I hope all’s well…
I’ve been taking a few days break from The Q but as always I’ve kept myself busy, especially on the photography/video front. I’m in the process of making a short wildlife video featuring some of the wildlife found in my local area and springtime is always a good time to start.
As you’ll know and as I’ve mentioned before, if you’ve ever watched the making of the wonderful professional wildlife programmes, there are many specialist “things” that need to fall into line in order to get great footage. Unfortunately I don’t have some of those “things”. I’m resolved to just trying my best in the time I have and with the equipment I have – it’s very much a labour of love.
Time flies by, particularly when I go out seeking a specific species, such as Adders. I’ve been leaving the house (without my dogs!) each morning this week hoping to find one basking. It’s been a challenge and made all the more frustrating when my daughter keeps showing me yet another Facebook photo of a beautiful Adder lying across a local pathway – C’est la vie! I caught this beautiful Ring Neck Parakeet this week, they are a common sight now in the South and you hear their squawking well before you see them.
I’m back into work on Monday the 10th May and we’ll be offering a choice of wonderful fragranced candles from Homeworx by Harry Slatkin as our Today’s Special Value (TSV). I had the pleasure of working with scent expert Harry last week. His candles are such a rich, stunning balance of notes and he specialises in making the candles an ornamental feature for your home as well as a clean burning candle. Some of the world’s biggest celebs buy Harry’s candles and he works with some of the finest “noses” in the business!
We’ll be offering a choice of large four-wick ceramic speciality candles, Apple or Pear, filled with Homeworx’s Heirloom Orchard fragrance, which is a returning favourite. These ornamental four-wick candles will create an impressive centrepiece in your home, looking fabulous both when lit or unlit with their lids on. They’re designed to give a wide fragrance throw that will fill your home with fruity spring fragrance and each option gives up to 35 hours burn time.
Crafted in a clean white embossed glazed ceramic vessel they’ll complement any decor and look fantastic on a fireplace, dining table etc. for that statement look. Intricate detail on the vessel showcases a spring design for that real wow factor. Once you burn your candle you could even re-use the beautiful vessel around your home as a statement trinket box or to store things in like cotton pads, pou pouri and keys. If you love the uplifting fragrance notes of apple, barlett pear, oakwood and fig then this could be a TSV for you or a loved one?
I couldn’t sign off without a mention about the retirement after 20 years presenting on QVC of my lovely colleague Kathy Tayler. I know there have been messages, podcasts and blogs but I just wanted to add my own personal message, simply to say that it has been a pleasure and a privilege working with Kathy over the years. She’s such a kind, wonderful, warm lady and I know she’ll make every second of her well earned retirement work for both herself and her lovely family. Here’s a photo I found of Kathy and I at a QVC Breast Cancer Care Carol concert back in in 2007.
Kathy and I have vowed to stay in touch as we don’t live too far apart – that said I doubt she’ll have much time for a catch up, having had a long chat with her regarding her retirement plans!!
Until next time… stay observant, fruity fragranced and well!
Dale x
6 Responses
Hi Dale
Really looking forward to your wildlife video. Remember the professional photographer David Bailey always said he took the best photos with his old box brownie so if it’s good enough for him etc.!
Lovely photo of the Paraqueet. I didn’t know they were wild here. Looking forward to your next Foodfest show and getting inspiration for eating in the garden with friends when the weather warms up again.
Romola XX
Hi Romola, Yes they’re quite a common sight in the South nowadays there are many rumours surrounding where they came from but one theory is that they escaped from Shepperton Studios during the filming of “The Africa Queen” – it’s possible as I remember them in the 70’s in big flocks eating all my Nan’s apples in her garden and she lived about 200 yards from the studios ? Dale x
Hello Dale, lovely blog. Wanted to tell you about an unusual bird sighting in our garden yesterday. A tiny bird with a reddish tuft on its head. Later another arrived with a yellow tuft on the head. We had to get the bird book out to identify them. They were Firecrest. Our book said that they were scarce. The male returned briefly this morning followed by the female. They have been perching on a Clematis just outside the kitchen window. I have managed to take a photo of the female, not a very good one but I’ll keep trying.
Best wishes Pat
Wow ! I’d love to photograph a Firecrest Pat, as you say, they’re scarce and tiny – I believe they are in the pine woods behind me but they are so high up and almost impossible to spot and as you know quite tiny (I think the UK’s smallest?) very similar to the Goldcrest too – what a treat for you ! Dale x
I had no idea you got parakeets in UK wonderful photo thanks for sharing your lovely photography skills 😊
Thank you Carolyn, Yes see my reply to Romola above – there are a few stories of where they came from but they have been in the South East for at least 50 years – absolutely beautiful but they are so noisy and becoming a bit of a concern as they have driven off some of the indigenous species in some areas. Dale x