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.

Six word Saturday

60 years is a long time

Queen Elizabeth 2nd and Prince Philip – Coronation photo from Wikipedia

On 2nd June, 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 2nd took place.  She had already acceded to the throne in February 1952, on the death of her father, King George 6th, but the mourning period precluded any form of celebration.  When it finally took place, it was certainly an occasion to remember, and was the first coronation ever to be televised.  Norman Hartnell designed all the outfits for the Royal Family, and the Queen’s white silk gown was embroidered with the floral emblem of each of the countries of the then Commonwealth.

60 years on,  England is gearing up for a long weekend of celebration.  I guess we wrote the book on pomp and ceremony.  The water pageant scheduled to take place on the Thames should be truly spectacular.  Local hamlets and village halls are bedecked with bunting.  I’d like to wish everybody a joyful weekend, however they choose to celebrate, or even if they decide to ignore the whole thing.  Personally I’ll be in Hart Village for the lighting of the beacon, and fireworks afterwards.  At some point in the weekend I’ll probably have Coronation Chicken, a favourite of mine, but which I only recently realised was devised in honour of Elizabeth’s coronation.  And of course, I’ll be raising a glass (or two).

I’m trying to keep this post brief (sighs of relief all round) but it seems like a good time to share the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award, passed on to me by Francine in Retirement.  What can I tell you about Francine that many of you don’t already know?  She’s a warm hearted lady who gently encourages each of us to fulfill our true potential.

I’ve shared more than enough about me in recent weeks, so intend simply to pass on this award to all the lovely ladies who are kind enough to follow my blog.  How empty would my life be without you!  Please follow the link to Francine’s blog for details, and take up the award as you wish.

It just remains for me to thank Cate of Show My Face for hosting Six word Saturday.  We’d love you to join in – the rules are simple.  I’ll be here again next week.  Take care till then, and have a happy Diamond Jubilee.

Wedding photos

I recently passed on the Kreativ Blogger award to Cath of lizzierosejewellery.  It was her first award and her delighted response was immediate.  One of the lovely things she shared about herself set me reminiscing.  She married at 19, and wore her mum’s wedding dress.  I would love to see a photo of Cath’s special occasion, and thinking of all the wonderful friends I’ve made in the blogging world, I thought that it would be fabulous to see photos of their wedding day too.

Me and Mick at St Luke’s Church, 12th August, 1989

The “little uns” are all grown now, some with families of their own

So I’ve started you off with mine. We had a wonderful day with family and friends.  Sadly some are no longer with us.  Mam lived just long enough to see me happily married and to hold her grandson, James.  She was always camera shy and you won’t see her here.  My Lisa inherited her curly hair.

Me and Mick

Confetti! My stepmum Laura is no longer with us.

Whoops- my “tiara” fell off! Lisa couldn’t help but laugh.

I love the black and whites.  I always enjoy looking back at my wedding photos.  I’m hoping you won’t disappoint me and I’ll get a chance to look at yours too.  Good idea?  Everybody loves a wedding.

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.

Steam’s up in North Yorkshire

What is the magic of the steam train?  I’m not sure, but if North York Moors Railway knew the answer, they’d bottle it.  Noisy, smelly, sooty – not the adjectives you’d normally associate with a top class tourist attraction, but on a sunny spring morning in Grosmont, the air positively thrums with excitement.  Celebrating 60 years this year, the North York Moors Railway is an unqualified success story.

“The Green Knight” arrives at Grosmont

I was enjoying the best of all possible worlds because I was riding the train from Grosmont to Goathland, and walking back, with my Nordic walking friends.  Arriving on the platform around 11am, there was an air of serenity and calm.  The view along the platform spoke of all the delights of England’s green and pleasant land.  Unhurriedly purchasing a ticket, I gazed around.  The pretty blue benches were inviting, but I knew that if I sat down I could be tempted to lose the remainder of the day.

A peaceful start at Grosmont

An empty platform

Delicious coffee smells filled the air, and a couple of my ever hungry walking pals wolfed down bacon and sausage sarnies.  A tempting array of scones and cakes sat on the counter of the café.

One minute the platform was empty, the next there was a bustle of people and cameras everywhere.  “It’s coming!”  Sure enough, a loud toot and a hiss heralded the arrival of “The Green Knight”, majestically rolling towards the platform.  The cream and maroon carriages gleamed.  Hastily snapping away, along with everybody else who wanted to capture a piece of the moment, I scrambled on board just in time.  “Tickets please”, that familiar cry, then we were enveloped in ink blackness as we chugged into the tunnel.  Jokes about “Murder on the Orient Express” were bandied around, till we emerged unscathed into the sunlight.

Where did everybody come from?

Arriving at Goathland

Milk churns in waiting

I felt unbelievably lucky to be witnessing this idyllic scenery on such a beautiful day.  All too soon it was time to alight at Goathland, carriage doors slamming and the guard scurrying about.  Reluctantly I left the gentle monster and was herded up and counted by our walk leader.

Another treat was in store.  With a fair level of fitness between us, it had been decided that we would walk to Mallyan Spout, and then join the popular Rail Trail along the River Esk.  Goathland is “Heartbeat” territory, the scene of a popular TV series, and as such always busy.  Many people simply ride the train and stroll around the village.  There are just enough public houses, shops and cafes to cater for everyone, and the village green is pure England.  Not for us the tempting benches.  I doubt if we’d have found a space anyway.

The pastoral scene on the village green, Goathland

Too-wit, too-whoo!

Always when you’re out walking, you know that if at first you’re heading downwards, there will be a price to pay.  There are many steps down to Mallyan Spout, and the scramble across the rocks to a viewing point can be challenging, but the amount of rain in recent times had guaranteed that the waterfall would be at its best.  So it proved.  Satisfied with our efforts so far, we stopped by the river for our picnic, and to exchange tips with passersby.

Sparkling River Esk

Mallyan Spout waterfall

Perfect for a picnic

Time to move on at a leisurely pace, because, of course, the climb was coming.  Several of the walkers are in their seventies but they’re a lively and determined bunch, and we had soon earned our reward of a level track to pursue our way back to Grosmont.  The Rail Trail is easy walking and can be accomplished by most people.  I love to follow a river, and the occasional glimpse and sound of a passing steam train has necks craning to see.  The grass verges were laced with tiny blue forget-me-nots and great swathes of wild garlic swamped the senses.

Before long we were looking down on Grosmont, and the trail ended by the Old School House, now an attractive restaurant.  A cool drink had certainly been earned and it was lovely to slip the boots off and while away an hour.  The gates of the level crossing heralded the comings and goings of the steam giants, but when we returned to the platform en route for the car park and home, all was again peaceful and quiet.  Just time for a quick peak in the “ladies room”.

A heat haze over Grosmont

A “ladies” with style

Numerous days out can be spent on and around the North York Moors Railway.  At this time of year, it’s just coming into it’s own. For timetable and details of events, see www.nymr.co.uk

Kreativly tagged!

Such a lucky lady I’m feeling today.  I’ve been given the Kreativ Blogger Award by Sam of Two Black Dogs  I’ve often admired this logo in other people’s sidebars.  Now, if I can just remember how to put it there, I’ll be able to admire my own!

I had a thoroughly good time reading the blogs of my fellow nominees and have made some lovely new friends, so thank you Sam, both for the award and for putting me in such good company.  Sam blogs very appealingly about dogs (of course!) and “other things she loves”, so off you go and take a look.

As is traditional, I now have to share 7 things about me, and nominate 7 other Kreativ bloggers.

1. “Can we just go to the NEXT corner?” has been my gambit on family holidays for years.  They’re ahead of me now though, and usually either turn back when it suits them or sit down, pointedly, and wait.

2.  My need to try something new when presented with a menu has led to some serious disappointments.  Starving hungry one evening in Italy I looked aghast at a dish of sea creatures in their shells sitting in a dish of tomato sauce.  Not my kind of thing at all, Michael with his “safe” choice smugly looked on while I dipped bread in the sauce.  Much worse the time I walked him and son James for miles across Lisbon, seeking out a recommended Chinese restaurant.  We passed several and each time they would stop, eye up the menu, and say “this one looks ok”.  Not good enough, it had to be this specific restaurant, so when I ordered crab curry they definitely had the last laugh when I was presented with a bowl full of legs, and couldn’t eat a bite!

3.  I’m a pretty average cook, and fly into a complete panic if I have to entertain.

4.  Still talking culinary, we’ve had a barbecue at the house in Tavira for 8 years and only ever used it once!  I’m clueless and Michael is completely disinterested in donning a pinny.

5.  I must get some things right, I guess, because my lady friends and me have been hosting monthly “girl’s nights” for 40 years, and they still all turn up when it’s my turn to cook (or maybe they’re too inebriated to mind).

6.  I was brought up largely by my maternal grandmother, long since deceased, bless her.  Mam and Dad went their separate ways when I was quite small.

7.  I have two amazingly talented and gifted children.  Lisa has appeared before in my blog pages.  She can sew anything, basques and Victorian costumes included, and I can’t wait to see the creation she comes up with for her wedding gown.  James doesn’t sew, but he’s a mean guitarist!

This goes back such a long way- I don’t have many of the two of them together

Talking about gifted and talented people, I’m now going to turn my attention to a tag that was passed to me by Vicky…the Northern Chicky.  The pretty red tag above is her design, and if you follow the link you will see that she has presented me with some quite difficult questions.  I have to choose one to answer from eleven options, and then pose eleven new questions to my unsuspecting candidates.

Like myself, Vicky has Polish ancestry, but there the similarities end.  She lives in the USA with 5 children, and is contemplating a life changing move- compulsive reading!

Vicky’s questions were:

  • What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
  • What is the most defining moment of your life thus far?
  • Is it more important to love or be loved?
  • What’s the one thing you’d like others to remember about you at the end of your life?
  • What small act of kindness were you once shown that you will never forget?
  • Are you happy with yourself?
  • What is your most prized possession?
  • In your lifetime, what have you done that hurt someone else?
  • Right now, at this moment, what do you want most?
  • What’s something most people don’t know about you?
  • Who would you like to forgive?

Some big issues, huh?  But I’ve done enough soul searching in this post already (and probably bored you witless) so I’m going to make a flippant choice.

What’s something you know you do differently than most people?

My answer is going to be “Six word Saturday”!  My six words are almost always illustrated by a gallery of photographs.  It has been pointed out to me that I should rename my posts “Six photo Saturday”, but Cate of Show my Face gave us carte blanche to adapt our own style.  Travel is my passion and I can loose myself for hours in photos of our amazingly beautiful world.  You know what this is leading up to, don’t you?  I can never resist a few more photos of Portugal.

Casa de Alte

Water feature powered by the Fonte- the young uns love it!

Can anyone identify, please?

“Scarecrow” image, traditional on May Day

Church roof in Alte

Castro Marim

Are you still with me?  Here are my nominees for the Kreativ Blogger award.

http://travelpenandpalate.com/

http://lizzierosejewellery.wordpress.com/

http://catbirdinoman.wordpress.com/

http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/

http://stephaniecalvet.wordpress.com/

http://retireediary.wordpress.com/

http://hobbyfabulous.wordpress.com/

Wonderful photography, interesting ideas, talented people- that’s what you’ll find.

Now for my 11 questions :

1.  Which place would you most like to visit, and why?

2.  In my next incarnation, I would like to be…?

3.  Which person from history would you most like to meet and why?

4.  What has been the most exciting experience you have ever had?

5.  Have you a life lesson that you would like to share?

6.  The best meal I ever had was…?

7.  What changes would you most want to implement if you were a leading politician?

8.  The best holiday I ever had was…?

9.  The quality I most admire in a friend is…?

10.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

11.  Do you have a favourite walk, and if so where?

I’m taking a leaf out of Vicky’s book and tagging the people who comment most regularly on my blog.  If you happen to be reading this and fancy making a post out of any of these questions, you’re very welcome to join in.  Consider yourself “tagged” if you’re on this list.

http://theurgetowander.com/

http://francineinretirement.wordpress.com/

http://justasmidgen.com/

http://algarveblog.net/

http://apetcher.wordpress.com/

http://titabuds.com/

http://thismansjourney.net/

http://hferrati.wordpress.com/

http://thelaughinghousewife.wordpress.com/

http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com/

http://rlavalette.wordpress.com/

Hasn’t this been a marathon?  I daren’t even think about Francine’s “Sisterhood Award”.  I’m off now to notify everybody.  Cheery-bye!

Six word Saturday

“A Day” project- did you participate?

I’m not sure where I first saw details of the A day project but it seemed like a fun idea- people from all over the world recording their day for posterity, on May 15th.  The day dawned cold and wet, but undeterred off I went with my camera.  Take lots of photos, it said on the website www.aday.org. So I did, but then discovered that I was only allowed to upload 10!  You just know I’m going to share a few more, don’t you?

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Did anyone else submit photos?  I’d love to see the results.

Can I also use this space to say how very much I am going to miss the support and participation in the blogging world of my dear friend Sonel of Sonel’s Corner.  She has decided to take a break from blogging but I very much hope that she will be back soon.  Her blog was a real source of inspiration for me.

Thanks are due as usual to Cate of Show My Face for encouraging us to share our week in Six word Saturday.  There’s always room for new members, so why not join in?  Just click on the link or the banner above for more details.  You can read my previous posts on my Six word Saturday page.  See you next week.

 

G is for Guadiana

My next post seems to flow quite naturally from my recent trip across the Guadiana River.  More than 800 kilometres long, if you look at it on a map it’s very clear that the bulk of this river is in Spanish territory.  It rises in Castile-La Mancha and shortly after the Spanish city of Badajoz, turns south, forming the border with Portugal for most of the remainder of its length.

Guadiana’s origin- from Wikipedia Commons

It’s this southern area that I love, and with which I’m familiar.  The Guadiana glides out into the Atlantic Ocean.  At the river mouth a brief ferry ride connects Ayamonte on the Spanish side with Vila Real de Santo Antonio in Portugal.  The difference between the two cultures is tangible, and the time difference simply serves to accentuate this.  Unless you time it carefully you will frequently find that Ayamonte is engaged in a prolonged siesta when you arrive.  The elegantly tiled main square and pretty calles are still worth a stroll, but remember to switch to buenas dias when you order your tapas.

Main square, Ayamonte

A street corner in Ayamonte

Vila Real de Santo Antonio (as opposed to Vila Real in the north) is one of the architecturally more interesting towns in the Algarve.  Demolished by a tidal wave following the 1755 earthquake, it was rebuilt on a grid plan by the Marques de Pombal.  Using the same plan he had pioneered in Lisbon’s Baixa district, the rebuild was completed in just 5 months.  The attractive main square bears his name and is often the scene of lively cultural events.

I love to stroll along the mosaic tiled river bank, picking a favourite yacht from the dozens moored in the extensive marina.  4km to the north, the arcs of the bridge linking Portugal with Spain are clearly visible.  In summer a very pleasant boat trip can be taken up the Guadiana, to the Foz de Odeleite, where a restaurant and refreshing swimming pool await.

River front at Vila Real de Santo Antonio

The swift and often empty IC27 runs north from Vila Real to connect with Alcoutim, the next town along the river.  Alcoutim has a long history as a river port.  It was fortified by the Greeks, Romans and Arabs, and the commanding castle dates from the 14th century.  Not much battling goes on these days and Alcoutim is a delightfully sleepy spot to simply sit and stare.  Across the river, idyllic Sanlucar de Guadiana looks back.  If you can catch the small ferry, a wander through Sanlucar’s immaculate white streets is a lovely distraction.  Restoration is taking place on the castle ruins so that might prove a rewarding trip for the future.  The Romeria takes place the first weekend in May, for a feast of flamenco frocks. Just ask Flat Ruthie.  She’s been!

Alcoutim from the river

Sanlucar de Guadiana from the river bank at Alcoutim

The banks of the Guadiana are wonderful for walkers, and the riverside road back down towards Castro Marim, from Alcoutim to Guerreiros do Rio, is one of the loveliest I have ever driven.  For now though, continue north on the N122, over the border into the Alentejo.  Set high above the Guadiana, at Mertola, are the mighty ruins of yet another Moorish frontier castle.  The region is home to the rare black stork and little other than birdsong disturbs the peace, though copper was once mined locally.  At the top of the winding streets the mother church, Igreja Matriz, looks down.  Behind the altar on the eastern wall the mihrab (prayer niche) testifies to her former life as a mosque.

Mertola hilltop fortress and Igreja Matriz

North of Mertola the river carves through a deep gorge with limited access by road.  For intrepid types the reward is the Pulo do Lobo waterfall and some remarkable rock formations.

Despite a lot of opposition to the project initially, the Alqueva Dam today presents a serene surface.  It’s a developing market for gentle boating holidays.  The 250square metre reservoir was created by damming the Guadiana, causing substantial loss of natural habitat, not to mention the compulsory relocation of the hamlet of Luz.

One of the best vantage points for viewing this vast expanse of water is the tiny hilltop village of Monsaraz.  It has to be one of the most charismatic places I’ve found in Portugal, and believe me, I’ve found a few.  Within its fortress walls there is essentially just one street, Rua Direita, with a village square, two churches and a castle, topped by the Torre das Feiticeiras (witches tower).  Following Moorish occupation, it became a stronghold of the Knights Templar.  Strangely the fort now contains a small bullring, which comes into its own for the annual village celebrations.  The festive fireworks must be visible for miles.

The Guadiana from Monsaraz

Monsaraz, remote and interesting on a grey November day

From here the Guadiana continues north, swinging a right into Spain, through Badajoz and Merida, and is, sadly, lost to me.  This is, after all, my A-Z of Portugal.

If you would like to join Julie Dawn Fox’s My personal A-Z challenge, just follow the link or click on the banner below.  It doesn’t have to be about travel.  If your passion is food or books you can still join in.  We have an A-Z of Art on Alyson Sheldrake’s The Thought Palette and and lately an A-Z of Films by DML Designs.  Be as creative as you like.  Read my posts on my A-Z pages.  Hope you’ll enjoy!