Writing

Six word Saturday

Help me with my awards dilemma?

On 2nd June, I received the Illuminating Blogger Award from Two Black Doggies.  Isn’t it beautiful? You don’t have to be a dog lover to follow this excellent blog.  There are some wonderful travel features and photographs, which are right up my street.  Many, many thanks for considering me in this category, Sam.

On 8th June, I received the Very Inspiring Blogger Award from Megtravelling.  As the name indicates, Meg enjoys her travels, maybe even as much as I do, and I’ve spent many happy hours looking over her shoulder.  This award is very much appreciated, Meg.  Thank you!

On 10th June, I was pretty in pink with One Lovely Blog Award.  I’m fairly new to Grandmother Musings and very impressed with the humorous but practical approach to life that she brings to her blog.  Many thanks for nominating me, and I look forward to getting to know you better.

Do you have a time thief?  I suspect many of you do.  As a retired lady with “time to spare” I am full of admiration for those bloggers who are parents and work for a living, yet still find time to blog.  It’s a good job I came to blogging late, as I know I’d never have kept up.

I started blogging to enable me to do something that I love to do- write, with a little humour, about my travel experiences.  It has been wonderful, so far.  The warmth and support of the blogging community far exceeded my expectations.  I’ve learnt a lot (and forgotten much of it again) and made so many new friends.  Every day brings new and fascinating posts to read.

Do you see where this is heading, in relation to my six words?  When I received my first award, I was ecstatic!  Somebody out there loved me! Too strong?  “Liked my writing” is probably a better description, but I’m very much someone who needs approval.  Despite thinking I’m a bit of a free spirit, I’m often guilty of trying too hard to be liked.  So it is with trepidation that I say that the awards system gives me a bit of a problem. I understand and applaud the premise behind it.  It is a wonderful way of encouraging new bloggers and extending their network of followers and friends.

The difficulties arise in fulfilling the tasks imposed by the awards, and even more so, for me, in finding people to pass the award on to.  Very many of the bloggers I follow deservedly have every conceivable award in the book.  But it isn’t always easy to see who holds which award, and I’ve spent lots of time searching through blogs trying to find out.  Additionally there are those people who are averse to the awards system, some of whom display “award free blog” logos.  I respect that, and at least you know where you stand, then.  I find it quite embarrassing to pass on an award whilst not knowing if the recipient will be delighted, or not.

So where does this leave me?  Well, I intend to produce an Awards page for my blog, so that it’s obvious to anyone which awards I have collected.  But I don’t want to bore you all senseless with facts about me, when I’d so much rather spend the time on other things.  If anyone is kind enough, in the future, to nominate me for an award, I will receive it with hugs and kisses, and do my utmost to show appreciation.  What I don’t want to do is donate the time to finding candidates to pass it on to.  I would very happily share any of my awards with all of my followers.  Believe me, I am very appreciative of you all.  A nicer bunch of people I have yet to meet.  So if you’re reading my blog and find an award that appeals to you, I’d be delighted for you to take it up.  Please check out the blogs that have given me these amazing awards by following their links.  You won’t be disappointed.

I’m hoping that you’ll humour me with this, and not shun my future posts.  I did say that I need to be loved, didn’t I?  But that time thief is lurking.

Many thanks to Cath of Show My Face for enabling me to have this conversation with you.  I’ll be back next Saturday, when I shall be more succinct, I promise.

P.S Oh dear- already published and I’ve realised I’m remiss!  I was intended to include a link to the originating blog for the Illuminating Blogger Award.  Not good at this, am I?  Here it is:-  http://foodstoriesblog.com/illuminating-blogger-award/

Quotes from the Masters : Grahame

I couldn’t resist the theme of “messing about in boats” that is the basis of this week’s Quotes from the Masters challenge, designed by Robin of Bringing Europe Home.  This is a great idea, using quotes from celebrated authors to inspire.  Looking at Robin’s lead photograph, I think she may well have messed about in some of the same boats as me.

I’m going to take you back more than 20 years with this post, but I still can’t imagine that there is anywhere in the world more glorious than the Turkish coastline for messing about in boats.  It’s an idyll to me, with the bluest of seas and a flotilla of islands for drifting in between.

The holiday I have in mind was a bit of a gamble, in more ways than one.  Although I love water in all its forms, I’m not much of a swimmer, and totally lacking in confidence when out of my depth.  Yet I had in my head the image of a gulet, cruising in and out of beautiful bays.  I somehow convinced myself that I’d be game to go in over the side- such foolishness!

Despite being fairly gregarious by nature, I wasn’t entirely sure that a gulet full of people was quite the medium for me.  The potential for disaster was assuredly there.  Moaners, crashing bores- even worse, what if nobody liked me? (apart from the husband, and he was duty bound)  Still, those lovely images in my head persisted, and any reservations were firmly put away.   The booking was made almost a year ahead, but it was never part of the plan that I would be pregnant when we set sail!

Boats at Bodrum

In so many respects, I needn’t have worried.  I fell in love with the gulet, and as we sailed out of Bodrum, I was awed at the magnificence of my surroundings.  My fellow sailors proved to be a highly likeable bunch, (phew!) with many tales to tell, and none of them seemed particularly averse to me. (double phew!)  The 3 man crew were totally amazing.  They cooked, in the most minute of spaces, or occasionally on a beach, some of the most delicious food I have ever tasted.  They laughed and joked, and entertained us.  They manoeuvred our boat through some of the loveliest waters I have ever seen.

Of course there were hiccups!  It was enormously difficult to have a satisfactory hot shower in the confined space.  I was bitten on the bum by a huge flying insect, causing considerable consternation.  And you know that I never leapt bravely into the sparkling water, but clung like a limpet to the rope that anchored us in the bay. (despite the cumbersome lifejacket I was kitted out in)

A salutary lesson on messing about in boats was taught, unwittingly, by the crew.  Dressed in drag, two of them capered around the deck, and then proceeded to “fall” into the water.  Unfortunately one of them cracked his head on the side, and was rowed to shore, bleeding and concussed.  Imagine our dismay when several hours later and heavily bandaged, he rejoined the boat, pronounced by the hospital “fit for duty”.  I expect he needed the money, but we made sure after that to proceed with care.

Thank you so much, Robin, for the opportunity to share this.  It’s a holiday that remains vivid in my memory.  The photos were taken by my husband on an old Brownie camera, but I make no apologies for that.  Looking forward to seeing what your next challenge brings.

Follow the link to Bringing Europe Home to join in, people.

E is for Eagle, “elokwentny” and Edyta

It’s taken me so long to get around to my next Polish A-Z post, the letter E.  Lots of interesting things got in the way, but here I am- good to go!

Tapestry of the Polish and Lithuanian Coats of Arms circa 1555, from Wikipedia Commons

Isn’t this a beautiful tapestry?  I saw many in the collection in Wawel Castle in Kraków, but not this one.  You may have noticed that I use the Polish Eagle in the logo for my personal A-Z of Poland?  I thought I’d tell you a little about it.

Orzeł Biały – The White Eagle

The White Eagle is the national coat of arms of Poland.  It is a stylised bird with golden beak and talons, and wearing a golden crown, on a red shield.  What species of eagle it is remains the subject of dispute.  The symbol of an eagle appeared for the first time on coins made during the reign of Bolesław 1 (992-1025), and has been adapted many times throughout Poland’s tumbling history.  Down the ages it has appeared on shields, coins, ensigns and seals.

Through numerous partitions of Poland, the eagle has clung on, sometimes accompanied by the Lithuanian symbol, Pahonia.  After World War 2 the communist authorities of the People’s Republic of Poland deemed the crown “reactionary”, and had it removed from the eagle’s head.  Still Poland remained the only Eastern Bloc country with no communist symbols on either its flag or coat of arms.  After the fall of communism in 1989 the crown, of course, returned.

From the seal of Przemysl 2nd, 1295

Coat of arms from Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Polish coat of arms 1919-1927

Coat of arms from the November Uprising

People’s Republic of Poland 1945-1989, without the crown

Current coat of arms, since 1990

There is a rather charming legend associated with the White Eagle.  Long, long ago three brothers, Lech, Czech and Rus, left their overcrowded village in search of a new home.  They rode for many miles, over mountains and rivers and through thick forests, till they reached uninhabited, wild terrain.  At the top of a mountain crest they separated, each taking a different direction.  Lech continued straight ahead, finally reaching a beautiful meadow, with a lake at its centre.

Just then an eagle swooped low and returned to its nest, high on a rocky crag.  As it spread its wings in the setting sun, the tips appeared golden and the bird purest white.  Enchanted, Lech declared that this was where he would make his future home.  He named it Gniezno, after the eagle’s nest.  He and his people built many houses.  They called themselves Polonians, meaning “People of the Field”, and flew a red banner with a white eagle over the rooftops.  Gniezno became the first historical capital of Poland, and Bolesław 1’s coronation took place in the cathedral in 1024.

A modern day view of Gniezno- a nice place to set up home?

Gniezno Cathedral by night (both photos from Wikipedia Commons)

Today the eagle adorns many public buildings, the reverse of Polish coins, and the shirts of the national football team.  Grateful thanks to Wikipedia for the selection of coats of arms and much of the information.

Elokwentny

There are few words in Polish beginning with the letter “e”, but one of my favourites is elokwentny, meaning, of course, eloquent.  It is my heartfelt desire to become eloquent in the Polish language.

Edyta

I think Edyta is a lovely name, and it’s one that I’d never heard of before meeting my Polish neice.  Remember the young lady with the rabbit, from my A is for Aunts post?  This is how she looked on Dad’s recent visit to Poland.

Growing up before my very eyes.

Once again I need to give credit to Julie Dawn Fox, whose idea the personal A-Z challenge is.  Do any of you want to describe your homeland, or a hobby or enthusiasm, by way of the challenge?  The details are all in the link or the banner below.

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.

Picture the World!

Who knows what will land in your inbox next?  I had a lovely surprise this week, courtesy of Lucy Dodsworth of On The Luce.

Lucy has one of the best travel blogs I know, and always keeps her ear to the ground for what’s going on in the travel world.  So it’s no surprise to find that she was the first person to provide a representative photo to display on the Picture the World Project.

The Departure Board website have a great initiative to create a gallery of wonderful photos, one from each country in the world.  It’s a great honour for me to be nominated to provide a photo from my collection to represent Portugal.  I dearly love the country, so hope that I can do it justice.

I’ve been through my photo albums a time or two, and have finally settled on this one.

Porta da Vila, Obidos

Everywhere in Portugal you can observe these beautiful blue and white azulejo tiles, though seldom used to better effect than in the town gate at Obidos.  Most frequently they tell religious stories in churches, Sao Lourenco in the Algarve a stunning example.  Railway stations are common places to find them- Sao Bento at Oporto has some of the best known.  Sometimes they relate to life at sea, or to agricultural scenes from Portuguese life.

Modern homes, too, often have tiled panels displayed, and they are easily obtained from garden centres. (we have two in our patio)  It’s a nice tradition to perpetuate.

Of course, I considered many other photos, and you might like to see some I rejected.

Tile fronted houses in Tavira

This is my personal favourite, but I discarded it because I felt that this style of housing, designed in part to keep the houses cool, though fabulously decorative, is more representative of the Algarve than of Portugal as a whole.

Faro roof tops from the bell tower of the cathedral

I love this one too, with it’s wonderfully shabby walls and the tessoura roof, but again I felt it more typified the Algarve than Portugal as a whole.

Praca do Giraldo, Evora

This one focuses on historic Evora, in Portugal’s Alentejo.  Cobbled streets are seen everywhere in Portugal, and regularly painstakingly renewed.  There’s a beautiful church in the photo.  In this religious country even tiny villages have a lovely place of worship.  The mix of Moorish and modern architecture is also a common sight in Portugal, nowhere more beguiling than in Evora.

The pelourinho (pillory) in Elvas

This one in Elvas was a strong contender.  It has cobbles, washing hanging in the street, and of course the Moorish connection.

Back street fonte in Sintra

Finally, this one, stumbled upon in Sintra, and again typical of the azulejo panelled features you can find everywhere in Portugal.

So what do you think- did I make the right choice?  The Departure Board advised me that they prefered Landscape photographs, so that narrowed it down a bit.

It’s also my task to nominate two people to submit photos of another country.  There are so many to choose from but I’m passing this on to Cathy of A nomad in the land of Nizwa for her wonderful depictions of life in Oman, and to Andrew Petcher of Have Bag, Will Travel as we all know how passionate he is about Greece.

If you have a great shot which you think typifies any of the world’s countries, you too can submit your entry to Picture the World.  Go on- you know you want to!

Six word Saturday

I had a right Royal week

Did you?

It was all a bit of an anti climax when life went back to normal on Wednesday, but wasn’t it great while it lasted?  The water pageant fully lived up to expectations, despite the dreariest of weather.  I was smitten by the sight of Charles and Camilla dining al fresco with the crowds in Piccadilly.  Grace Jones had me mesmerised by her hoola-hooping ability.  Madness on the Palace roof?  It only needed Jubilee scarecrows to make my weekend complete.

Elwick is such a pretty village, and was enhanced by its patriotic finery.

 Though I couldn’t quite fathom why the lion was sleeping on the front lawn?

I was proud of the village for their efforts this year.  There are lots more photos in https://restlessjo.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/jubilation-in-elwick/

I had hoped to visit Castle Eden Village to check out the royal theme going on in their scarecrow festival too, but a combination of atrocious weather and French Open tennis kept me away.  Probably just as well.  You can have too much of a good thing?

Time to ask for a rousing cheer, in good old English fashion, for Cate of Show My Face.  It’s thanks to her I get a chance to sum up my week in six words, whether she’s happy or sad.  Follow the link to see what it’s all about, and join in.  Why not?

The button below will take you to my previous 6WS’s.

Sunrise

Sunrise…

Sunset…

Sunrise…

Sunset…

And all of the precious moments in between.

  

I’m rising to Jakesprinter’s Challenge, Sunrise, this morning.  Just let me fetch another cup of coffee and I’ll be fine.

There now, that’s much better.  I do love that moment when the sun peeps breathtakingly over the horizon, though I’m usually tiptoeing around trying not to wake the other half.

Now we’re awake there’s just time to wander through the other entries for Jake’s challenge this week.  It’s always a source of inspiration.  Many thanks to Jake for hosting this event.  Are you going to join in?

Jubilation in Elwick

I fully intended to go to the lighting of the beacon and firework display in my local village last night, but like many I was transfixed by the spectacle unfolding on TV.  To make amends this morning, I popped up to Elwick village to frolick with a few very tasteful scarecrows.  This is a yearly event, but was made special this year by a Diamond Jubilee theme.

The McOrville Inn on the village green.

No worries, he’s “off duty”.

Bit of a picnic before it rains again?

The prize winner- croquet on the green with the Queen of Hearts and the White Rabbit.

Queen Victoria sits rather sternly on a bench.

I love a Beefeater!

Hope Parky’s not about anywhere?

Cut and thrust at Balmoral?

A step back in time?

King Edward, keeping an eye on his potato patch.

Her Madge inspecting the garden

The Maid of Hearts- tart, anyone?

Gracious and graceful

Bit of a headache?  Too much celebrating, I expect.

We camped out for the Queen!

Sssh, the Pearly Queen’s having a snooze!

Off with her head!  Surely not, on this occasion.

Patriotic lupins standing to attention

Fresh herbs for your picnic, anyone?

Can’t have a royal occasion without a corgi.

One last look from the ostrich.

I’m still glued to the TV, waiting for the final royal wave from the balcony and the fly past.  I have to say that I’ve enjoyed every last minute of it.  Hope you have, too.

Sunday post : door

Sunday, May 27th : this week I’m joining Jakesprinter’s Sunday Post challenge, and the theme is “Door”.

My chosen door is in the Portuguese village of Sao Bras de Alportel, in the Algarve.  It features the traditional Moorish door handles seen frequently in the Algarve and known as “Maos de Fatima” – hands of Fatima.  It is believed they ward off the evil eye.  Fatima was the daughter of the prophet Mohammed.

Pretty enough in its own right, the day this photo was taken the door was decorated with pink and white flower heads, for the occasion of the Festa das Torches at Easter.  The narrow streets of the old town were carpeted with floral patterns, including lavender.  When the procession walked over them they released a wonderful aroma.

My apologies that the photo is slightly “squint”.  I had very little time to capture it before the procession was upon me.

I’m hoping this meets with the requirements of Jakesprinter’s challenge?  You’ll have to excuse me if I haven’t got it quite right.  I hope to be more accomplished next week.  Jake’s logo will give you full details of how to participate.

Six word Saturday

A hodge podge of a week!

In a week where the finals of the tennis in Rome were rained off and had to be played on Monday, my week was out of sinc from the word go.  Two of my passions collided and I left my walking group to their own devices and hovered near the TV.  Happy to say that Rafa won, so it was worthwhile!  It was a grey day anyway.  (I know I’m sad, but a passion is a passion)

Heat then wrapped around our blessed isle and on Wednesday, after t’ai chi, I met a lady friend, thinking we’d have a lovely walk on our Headland beach.  Well, we did, but it was enveloped in thick fog!  Normally it looks like this:

 

But not today.  Sadly I didn’t have my camera- sometimes it seems rude to be snapping away when you are enjoying someone else’s company.  I wished I had though because I would have loved to capture the eeriness of the lonesome sailboats wending their way out of the harbour.

More than that, I could have shown you the great conversion job that’s been done to the chapel, now Mary Rowntree’s Victorian Tearooms.  The project had lots of council opposition and had been ongoing for years.  The result is fabulous. Have a  look at http://www.stanlaundon.com/heruteu.html  It has some wonderful photos of Old Hartlepool and if you look down the left hand sidebar there is just one shot of Mary Rowntree’s.  If you click on it to enlarge you’ll get some idea of the place.

Thursday, as some of you know, I was Nordic walking and riding a steam train in North Yorkshire.  I couldn’t wait to write this post :  https://restlessjo.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/steams-up-in-north-yorkshire/ but here are a few extra shots if you don’t have time to read it.

Grosmont village

“The Green Knight” steams in!

All aboard!

Oops, silly me! You get the picture, anyway.

And finally, the picnic spot

I guess that’s worn everybody out with my week!  As usual I’m saying thank you to Cate of Show My Face for coming up with the idea of Six word Saturday, though I know I abuse it.  She’d love you to join in.  The details are in the link and in the banner at the top of the page.  Thanks for reading, and please, if you have the stamina, come back next week.