Shop

spooky nights?

dark ghoulish oufit?

not for me

~

 

Now, what do you think I’m going to do with these? Any ideas?

My entry in our One-a-Week Photo Challenge

Please leave your link in the comments here or on Cathy’s post.

These fabric flowers are my latest purchase online from a fairly local Craft Shop called Hobbycraft

And joining in with

Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku Challenge, prompt words: SPOOKY and NIGHT

~

Happy Halloween

Happy Samhain

remembering our ancestors

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Regal

I don’t need Christmas

My heart celebrates Solstice

Turning to the light

~

Using a bit of poetic licence here to meet our One-a-Week Photo Challenge Prompt: Regal

I was trying to make a tealight holder out of used teabags that was not so BROWN.

After painting it with white Gesso it somehow said ‘Christmas’ to me, so I painted the inside with some gold paint, a few dots around the outside and then it said ‘CROWN’.

Also joining in with Ronovan’s weekly Haiku challenge – prompt words HEART and NEED

Found

geocache

late holiday find

left hidden

~

We went hunting for a Geocache on our family holiday in Solva in Wales at the end of July. There are quite a lot registered in that area, but this one was very close to where we were staying. It was fun: first we discovered the general location from the Geocache website, and there was a code to crack to give us a clue about the exact location. But I don’t think we would have found it without the help of my daughter’s Smart phone.

Miss E, Master R and Little Miss M were all very excited to find the plastic pot. We lifted the cache and took it back to the B&B to show the rest of the family

This is what we found inside the cache

The idea is that you can take an item from the cache and replace it with a little gift. It was fun to read what others had written, but we were just a little bit disappointed to discover  a marble and some sweets. Nobody wanted to eat the sweets, Little Miss M wanted to keep the marble.  We threw a couple of sweets in the bin and the children had fun deciding what to leave in their place. This is what we put back in the cache: A sheet of stickers, a butterfly candle, a rubber, and a Love Rock

We put the cache back where we found it and covered it up with stones

 

This is my entry for our One-A-Week Photo Challenge this week, leave a link to what you have FOUND this week in the comments to be included n my monthly Round-Up of entries. And pop across to see what others have found on Nanacathy.

Also joining in with Ronovan’s Haiku Challenge, his prompt words this week are: LATE and HOLIDAY

~

Solva is a very special place for me and I have been there many times: if you would like to see more photos or read more about it put ‘Solva’ in the SEARCH box at the top right of this page and the former blog entires are listed there.

Lane

That moment when you are walking in a muddy lane and just have to stand still and look at the sunlight shining through the leaf stuck on the end of your stick.

Archive photo taken on our family holiday in February 2016. We hire a big house for my children and their families, for a week, every other year. It’s wonderful to see the little cousins all romping around together. This is Twiglet, one of the twins.

Joining Ronovan’s Haiku Challenge: PARTY and ENJOY

party of fifteen

gather biennially

enjoyed by us all

~

Join us in the One-a-Week Photo Challenge by leaving the link to you current or archive ‘LANE’ photo

Favourite

dusty blue

Teddy’s favourite

keeps her warm

~

Miss E very sweetly asked me if I could mend the first dress I had made for Teddy as it is her FAVOURITE. 

Of course I could not resist this Boro-esque challenge.

First I needed to darn the holes and stabilise the edge with a running stitch

Then I carefully washed the dress and took it to Miss E for further instructions.

She asked for a daisy to cover the darn in the front and for me to neaten the edge. I hope she approves of the result as seen in the first photo.

~

“Work is love made visible”

Kahlil Gibran

~

Joining in with Ronovan’s weekly Haiku Challenge, prompt words: COLOUR and WARMTH

and

My entry for our One-a-Week Photo Challenge: FAVOURITE

Please leave a link to your FAVOURITE photo in the comments to be included in the monthly round-up.

Pond

Week 14 of our One-a-Week Photo Challenge: POND

click on any photo to see it larger

Back in the darker January days when frost dusted everything with magic, Miss E and I went walking with our cameras. Miss E was given a camera for Christmas and she was keen to get some frosty shots. We went to Thorncombe Woods and headed for the pond.

chagrin felt at school

healed with home education,

love, joy and freedom

Joining in with Ronovan’s weekly Haiku Challenge, prompt words:

CHAGRIN and JOY

~

Do you recognise the bobble hat? – I made one for each grandchild last year, but trying to get a decent photo of all of them was like herding cats

Cute though!

I’ll be away from the computer for a couple of weeks. Cathy will be holding the Photo fort over at Nanacathy, leave a link on her One-a-Week Photo Challenge posts and I will include them in the April Round-Up. Thank you Cathy and as Cathy says:

“Happy Snapping”

😀

Spiral

shout out for crochet

twisting yarn around the hook

stress-busting at best

~

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.

~

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.

~

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.

~

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

 

Gate

footpath flows along

hard to tear myself away

from this special place

~

This is my entry for our ‘One-a-Week’ Photo Challenge: GATE

and

Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku Challenge: FLOW and TEAR

and

Cee’s Which Way Challenge

~

The 10 minute walk down the valley from the treehouse that I was staying in, leads to the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, which you can see making its way towards Solva, going right past that Iron Age Hill Fort. The gate is to keep the grazing ponies in, this side of the gate.

 

More tales from the Treehouse:

To get to the public footpath from the Treehouse one needs to wiggle down through Elizabeth’s garden. The footpath runs from the National Trust car park near the road, straight down to the sea.

The treehouse can be seen from the path. More agile walkers have obviously chosen a quicker route by sliding down the bank.

Soon one enters the ancient unmanaged little piece of woodland

with the music of the stream beside you turning the walk into a dance

until you get to the ‘bridge’, which is tempting to cross, to follow in the fairies’ footsteps.

Hear the sound of the stream in this post……

Creatures pop out to say hello

and there are artful lichen arrangements on nearly every branch.

After passing the serenity of the old Millpond

you pass through a gate

and catch your first sight of the sea

Each time I walked that path, I stopped here and just noticed the change of atmosphere from an enclosed cosy woodland walk to this …….. the promise of that feeling of opening up, of expansion, that the next few steps will bring …… the moment of transition, I find there is power in that moment.

And then …. ooof!

Breathe deep, what a view.

The GATE in the very first photo lies just to the left, around the curve of the hill.

People used to live in this valley, you can still see the ruins of an old mill, and then further back in time, our ancestors, maybe even my ancestors, lived on the hill fort – what a place to live.

I had the valley more or less to myself for a whole month! what a feeling! I woke each morning with a smile on my face, not quite able to believe I had given myself this wonderful treat.

~

Next week’s Photo Prompt is

HAPPY

~

I’m really looking forward to your ‘GATE’ photos, please leave a link in the comments.

 

Music

~

Photo Challenge Prompt: MUSIC

Ronovan’s Haiku Prompts: BELLS and RING

I know many of you will be getting festive, but I am retreating into my own little world of creative solitude – bliss!!!!!

Haikus don’t seem to be flowing at the moment, maybe I’ll add one later if inspiration strikes.

The photo above is of a textile book I am putting together as a Baby Book, i thought Rock-a-Bye Baby would be good as the centre page.

I’m making pocket to tuck little records in

and photo frames and a pen holder inside the front cover

Sending you all a pocket of peace.

❤

 

 

Mystery

mystery unfolds

as sand is raked in circles

we gather to walk

~

trial run on paper

the reward is perfect

a Chartres labyrinth

Our Photo Challenge prompt this week is MYSTERY

Ronovan’s Haiku Challenge Prompts are REWARD and TRIAL.

Once again I combine the two in a ‘PHAIKU’ Challenge (my own made-up word), Jen, Denis, Cathy, and when she can, Melissa (it was Melissa who started me doing this) also often/sometimes combine these two challenges in a fun challenge each week – it is not as tricky as it seems – come join us! Leave a link in the Comments below.

Or

Join in the Photo Challenge by leaving a link in the comments here or at Nanacathy‘s, for me to include you in the weekly round-up, which usually appears on Sunday.

Also

Joining in with Cee’s ‘Which Way’ Photo Challenge.

Mystery: Have you ever wondered how to draw a labyrinth? Have you ever wondered how Marc Treanor creates his magical sand designs? Have you ever wondered about the mystery of the power of labyrinths?

I learned to draw labyrinths many years ago but the sand designs remained a MYSTERY until 22.Sept this year when I was lucky enough to be able to join Marc on Mwnt Beach in Ceredigion, Wales for a supremely magical evening to celebrate the Autumn Equinox.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Marc Posted this beautiful short video on You Tube and Facebook

I felt extremely blessed to have been able to be one of those long moving shadows making our way around the path to the centre and out again, whilst a flute and ukulele played and children sat around the fire in the middle.

You can see me carrying a magpie feather on the left, in this photo by Dimlo Sighs, which he has kindly given permission for me to include.

Profound, mysterious, magical, unforgettable.

Summer

washed through with bright hope

looking up at Summer skies

drinking in the rays

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Ronovan’s Haiku Challenge, prompt words: HOPE and UP

Our Weekly Photo Challenge: SUMMER

I was wondering which photo to choose to represent Summer and walked out of my front door to be greeted by the first Stargazer Lily to open this year – mmmmm that scent – mmmm those colours – says Summer to me.

What would your SUMMER photo be – to join in, leave a link in the comments.

Click here to see the prompts for the coming weeks

Next week’s Photo Challenge Prompt

STREET

Photo Challenge Round-Up: Strength

tightly held

strong hand from above

gives support

~

Jane at Rainbow Junkie……. …………… …… …….hurray for strong sons

Cathy at Nanacathy…….. ……. ……….. …… …….so much strength in this picture

💜 me at Wild Daffodil……… ……… ……….. ……RSJ

💜 Melissa at The Aran Artisan ……………… ……beauty

💜 Jen at Letthesewingbegin ……………………. …..Welsh spirit

💜 Denis at Haiku Hound…….. ……….. ………..crashing waves

Christina at A Look at the Little Things ……. …standing together

Dorris at Dig With Dorris ………. ………… …….kapow! red!

 

The 💜 denotes a post that is also joining in with Ronovan’s Haiku Challenge – it’s fun to combine the two.

Please let me know if I have missed anyone

Thank you everyone for your extremely STRONG entries this week

Four fab photo fiends created the 52 Week Photo Challenge, we are:

• Cathy from Nanacathydotcom
• Jane from Rainbowjunkiecorner
• Melissa from The Aran Artisan
• Sandra from Wild Daffodil

As far as we know it is the only photo challenge which gives you 52 weeks of subjects set out for you in advance. Click here to see them all.

We’d love you to join in any time you fancy

Why not dive in with the next prompt

WATER

Zest

sing praises

give flowers and champagne

sweet success

~

I had the huge pleasure of celebrating my sister’s graduation last week – she has just got a degree in Homeopathy – her first degree at 60! showing her characteristic zest for life! Well done Sue!

Joining in with our 52 Week Photo Challenge

and

Ronovan’s weekly Haiku Challenge, prompt words SING and FLOWER

sing praises, give flowers and champagne

give flowers and champagne, sweet success

~

If you have a ‘Zest’ photo in your archives just add a link in the comments, we’d love to see it!

Have a week full of ZEST!

~

Next week’s Photo Prompt

STRENGTH

Photo Challenge Round-Up: PLAY

A duvet cover

charity shop buy

makes perfect play mat

~

PLAYful entries this week

Jane at Rainbow Junkie……. …………… ……keep calm

Cathy at Nanacathy…….. ……. ……….. ……bracing

 me at Wild Daffodil……… ……… ………. beading

💜 Denis at Haiku Hound…….. ………shaggy dog story

Christina A Look at the Little Things ……. …..action

Del at CurlsnSkirls……………………….. …..new toys

Dorris at Dig With Dorris………………………….spin

The  denotes a post that is also joining in with Ronovan’s Haiku Challenge – it’s fun to combine the two.

Please let me know if I have missed anyone

Thank you everyone for playing along this week.

Four fab photo fiends enjoyed creating the 52 Week Photo Challenge, we are:

• Cathy from Nanacathydotcom
• Jane from Rainbowjunkiecorner
• Melissa from The Aran Artisan
• Sandra from Wild Daffodil

 

Haiku and Haibun writers might be interested in this Quarterly Magazine Contemporary Haibun Online which I have just been introduced to via Work in Progress, who had one of her Haibun accepted for the July edition. Congratulations Mek!

Next Photo Prompt

is

REPEAT

We are half way through the year!

Time for a little review – how do you like the Challenge? Are there any improvements we can make. What do you like? What could be better?

Please leave suggestions in the comments, especially if you are tempted to join in but there is something you don’t understand or something is putting you off.

Here are all the subjects we’ve covered and all those still to come.

Thank you to Rainbow Jane for designing the list so beautifully.

And as NanaCathy says ‘Happy Snapping’

Heat

cheering in the ninth

from hot and muggy Iowa

created by K

~

Just as I was putting together a post about iHanna’s Post Card Swap and simultaneously wondering what on earth I was going to photograph for our Photo Challenge prompt of HEAT – what should come skidding through my door puffing and panting but this postcard all the way from Iowa! Serendipity!

The ninth to arrive out of a possible 10 – and a very welcome addition to the collection with perfect timing. Here are the other 8:

This card was sent to me by Kirsten in California- I love a good quote. It was one of the first post cards I received in the swap which I wrote about back in May.

This one came from Emma in Rapid City, South Dakota. I have never been to South Dakota but my son went to a rodeo there when he was on his gap year back in 1998

It feels so good to be connecting with other creatives from all over the world and getting these gems through the post.

We are all given 10 addresses and so should receive 10 cards in return, if all goes well, but sometimes I guess life and other commitments get in the way and this year eight 9 little works of art have arrived.

Going clockwise from top left, these cards came from Valerie in California; Kirsten in California; Gertrude, Lake Ontario; ‘Fanciful Flutterbys” by Judith Pennsylvania; Emma in South Dakota; Julie in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Pam from Fargo, North Dakota and the hearts from Tina in Florida.

This one by Gertrude seems to be made in a similar way to my post cards. Such a perky little bird drawn on layers of collage, painting and stamping. I like its interesting background and the simple cheerful design. I also like the way Gertrude has gone all round the card’s cut edge with black pen, I’ll try to remember to do that on my cards for a good finish.

This one from Tina uses layers of stamped and printed designs for the background, creating a similar effect

and comes from sunny Florida where in May, Tina wrote, it was already ‘too hot‘, but she was enjoying seeing the ‘neat birds and gatars in the back lake’. A wonderful glimpse into her world.

Joining in with Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku Challenge, where he is celebrating his birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RON!

prompt words: CHEER and BIRTH

cheering in the ninth from hot and muggy Iowa

from hot and muggy Iowa created by K

I have used ‘created’ as a word connected with ‘BIRTH’.

and

our 52 Week Photo Challenge, created by Cathy, Jane, Melissa and me

Join in any time, next week’s prompt is

PLAY

~

Photo Challenge Round Up: NATIVE

Mint moth on

pear leaf after rain

a welcome sight

~

As far as I can discover the Mint Moth is native to the British Isles. This one was a visitor to my garden this week. So tiny.

Also going Native this week:

Jane at Rainbow Junkie……. …………… ………juicy

Cathy at Nanacathy…….. ……. ……….. …….crafty

 me at Wild Daffodil……… ……… ……….  weedy

💜 Melissa at The Aran Artisan ……………..singing

 Denis at Haiku Hound…….. ……….. …  friendly

Christina A Look at the Little Things …….  goosey

Dorris at Dig with Dorris ………… …… …   admiral

The  denotes a post that is also joining in with Ronovan’s Haiku Challenge – it’s fun to combine the two. Click on the link to see his review of the week’s wonderful haiku collection using the prompt words: FRESH and WIND

Miss E (aged8) asked me what the prompts were this week and wrote this poem

fresh wind

fresh wind

blows in my face

fresh wind

fresh wind

sometimes in disgrace

fresh wind

fresh wind

makes a lovely sound

fresh wind

fresh wind

blows sand around

~

When I asked her to tell me a bit more about the wind being in disgrace she said she that is because the wind does damage and  “You don’t like it when it’s windy Granny”. She’s right, I don’t!

The  denotes a post with a poem or haiku written to go with the photo, but not using  prompt words.

Please let me know if I have missed anyone

Thank you everyone for all the NATIVE entries.

Join in this week the next Photo Prompt is

HEAT

(if only the weather would oblige)

You can join in the Photo Challenge any time, click on the link to find out how to and see all the subjects for the weeks ahead.

~

Frivolous

---

island man dreams of

magic, glimmer and glamour

we all need some of that

~

I have a ‘fairy godmother’, J*, who comes to help me in the house and garden when she can. She spent a sunny day spring-cleaning ‘Pippin’, the caravan, inside and out whilst I struggled with the instructions on erecting the fruit cage.

Pippin is now looking spick and span and happy in her new place in the garden and I’m at last inspired to make some cushions and curtains for her, which I will be sure to share with you at some stage. The Fruit Cage is nearly done, the diagrams on fitting the door with hinges and latch is making my brain ache, but I will feel a great sense of achievement when it is finished. I get such a kick out of demonstrating ‘The Power of One‘ if only to myself.

Easter Island Man stands by my front door to greet all who walk up my garden path. Sometime after J* had gone home I noticed where she had left her cleaning cloth to dry – she thought it suited him – I laughed! A touch of frivolity after a hard day’s work.

Inspired by J* and writing this post, I have given him a Beret.

Joining in with

Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku Challenge, prompt words this week: MAGIC and GLIMMER.

Island man dreams of magic, glimmer and glamour

Magic glimmer and glamour, we all need some of that

~

and

Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge

~

and

 our 52 Week Photo Challenge, which has all the subjects set out for you in advance. Go on, be frivolous and add a link in the comments to your frivolous photo, past or present.

Next Week’s Photo Prompt is

CHECK

~

Reflection

~

beaming through stained glass

sunlight dances on water

’til the moon rises

~

This photo is of the amazing font at Salisbury Cathedral, designed by William Pye

Back in February, I took Miss E on a ‘school trip’, mainly to see the exhibition of Sophie Ryder wire sculptures,

but the day held so much more….

Miss E immediately engaged with the huge beings

in both a thoughtful and playful way

…..talking about how they might have been made and looking for the baby hare

….found it

She was fascinated by the quirky things she found in the sculptures

and started making a collection of photos of ‘unusual things’.

Totally unprompted by me, she responded to many of the sculptures by adopting the same poses and then interacting with them … I could see she was not only seeing the forms, she was feeling them in her body and becoming part of them.

She danced with the dancing hares…

and stood strong under the ‘clasped hands’. This structure was originally over the path but had to be moved as people were bumping into it whilst walking, heads down, texting on their mobile phones!

Inside the cathedral Miss E talked about the scale of the huge sculptures and marvelled at the scale of the cathedral, again wondering about how it had been constructed,

noticing the richness of its history and the patterns and shapes.

Taking time for personal REFLECTION

We had such an enriching day together, and only just made it back in time for Miss E to get to her gymnastics class.

Joining in with our Photo Challenge , prompt word REFLECTION

and

Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku Challenge: Prompt words SUN and MOON

beaming through stained glass, sunlight dances on water

sunlight dances on water, ’til the moon rises

or in 3,5,3

bright sun-beams 

dancing on water

’til moon-rise

~

Which do you like best?

~

Next Week’s Photo Prompt:

WORK

 

Photo Challenge Round Up: Outline

Miss E’s first Lino Cut design.

Outlines of the week:

Jane at Rainbow Junkie

Cathy at Nanacathy

💜 Melissa at The Aran Artisan

💜 me at Wild Daffodil

💜 Roz at Umpteen Things

💜 Cathy at Rambling in the Garden

Jen at Let the sewing begin.

Christina A Look at the Little Things

Dorris at Dig with Dorris

Ali at Thimberlina.

Srivi at The Piscean Me

Dennis at Haiku Hound

 

💜 Tells you there is a haiku in the post entering Ronovan’s Haiku Challenge

I sure I will have missed someone this week. i am on the iPad again and the WiFi conections are slow. PLEASE let me know if I have missed anyone and I will add them.

UPDATE

I missed Becky G – sorry Becky here it is at Becky G

 

Next (THIS) Week: SPRING

 

Tension

🌞

February shadows

behind the tree, tied tightly

to catch the warm sun

🌞

I am running out of time for this post, how apt! Feeling the TENSION.

Ronovan’s haiku prompts his week are TIGHT and WARM

To be perfect, the haiku needs to have several elements included in these 17 (or 11) syllables.

This one has a reference to the season ✅ to nature ✅and I believe there are opposites represented with ‘shadows’ and ‘warm sun’✅.But try as I might I have not been able to get the two sentences to work. 🤔 The first two lines and then the 2nd and 3rd lines should stand alone as complete sentences. The good thing is that there is always next week to have another bash at hitting the haiku jackpot.

This is one of my two fig trees, a Portuguese fig, held by taught, tight, tights against a south facing wall. Last year was the first year I had any edible fruit – 4 figs. Hoping for more this year.

please go to the Photo Challenge Page to find out more about our 52 week challenge, where you will see all 52 prompts listed. Graphics created so beautifully by Rainbow Jane.

Next Week’s Prompt: EXTRA

What would you photograph?