I rarely go into my blog’s media library for material. It feels a bit like cheating. However I am housebound today with a burning sore throat, blocked nose and a feeling of being rather, well, blurgh. I suspect it was the flight I took on Saturday. Someone else’s germs have invaded my body. I felt a bit poorly yesterday but well enough to take Mrs. Ha out to The Club for lunch followed by our now regular bowling game. Slowly we are improving and I managed to get 3 or 4 games up around the 125-135 scoreline. My aim is to get over 150 regularly. Mrs. Ha is also improving and wants to top 100 consistently. We have had no lessons. We simply make it up as we go along. Sometimes the pins go rattling over. Sometimes they jeer at us. You missed us!! Can’t you do better than that? The answer to which is mostly, no we can’t.
Mrs Ha also sprang a surprise holiday idea on me yesterday. Some friends are going to Lisbon next year and following it with a 7 day river cruise. Mrs. Ha wants to go too. So it looks like we shall do so but I want to combine it with a detour to Barcelona, a city I have never visited but greatly desire to see. We are no looking at all the cheap flight permutations on good old ITA. This of course means we need to find a dog-sitter and Cost Centre number 2 may be volunteering as she would of course have the use of the cars whilst we are away.
If I feel better tomorrow I shall venture out. The forecast is not too shabby – just a few showers – and I get withdrawal symptoms if I don’t use the camera for more than a few days. My work trip to Singapore was enjoyable but there were not many lichens or bugs in the business centre. I had dinner with a good friend from Karachi on Thursday night, another friend from Seoul on Friday and flew home bright and disgustingly early on Saturday. I enjoy the work but each time I go through an airport I remember why I loathe them so much. In stark contrast I managed to photograph a female Blue Percher dragonfly in the garden this morning, even in my groggy state. As I look out of the window I see a Long-tailed Shrike looking rather bedraggled in the drizzle. If it hangs around the other birds will doubtless give it “what for”. Shrikes don’t seem to be popular with other birds. The “Johnny No Mates” of the garden.
So where are the lichens, you cry. Well, here they are and jolly fine they look too.
Painted tree
Lichen
Graphina lichen?
Parmotrema tinctorum
I hope they entertain you and maybe I shall have the energy for an outing tomorrow. Stay tuned.
All downhill from here 
Don’t know if you ever look at dpreview but they always have these photo “Challenge” contests running and one current one has lichens as the theme. One of these photos might do well.
http://www.dpreview.com/challenges/Challenge.aspx?ID=8559
Thanks Phil. I’ll have a look now.
I’m likin’ the lichens!
What luscious lichens those are in the second picture, unlike any I’ve seen here in Texas. In contrast, what you show in the final photograph looks a lot like something that grows here.
Thanks Steve. My problem is that I struggle to identify them. I have 2 reference books but they are of limited use for photographs alone.
Sorry your flight bugged you. I’m liching the lichens though. It has renewed my interest in the low-lifes. Back to the lake tomorrow – hopefully some of the fall migration visitors will be coming starting to come through – we have some from England right now.
I had to read that twice, Rod. I thought first time through that your visitors were being described as low life. Migration just starting here to but Fall on this side.
Very nice photos of lichens. One photo looks like odd symbols and that is impessive. I do hope that you are feeling better soon. Lemon, honey, and some raw ginger steeped in hot water helps sometimes. I also take Golden Seal (a plant extract). Lots of rest too. 🙂
Thanks Yvonne. I am resting well and dosing up on LemSip and vitamin C. Should be ok in a couple of days.
Awesome pix Andrew, love the colours and patterns.
AV
Sounds like man-flu to me. Lots of honey and lemon with a couple of aspirin usually helps.
Wonderful pictures – would look fabulous translated into tapestries.
Good diagnosis, Jenny. Sounds good to me. Do you think Cath Kidston would like some designs? She seems to be a modern Laura Ashley. Our dog likes her CK basket and I think she would like a camouflage basket.
I was thinking more upmarket – beautiful coats woven from naturally dyed Icelandic wool and sold for vast sums of money somewhere near Sloane Street. See what flights of fantasy can come from a smidgen of lichen?
(That only works depending on your pronunciation). 🙂
Jenny, I’m with you on the pronunciation but I have to admit I vary it to cover all bases. Upmarket is always good. I feel a business plan coming on.
A fine rogue’s gallery of Lichens, Andrew. Plainly speaking, being sick sucks. I think Mrs. Ha has done you a great service with her holiday plans. You, the dutiful husband, make her happy with some travel and in doing so you shall see Barcelona. Two happy folks I am sure.
I’m loving Mrs Ha’s plan for next years hols. What great taste she has 😉
I’m likin’ your lichens a lot too. Beautiful colours, wonderful patterns. You’d go bananas if you saw the lichens up in the Outer Hebrides, they are really splendid.
Sorry to hear that you are feeling crapola 😦 It’s horrible catching bugs off fellow travellers. Irishman picked up something nasty from an Air Asia flight last week.
Most impressed with your bowling prowess. I have to admit that the first thing that sprung to mind was that wonderful Beryl Cook painting ‘Ladies bowling’ – I’m sure you know it well! It always makes me laugh 😀
The first image is lovely! love the colours and the pattern and the out of focus leaves in the background add a lot to the image. Hope you feel better soon Andrew so you can get back outdoors where you clearly belong:)