Clicking Away

Hello Lovelies,

I've been busy clicking away with my new camera, getting used to it's whims and ways. I'm generally remembering to pop it in my pocket when I'm out and about locally or further a field.

This was an early morning wander with great light. I do love the angle of the sun at this time of year.

And my zoom came in handy for this shot of a sweet Robin. I think it's will soon be time to start feeding the birds on my walks again.

 Back home I gave our conservatory a tidy up. It's back to looking very similar to when I started my blog as I decided to get rid of the top on my dresser. It's now just a sideboard but I'm ok with that and I like the feeling of space.



It still houses my one remaining crochet Owl .... the rest have been given away as gifts, but never fear it's easy for me to google the instructions to make more HERE:0)

I often like to perch here with my elevenses at this time of year (due to their widely fluctuating temperatures, conservatory enjoyment is limited to spring and autumn, I find).

I like to gaze at the view and sometimes read. I've just discovered I can get books for pence sent straight to my phone....who knew! what clever times we live in :0)

 If you like reading about long distance walks and can't really face reading anything too emotional (is that just me?), I recommend  this amusing book.

It certainly made me want to pack a bag and set off on the South West Coast Path

There's still a tumble drier in the corner of our conservatory but these days it's only used once in a blue moon ( I try and line dry as much as possible, and with two airers  for damp days, it's only when somebody is desperate for a specific item we resort to this). I'm happy that my purse and the environment is benefiting from this. Plus it can now house more plants :0)

Out in the garden my Dahlias and Zinnias are still going strong. It's so nice to pick a posy for indoor enjoyment.

These next three images are from a local Scarecrow festival. It was somewhere the boys loved when they were young, but nowadays it's just hubby and I who venture out to look at the clever and amusing straw creations.

The Clangers

Minions

Paddington Bear

As I head into my mid fifties I'm finding more and more that I relish quiet times and simple seasonal activities. I've never been great under pressure and that seems to be getting worse. Plus it's kind of frightening how terrible my memory is....but that's another subject.
My way of coping  is to try and focus on simple and enjoyable tasks. Blackberrying is perfect (these are now in the freezer to add to crumbles in the winter).

Composting is not so photogenic but does produce wonderful food for the soil and avoids food waste going to landfill where it produces harmful gasses. All this went in....including the egg box. The dark bits are tea leaves.

I'm not taking credit for this great shot. I came home from work and found this on my camera, taken by middle son.

The weather last week was mostly outstanding and I was fortunate enough to have some days off to enjoy it. These images are from a group walk. It's almost five years since I joined my walking group and I'm always glad I did. I've made lots of friends and walked in safety over hundreds of miles of footpaths.

and through tons of pretty villages.

The day after that walk I went out with mum. We headed to Shardlow, a hive of activity where two major rivers meet a working canal.  It was hot and sunny again, so while mum sat in the shade and sketched I headed off to explore the canal.

This is the Heritage centre which was manned by a very enthusiastic volunteer.

I loved the mock up of the living quarters. Families who lived and worked on the canals in their hey day  had it survive in a small portion of their boat, while the rest carried cargo.

It all looks so cosy and cute.

But I'm sure it was a tough life for a whole family in this small space.

There was so much to look at outside too, with boats going through the locks.

and pretty waterside cottages.

So many boats.

And more being built.

Not a quiet job, but great to get a glimpse at this skilled craft. My lovely late Dad was actually making a narrow-boat hull when he became ill and passed away suddenly back in the late 80's. He was a great engineer and would have loved a nosy around this boat builders I'm sure.

I do like walking beside water.

Here I had reached the might river Trent and crossed this impressive footbridge. Thank you Mr Swan, for posing so beautifully and echoing the arch of the bridge with you body :0)

And finally, here's mum's sweet painting, done from sketches made that day.

Back soon, no doubt  with loads more pictures..... and a few rambling words.

Jacquie x

September Scenes

Hello lovelies,

only me, popping back in with more recent images. I've been having trouble with my old point and shoot camera , so after months (and months) of something else cropping up that needed paying for, I finally found the funds this month to replace it. 

You can't beat a bit of sunlight for photography purposes and last Sunday we had quiet a lot. I was happy to get out early enough to  capture the dew on my Dahlias with my new toy.

A little later that same day I was out walking with a friend. It's our regular once a fortnight walk and chat. Nothing strenuous this weeks, just a couple of loops of the boating lake at the lovely Highfields park

Loving the reflections

and the Chinese lion.

The September light and shadows were beautiful.

My new camera has a good zoom which I was experimenting with. I was particularly pleased with this shot.

This is the un-zoomed version, so you can see how far away I was from the purple flowers.

In the afternoon I dragged hubby out to see a concert in the newly restored bandstand HERE.

Love those original 70's? deckchairs :0)

We also had a walk along the riverside path.

It was great being able to get a close up of this swan as it glided past on the still water.

Here the council has recently constructed a new war memorial. I thought the outer banks covered in meadow grass were very effective.

there were even a few poppies in flower catching the sunlight.

More zooming....a squirrels bottom :0)

These next 5 pictures were taken on Tuesday morning, on a walk before work. I love to see the Ivy flowers reappear each Autumn.

And the rose hips.

Trickier to capture was a sparrow, high in the tree branches.

this view always pleases me.

zoooooom :0)

My new camera has a viewfinder. Here (Wednesday I think) I was messing about testing it out while I sat in my comfy window-seat. Awwww, my "lived in" house looks OK I think. It's funny how seeing things through a camera lens makes you really notice your surroundings.
Eldest and I decorated this room in the spring as we simply had to have a new carpet (the old one had holes on the stairs) and I'm still unsure of this blue (I liked the creamy yellow we had before). It's kind of dark, though it looks anything but in this image.

Also midweek I was cooking a vegetable and soya chilli. I'm still trying to get the family to eat less meat. This was simple and very tasty. I served it with some strong cheese grated on top, rice and garlic bread...my men have big appetites. Recipe HERE.

Are you doing Secondhand September?  It's easy for me as I really only ever buy shoes and underwear new. I'm more than happy to buy secondhand clothes from the charity shops, though I haven't felt the need to buy any so far this month. I did however donate £3 to charity this week, and they gave me two of these sweet plates as a thank you :0)

I love the blue chicken and the country cottage scene.

In other happy news the milkman gave us a free bottle of juice this week. Pink grapefruit. My favourite.

These final pictures are from a sunny group walk I went on on Thursday.

I still love my walking group, though I don't get out with them as often as I did. Sometimes life just gets in the way or the weather is too off-putting. I'm most likely to be discouraged my hot weather than any other ( ok heavy rain is also up there) . But this week the conditions were perfect and the family did not need me. Hurray.

I love the hills and the rocky outcrops of the Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire.

Shady paths with distant views are also lovely.

There's always something different to see, even if you know the route. Sometimes there are free gifts too.

This walk even had a loo where we parked. Bonus :0). Here's a picture from inside...a very leggy but oh-so-pretty geranium.  Little touches like that always make me smile.

I'm still experimenting with my camera, but so far so good.
I hope you enjoyed this varied selection of images from my week.
Jacquie x