but I like the common English name better. It’s so….. totally unrelated, lol.

Yellow Archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon)

And here’s Mr I Don’t Have a Macro Lense Yet, But Look at My Massive Zoom Lense taking photos of the same flower - from a bit further away.

paparazzi M.

flower growing close to the nettle¹

Back to the stones now though.

stone 3 as seen from the path to the grave

.

1. … which actually isn’t a nettle at all, but a member of the mint family. [back]

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I sincerely apologize for not taking note of the exact location of the stones being featured in this photo; I’ll make sure to do that next time I go there.
And go there I must with some other friends to show them what we discovered in the woods….

(The tension just keeps on building up, hm?)

the other side…

view of lake behind the stones from stone 3

look back to stone 2

Note the guy pointing a (video?) camera at us in turn.

But let’s stay on solid ground for a moment.
For some reason the grottos that have been carved into the stones are off limits; except for one opening at the lake - which you should only try to reach armed with climbing gear - all entrances have been barred.

I have done some reading on the net, and all sources I have found so far only went on about the relief the church cut into the face of one stone. None mentioned a carving that looks a lot older and which seems to show a person holding some long handled weapon or some such. It is hard to tell because the carving is rather worn.
I promise that next time I will also take a better photo of the carving. For now you will have to make do with this one:

old statue/carving at the left of entrance to grotto

Upwards and onwards! Well, actually downwards towards the lake front.

Carved into a small stone and facing the lake is a grave. (Don’t ask me what they did with its original occupant.)

cave grave

These steps are leading onto the stone to the right of the grave:

stairs onto grave

And then you can stand atop the grave, gaze out across the lake or the tourists frolicking along the paths around you and wonder why you are standing there on top of an old grave in the first place.

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view from stone 1 to front left

Did I mention that I am afraid of heights? No? Well, I am….

bridge to altar on top of stone 2

Looks as if this looney child isn’t though…

altar

And here we have the altar with its Sonnenfenster (lit. sun window). It is said to have been used for sacrifices.
The window seems to be part of a calendar, as on the day of the summer solstice the sun shines directly onto it.

sun window

view of the lake in front of the stones from stone 2

bridge back to stone 1

Did I mention that I am afraid of heights….?

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It isn’t that I actually have a long story to tell, but the gazillion photos I took on our trip on Pentecost could only be reduced to a still staggering number to go into this post.
So prepare for a multi-multi-part photo post that will hopefully enthral you as much as the place we went to enthrals me.

Also, there will be a humourous intro photo, a mysterious discovery in the woods and animals.

Thrills galore!!!!!

My Dutch friend M. visited me on the Pentecost weekend, and on Sunday we drove over to the Externsteine which I already mentioned once in the distant past.

Being from the flat, flat Netherlands, M. was already feeling like he was in a foreign country once we had reached the outskirts of the Teutoburg Forest mountain range.

Then we parked, got out, shivered in the unforecast cold (evil weather people), took a look at the car we had parked beside and wondered: are there really classes in that?!?

A disturbing thought…

Shaking our heads in confusion, we started walking towards the stones.

Here’s one of the early glimpses:

“main” stones as seen from the front

And for a easier reference:

legally climbable stones as seen from the front, numbered

a few stragglers on the left of the stones

bridge from stone 1 to stone 2 as seen from the ground

stairs leading up onto stone 1

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Just throwing a few more photos at you without any real commentary.
Somehow I have way too many photos/posts queued up at the moment.

(And, no, I have not forgotten about that photo you were not allowed to see cos I got another almanach post planned for it either, sis.
I am just afraid the post will probably be a real anticlimax after that long wait; lol, sorry.)

tulip (and weeds)

tulip

scilla siberica

scilla nana

vinca minor

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Just soaking up the sun…

… or busy at work.

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Maybe a tad out of date by now, but here’s some photos of the unfrozen roses from back in early spring…