Hawthorns July Photo Scavenger Hunt.

Its the end of the month already, so time to join in with Hawthorn’s Photo Scavenger Hunt. If you fancy a bit of a photo challenge next month, check out her lovely blog . Here’s the Link up page. 

1. Crane.  Ok this is not a crane. Epic fail! This is a stork that has made a nest on a rooftop in Marakeche. Up high escaping the madness of the colourful souks and busy squares. It is a few years now since our stay in the vibrant Moroccan city.

 

2. Ring.  Lots of Giant Bellflowers in bloom at the moment, all over the countryside. Imagine if these pretty flowers could ring around the meadows.

3. Set. Found this prompt quite difficult!  Will a Pea Hen and her set of chicks do? We saw these guys when we were getting rid of some rubbish at our local tip in Clitheroe. There is quite a population of peacocks down there. 🙂

4. Light.  Took this photo one evening on a walk with Hugo. The sun light created shadows in the hay field ,as Hugo zipped round like a mad thing.

5. Bow.  A shiny  bow ties at the back of a fifties style dress in Annie & Bettys vintage shop/ cafe in Grassington.

6. Spring. Saw this spring on a gate when walking a tiny bit of The Dales Way in Yorkshire last weekend.

7.Open. And heres Hugo sat by an old open door.  Obviously Wil is behind the door with a biscuit, or Hugo wouldn’t be so well behaved…

8. Grand. The old door was in the grounds of the grand Parcevall Hall near Appletreewick , whose lovely gardens are open to the public. Post coming soon! 

9. Park. The Yorkshire Dales National Park covers   841 square miles. This lady is admiring a typical Dales view. 🙂

10. My own choice. My beautiful girl ‘ Slinky Malinki’ named after the storybook cat. She is a little madam …and very vocal. 🙂 

Hope you enjoyed my interpretations of the prompts. See you soon! 

 

 

 

 

Summer Links & Likes.

Hey , I totally missed putting up a Links & Likes for June, so without further ado, here’s  my Summer Edition. It will most probably come in two parts,  as we have some way to go yet,  thank goodness!  There’s definitely a bit of a travel theme going on here. So hopefully a bunch of holiday inspiration. 🙂 . Enjoy!

Know where to find the best Ice Cream Parlours in the North East?  Chloe has put in some serious research!

Paul is galavanting round Iceland , ticking off Game Of Thrones filming locations. 🙂

Polly attends a family wedding in beautiful Portmerion , and gets to wear a gorgeous vintage dress. 

The Greedy Sisters do great City Travel Guides!  Look out for their latest adventures in Athens and Avignon. 

Church yards make perfect haunts for summer wildlife, as Amanda finds out,  in Yorkshire.

Yarn bombed Seahorses and Mermaids! Where else but Saltburn by the Sea , with Jo of course!

And more seaside fun. 🙂  The Retro Poodles are in sunny Seaham….and look at the treasures they have found. 🙂

Christine is Wild Swimming amidst stunning Lake District Scenery.

Piia  has wrote an informative guide  Ten Free Things To Do In Helsinki. Makes me want to get up and go!

How lovely to holiday on the beautiful Island of Islay , as seen here on A Mischief Managed – and other Adventures.

And Bev celebrated her blog’s Birthday….by drinking Champagne in Champagne!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the blog posts. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

May Links & Likes.

It has been a week that has been particularly hard on many. Life must go on and we must live life to the full, God knows, life is short. Here are a few blog posts I have enjoyed in May.

Mrs Bertimus and family stay in this very quirky and eclectic seaside Guest House at the Whitby Goth Festival.  I have actually spent a night here too…many moons ago. 🙂

Grenson the dog is always on holiday! This time in ‘Mostly’ dog-friendly Yorkshire…

Ever thought of  ‘Gin tasting’ or visiting the ‘Wild West’ in Edinburgh? Lucy shares her  alternative Guide to this beautiful city.

Speeking of beautiful cities, our hearts go out to everyone in Manchester at the moment. City Jackdaw has been writing about the incredible generousity of spirit in his home town.

Laura has been admiring Japanese Cherry Blossom….in Kent.

And Christine found a Secret Valley Of Bluebells.

Duck in a Dress  shares her Geocashing Adventures!

Here’s a nostalgic glimpse into one bloggers magazine reading history. Remember Bunty anyone? From Bunty to Betty on ‘Typewriter Girl’.

And this lady has nostalgia in buckets! Am happy to have discovered Forties@Heart here on WordPress, where Julie, a Mum in the Outer Hebridees ,atempts a 1940’s inspired Lifestyle.

Cumbrian Blondie has been walking the beautiful Ullswater Way. 🙂

And here’s a blog from my little corner of the world. Lovely recipes and beautiful interiors ~ My Grandma Taught Me To Cook. 

Can I show you a few snaps from beautiful Brotherswater I took only yesterday.  This is one of the smaller lakes in The Lake District and is situated in the eastern region of the Lakes.

The Lake.

 

A Nesting Swan.

Bogbean, I think..

Pied Wagtail.

Hawthorn blossom.

 

 

There’s still time to join in with #30dayswild in June. If you fancy signing up and doing something wild every day next month, go to action.wildlifetrusts.org and join in with the challenge.  Here are a few ideas for your Random Acts Of Wildness.

Sow some Wildflower seeds.

Identify a Bird Call.

Collect some Elderflowers and make a cordial or champagne.

Tell the time with a Dandelion Clock.

Read a Nature Book outdoors.

Go Barefoot in the grass.

Play Pooh sticks in a stream.

Record the birds who visit your garden.

Visit a Nature Reserve.

Make a Bee Hotel.

Thanks for dropping by.  Let me know if you are joining in with #30dayswild.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo An Hour Sat 20th May.

Yesterday I joined in with #photoanhour on Instagram, organized as always by louisa and Janey
 , I think its been going a good few years now. My posts always seem to contain a picture of Slinky ( the cat) on the bed , and Hugo ( our dog) out on a walk. Nothing changes then! 

 

8am ~  the day started out quite bright and warm with the sun streaming through the bedroom window, so it seemed right to get up and out , despite slight hangovers. 😉 

9am ~ As always here is Slinky , making the most of an empty bed! 

10am ~ Housework done , so settled with my latest photo album. I kid you not, I have millions! Putting a few photographs in and…… considering building an extension for them. 😉

11am ~ Doing a few jobs in town and find a man with an owl outside the New Inn. Turns out he is advertising a Bird Of Prey charity , that has an exhibition on the market today. I bob by and donate a few pennies.

12 Noon ~ We bought a few plants off the market for our back yard. 

1pm ~ We have lunch at the wonderful Cheesie Tchaikovsky cafe in town. Sadly it is closing down as the owner has become deeply allergic to bread and baking bread. 😦 . I will miss her amazing cheese scones. 

2pm ~  Back home and find some postcards from postcrossings in the post! Including these cute kittens from Germany. 🙂

3pm ~ Out with Hugo in the rain. Wil spots this tiny glistening green beetle on a leaf. Could possibly be a flea beetle. Not sure.

4pm ~ A bit later than 4 actually. Got absolutely soaked in the rain so warming up with a brew indoors.

5pm ~ Weather brightened up again. Off to Homebase for some compost and pass these pretty cottages. I love the blue flowered bush , but not sure what it is.

6pm ~ A selection of bits and bobs for tea including samosas off the market. 🙂

7pm ~ Settleing down to watch Doctor Strange on dvd.

8pm ~ Hugo does not seem impressed with Doctor Strange. Neither does Wil, but I quite like it. Keep thinking Mr Cumberbatch is Sherlock though! 

9pm ~ The money plant I obtained recently has not sprouted fivers. 😦 But I did get it a pretty new pot, so you never know…..

10pm ~ Yep I’m in bed. So Rock N Roll ! Jotting down ideas for #thirtydayswild in June. Looking forward to getting my pack! 

Well thats it for a pretty quiet Saturday. Let me know if you joined in too. 🙂

April Wildlife and Links & Likes.

Hi I’m mixing up my Links & Likes  with a few piccies I took on walks at the weekend. April brings sunshine, showers ….and lots of flowers. That certainly rings true here in the Ribble Valley. Enjoy the photos and check out the blog links for some of the posts that I have particularly liked  this month. 🙂

Cuckoo Flowers.

Orange Tipped White Butterfly.

Binny tries out a Chocolate Afternoon Tea and I am seriously envious !

Eliza has had a break in beautiful Venice. 

Violet.

Wood Pigeon.

Swallow.

There’s still time to Vote for where Christine should do her next Wild Swim!  I’m thinking Brothers Water. 🙂

More beauty on Laura’s Blog as she Walks among the Bluebells. 

Hedgerow Blossom.

Robin.

Jo finds a A Glass Menagerie in Sunderland.

Nice to discover another blogger in The Ribble Valley ! Please check out  The Alfresco Family. They blog about all things Green. 🙂 

Wild Garlic.

Peacock Butterfly.

Janey has set herself the challenge of watching 52 Films By Women this year.

Grenson is enjoying his tour of The Lakes and The Lochs. 🙂

Bluebells.

A Lesser Spotted Hugo !

 

Pheasant.

 Thanks For Dropping by. 🙂

 

 

Photo An Hour ~ Sat 22nd April.

Yesterday I joined in with Photo An Hour on Instagram so I thought I would put the pictures on my blog too. It was quite a sunny warmish Saturday and I went for a  walk with my camera in the morning. Later though the day turned into hours at the pub, so I didn’t post as many photos as I intended . Oooops! 

8am. Wil went out with Hugo and I am lounging about in bed reading this great book called Tiny Islands. Its about all the relatively small islands off our coast. I never realised that there is a tidal island called Hilbre off West Kirby in The Wirral. Might be worth a visit sometime. Slinky thinks so. 🙂

9am. Shower time.

10am. I’m up and about. Have gone for a walk and am noticing the abundance of bluebells in flower.

11am.  Cuckoo flowers and Dandelions are everywhere in this meadow. Lots of butterflies too.Spend a good while chasing them with the camera.

Noon. Heading home now. These wellies are about the only ones that have not split on me in my history of adult wellie wearing..

1pm. Wil has been a star and made lunch. 🙂

2pm. And he has hung the mirror in the spare room.Which means it is officially finished !  Further decorating this year includes the kitchen and the living room. But lets make the most of Summer first!

3pm. A brew and a read of my Wildlife Trust Magazine. Despite being in The Wildlife Trust, I don’t really make the most of my membership. But I am glad just being a member helps a bit.

4pm. Sat outside a Cafe Bar with Wil and Hugo. This is where my photo taking goes a bit pear shaped as we meet friends and I forget to take any pics.

8pm. Yep still out and the pack of Chilli Nuts is in danger of becoming tea ! 

10pm.  Luckilly we are now home and the planned chicken fajitas are happening. 🙂

Thanks as always to louisa and Janey  

for organizing Photo An Hour on Instagram.   

Links & Likes March. ♡

Starlings and Hares by Rob Barnes.

Hey and welcome to March Links& Likes. I thought I would include some pretty pictures of mad March hares frolicking around with not a care in the world.  If only our lives could be as carefree as these beautiful illustrations.  Anyway without further ado….

Gina put   The Kelpies

 

 in Falkirk on her visit list. I would love to see these Giant horse sculptures for myself. 

Fancy a walk that meanders through a pub and ends with a Waterfall?  Let Jo  show you the way.  

Naomi tells us about  The Joy of Gorse and how the shrub’s sunshine yellow flowers  can be made into a fresh and delicious cordial. 🙂

Illustration by Lucy Grossmith.

Louise  follows in the footsteps of  Peakland writer Roger Redfern and finds that things haven’t changed all that much ,since he published his own rambles in the 1960s.

One of my favourite travel boggers ‘Mary’ from Travels with the Blonde Coyote hasn’t posted in a while, but hopefully that will all change now she’s introduced her gorgeous new dog pal ‘ Vida’. What a beauty! 🙂 

Erin has visited the vibrant and colourful city of Lisbon. Me too please. 🙂 

Illustration by Louise Scott.

This fab post by Baked by Mummy Iris explores London’s Covent Garden. It looks like foodie heaven and certainly makes my tummy rumble. 🙂

 Hey did you know that there is a A Cat ~^^~ who actually works in B & M Bargains???  Check out this cute Kitty ! 

And if your planning a trip to Iceland this year , here is a very useful blog to consult I ♡ Reykjavik.

Wendy Andrews ~ Dreaming of Spring.

Thanks so much for dropping by. If you have any blog recommendations, that you think I will like, please let me know. ♡