Pics of Places and Things

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Wine of Life

DSC_0085Taken in response to todays photo 101 challenge – ‘Water’

Ok, I’ve got lots of great photos of water. Still lakes, calm blue seas, or sea with white horse waves skipping on it’s surface. There are waterfalls and swimming pools, ponds and puddles, but none of them really conveyed what I wanted to say.

We’re always being told that, to achieve happiness, we should be grateful for what we have and not worry about what we don’t have.  The one thing that brings this home to me every day is that I am lucky enough to have clear, clean water, on tap, to use as I want, how I want. Not just cold water, but hot water too.  I can shower and wash my hair, have clean clothes everyday, I can drink it neat, or boil it to make tea, I can grow things to eat, and hey, grow things just ‘cos they look pretty too. I have a toilet that flushes all the waste away, out of my sight and mind. I have a pond teeming with beautiful fish, yes, just for my pleasure.

I could go on, but you’re probably thinking ‘yeah, yeah, we know all that, get on with it…’, but we should always, always, remember that this is a luxury, there are thousands, millions probably, of people in this world who still don’t have access to clean water, or if they do, they have to carry it miles in containers to their homes. Do you know that around 500,000 children die every year from disease caused by drinking contaminated water? (see WaterAid for further info)

Whilst I enjoy a glass of wine (or two) I hope I never forget that I am privileged to be able to have a glass of water now and then, straight from the tap.  Cheers!DSC_0085

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War, Religion, and Alcohol

Taken as part of the photography 101 challenge – today’s topic ‘Street’

Not exactly a street, but this is a picture of Canon Square, just off of the main Market Square in Retford, close to where I live.  I am always struck by the juxtaposition of the impressive ‘Sebastopol Canon’ (captured in 1855 at the end of the Crimean War) sitting alongside the beautiful St Swithun’s Church with it’s graveyard spread like a cloth around it, both set midst at least four pubs all within a stone’s throw (The Vine that you can see is just one of those.  I was standing outside another to take the photo).

The photo is a little wishy-washy I fear, as it is very foggy here this morning, and to be honest, I was feeling a bit self-conscious taking photos in town, just for fun, for the very first time!

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Whats the weather like Wednesday

Thanks to everyone who took the trouble to let me know what their part of the sky was doing this time last week.  It seems that pretty much everyone was having better weather than we were here in my neck of the woods (North Nottinghamshire, England.  Robin Hood country!)

Today has been a different story.  It’s been absolutely gloriously sunny and pretty warm considering it’s very nearly November.  I’ve had a great day visiting my daughter in Leeds, about an hours drive from me, and having a wander around lovely Roundhay Park. Hard to believe it’s in a city isn’t it?

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Fab Friday

I was trying to think of a little bit of fabulousness to share with you today, and I remembered these photos that I took at the Trinidad carnival a few years back.  I admit, they aren’t the greatest photos in the world, but the colour and costumes are pretty darn fab.  I wish I could share the joy, noise, and chaos with you too, it was happily infectious and we had a fantastic win’in’ (fuelled by rum ;-)) day! Happy Fabulous Friday to you!

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