Writing

Six word Saturday

A walk on the lilac side

Last Sunday, our anniversary, was a day of “have to do” things, but I had a little indulgence planned for Monday.  One of my favourite places locally, I eagerly await the blooming of the heather on the North York Moors.  It’s late this year, and what can become rampant, rolling plum is still a gentle lilac, but no less lovely for that.

A sea of lilac

Climbing back into Castleton village

If I lived in the village I’d have to take the whole of August off, just to sit and gaze, and meander through the heather.

Back to reality and our stomaches were calling, so we wandered into Castleton and I had a glorious chicken and leek pie at the Downe Arms.  The service was wonderfully friendly and the range of food impressive in this old stone village pub.

It’s quite a haul back up the hill to the parking, but you can take it slow.

Join me next week on Six Word Saturday?  Grateful thanks to Cath of Show My Face, my hostess.  The header and the links take you to her page to join in, and read the other entries.  It’s kind of my Saturday gossip!

Capture the Colour

Colour is so much a part of our world.  The challenge to capture it in a memorable way has been set by Travelsupermarket.com, and a formidable array of talented bloggers have already joined in.  Amongst them, Kathryn, of Travel with Kat, who has very kindly nominated me.  Many thanks, Kat.  I’ll do my best.

The challenge requires that you submit a blog post with an image for each of 5 colours- red, white, blue, green and yellow.  Full details are to be found on the Travelsupermarket website. The top prize, £2000 to spend on travel, is definitely worth a little effort.

Blue

The Marquess of Londonderry, encapsulated in a snowdome- Durham “Lumiere” 2011

I’m starting near to home with a photo that cost me a black eye.  So captivated was I by the light installations at Durham City’s “Lumiere 2011” that I forgot to look where I was going and went head over heels over a concrete block- ouch!  I shall exercise more caution when I return to Durham for “Lumiere” 2013, but return I most certainly will.  The illumination of Durham’s historic buildings was simply spectacular.  I loved the blue of the Snowdome, but equally beautiful were “The Waterfall”, and the Lindisfarne Gospels projected onto Durham Cathedral.

White

A sparkling white carriage makes its stately way around Rynek Glowny in Krakow

My first sight of Rynek Główny in Kraków was charged with emotion.  I had the arm of my Aunt Anna tucked into mine.  We had met, for the first time, just days before.  She and Dad were separated when he was only 15, and reunited 64 years later, with grateful thanks to the internet.  The Market Square with its medieval Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) will always be special to me.  The horse and carriages are a little cliched, but perfect for my white photo, from my K is for Krakow post.

Red

One of 400 breadbaskets carried aloft at the Festa dos Tabuleiros, Tomar

My red photo transports me immediately to July 2011.  The Festa dos Tabuleiros takes place just once every 4 years in Tomar, Central Portugal.  The streets dazzle in swathes of multi-hued paper flowers and the 4 feet high breadbaskets are paraded on the heads of 400 or more dainty ladies.  Crisply dressed young escorts slip an arm around each of the waists and help to balance the weight.  It’s a sight I will never forget.

Yellow

Such a mix of ancient and modern, the architecture of Wroclaw

I loved the subtlety of the old gold of this building in Wrocław’s colourful Rynek.  Polish architecture is an intriguing mix, much of it reconstructed following the wholescale devastation of World War 2.  It’s my offering for yellow.

Green

The Queen of Hearts on the village green in Elwick

I’m coming home again for my green choice.  National pride was strong in my local village, Elwick, when they gave their annual Scarecrow Festival a Jubilee theme.  It was so much fun and the sight of the characters from Alice in Wonderland playing croquet on a traditional village green brought many a smile.

Travelsupermarket request that we pass this challenge on to 5 more bloggers, so I’m very happy to nominate:

Marcia of La Chica Writes

Andrew of Have Bag, Will Travel

Richard of A Bit of Culture

Robin of Bringing Europe Home

Zoe of Zoetic Epics

 Good luck everybody!

Sunday Post : Close – up

Are you impressed?  It’s only Sunday morning and here I am doing Jakesprinter’s Sunday Post challenge already!  Don’t you love his logo?  Every time I include it in a post I have to stop and admire.  It’s amazing!

This week’s subject is Close – up and I know you’re all agog to hear what I’m singing this week.  Ready?  It’s the Carpenters, “Close to You”.  I am SO corny sometimes, but today actually is the wedding anniversary, and a beautiful bouquet of flowers arrived for me yesterday. (I was out zumba-ing but the elderly lady next door was thrilled to look after them for me till I got home)

So unusual, the green carnations.

Zinging orange gerbera! Beautiful!

I’ve always loved the flamboyance of lilies.

The sunflower ruled the display!

Even the orange gerbera was subdued, but only just!

And lastly, that most delicate of blooms, the orchid.

Hope you enjoyed the “close-up” of my bouquet.  I know I don’t do close up well, but they’re still beautiful aren’t they?  I didn’t have time to “fiddle” with them.  He’s waking up so I’m off to share the rest of our day with him.

Thanks Jake for your superb Sunday Posts.  As usual, the links and the dragon will give you the guided tour if you want to join in.

Six word Saturday

Zumba fit, or fit to drop?

No photos this week!  Well, you try taking part in a 3 hour Zumbathon and taking photos at the same time.  It was in aid of our hospice so I’m sure the local rag will have it adequately covered.

Seriously, I thoroughly enjoyed taking part.  On a warm summer’s evening, we gathered on the rugby pitch.  It was a real “sisterhood” moment.  As the sun set, however, we were joined in our final moves by the lads from the rugby club, “fresh” from their practise session.  Now that would’ve made a fine photo!

And there’s more to come.  My zumba teacher, Jaki, has secured a float for the Headland carnival this year.  So guess what I’ll be doing this afternoon?  Well, I haven’t taken part in a Carnival since February.  I’m long overdue!

Thanks for reading, folks, and don’t forget to visit Cath’s Show My Face to see what everyone’s been up to this week.  Submit your own and I’ll come visit you!

Sunday Post : Splendid

Would you believe it, he’s got me singing again!  Jakesprinter that is.  His theme for this week’s Sunday Post is Splendid.  So what was I singing?  “Love is a many splendoured thing”, of course.  Quite appropriate as it’s my wedding anniversary this week.

Splendour is a wonderfully old fashioned word.  It suggests to me churches and ornate beauty.  Splendid is maybe a little more casual?

Durham Cathedral and Cloisters

Wawel Cathedral in Krakow

St. Elizabeth’s Chapel, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Wroclaw

Oratorium in Wroclaw University

Ruined Whitby Abbey

Silk panelled walls in Newstead Abbey

The Moors understood the concept of splendid extremely well.

The Lion Courtyard, Alhambra Palace, Granada

A room with a view (Sacromonte, from the Alhambra)

Gardens of the Real Alcazar, Seville

As usual, I had great fun with this.  What will Jake come up with for me to sing along to next week?  You’ll have to come back to find out.  Better still, why not join in the challenge yourself?  Follow the links or click on the flying dragon logo for details.

Don’t forget to check out some of the other great and varied entries:

http://cyclingrandma.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/monet-at-the-ny-botanical-garden/

http://cuoreq.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/sunday-post-splendid/

http://imagesoftheheart.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/sunday-post-splendid/

http://bopaula.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/sunday-post-splendid/

http://drieskewrites.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/sunday-post-splendid/

http://canoecommunications.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/splendid-lines-of-waterfalls/

http://36beauty5.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/sunday-post-splendid/

http://nprimopiano.wordpress.com/2010/01/10/white-stars/

http://africatoalgarve.blogspot.pt/2012/08/splendid.html

http://jobryantnz.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/sunday-post-splendid/

http://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/weekly-photo-challenge-splendid/#comment-1017

http://francineinretirement.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/sunday-post-splendid-2/#comment-6505

http://piecesofstarlight.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/late-sunday-afternoon-post-splendor/#comment-1525

Sunday Post : Road

Why is it that whenever I see Jakesprinter’s new challenge, a song comes into my head?  This week’s topic Road had the same effect, and I’ve found myself singing McCartney’s “The Long and Winding Road” at intervals all week.  Surely a hint, and time to put pen to paper.

The road I had in mind was my long and sometimes deviating road through life.  Slightly crazy in my youth, I guess I haven’t really changed as much as I might think.  Mellowed, shall we say?

I imagined taking you on a photographic oddessy through my life, but I’ve settled instead for an illustration of one of it’s many twists.  This week I am escorting my lovely Polish niece, Basia, around England’s north east.  Lively Newcastle-on-Tyne, and Durham’s inspiring Castle tour both scored hits.  Even the spell on the roof of Durham Cathedral, clutching umbrellas damply, didn’t spoil our enthusiasm.  But it was in historic York that I had to marvel at the ability of some of England’s roads to adapt and survive.

York Minster, the Cathedral

Stonegate is at the heart of the walled city of York, which was founded by the Romans in 71AD.  Six feet below its pavement lies the Via Praetoria, which connected the Roman fortress to the civilian settlement of Eboracum (York) across the River Ouse.  The name Stonegate is thought to derive from the quantity of stone transported along it during the building of York Minster.

In the Middle Ages the road fell under the jurisdiction of the Minster, and was home to goldsmiths, printers and glassmakers, trades related to the Cathedral.  Today Stonegate is a pedestrianised hub of tourism.

A touch of whimsy as the “statue” pedals down Stonegate

So many shops to choose from

Some a little strange

Some, not so strange

Some, more traditional

But the antiquity cannot be denied

Fashioning gold and painting glass must have been thirsty work

Such a stylish emporium!

A little fashion?

With a hint of refinement, even at Sale time

I can’t help liking them all.

This road has certainly withstood the test of time.

I am again indebted to Jakesprinter for hosting his Sunday Post.  Follow the links or the dragon logo to see other interpretations of this weeks challenge.  What does the word road conjure for you?  Why not join in, if not now, then next week?

T is for the Tavira Vase

Now this may not be what you’re expecting, but I’m well aware that I’ve filled pages with the delights of Tavira, in Portugal’s Algarve.  So I thought I’d dedicate my “T” post to something I find quite intriguing- the Tavira Vase.

As I walk around Tavira I’m constantly aware of renovation work going on.  Many of the older buildings have been painstakingly restored, the Galeria Palace being a prime example.

At the reverse of the building, excavation has been in progress for some time.  A long promised museum, dedicated to locally discovered Islamic Art, finally opened in April last year.  On display are fragments of many of the mosaics originally incorporated into local buildings.

The centrepiece of the museum is the Tavira Vase, and I include the link as it explains the function far better than I am able to.  My husband describes it as a water feature, but then, he would!  http://www.discoverislamicart.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;pt;Mus01_C;9;en

The museum is situated behind the Tourist Information Office.  It’s a shame that the information displayed is all in Portuguese, however there is a video with English subtitles to give you a historical overview.  I found it moved at too rapid a pace, and would have liked a little more detail.  It’s a good start, however, and as I wander Tavira’s streets now, I’m more able to visualise how once it might have looked.

If you’re not familiar with Tavira, then please let me introduce you.  I fall in love with it all over again when I read this post.

I’ve been contributing to Julie Dawn Fox’s A-Z Challenge for some time now.  If you’d like to join in, click on the banner below, or view my previous entries on my A-Z pages above.

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.

Six word Saturday

These boots are made for walking!

Saltwick Nab from the cliff top

Looking back at Whitby harbour

As usual, my week included its fair share of walking.  It’s been muggy, stormy and grey much of the week but, undeterred, the boots have come out.

A little closer to the Nab

On around the bay

Whitby is a little tacky, like many a tourist town, but it has an endearing quality, and is everybody’s choice of the place to go for fish and chips.

The catch has gone- straight to “the chippy”!

Harbour trips, just £2.50 a go!

You can take a Vintage Steam Bus tour, or sample some of the quirky shops.

Whitby ducks- one of my earliest memories!

Love a bit of fudge.

All kinds of “glam” at The Shepherd’s Purse

Yes, please!

You can’t leave without buying some Whitby Jet!

A look back at the Abbey, and it’s time to go.

Now you might think the boots would be tired, but my Thursday Nordic walking group think differently.  By complete contrast, we’re off to the Tees Barrage next.

The Barrage dams the River Tees, and there’s often a playful seal in the water, looking for company. This morning, the White Water facility is in use by the lads from the fire brigade, doing their fitness training.  After a pause to admire, we follow the river bank to the Infinity Bridge.  There are foot and cycle tracks on both sides of the river, and damp runners and cyclists pass us by. (just a bit more rain)

Isn’t this bridge just magical?

End on a high- my favourite shot!

Time to hang up my boots for another week.  Come out with me next time?  I’m sure Cate, of Show My Face, will be my generous hostess again on Six Word Saturday.  Follow the links to join in, or view my previous posts on the button.

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.