Julie's Advent Calendar for 2016

1st December, 2016

These two doves - collared, not turtle - were sitting outside our window on a tree and I thought them appropriate for the 2nd December......"On the second day of Christmas my true love brought to me....two turtle doves! "

Julie's Advent Calendar for 2016

1st December, 2016

This is the first time I have joined in Julie's Advent Calendar, I'm looking forward to it and seeing every one else's pictures.   Those of you have been kind enough to look at Jak's Tails for the past few months will have realised I have called myself after Jak, our beautiful elderly black cat who we sadly had to put to sleep a couple of years ago.  So in his honour I will start off my Advent Calendar with a  photograph of him trying to decide whether to attack the tree or the parcels. I know that evil look in his eyes!! 

November Photo Treasure Hunt

Can't believe it is almost the end of November already.  Where has this year gone to?  Once again this month I have an assortment of old and more recent photographs.  I did find this month a bit more challenging, but here goes............my November selection.

Menu

Having been through all my parents’ photographs we are now sorting through all my mother-in-law's pictures. We found these two menus in an old wooden cigar box, in amongst some old Brownie Box pictures. The larger one is from a holiday they had in the 1960’s at Umhlanga, outside Durban, South Africa and the smaller menu is from the Cecil Hotel from when they lived in Umtali, Rhodesia, now Mutari, Zimbabwe.  Just for fun I have just Googled them both.  The Oyster Box is still on the beachfront at Umhlanga, looks very upmarket, and the Cecil Hotel is also still there though twice the size and very modern, not the old two storey, colonial style hotel with a large veranda, complete with potted ferns in half 44 gallon drums.  I scrolled down to read some of the comments and found this one below.......note the chicken sandwiches mentioned are on the menu, the most expensive item, at 2/9p – which Google tells me today  is worth  £3.65 – not bad for a chicken sandwich!!

Trevor Walton Writes:-

A picture of my favourite waterhole, the Cecil veranda! It was a great meeting place and the toasted chicken sandwiches were to die for. We also had a good view of the police charge office and can recall many amusing events. One of them was that a grossly overloaded local truck, chickens and all, was hauled in and in no time there was a hen with her chicken on the Cecil veranda looking for scraps!

Album(s) - dozens of them

As I have already mentioned last month and again above I am presently going through all the family albums.  We have already taken 8 to the Recycle centre as the sticky pages are no longer sticky and the pile just does not seem to get any smaller as you can see from the photograph below!!  Oh dear!!  They are still my mothers’ and I have about another 12 more of our own  photograph albums not to mention a large box full of photographs that I took out of large albums before returning to the UK.  Oh dear again!!

Shoe (s)

On a trip to Anglesey a few  years ago we stopped at a lovely tearoom for tea and scones (which were delicious, by the way) and in the yard was a selection of oddments made out of old farm implements and included this fire pan made out of horseshoes, the centre of which was filled with many more horseshoes. 

In my hand

This little shoe was given to me by a gypsy lady who knocked at our door in Hemel Hempstead in 1988.  She offered to tell my fortune if I crossed her palm with silver.  Never having met a gypsy before as I had lived in Central and Southern Africa almost all my life, I could not refuse.  I left her standing at the door whilst I got some money out of my purse.  When I returned she told me I had lived in Africa and would soon return there.  She also gave me this little shoe as a good luck token.  When I told Brian afterwards of my encounter he laughingly told me I had been ‘had’.  Where she was left standing in the front door she had a clear view into our dining room where we had many African artefacts which were a complete give away.  I see that the silver is peeling away – a real cheap souvenir of my first and only gypsy encounter. Anyway I have always kept this little ‘silver’ shoe in my handbag – just in case!!! 

Macro

A very small moth I found on this sign in my garden last summer.  I think it might be a Cream-spot Tiger Moth, but I'm not too sure. 

Morning

Every Easter Sunday all the local churches get together to have a Sunrise Service at De Gama Dam, near the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.  This picture was taken a few years ago just as the sun rose at 6 am.  The cross like structure in the foreground is quite by coincidence but very appropriate, it is actually the mast of a sailing boat moored there.

Rule of thirds

Many of my ‘rule of thirds’ are in error, but not here.  I wanted the aloe to contrast with the far distant haze of the Low Veld looking eastward toward the Kruger National Park.  The picture was taken from the top of the escarpment at ‘God’s Window’. 

Something beginning with H

There are so many words that one could choose beginning with H but I always try to find something a bit different and have chosen this picture of baby hyena.  They had been left by their mother in a culvert under one of the many roads around the Kruger National Park.  She had not abandoned them I am sure, just gone off hunting.  Normally one cannot get so close when mother is around so we were very lucky to spot these cubs.  When we stopped to get a better look one brave little cub came out of his safe shelter. 

Tools

My father was given this little set of tools in 1960.  It had everything you could think of and it all clipped into the handle of the knife in the centre.  It always fascinated me as nothing had been seen like that in Rhodesia before. It is small, only 3” x 5” when zipped closed.   It now belongs to my husband but sadly is never used as multi tools seem to have taken over these days. It has Dreizack Solingen GDR of the old East Germany on all the pieces. . 

My own choice.

While looking for the picture of the young hyena cub I came across this picture of Southern African Starlings mobbing a Hornbill over a piece of bread we had thrown for it.  We had been having breakfast in the Kruger National Park rest camp at Skukuza when we were suddenly surrounded by birds.  I love the iridescent colour of these starlings.  They have the same characteristics as the European starlings but are just much more colourful.   

  I would like to wish all you Bloggers a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful Blogger year in 2017

October 2016 Photo Treasure Hunt

This October I  have spent many hours putting old slides, some dating back to 1959, onto my computer, then having started this I am now tackling all my mother's old photograph albums which have included many pictures going back to pre WWI, even some pictures of her and my father as babies, beautiful studio photographs.  So this month I will be using some of these old photographs as well as some from more recent ones I found in her old albums. 

1.  Something Beginning with A.....Aerial

This lovely photographs was taken many  years ago in Hawthorn's garden where she had a bouncy castle for the boys birthday party.  This is Youngest taking it all very seriously!!

2.  Lunch

Whenever we go to Northumberland on holiday we just  have to go to our favourite seafood restaurant in Seahouses for fish and chips...............my mouth is watering just thinking about it!  

3.  11 O'clock 

Elevenses .....who can resist a mug of coffee on a bench in the sun out in the garden.  (Jak gloves a gift from a good friend. Thanks M) 

4. Black and White

I have been spoilt for choice with this title as I had so many black and white photographs to choose from as well as pictures of black and white cats and dogs but I have chosen this very old photograph of my grandfather Valentine taken in South Africa during the Boer War.  That is him seated second from the left. What a stern gentleman he looks to be but then that was the style of photograph in those Victorian days.

5.  Looking up

I love looking up at the contrails in the sky and wondering where the planes are going to; whether the passengers are holiday makers, business executives, people leaving the UK to live in a new country............bon voyage.

6.  Something beginning with T

T is for Two Tonkenese........two evil sisters who spent their days plotting about the best way to catch birds............though they got that wrong as they never worked out that they would never catch a bird sitting in the bird feeder!!  If you look closely at the post they have their beady eyes on a gecko.  This photograph was taken in our garden in South Africa some years ago.

7.  Landscape 

Not all landscape views are breathtakingly beautiful, some are stark but still amazing.  This picture was taken at the beginning of the steep descent after passing the Honister Slate Mine on top of the  Honister Pass in the Lake District, Cumbria.   This narrow road wound down and down - after a hairy narrow ascent from Borrowdale - until it reached Buttermere and Crummock Water.  It was a very memorable drive.  

8.  Two 

Two doves sitting on a branch outside our lounge window.  Sadly the local council have cut down the tree and we no longer have birds and squirrels so close.  Picture taken on ordinary lens only slightly zoomed in.

9.  Swing 

Another from the family archives.  This is me having fun on a swing in about 1946.  Sorry about the what looks like tomato sauce on the picture.  I tried to remove it then tried to be clever and clone the skin colours but gave up in frustration.  

10.  My Own Choice 

This photograph is one of family legend, often talked about and just recently rediscovered. It is Hawthorn aged about 7 with her younger but now very much taller brother aged about 3 walking around our garden in Salisbury, Rhodesia (present day Harare, Zimbabwe).  The train being so reverently carried is actually their tent!!   The colour on many of the old slides is not good any more, especially the Kodak ones, so I am glad we are rescuing them before they deteriorate any further. 

September 2016 Photo Hunt Challenge

 

Another set of challenging titles - had fun going through old pictures to find the relevant pictures. Thanks Hawthorn.

1 Web

A frost covered spider's web in our hedge. 

2. Blade(s)

Not  one blade but nine plus a letter opener.  It may look impressive but I must admit I actually only use my favourite two regularly and have now given Eldest grandson three of the silver handled ones to take to Uni with him this weekend.

3 Filigree

 

This one had me stumped until my daughter-in-law suggested a doily and then I remembered I have a lovely plastic one for decorating sponge cakes  so this last weekend I used it to sprinkle icing sugar over a raspberry jam filled Victoria sponge.  

4 Travel

In 1948 Britain was still suffering from the aftermath of the war and jobs were scarce.  My father saw an advert in a local newspaper asking for people to join an expedition to Southern Rhodesia (present day Zimbabwe). The difference with this journey was it was overland through Africa.  On 4th February 1948 we joined the expedition at Dover, travelled by ferry to Dunkirk, then across to Marseilles and from there by troop ship to Algiers. We drove down through the Sahara Desert to Chad. We were not allowed to travel unless we had sufficient water and fuel and had to leave a deposit to cover the cost of a search if we got into trouble.  We went from one Foreign Legion post to another where we had to check in.  The days were extremely hot and the nights freezing cold. My mother told me the stars were so bright that they could read by them. There was no proper road through the Sahara, we just followed markers which were made from concrete filled 44 gallon drums. There were bad sand storms when we could not travel, just had to wait for them to blow themselves out. We travelled through  the Belgium Congo (present day Democratic Republic of Congo) to Northern Rhodesia (Zambia).  We stopped in the capital Lusaka where I was told I asked for an icecream.  My parents got chatting to the owner of the shop who on enquiring about our strange looking expedition told them that there was very little employment in Southern Rhodesia and they would be better to stop there in Lusaka.  As you can see from the photograph – which I must add is an enlargement of a picture ( 5 x 7 cms) taken on a box Brownie camera, the transport consisted of two old US war surplus Ford trucks, one with canvas sides and canvas deck chairs inside and the second carried all the tents, trunks and food.  There were 13 of us in all, including the two drivers.  I have just been reading my mother's notes and see the Arabs wanted to buy the two teenage girls that were amongst the party and that Bedouin warriors in their black and purple robes galloped alongside the trucks brandishing their riffles and how frightened they all were.  The journey was about 7500 miles and took us from 4th February to 4th April - 8 weeks in all. I just wish I could remember more about it, but then I was only 5 years old. 

As in later life we often holidayed in Capt Town and visited both Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas (the actual southern tip of Africa)  I can say I have travelled from top to bottom of the African continent - not quite Cape to Cairo but Cape to Algiers.   

6 Bright

Memories of Guy Fawkes Night some years ago in Hawthorn's garden......lots of lovely hot soup, jacket potatoes and brownies.  Yum. 

6 Asleep

Although I have many pictures of Jak the Cat asleep in all sorts of positions I could not resist this picture of Youngest grandson (now nearly 6 ft tall) asleep in his pushchair 16 years ago.  The innocence of childhood!!  His feet are bigger now, not nearly so cute!!

7 Float 

I am rather taking liberties with this - remember Coke Floats?  I have not made one for years and so this last weekend Eldest made this under instructions from Hawthorn and myself.  One Coke and one Soda Float...........brought back teenage memories of Moggi's Milk Bar in Lusaka (Zambia) !! 

Gone!! 

8 Autumn

Around these parts Autumn seems later this year (thankfully) so I once again had to search my old pictures and found this one taken in 2007 by  the River Wharf at Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire.  

9 Fur

We always have grey squirrels in our garden  and I just could not resist this lovely furry tail. 

10 New 

What can be more new than freshly dug up potatoes from my garden.  I have to grow everything in pots as it is all done on a tarmac driveway.  Mmm, new potatoes gently boiled with a sprig of mint and served tossed in butter. Yuim!!

August's Photo Scavenger Hunt Challenge

Once again Hawthorn has set us a challenge, one I have to admit did not initially inspire me but once I gave it some thought it was no problem

1.  Blue

Bluebird Electric 1 broke the British speed record for an electric vehicle in 1997. The car continued the tradition of the record-breaking Campbell family as Bluebird Electric 1 was developed and driven by Don Wales, the grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell.  Picture taken on a visit to the Lakeland Motor Museum, Cumbria with our grandsons.

2. Eye

This very beady eyed gull was actually standing on the bonnet of our car in a car park overlooking Spittal beach near Berwick-on-Tweed.  He was watching us eat our sandwiches and every so often would tap the bonnet of our car to remind us he was there and wanting food!!  We were good and ignored him and he eventually flew off to find a more willing family to feed him.  But being so close to him I was glad there was glass between us, that beak looked lethal! 

3. Button 

I bought this very beautiful hand painted antique button for my daughter-in-law as she loves butterflies and collects unusual buttons to stick around her notice board in the kitchen. 

4.  Favourite 

My favourite picture taken this month is of the spread my daughter-in-law and I prepared for her birthday when Hawthorn’s family came across here for birthday tea.  It made a lovely change from scones and cake.  We arranged cut up fruit on plates, stands and platters and served it with tubs of soft serve ice cream and fruit drinks.  Look closely and you can see one candle in the centre of the arrangement on the cake stand – we all sang lustily while she blew out her candle.  (She would not let me put more candles on!!).  The fruit preparation was a bit time consuming but fun to do and well appreciated.

5.  Feet

Jak again!  He slept in the strangest places, this time the magazine rack but he was too long and his feet always hung out. 

6.  Glass 

Each piece of green glass has a story to tell -  the tall bottle with stopper at the back held bath salts and was given to my mother in the 1970’s when she lived in Capetown.  The two small green vases decorated with silver were a gift to my mother and I brought back from a holiday in Vienna in 1956 by a very special friend  to where we all lived in Lusaka in present day Zambia. The tall glass hock glass at the back was one of a pair.  I still remember very clearly how quickly my mother and I ran to the lounge when we heard the tinkle of glasses being banged together by a certain Hawthorn when she was about 18 months old – we did not think she could reach them but she had clambered up. She was not the reason there is only one left – the other broke during one of my parents many moves.

7.  Green 

This picture was taken in the courtyard of a tea room on Lindesfane (Holy Island) Northumberland.  This is really taking green driving to the extreme! It's registration plate showed HEDGE 1. 

8. Floor

This photo was taken in the Quire (ancient spelling of Choir) in York Minster.  Whenever we have friends from South Africa come to stay we take them to York to see the very beautiful and impressive Minster. This tiled pattern on the floor was carried on throughout the whole Minster. 

 9.  Knitted/crocheted

"A TwiddleMuff is a woollen muff with twiddles attached inside and out, designed to provide a stimulation activity for the restless hands of disoriented or confused patients, particularly those with dementia.

When distributed at the hospital, they are labelled with the patient’s name to prevent any cross infection and patients will be able to take them home with them so there will always be a need for many more to be made."

I was asked to make Twiddlemuffs for Airedale Hospital’s Occupational Therapy Department.  To date I have made 10. They are fun to make and use up odd bits of wool.  My friend ‘Threads through my Life’ very kindly donated many different ‘twiddles’ to sew on to the muffs.  I have inserted chunky zips from old jeans in some and put small knitted  toys on a crochet chain inside, attached necklaces from charity shops threaded onto shoe laces so they can’t be broken and other things to fiddle with to occupy the restless hands of dementia patients.  I also like to use fluffy wool in bands in the lining layer as they contrast in texture.  Anyone wanting some small project will find that the OT departments in their local hospitals are only too grateful to receive them.  From experience I find that crocheting them makes a firmer muff and is easier to put in an opening for pockets or zips.  Google Twidlemuffs for ideas if interested.  The measurements and knitting pattern are on line too.

10.  My own choice

This hot weather this month has brought back fond memories of Jak taking advantage of the fan in the lounge.  Actually he took advantage of many things, but was so loved he was allowed to get away with it!!  He would sleep on our bed – making us hot – trying to get the breeze from the fan in our bedroom.