Jakesprinter Sunday Post

Sunday Post : Solid

It needs to be quick thinking for Jakesprinter’s challenge this week, because, like the dragon, I’m up and gone tomorrow.  Solid is my subject matter, and as I hightailed it along the road to zumba class, I couldn’t stop the song, singing in my head.  You’ve guessed it!  “Solid as a rock”. (Ashford and Simpson, 1984)

Not even a song I particularly like, but it’s from my era, and it irresistibly draws me back to my Valuable post, completed for Jake’s challenge two weeks ago.  “Solid as a rock” describes how we would all like our partnerships to be.

This is my husband’s definition of an artistic shot?

Taken by him on the beach at Robin Hood’s Bay.

And this is mine. Spot the difference?

Where am I?  Madeira’s north coast, and that’s a pretty solid hunk of rock.

My brain makes strange connections sometimes, and as I marched on down the road, I found myself singing “The churches one foundation is Jesus Christ, Our Lord”.  Quietly, of course.  I’m not given to hymn singing, at full blast, in the street, though there are many worse things to do.

The foundation stone of many of our lives- can anything be more solid?

Igreja de Sao Joao Batista, Tomar

Monastery at Alcobaca

Convento do Christo, Tomar

Carmo Church, Tavira, at one of its many celebrations

Many thanks, as ever, to Jake, for giving us this opportunity to share our lives.  Please do join in the challenge.  Follow the link or click on the flying dragon for full details.  See you next time?

Sunday Post : Silence

My friend Jake has come up with the theme of Silence for this week’s Sunday Post challenge.  Hush!  I’m searching for the sound.

How rare is silence!  At home, with the TV and radio turned off, still there’s that intermittent ping of the fridge, a gurgle from the central heating, or the steady breathing of my laptop.  Walking down the street, my head buzzes with thoughts and words, never mind the rumbling of the traffic.

So where do you find silence?  For me, the gentle Algarve countryside is peace and quiet itself.  Bird song, or maybe the rustle of the eucalyptus, is all of the sound.

Rio Arade, with Silves in the far distance

Even the Algarve villages can be a place of refuge and silence.

Looking out from the village of Salir

A quiet corner in the village

Empty beaches on the Ria Formosa, with sandbars that stretch for miles, have no lapping tide to disturb the stillness.

Ria Formosa at Cacela Velha

Wide, open spaces characterise the west coast, but peace there can often be disturbed by the crash of the waves.

Still, there’s always an empty cove to be found, at the right time of the day.

The beach at Burgau

And as the day ends, sunlight, glinting on the water, carries no sound.

Algar Seco, near Carvoeira

Cliff tops have always held appeal for me.  High above the water, I revel in the silence.

Clifftop near Staithes, North Yorks

Far from the Algarve, the North York moors owe their restorative powers to the stillness of their ridges and valleys.

Ruggedly beautiful, the Moors can be a bit of a scramble

But so worth it!

Roseberry Topping in the far distance

And when the colours roll in…

August’s riotous colours

…there’s no place like it.  Even the bees hum quietly.

So where do you go to find your silence?  It’s something to be treasured.  Something that all of us need.

Jake has given so much pleasure in providing this opportunity to look at and experience our world.  Many thanks to him.  You will always be welcomed to Jakesprinter’s world.  Please, just follow the link.

Sunday Post : Valuable

Jakesprinter’s theme for his Sunday Post this week is “Valuable” and I’ve held off posting what came immediately to mind.  It’s still with me and it’s Tuesday already, so I’m going with it.

Michael on the land train at Barril

There absolutely isn’t anything in life more valuable to me than my husband.  Ok, I can hear the groans, but we’re not soppy (well I might be tempted to be, but he most certainly is not).  Please don’t tell him, or let him see this post.  He’s a reserved kind of guy and would be highly embarassed.  Who can blame him?  The blogging wife must be a constant hazard.

I grumble and moan about his deficiencies, but in truth, most of the deficiencies are mine.  He is my rock, and yet, my playmate too.  We’ve weathered many a storm together, and no doubt will have to fend off more.  I picture myself the great world traveller, and he, the anchor, dragging along reluctantly in the sand.  Still, I cannot imagine my world without him.

Michael in “A Taska”, one of our favourite Tavira restaurants.

When set free to roam, I am as happy as that sand boy.  It is in my nature and I cannot change it.  But I would never underestimate the value of the man who welcomes me home.

Thanks Jake, for giving me the opportunity to say this.  I love your challenges.  They make me think, and also appreciate what I have.

To join in with the challenges, click on Jake’s link, or on the flying dragon logo.  It’s superb, isn’t it?

Sunday Post : Village

Jakesprinter’s theme for this week is Village.  How nearly impossible to choose just one.

The villages closest to my heart are the storm tossed fishing villages of the north east coast of England.  Battling the elements, they shiver beneath crumbling cliffs and cling fast to steep-sided gullies.  Erosion is a daily concern.  Yet visit these same villages on a calm summer’s day, and all is serenity.  Not a hint of turmoil, or the toll that the sea has taken.

I love them with a passion, for their sheer beauty, and for the tenacity that holds them there.  I never feel quite so free as when walking the clifftops, nor so peaceful as when rambling through their maze of streets and the miracle of their survival.

Looking down on Robin Hood’s Bay

Climbing the hill out of the village

And a little up the coast, Runswick Bay.

And Staithes.

And even sad Skinningrove, watched over by it’s wooden fishermen.

Can you see what draws me to them?

Thank you again, Jake, for your amazing graphics, and the wonderful opportunity you provide for us to share our treasures.  To join Jake’s challenge simply click on Jake’s magical dragon logo, or, if you prefer, here.

Sunday Post : Famous movies

Jakesprinter’s theme of Motion Pictures this week had me dipping into the memory banks, not to mention an old photograph album or two.  That’s always a pleasurable experience, so thank you, Jake.  Now, as the song goes, “Let me entertain you”.

As far back as I can remember, there have been Star Wars films.  My daughter loved them with a passion, and I have to admit, I found Han Solo’s brusque style quite compelling.  Nineteen years later when my son came along (yes, it was a bit of a gap) the Star Wars saga was still unfolding, and trips to the cinema became a regular feature.

My daughter married and left home, but was always pleased to be able to entertain her baby brother.  So it was that, one Easter, they were both to be found in our garden, transforming paste eggs into Star Wars characters.  It’s an image that never fails to make me smile.

When James was a little older, a Sorrento based holiday gave us the opportunity to catch the train (another passion!) north to the Caserta Palace.  The reason?  Nothing to do with the fabulous Baroque architecture of this 18th century palace.  Oh no!  James wanted to hide from the Storm Troopers in the spacious palace grounds, and possibly help rescue Queen Amidala.  I confess to looking furtively over my shoulder as I mounted the iconic staircase.

Caserta Palace- from Wikipedia Commons

The Caserta Palace was used for filming in Star Wars Episode 1 : Phantom Menace, and then in Star Wars Episode 2 : Attack of the Clone Wars.  I’m sure we had some photos of the Palace somewhere.  Maybe the Storm Troopers confiscated them?

Thanks Jake!  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the movies with you.  I wonder what next week’s Sunday Post challenge will bring?  To join in, follow the link or click on Jake’s dragon logo.

Sunday post : Water H20

Once again it’s a privilege to take part in Jakesprinter’s weekly challenge.  As I pointed out to Jake, I’m a water sign, so this one’s irresistible.

So, I’m going to take you from the mountains to the sea, and where better to do that than Portugal?

Looking down on the River Guadiana

Rio Arade on it’s way to Silves

Cascades at Pego do Inferno

Rio Gilao at Tavira

Slipping round the coast to Isla Canela in Spain

Ria Formosa, the lagoon at Cacela Velha

Praia de Odeceixe on the west coast

Above Praia de Marinha

The stacks at Marinha

And down on Marinha beach

Barril beach, the water rushing to shore

What could be lovelier, or more essential, than water?  I can’t imagine my life without it.

Many thanks to Jake for the opportunity to share these photos.  I hope you like them, and I’d be delighted to see yours if you decide to join in.  You can view all of the entries and instructions for joining the challenge at Jakesprinter Sunday Post.  Hope to see you there.