Hartlepool

Six word Saturday

Sparkling sea, clouds, boats and adventure?

The seafront at Hartlepool

A bright, clear day like this one always propels me to the sea shore.  On the horizon the chimneys of industry and the Power Station pump smoke into the atmosphere.  But on a day like this the sparkling water captures the eye and just won’t let go.

The sea is kept at bay by a defensive wall of rocks

It’s not the prettiest seafront.  The concrete defences are a sad necessity these days.  The local tip is just across the road, behind a low fence.  Sea coal often coats the beach- gritty reality.  Still the sun and the waves have the power to transport me beyond the merely physical.

Heading back to the harbour, the distant Headland peaks over the sea wall

The lock gates open to embrace the sea

Boat repairs and the sales office live side by side with the Coastguard

And then you’re into the marina proper

And every variety of boat is there

Mostly they’re white

If you’re lucky, the water goes on sparkling

And the adventure?  How could the high seas not offer adventure?  But my adventure is of a different nature this week and it’s time I paid tribute to Life is a Journey.  Reena has honoured me with the Adventurous Blogger Award.  I am constantly amazed at how far and wide my readers range these days.  Reena hails from the Philippines and is a relative newcomer to blogging.  If her photos of Rome by night are any indication of her talents, we have some treats in store.

In accepting the award I need to answer a few simple questions:

1. Where would you like your next adventure to be?

I’ve mostly only adventured in Europe and I have a serious hankering after the Far East.  All those temples and pagodas hold me in totally in thrall.  One day…one day.  Anyone out there want to offer me an assignment? (I know- get in line!)

2. Where would you recommend for an adventurous time?

Strange though it might sound, the island of Madeira.  There are many more exotic locations, but the landscape of Madeira is spectacular and very accessible.  You can go canyonning and levada walking in quite challenging terrain, and be surrounded by natural beauty.

3. What do you regard as the most interesting culture?

There are many oriental cultures I would love to experience.  Japan I would really love to visit, and newly opened Burma looks incredible.

4. What is your favourite holiday activity?

Exploring, exploring and more exploring.  I hate to miss anything. (nosey, my husband says)

5. What is the most dangerous activity you’ve undertaken?

The donkey ride from the harbour up to the cliff tops in Santorini.  I’m a bit of a scaredy cat and looking down a donkey’s nose into the caldera way below was more than enough excitement for me.  I much preferred the cable car ride back down.

6. What is your favourite quotation?

Not strictly a quote, but my mother always used to say “never let the sun set on your anger” and I agree one hundred percent.

7. Happiness is?

For me, simply a sunny day.

There, I’m all done.  Six Word Saturday, huh?  I do go on a bit!

I’m not going to nominate specific people to receive this award.  You adventurous types all know who you are and are very welcome to take up the award and run with it.  A previous 6WS page explains it better.  Please do go and visit Reena and make her as welcome to the blogging world as you’ve made me.

Just remains to say thanks to Cate at Show My Face.  See you all later today as I check out what you’ve done with your week?  The button below links to my previous Six Word Saturdays.

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?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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.

 

Six word Saturday

Flat Ruthie lights up my week

I always loved playing with cardboard cutout dolls when my daughter was small, so I was enthralled when I came upon the website Cardboard Me Travels, while indulging in a little armchair travel myself.

Flat Ruthie meets Snoopy and Old Bear

I hastened to http://cardboardmetravels.com/about/ to find out more, and in no time at all a pink envelope was slipping onto my doormat, all the way from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  My introduction to Flat Ruthie was complete.

This young lady doesn’t like to stay in one place too long, her restless nature being on a par with mine, so it was off to Hartlepool marina on the first sunny day available.  Just look at that blue sky!

Flat Ruthie boarding PSS Wingfield Castle in Hartlepool marina

And "hanging out" with boats

I had great fun with “the shoot” and it made a lovely post. https://restlessjo.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/flat-ruthie-captures-hearts-in-hartlepool/ I couldn’t help but notice there were Six Words in the title.  Hmmm!

It didn’t end there.  Through the week Ruthie accompanied me to t’ai chi, Nordic walking (no suitable miniature poles for her, alas) and even zumba, making fans along the way.  She was even responsible for introducing me to Flat Stanley.

Flat Stanley, from Wikipedia

She also tweaked my memory and caused me to seek out another awesome blog http://themiddlestsister.com/ that takes me back to happy days playing with Fuzzy Felts.  The child in me is reluctant to take a back seat, and I am a lifelong Snoopy fan.  What better way to end this post.  Huge thanks to Flat Ruthie for brightening up my week. (And to “Big Ruth” of course- I’m sure she’s really not!- without whom none of this would be possible)

"Oh Snoopy, I love your nose"

Thanks also to Cate at http://www.showmyface.com/2008/01/six-word-saturdays.html whose blog I am just about to visit.  Why don’t you come too?  You might just get hooked.  Follow my other Six word Saturdays on the logo below.

Flat Ruthie captures hearts in Hartlepool

This week I played hostess to an inquisitive young lady who hailed all the way from Pittsburgh, USA.  An impressive-looking city on the Ohio River in Pennsylvania, I kind of worried what I could show her in my humble little home town Hartlepool, on the north east coast of England.

Duquesne Incline, Pittsburgh, by Wikipedia

I needn’t have worried.  Flat Ruthie knew her manners and had been impeccably brought up in her website home http://cardboardmetravels.com/

Our town has a strong maritime heritage so it was off to the marina and Hartlepool Historic Quay http://www.hartlepoolsmaritimeexperience.com/ Cameras swinging nicely in tune we checked out the paddle-steamer PSS Wingfield Castle.

Hello sailor!

And Britain’s oldest fighting ship, HMS Trincomalee, built in India in 1817, was restored in Hartlepool over a 10 year period.

Pirates lad? Where be my cutlass?

A pirate party was about to break out on board so I steered Ruthie away to admire some smaller craft.  I’ve seen what a cutlass can do to a cardboard lady!

The Customs Office! Any smuggling still going on in these parts?

Let's just hang around a while

Whoo, I'm dangling!

Swiftly on to the lock gates, I think.

Tickets anybody? No? Oh, you can cross over for free- great!

Ah, now we're talking! You know I like monkeys.

Knowing Ruthie has a fondness for monkeys I didn’t like to share with her the Legend of the Monkey Hanger!  But you might like to read it- it’s just a bit of folklore. http://www.thisishartlepool.co.uk/history/thehartlepoolmonkey.asp

Tired with our efforts and beginning to attract a crowd of admirers, we decided to save the beach for another day and head home for a cuppa.

Is this a seahorse, Restlessjo? No dear, just a bookend.

Very grateful thanks are due to Ruth of http://cardboardmetravels.com/ for creating my little friend and allowing her to travel with me.  I’m hoping she just might accompany me to the Algarve sometime, and there I really can promise her a beach.

I absolutely love Ruth’s idea.  You can read all about it and follow Flat Ruthie’s travels by following the link.  Maybe some of you would like to escort Ruthie on a little trip yourselves?  The gal loves to travel- we’re kindred spirits.