Can you believe it... it's nearly the end of August!  Where did that go??

Main thing on the summer agenda was a trip across the pond which was, I absolutely have to say, bloody fantastic.  The weather was amazing, the places were anything ranging from hilarious to breathtakingly spectacular.  We packed SUCH a lot into a couple of weeks and I could do it all again tomorrow.

From watching the kite surfers on South Haven (Michigan) beach, the morning after a spectacular storm rolled in across the lake...

... to standing in the spray of Niagara Falls, trying not to ruin my camera...

... to checking out some Lichtensteinesque culture at the Art Institute in downtown Chicago...

... cowboy riding, target shooting, walking in the Jurassic Park-like Hocking Hills state park in Ohio, checking out the Toronto landscape, stepping back in time in a pioneer village... and more... and more.

I've got literally thousands of photos and, if I can find the time/energy/motivation/internet speed I will post more in the days/weeks/years to come. 

I got a feeling inside of me, it's kinda strange like a stormy sea...

My new rose apparently doesn't care about the shite weather we're having, it's blossomed anyhow and it's looking quite delightful.  It's even nicer than I remembered and a lot nicer than the photo on the website I bought it from (see below) - not even sure that's the same rose.

And while we're on the subject, it's a well-known fact that I've never been a fan of yer common carnation (dead posh, me) until I noticed these babies in the supermarket the other day.  Feckin gorgeous, quite frankly, and inexpensive enough to render them almost more important than food.  They have a delicate vintage look about them and, mixed with some creamy-coloured stocks, make small areas of my house look nearly sophisticated(ish).