Fiction

deep thinking

even at six years

darkness lurked

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Ronovan has given us DARKNESS and DEEP this week in his weekly Haiku Challenge.

Mixing that with our Photo Prompt – FICTION.

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My childhood was not always a happy place to be. There is a hint of that in my expression in the photo of me at about 6 years old, that little frown. The photo is in its original 1950s frame.

My Grandad and step-grandmother, Dabbity, provided me with a haven of books, cooking, gardening and needlework, I was always supremely happy when I was with them.

I learnt to read early and loved reading fiction as an escape. Perhaps that is why I hardly ever read fiction nowadays – no need to escape.

These are three favourite books of my childhood: Swiss Family Robinson, Monty Woodpig’s Caravan and Miss Richard’s Mouse

The illustrations in Miss Richard’s Mouse are a bit deep and dark and I remember feeling a bit scared of this book

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Please leave your link to your work of FICTION in the comments, we’d love to see them.

Lunch

spying from my seat

beach activities below

wonderful delight

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Our Photo Challenge Week 15 : LUNCH

Ronovan’s Haiku prompts (10th April): WONDER and SPY

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Two weeks in the Caribbean! Lucky me!

I’m playing catch-up. Thank you so much Cathy for keeping the Photos purring along.

I can’t just leave out the two weeks of our One-a-Week Photo Challenge I missed – not after nearly three years of weekly postings, so I will be catching up with a couple of posts today.

A few more scenes from that balcony – not a bad place to sit and have lunch 😉

Looking towards St Kitts

Pelicans bobbing on the water in the early morning light

diving for fish

the boys going snorkelling

fishing

evening

storm brewing

Click on any photo to see it larger.

I was staying at The Hamilton Beach Villas which were beautiful, but not quite what they promise on their website. No Spa. When we questioned this we were told that they “had got a bit over enthusiastic on their website” !

There seemed to be a lot of that going on in the Caribbean. Often when travelling I have found people tell you what they think you want to hear – anyone else had that experience?

Van

spring into action

tidy up for a fresh look

and restore order

Our One-A-Week Photo Challenge prompt this week is VAN

combined with

Ronovan’s Haiku Challenge – prompt words: SPRING and FRESH

The photos were taken when I was making a photographic record, for my farming son-in-law, of the building of his enormous new robotic dairy. The massive project took about 3 years to complete. It was fun to see all the different types of vehicles and extraordinary equipment arriving at the farm. The first van above belonged to a builder, the second to the engineer installing the robots.

Spring cleaning has been a theme for me this week as I have been tidying out drawers. Drawer number one, from this:

to this

I found evidence of moths so every surface inside and out of each drawer in the chest of drawers was vacuumed and washed. Then I sprinkled them with lavender and covered it with recycled packing paper that I ironed flat.I really don’t know if lavender works but it is supposed to. Worth a try as I have masses of it, harvested from the garden in August.

Do you have any tips of how to deter or get rid of moths?

This has fulfilled another element of my 17 for 2017 challenge! hurray!

(clearing and sorting 13 drawers, cupboards or shelves 3 done only 10 to go! ha!)

Cathy and I have created a year of photo prompts for your (and our) delight, pop over to Nanacathy and see her cute little VAN!

Spiral

shout out for crochet

twisting yarn around the hook

stress-busting at best

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The prompts put together this week: SPIRAL and TWIST and SHOUT

Ron’s Haiku prompts of Twist and Shout immediately sent me off to You Tube and had my 12 year old self dancing like no-one was watching! (no-one was!)

 

I was 8 years old in 1960 and remember doing the Twist with my Mum and Dad in the kitchen, they were practicing before going out to a party. My Dad had his own special farmer’s style, his hands looked like he was driving a tractor and he sort of clenched his teeth with his chin sticking out a bit. I have a fond memory of him dancing the twist, just like that in his 70’s with me and my then teenage children one New Year’s Eve. My Dad died in 1998 so it is lovely to share these sweet memories.

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Joining in with Ritu’s Musical March Meme

I hope you enjoyed getting your Twist going with me, no bad way to start the day! A good workout – just right before settling into a bit of crochet

The photo for the challenge is of my first attempt at this pattern for a blanket full of spirals.

I’ve become a little bit obsessed with spirals since Eleonora over at Coastal Crochet set me off on a quest to create a whole group of ammonites to be included in some future Beach Clean Art. Whilst experimenting with her pattern I made all sorts of shapes and sizes, then wondered if I could create my own pattern for a knitted version.

Experiments with knitted spirals:

mixed in with crocheted spirals

This is as far as I have got with my experiments – nearly there I think.

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Update: I have just realised I have written posts about Spirals before – my favourite is the one I mowed in grass in an orchard I once had – you can see it in this post.

Joining in with Ginny’s Yarn Along.

Cathy and I have put a list together for a photo a week during 2017. We are on WEEK 11 .

Click here to see the whole list and if you have snapped any Spirals to share, please leave a link in the comments and I will include it in my monthly round-up.

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Now I’m off for another prance around the living room to Twist and Shout! Join me?

 

Floor

 

polished by footsteps

of children walking in socks 

every day shine

 

Week 10 of our One-a-Week Photo Challenge: FLOOR

Ronovan’s weekly Haiku Challenge prompts: KING and DAY

I went to stay with my son and his family in London recently and this is the floor in the hall of their 1950s house – I just love it.

It was such a beautiful sunny Spring day when I arrived at Waterloo so I wandered along the South Bank, one of my favourite walks, there are always fascinating things going on. The tide was high so no beach-combing on this trip. Walking past the Tate Modern towards Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre I came across a poet with a Magic Carpet of poetry

 

After looking through the titles on the envelopes I chose ‘Butterfly Rhapsody’, which he has in his hand.

He knew all his poems by heart and gave me a rendition of Butterfly Rhapsody – I was entranced – such energy and emotion, so I gave him a donation and have the poem, which I shall put in the textile book I am making for Little Miss M as she loves butterflies. Even though last year she asked her Mum if she could have a butterfly, her Mum asked her if she wanted it as a pet and she said “No, to eat it!”

Well we do put flowers on salads so when you are three ………..

I wish I could tell you the poet’s name but although he signed his work, I can only read his first name – Joseph. I also gave him a Love Rock. Here he is giving another poetic performance.

I wandered on over the Wobbly Bridge and west along the embankment which was bathed in sunshine. It must be a fabulous place to sit in the summer when the lavender bushes are in flower. The walk took me through Victoria Embankment Gardens where mimosa was in full bloom

and this delicately scented viburnum which was growing in a huge pot.

walking in sunshine

golden lights on a spring day

making my heart sing

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The walk from the Wobbly Bridge to my son’s office took just over an hour and a half, giving me another walk to chalk up towards my 17 for 2017. Loved it!

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Cathy and I have created the One-a-Week Photo list. To enter just leave a link in the comments, we’d love to see what FLOORs have fascinated you this week.

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Edit: Kerry’s comment below prompted me to find this 1978 song – the day definitely had this as it’s theme tune:

and now I can link to Ritu’s Musical March Meme

Traffic

Abu Dhabi heat

sweet sweaty heat to warm me

and heal my tired bones

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I had to dig deep to find a picture of TRAFFIC for our One-a-Week Photo Challenge this week. There is some traffic there, really there is.

Click on the link to see a whole year of subjects ready and waiting for you to have fun with. This picture goes well with Ronovan’s prompt words of SWEAT and HEAT for his Haiku Challenge.

I had to go back to January 2014 when I went to Abu Dhabi to spend two weeks in the sunshine. That winter I had had one illness after the other and needed to feel sunshine on my body to feel well again. Luckily my brother-in-law was working in Abu Dhabi and I was able to stay with him. I spent long delicious hours wandering the beach collecting shells.

You can see more about what I got up to on that trip here, here, and here

And my favourite shell picture here.

Cathy and I have enjoyed creating a list of prompts for the whole year. Please leave your links to your TRAFFIC photos in the comments and I will include them in my monthly round-up.

 

Fence

caught my eye

in the fading light

treasure found

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Our ‘One-a-Week’ Photo Challenge Prompt this week is FENCE

Ronovan’s Haiku Prompts are EYE and FADE

The mitten on the post must have been there a while as it was green with algae. Since starting to do beach cleans, I see all litter and dropped items in a new light. They are all potential art materials with a human back story. It did feel slightly weird taking it from it’s post, but I am pretty certain it’s owner is not likely to return for it. It will go with other found clothing I have and see what art work it might inspire.

The top of the fence post is a little world of its own

The photos were taken on a walk from Nine Wells towards Solva (Pembrokeshire) along the coastal path.

 

I was walking from the treehouse as the sun was going down.

There was no wind and I stood to watch the sunset before returning

to the cosiness of my nest in the trees.

What fences have you found this week?  Leave a link in the comments below, we’d love to see them.