Astrid's Photo Scavenger Hunt - week ending 25/06/2021

Summer - as I sit writing this post it is damp, much cooler and very overcast.  Had rain overnight which was good but where is that lovely hot summer weather we had up to a few days ago.  I love an English summer, everything is blooming, flowers everywhere and hanging baskets all bursting with flowers in and around town. But surprisingly for someone who has lived in Africa for over 50 years - I do not like the heat!!  B loves it as does Kate but our son takes after me and feels it terribly.  We used to go away to Northumberland after the school holidays when it was quieter and prices had dropped back to normal to rent a holiday a cottage for a week.  But last couple of summers we have stayed at home.

Taken one summer on a beach near Seahouses, Northumberland.   We used to love sitting on the beach with our picnic watching the ponies and dog walkers go by.  That is one of the Farne Islands in the background.

Picture was taken inside our green house when we used it as it should be, growing tomatoes and courgettes but now in summer we use it more like a conservatory a table and chairs inside so we can sit there on windy days - and we get many windy days where we live.

Most of our gardening is done in pots on the driveway as we have the end flat and have more room. This little corner had to have a clear pathway for Roxy and Jess, our 'grand dogs', to reach the water in the old zinc bath, Roxy would even get into it if she was very hot.  I love it as all the plants come into flower or full leaf as summer rolls in. 

Some of my favourite flowers.  

Every summer, until Covid restrictions last year, the gipsy wagons have trundled at walking speed past out flat, holding up all the traffic.  This was taken after the Appleby Horse Fair, as they are on their way home.  I have missed seeing them.

But every summer has its dud days.  This picture is of Bamburgh Castle in heavy mist. Part of the film Beowulf was filmed here that day, you can just see some of the production tents down on the beach.  Don't know if it was planned for sea mist but it must have made some very atmospheric scenes. 

That's it for this week.  Hopefully this wet weather will move away soon and we can get back to enjoying a nice long, hot summer.  Now off to see what others have posted.

Astrid's Photo Scavenger Hunt - week ending 18/06/2021

 Astrid's choice of word for this week is Flag.  For once I did not have to look far for pictures this week as we have a selection of flags from the former Southern Rhodesia in 1923 through to it's present flag of Zimbabwe.  We just had to find them.  Fortunately B remembered where they were.

These miniature flags tell the story of the history of Southern Rhodesia through to Zimbabwe. 

This the the flag of the British South Africa Company, incorporated in 1890 - 1923 under a Royal Charter.

The original flag of Southern Rhodesia 1923 - 1953

The flag of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland formed by the amalgamation of Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (Malawi) 1953 - 1963. The shield was designed to represent all three countries, the sun of Nyasaland, and lion of Southern Rhodesia and the Victoria Falls from the Northern Rhodesian Flag.

The next two are Ministerial car pennants from the car of the Minister of  Transport and Works.  My mother had been his private secretary and kept these at the break up of the Federation. 

Flag of Rhodesia after UDI (the Unilateral Declaration of Independence) 1968 - 1979.  It now incorporates the Zimbabwe Bird, the name of a large carving found at the Great Zimbabwe .Ruins.

The flag of Zimbabwe Rhodesia - 1979 

The present day flag of Zimbabwe, again with the Zimbabwe bird. 

That the lot from me.  Not very original I'm afraid.  No thinking outside the box as I like to do.  I'm off to see what others have posted for this word. 

Astrid's Photo Scavenger Hunt - week ending 11/06/2021

 

This week the word Astrid has chosen is Berry.  I used my favourite berry picture last week with the rain drops on the Cotoneaster berries so I have to think again.   

Strawberries - I made a cake for Katie's birthday last week and covered it with strawberries and cream.  I forgot to take a photograph of it but I do have one taken a few years ago, also covered with strawberries. 

A lovely bowl of English strawberries just waiting to be eaten.

Some cut up to eat with out Muesli for breakfast.

Again a picture I have used before.  This is a fruit spread we prepared for our daughter-in-law's birthday a few years ago while they were still here in Lancashire.  If you look carefully you will see Strawberries, Blackberries and Raspberries in amongst the other fruit.

Finally, when I told B that this weeks' chosen prompt was Berry and I was trying to think of what berries I could use, he immediately came up with such an obvious Berry.

Dame Mary Berry - our favourite TV chef/baker.  You can hardly believe she is 85 years old.  For those who don't know her, she was a judge on the original Great British Bake Off television programme.  She has written over 80 cook books and inspired many viewers to get baking.

Sorry, not a very imaginative selection this week.  Hope to do better next time with Flags.

Now off to see what others have done.

Astrid's Photo Scavenger Hunt - week ending 04/06/2021

This Friday we are looking for pictures of 'glass' in its different forms.  I must admit I had left it rather late this week, I'd forgotten what day it was - one of the problems of being in retirement, days seem much like one another. As it is late, ten forty five pm, I thought I would just raid my archives but to my horror, every file I opened read 'File Empty'.  I knew I had lost many photographs when I started using my new compute but had hoped I'd find the pictures I needed.  My son has always done anything I needed doing with my computer but he no longer lives near having moved to Scotland so I had to transfer from my old to my new computer myself - with disastrous results.  So I have had to use pictures I have used before or one zapped off the internet.

I took this picture in the little church in Newchurch in Pendle, right in the centre of the Pendle Witches story near the village of Barley at the foot of Pendle Hill.  It is only a small church but  has the most gorgeous windows.

Another stained 'glass' window we really love is this one in York Minster, a place we love to visit and where we take any of our South African friends when they visit. 

This is the main window in our own church, All Saints.  

but this is one of my favourites, the very simple windows in  the parish church of St Mary the Virgin in a very simple setting as befits this little church on Lindesfarne or Holy Island near Berwick-on-Tweed, Northumberland. If the tide is right and we are able to cross on the causeway before it is submerged for several hours, then we attend the service there. 

This little snowman has appeared before in a Christmas post but I have included him as he is made of glass and he is carefully handled and wrapped up again after Christmas.  My mother bought him in  1960 so he is now 61 years old - and still not melted!!  

This final picture of glass is of a group of green glass in our lounge.  The two small ones were given to my mother and me by a very good friend after she returned from a holiday in Venice in the late 1950's when we were living in Lusaka, Northern Rhodesia (present day Zambia).  The tall bottle held bath salts and belonged to my mother as did the green hock glass at the back.  That had been one of a pair she had when my parents were living here in 1964.  One day both of us ran into the lounge when we heard a loud clinking of glass as we knew what was happing.  There was a very young Katie sitting on the floor banging the two of them together - she obviously loved the noise they were making.  My mother learned very quickly to lift everything fragile above toddler level!! 

Well that is my selection of glass pictures.  Sorry if some are repeats.  Now off to see what others have done this week.  

Astrid's Photo Scavenger Hunt - week ending 28.05.2021

 

This weeks word is 'Music'.  In spite of my father's whole life being one way or the other involved in music, I'm afraid it passed me by.  He played the piano, accordion, organ, xylophone, guitar and other stringed instruments.  

Before the war he had his own band and played for 'Tea Dances' in a large hotel on the Eastbourne Royal Parade.  

When WW11 broke out he enlisted, hoping to join the RAF but he was slightly colour blind and had flat feet so was no good for the Army.  So he was drafted into ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) and was able to take his band with him.  He assembled a 14 man band and travelled round entertaining the troops and being used as a decoy. 

When we moved to Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) after the war he joined the Central African Broadcasting Service.  There was very little traditional African music to broadcast so my father, together with a sound engineer and African interpreter, travelled around the countryside to find villagers who would sing traditional songs for them to record on a huge reel to reel recorder.  Occasionally my father felt a tune being sung could be played for a European audience and he would rewrite the music to fit the piano.  One such tune was purchased by Decca Records and recorded by Bert Kaempfert  and his orchestra and forms the basis for African Safari, a piece I still hear played on the radio today.  Pity he did not keep some of the rights, he was only played £80.00 for it. 

Me, I was just not interested, which I regret so much today.  My father had been forced to learn to play and practice the piano and said he would not force me.  I much preferred to be off riding my horse than practicing the piano!!   So today all I can do is play 'God Save the Queen' and some African Kwela music on a Recorder both very badly!!  The only musical instrument we have in the house is a Mbira or Marimba - an African Thumb Piano.  

I only have one more 'music' link.  I read in the 'letters page' in the Saga magazine about readers sick of how BBC 2 radio station was changing to suit younger listeners and it was suggested that readers try 'Serenade Radio' available via your computer.  I did and we have listened to nothing since.  All lovely oldies and no talking, just a few occasional words. Gorgeous. Right now I am listening to Nat King Cole.  So soothing. 

                                          

So I'm afraid I don't have any real musical pictures so that's it for this week and month.  Now off to see what others have done with the prompt.

   

                                     

"Astrid's Photo Scavenger Hunt - 21/05/2021"

 This week we have been challenged to find photographs to fit the word 'Rain' - not too difficult in a rainy country like the UK.  Fortunately 'Threads through my Life' suggested we took photographs last week when we were forecast plenty of rain.  So here are a few taken outside our lounge window.

    Here comes the rain.............

Sky getting really black now.............

It's here, beating against the window.

I have used this picture before but I just love the sight of rain drops falling off the cotoneaster berries after the rain.  Taken by B using his lovely camera Kate gave him.

Finally, after a very heavy African rain storm the ground at the Cat-Eye pan is completely flooded.  I've just found out that it is called Cat-Eye as the camera is literally at cat eye view.  The other cameras are much higher up. 

As a point of interest, the rocks in the foreground are placed right around the camera hides to keep out the inquisitive elephants.  The  piles of rocks completely surround all the cameras at the various game parks. 

That's it for this week. Now off to see what the other bloggers have posted.

Astrid's Photo Scavenger Hunt - 14/05/2021

Friday again, and this time the choice of prompt is 'Mirror'.  Sounds simple enough especially when we have a lot of mirrors around the  house.  But to find something interesting and to take a photograph without including myself was a problem at first.

This  picture was taken with the help of B who suggested it then helped get both me and the ceiling light out of the picture.  The flowers are some he has bought for me for my birthday. 

My next image is a type of 'mirror image' of a different sort.  I have mentioned this before and used a similar picture about rhinos. As you know they are on the endangered species red list as they are being killed for their horns.   When we watch any of the Africam.com sites and  a rhino appears on the screen the camera is immediately moved, often straight up to the sky, or rapidly sideways.  They don't want the poachers to know where the rhinos are living.  So when we get a chance to take a picture we feel very lucky.  This pair of almost identical rhino, looking ghostly white on the night camera, had suddenly popped out of the undergrowth for a drink.

                      

The next mirror effect is again from my Africam.com  selection, this time the mirror is the still water of the dam perfectly reflecting the towering giraffe in the evening light.

Finally a pair of soap stone carvings from Zimbabwe of hornbills. They almost make a mirror image, one is just a little larger than the other. 

Last night I suddenly remembered............I do have another mirror picture. How could I forget. So this morning we hurriedly got out the old wedding album from the box of all the families wedding albums and yes, I was right, I did have a couple of mirror pictures.  This was taken 59 years ago in my parents house in Borrowdale, Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (Harare, Zimbabwe today).  I can't believe it was so long ago. How time flies. 

Well that's my lot for this week.  Now to see what everyone else has posted.  As from Monday many restrictions are being lifted and a bit of normality will return to life.  Just hope everyone plays ball and Covid numbers stay down.  Take care and have a good week.