Queen's Park in high summer

Wednesday I decided I would take my camera to Queen's Park again, haven't been for a while, so it was nice to wander around snapping things I saw.

The lake from a different place than usual.


how much more can she hold in her beak


the pond, it looks very tranquil here


a cheeky chappy, went away disappointed because I didn't have anything for him to eat


It's amazing what a difference it makes when you get the camera angle just right. For this one I stood a little way off and then zoomed in. It looked far better than if I had taken it nearer.


I don't know what plant this is but I rather liked it when taken close up


taken within the willow tree


and some of the flowers


and is this a giant salvia? love the spiky edges to the 'leaves'


I went into the little memorial garden and managed to take a few self portraits there



and finally this photo taken from inside the memorial garden looking out through the gateway I love the way the scene is framed by the wooden arch

Weekly challenge layout

I know, I don't post anything for 2 months then do 2 posts in the same day.
Monday is the day that the weekly challenge is posted on UKScrappers and either I do it immediately or very early in the week.
Today's criteria fitted with the photos I wanted to scrap of my two Skipton grandsons
I tried to have a photo shoot with them but young lively boys and standing still is a contradiction in terms. The photos I did get really show the fun of this experience. I did a double page so I could use lots of them




I also managed to capture on camera the Peacock butterfly. I've been trying for a few days and not succeeded but today I do have a passable shot.

It August

It's been several weeks since I last blogged. Life, or lack of it, has got in the way but I now hope to find the inspiration to make an entry at least once a week. Do you think it will happen?

Thursday 1st August - Sale at the church - Went fairly well but not many people in, we did have a lot of 'new' stuff this week which always helps.

Friday 2nd August - a super day - I felt that I was to get off the bus early and go to TK Max, that prompt didn't let me down, I was there the right day and picked up a set of American Craft Knock out punches something I've been admiring and fancied having for quite a while.  I also got a 12x12 pad of Amy Tangerine Yes Please papers  (like these but single sided 48 sheets of 24 patterns)
That was a good start to the day. I then went into town and Carole's Craft have re-opened but in a far better location in the Brunel Centre hopefully they will be able to get more customers there.
Met up with Neil for a coffee and a chat, and just walking down afterwards to catch the bus I met a friend who brought me home in her car. Ended the day with a play with my new craft material and did this page from my trip up to see Helen and family
Helen and I in Leeds for a bit of Mother & Daughter time without the children. (really enjoyable too)



Saturday 3rd August - an easy day - a trip to ASDA along the lane and the lane didn't disappoint, the sun was warm and the butterflies were abound



Sunday 4th August out to lunch with Neil Gemma & Rufus also Rufus's other Nanny & Friend. The Castle and Ball in Marlborough - really nice Sunday roasts and pleasant surrounding.

that's all for now folks

A few more pages

I'm still trying to update my blog with the pages I did in May. Although I was struggling with myself and feeling rather low I still managed to do several layouts.

This one of my son (in his teens) Serving for the championship. Every year at Croft Camps they had sporting activities and Neil was always at the forefront. He was very competitive and had to win.


Another one of Neil, this time many years later, usual pose, phone in hand.


my own faux enamel dots here and also the journalling block I created and cut on Robo (really enjoying bringing in hybrid elements to my pages)

Now this one really is a blast from the past and took some detecting to work out what the photos were all about

I came to the conclusion that it must have been Christmas 1965 (our first Christmas after we were married) and that John had bought me a watch. As there is no one left to contradict that surmising I went with that.

This last one for today is one from our Florida holiday last year.

I just had to be a child again and ride the Croc (alligator really)

my one little word for today is BLUE

or should that be UNFORGETTABLE

Summer scavenger hunt

Today is the start of the Summer scavenger hunt hosted by Rinda

1. Open air market
2. Theatre for performing arts (not a movie theatre)
3. City Hall, Capitol or other similar civic building
4. Airplane
5. A sunset
6. Someone or something taking a nap
7. A sign that is intentionally or unintentionally funny
8. A tower
9. A photo with someone or something that is clearly out of place or doesn't belong
10. A bench that is outside
11. An animal in a zoo, aquarium, nature preserve, etc.
12. A cloud in the shape of something (please specify what you see)
13. A fence
14. A stained glass object or a mosaic
15. A fire truck or police car
16. A windmill
17. Candle(s)
18. Your local pub/bar, coffee house or tea shop
19. A fisherman
20. A dinosaur
21. A photograph of you with an artistic tool or craft supply (you cannot substitute for this item)
Bonus/substitute items. If you find any of the above items too difficult, feel free to substitute either (or both) of these items. You can substitute up to two items, but you cannot substitute Item #21:
A person wearing an outfit (or item of clothing) that symbolizes your country
A sundial

I've made a start, several things I found in town.





my one word for today Shine

I'M BACK

I know, I've been absent for 5 weeks, I just needed a break and to see if I could find where I was going with my blog.
I've also had a break from commenting on your blogs but I will be back as from tomorrow hopefully..
Still not sure where I'm going but I am taking part in the scavenger hunt that Rinda has organised again this year. Thank you Rinda we do enjoy this.

I have been scrapping my pages and will share them over the next few days (don't want to bore you with too many at a time)

I'm still adding to my Christmas album (nearly finished now)



In this one I was experimenting with washi tape, I cut a stencil with triangles on Robo and placed washi tape in strips on a card behind it.


photo's of my first hold of my first grandchild, nearly 6 years ago now.

I was looking through an old photo album and found these of my son as a teenager. Always the poser they really tell the story of who he was then. (he is 41 this year)



Today I've been trying to plough my way through the muddle that covers all my surfaces in my craft room, I've managed to find one desk and discovered lost items. Among the items found was a little book 'Words of Comfort' Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

My one word for today 'SOFT'

Simply Sweet

It's been a another lovely day weather wise but as usual after the sale in the morning I am tired, so this is just a quick post to put my layout in.
for the scan photo of my 4th grandchild, my son's second child I did an all white page. So lots and lots of texture and layering to give the page substance.


lots of lace and trimmings on the bottom part and lots of tags that I have created myself. I also created the title block using a subtle background design and some dingbat font characters which I added stickles to
finishing it off with a scattering of pearls on the top portion

Today I am grateful that we could be outside for the sale, the first time in ages that we have been able to

Artistic Nature

The sun is shining now at 4.30 in the afternoon, it has taken a while for it to break through the cloud and I don't think it will stay for very long, but it just gave me time to get out into the garden and take some photo. I wanted to do another look up/look down, but instead I've taken lots of pictures of my cats sunning themselves



I've been quite taken with Rinda's idea of what she is calling 'My Photographer's eye'
and out in the back garden this evening I spied the stump of the ivy that we cut down some time ago. I thought it looked very artistic (hence the title of this post). Hopefully I will be finding more things to photograph and post in the same vein



I'm off out to a crop a little later so hopefully I'll get a page done using this photo


Yes grandchild number 4 at 12 weeks gestation, I wonder whether it is a girl, I would really like to have a granddaughter but I'll love it whatever sex it is.

today I am grateful for getting some good photos

Look Up Look Down

Today the sun shone the sky was blue and looking up I saw a beautiful pink blossom tree

looking down the shadow of another tree seemed to give the balance to the blossom.

Today I am grateful for the love of the Lord
for the enjoyment of nature
for the use of a good camera
and for an imagination which can see the possibilities and seize the opportunty

The Organ Grinder

On Friday I posted a sketch and said I would let you see the layout I did from that sketch. So here it is,


the sketch was perfect for this week's challenge on UKScrappers the challenge was to use all the colours from our country's flag add a banner and more than one photo. It was so easy to make the tags into a banner by stringing them all together.

Today I was grateful to being able to do the challenge and add another page to my Christmas album.

Morning has broken

I awake,
dragging myself from a rather disturbing dream
I lie there a moment and listen,
Yes Mr Peaberry is there I can hear him greeting the day,
happy with his lot,
happy with the world,
happy that the sun has risen again and night has gone.

I tumble out of bed and reach for my dressing gown.
Drawing back the curtains I see him there.
He is sitting on the top of my little twisted willow,
singing with all his might.
All is well with the world







drawn from my bed with aqua crayons



drawn from this photo with coloured pencils

Friday Sketch

Here is this week's sketch, I hope you like it

I haven't done a layout with it yet, hopefully I will be using it this weekend

I do have a page to share. I was inspired Glitter Girls adventure 66, I loved the colour scheme and the strip of photos



Today has been a day when I knew that my craft room and scrapping things just had to be sorted, everything is in such a muddle I keep loosing bits and don't really have the room to scrap property. I've made a start but it's going to be a long long job. I was on my feet for so long that I just had to call it a day at 6 this afternoon.

I am grateful that I've made a start and that I found one or two things that I've not been able to for a while.

Random jottings

Oh dear my blog has been sadly neglected, trouble is I haven't done anything worth recording except a few scrapbook pages. I'll look at the photos I have taken since Oxford and see what is worth noting.

The first thing I noticed was my look up look down that I took in Oxford

 These were both taken from Magdalen Bridge, I love the way the church tower is pointing which is echoed in the boats. (I didn't manipulate the photo that is how I took it)

On Saturday 6th
I decided on the spur of the moment to take the bus to Cheltenham. It was a lovely sunny if cold day I didn't think I would be taking many photos as I have a lot taken the last time I went. But the indoor garden in the Beechwood Centre was so pretty with the sun shining down on it  I ended up taking quite a few.

Monday 8th
The challenge on UKScrappers for this week is to scrap the ordinary the everyday events and so on my walk down to Asda I propped my camera up on a bin and took my self portrait with the lane in the background (a chap walking down the same lane offered to take it but by this time I had it all set up)
and here is my page for the challenge

I turned the photo black & white as that was part of the challenge. As my coat is black and the scarf I'm wearing is white it was just the ticket.
Later in the week I did another page for the same challenge this time with colour photos and black & white papers and embellishments


I was on a bit of a scrapping roll that week and did this page to record Ben's reactions when he first got his balance bike



Wednesday 10th
Hairdressers today, I'm trying to get the purple out of my hair, beginning to wish I had never had it put in for Christmas this time they used an opposite colour to counteract it a bit and although I still have purple in there it is beginning to fade.

Friday 12th
I found something that made me smile

The frozen dessert aisle in Asda

Saturday 13th
Abbey Meads crop this morning. I did manage to do the Breakfast layout but I spent most of my time chatting and laughing. It's so nice to get out and meet up with fellow scrappers.

Sunday 14th
I had two surprise visitors on Sunday, I hadn't been long in from church when I heard a little voice calling, Neil had arrived with Rufus and all Rufus wanted to do was find Nana's kittens. Eventually he gave up trying to catch them and settled for some toys and a jigsaw or two

but he did get his wish for one of my cats to accept him, not the girls but Rudi let Rufus stroke him and seemed to really enjoy it.

Monday 15th
Yesterday I started on a double layout of some of the photos I took in Oxford, finishing it off today



Tuesday 16th

Asda today and the sun was shining and on the way down the back lane I saw a Brimstone butterfly, couldn't get a photo unfortunately as it was flitting all the time and never landed anywhere but it was so good to see it, the first one of the season. I also found that the toads were back and lots of spawn in the muddy hole. Hope this year it doesn't dry up too soon and that the eggs hatch and have time to grow to maturity.

Today's UKS challenge, to scrap someone or something you love, to use a colour palette of Pale Green & Burgundy. I did this one of Rudi
.


and that brings me up-to-date.

Today I am grateful that spring does appear to have arrived at long last.