Actual Shadows for Once

Because it has been so rainy lately, I had to wait until this

 morning to get some proper shadows for

  Shadow Shot Sunday.

At last! 

So I rushed around trying to get my stunning flowers

into a sunny spot. My advice: make sure to have amazing children.

 

Robert's work table. Kind of messy, but when the light is just right....

And my trusty Moroccan shopping basket for being environmentally pure.

Even though I now have to collect plastic bags too.

(The dog would be embarrassed if I told you what for...)

Hooray! Two more haiku writers for tomorrow:

Dale from The Thread Studio,  Australia

and Shell from New York

The Usual Sort of Walk

Wandering about as usual, looking about me.

22nd Street. 

Not quite sure whether these were pansies or violas.

They were rather small - but exquisite.

Lily of the valley. When I was a child I would save up to buy my mother

Morny's Lily of the Valley talcum powder.

We both thought it very wonderful.

Reya posted the other day about GREEN.

Here in a rather formal little garden on 21st Street.

Here a little bird trying to camouflage himself as a stoop railing.

22nd Street.

I Can See Clearly Now

For some thoughts on the haiku festival see Tracy's thoughtful blog post here.

Lord Ganesha encourages us to dance. 

Broadway and 20th Street.

A long time ago we were told to curb our dogs.

The ghost dog still dances.

22nd Street and 8th Avenue.

Below my study window is a little garden.

One day we saw that someone had thrown the  prop-up sign from the

 clairvoyant and palm reader across the street into the bushes.

I asked R. if I should go and tell them where their sign was.

He thought that should not be necessary. They now have a new sign.

What a jumble of puffed up monsters in Stella McCartney's window!

14th Street in the Meatpacking District.

Weaver, Farmer, Neue

Wet day, of course. 

What to do when a walk in Central Park is out of the question?

Weaver of Grass and her husband, The Farmer

are visiting New York from Yorkshire.

I want to show off New York. Make it be on its best behavior.

Elegant, cosmopolitan, luxe. So we have coffee and hot

 chocolate at Cafe Sabarsky at the Neue Galerie (a nod to Merisi)

where we can see Central Park from the windows.

We look at the Brucke exhibition...

... and the bookshop and gift shop's  delights.

Then take a bus down 5th Avenue alongside the park.

As we walk west along 59th Street, I spot this diner

and think we have everything here. 

Haiku

Some people contend

that haiku are stilted. Yes,

I have to agree

But poets will say

that to contemplate nature

enriches us all....

I am in process of compiling the list of international bloggers - in no particular order - joining in the fun and will work on the list during the day today. Please let me know this evening if your name does not appear or if your link doesn't work for some reason.....It will take me a few hours to gather all the bits and pieces together.........

List

1. BeeDrunken , England
2. Tracy Pinkpurl, from Norway
3. Paz's New York Minute, USA
4. WillowManor,USA
5. Merisi, Austria
6. Rochambeau, USA
7. HighDesertDiva,USA
8. HeyHarriet, Australia
9. Rodrigvitzstyle, USA
10. M.Gosden, USA
11. Artsortments, USA
12. A Thousand ClappingHands, USA
13. FrenchFancy, France
14. WillowsCottage, USA
15. BonBonOiseau, USA
16. Eb Elizabeth Bunsen, USA
17. PoetiKat, Canada
18. Pat, Australia
19. Jennifer, USA
20. Pat, Mille Fiore Favoriti,USA
21. Tessa, England
22. Denizblog, USA
23. Isabel, USA
24. Braja, India
25. ButternutSquash, USA
26. Critters'nsuch, USA
27. Magpie, USA
28. RinklyRimes, Australia

29. Polly, England.

30. The Qi Papers, USA

31.  ArtIt, USA

32. TheLeener, USA

33. Marinela, USA

34. Daughter of the Golden West, USA

35. Dodadidit, UK

36. Crisfieldnews, USA

37. Small Reflections, USA

39. Snips And Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, USA

Wet May

After an absurdly hot late April, it has reverted: rain and more rain.

The woman on the bus in front of me was dressed for the dead of winter.

Puddles reflected newly leafed branches.

Armfuls of lilac at the green market at Union Square and this curiously

 retro stall selling somewhat healthy cookies.

Somehow a hint of patchouli about it.

It rained in the evening too, and the taxis swished over wet pavement.

Real English weather.

I rather enjoyed it.

Today's Flowers/India

Today's flowers is hosted by Luiz Santilli Jr.

Talking with Paz the other day, I realized that I had hundreds

 of photos from India that I had never posted and probably 

never would. Since it has been raining for the past two days

and I have no New York photos, here are some from March.

We went to a wonderful garden in Udaipur where there were fountains

and pools and curiously English-looking herbaceous borders.

Here a cinneraria.

Here petals of bourgenvillia  fall into the water.

Some are swept up with palm tree fronds.

(This last photo should be enlarged to see the details...)

Orange and Green/Shadow Shot Sunday

For other ShadowShotters go here!

For some reason lots of my recent photos have orange and green in.

Here a vast truck on 21st Street.

A hedge by a little cafe on 9th Avenue.

A beech tree's very tender almost pink leaves above pachysandra.

A reminder that Mother's Day is next weekend in the US. 

The Moonstruck Diner on the Corner of 9th Av and 23rd Street.

Below the house of my dreams on 21st Street.

Tribeca Film Festival and Union Square

We went to the best film I've seen in ages yesterday. Here and There

(Tamo I Ovde) is set in Belgrade and New York and is about ordinary people,

has no glossy movie stars, was fairly low-budget, is incredibly funny

and was quietly romantic. The sort of movie that gets raves at

festivals and then vanishes without trace because of the lack of celebrities.

Odd to go to a movie at 12 noon.

Walked home through Union Square feeling buoyed up by the movie.

Feeling even more cheered by the many and various people there with

opinions that they were free to proclaim

and discuss.

Chairs in the Garden/Long Island