Pics of Places and Things

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Well, he’s definitely not a stamp

Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge. This week’s theme ‘From Every Angle – take photographs of the same stationary subject from three different angles’

Found this little chap on my Clematis just now.  He proved a perfect, uncomplaining model for this challenge!  I’m not sure exactly what type of bug he is, he could be a green shield bug* but doesn’t seem quite so ‘shield’ shaped as others I’ve found in the garden in the past. Perhaps he’s just a rugged individualist!  Anyhoo, I think he’s a cutie pie and could he look any more like a bit of leaf if he tried?

* this has reminded me – my mum used to collect green shield stamps from the grocers when i was a kid.  If you spent a gazillion pounds and collected about 200 hundred bookfuls of them you could exchange them for a toaster or something.  Happy days! 🙂

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Don’t blink…

Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge.  This weeks theme ‘Creepy’.

DSC_0150One for any fellow Dr Who fans!

I’ve been watching Dr Who since it began in 1963 (good grief, am I old or what…).  I’ve seen all the various incarnations of the Dr, liked some, haven’t liked others (most recently loved both David Tennant, and Matt Smith’s versions). Been irritated by pretty much all of his companions (except perhaps Jamie (played by Frazer Hines) who I had a bit of a crush on when I was thirteen, despite him being a bit thick). I’ve been freaked out by many of the baddies, and amused by some of the more rickety others – particularly by the Cybermen when they were updated and had quite groovy bell bottom legs.

Of course, the Daleks , are the most iconic of the Dr’s foes, with their beady eyes,robotic voices, sink plungers and egg whisks (that’s me in the picture having a bit of a moment with one of the ol’ fellers), but honestly, they are cutie pies compared to the ‘Weeping Angels’.

If you’ve not come across them, beware!  When observed they stand still and rigid, much like any beautiful stone angel you might come across, but blink, just once, just for a millisecond, and they will lunge toward you. One touch of their icy finger can send you back in time, while they feast on your energy…. brrr….. sends shivers down my spine just thinking about them.

I guess on paper they don’t sound that terrifying, but trust me, watch them on TV on Saturday evening, and they’ll freeze your blood.

I came across this one at the Dr Who exhibition in Cardiff a couple of years ago. I don’t think I blinked, and I don’t think it touched me, but looking at this photo I’m not so sure.  Perhaps I was hurtled back in time.  Perhaps I’m really from the future. Would I know… Oh crikey, it’s messin’ with me mind!! 😉

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So what does it mean?

Posted in response the Daily Post weekly photo challenge.  This week’s theme ‘Inspiration’

Strangely, I’ve found this a toughie.  When I’m stuck on these challenges, my first thought is ‘well, what does that actually mean’?  Of course, I kinda know, but what is the actual definition?  On these occasions, I don’t go for the usual quick internet dictionary, I go to the study and dig out my big ol’ Oxford English jobbie.  You know, an old fashioned, proper big book of words.  It’s a fat tome, with fine paper pages that rustle when you turn them, a red ribbon page marker, and finger hole marker thingys so that you can find the right initial letter easier. Apparently, it contains over 240,000 words, and I’m guessing that I will never use at least three quarters of them.

Whenever I look up a word, I always, always, find others around it that I’ve never heard of (did you know an Inselberg is an isolated hill rising abruptly from a plain, or Inspissate means to thicken or congeal? Me neither…), so I usually end up distracted from what I was doing (like now).

So back to what inspires me.  Well, the definition in my dictionary is ‘The process or quality of being inspired’ errmmm… yeah….. ok, use it properly….to inspire is to ‘fill with the urge or ability to do or feel something; create a feeling in a person.’

So my dictionary itself inspires me to think about words, enjoy them, and learn.  I’ve taken some pictures of it for you (below). Dull isn’t it. The thing with books is that you have to hold them and hear the pages, feel the heft (Ok, I admit it, I even smell my books) to appreciate them.

So what else inspires me? Well, everything and anything.  The sunshine, my dog, the flowers – hey even looking at my baggy belly inspires me to go to the gym – (don’t worry, I won’t be posting a picture of that!)

The thing that’s been inspiring me recently though is a lovely idea for cheering up chronically sick children, PostPals. All you have to do is send a letter, or email to one of the ‘Pals’ to give them a smile.  How brilliant is that? The children themselves are inspiring in their bravery (especial love to my friend Lewis who suffers from a form of the devastating Batten’s Disease). If you are interested please visit the PostPals website by clicking here.

Inspiring me today:

Inspires me to go for a walk
Inspiring me to get out my camera
ah, weeds…need to do some gardening!
Bees..always working..I should get some housework done..
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Beelove

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Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge.  This weeks theme ‘Close Up

I’m glad to say we have gazillions of bees in our garden at the mo’ and they particularly like my lavender.  There are several different types, and lets face it, at first glance they all look the same, but with the help of a Friends of the Earth identification guide, I’m slowly beginning to recognise the differences. This one is a Common Carder Bumblebee (I think) which you can tell by his bouffant yellow ‘do’ and the yellow stripes that go right down to his bottom.

I’ve always rather fancied keeping a few hives, but really, having plenty of flowers in the garden has bought enough buzzy visitors in to satisfy my bee love.

You can find out about the FOE BEE CAUSE and get your own Bee Saver Kit by clicking here.

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Split personality?

Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge.  This weeks theme ‘half and half’

This huge (18ft) sculpture by Sophie Ryder resides in the lovely Yorkshire Sculpture Park.  The park is full of brilliant pieces, many of which, like this one, make you go ‘hmmmmm…!’ and wonder if the sculptor may have been distracted half way through 😉  Perfect for my half and half pic though, as she (it?) is also split in half down the middle. Sadly I didn’t capture that in these photos, but you can see it clearer on the Sophie Ryder website here.

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A’door’able (yeah, yeah, I know…)

Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge.  This weeks theme ‘Doors’

Ok, this is a bit of a cheat as I’ve posted some of these pictures before.  It was a while ago, so hopefully you will all have forgotten 😉

Anyhoo, I still love ’em, and let’s face it, they couldn’t be any more appropriate for the challenge!!

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On a pebble beach…

DSC_0449These photographs were taken on Holy Island, Northumberland, where one of the pebbly beaches behind the castle is covered in these piles of stones which have been built by visitors over many years. The one below caught my eye and inspired me to write the little verses underneath.

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Man of Stone

I stand amongst these shining rocks
and observe the swelling sea, where,
in that swaying garden,
my lover drifts alone
while coloured fish play
in her flexuous hair
and fallen stars gather
to weep their salty tears

No forces will deter me nor erode my will
I’ll stand here watching, waiting,
until, until…

Until the earth is sodden and
waves consume my soul,
and tumbling I join her
in the grave grey depths below
where together we’ll blend
into that stony bed
and our blissful cries will echo
forever