Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt Link

It's time for a link up for The Winter Photography Scavenger Photography Hunt led by Eileen and Joy for the end of January. I have made a little headway on some of the subjects although these may not be my final choices. I have also explored a few more during the last month in various posts.

No. 4 A Winter's Tale (or tail).

Not a very flattering angle of one of Bladud's swine situated in the covered market in Bath. Here is the rest of him.

 No. 6 Wrapping Paper 

There was so much around at Christmas. What was I thinking about not getting this one sorted then? A trip to Tescos did the trick except that the wrapping paper is situated by the cafe. There were a lot of coffee drinkers wondering what I was doing.

No. 7 On the Water.

I have already posted a few possibilities for this one. I took this when on my last walk and talk along a part of the Kennet and Avon canal.

No. 8 Silver.

A bauble on our tree.

No. 9 In the Making 

I had an excess of double cream so decided to make some ice cream. I have experimented with a few flavours lately. Stem ginger and coffee was very nice and here I have tried mint choc chip. It's ready to spoon into the box to freeze.

No. 13 A line of.....

Back to the canal. A line of waterside houses and a great reflection too!

No. 20 Detail

This is a detail of a crochet "cover" we came across by the harbourside.

Do you want to see the rest of it?

I'm afraid I have forgotten what it was all about.

No. 22 Symmetry 

This gate is part of Sydney Gardens in Bath and gives access to the canal.

Then this was a near perfect reflection on the canal itself.

I've actually done more than I thought. I'm looking forward to seeing all your collections.

A Few Bulbs

Part of our walk on Friday took us through Victoria Park in Bath. This park covers a large area in front and to the side of the famous Royal Crescent. Large areas of the grass were covered in pale purple crocuses.

They looked colourful in the sunshine. 

They have naturalised well especially in the Botanical Gardens part of the park.

We Meet at Last

You may recall that my second great nephew was born at the end of November. It has taken us quite a while to meet this little chap with my mum being in hospital, then Christmas and then all the coughing bugs. Anyway yesterday was the big day and my niece and her family came for lunch.

So we met Charlie properly.

It was also great of course to see big brother Theo.

It was also an opportunity for Great Grandma to meet the latest family member.

When lunch was over it was time for a bit of work and the visitors came to help. First a bit of practice on directing sheep. 

Then the practice was put into action.

Followed by watching Farmer Daughter working.

Inspecting the cows.

Then trying out the tractor.

I think I can safely say that a good day was had by all.

On the Water 2

Following on from yesterday I have some more offerings for No. 7 On the Water of the photo hunt. This time they are in Bath at the beginning of our walk. We met in a cafe with an enviable view out of it's window. Situated in Grand Parade it looks out towards the river.

  

It incidentally had it's own "library" which conveniently provided a picture for No. 11 A Library or Bookshop. 

Across the road there is one of the iconic views of Bath. Pultney Bridge is a classic part of 18th Century Bath with its shops built on the bridge.

The weir below is part of Bath's flood defences and is being put to the test with all this rain.

It is running high covering the steps and has caught a lot of debris that has floated down the river.

On the Water Part 1

One of the choices for the Winter Photography Scavenger Hunt is No. 7 On the Water. The last two walks that I have done with my walking group incorporated some kind of water, surprisingly enough not rain!

Our December walk was in Bristol and we walked around a fair bit of the harbour. This regenerated area is rich in colour both in the houses on the edge and the boats on the water.

On the left of this first picture is St Mary Redcliffe Church spire. This can be seen from quite some distance. The church is reputed to be described by Queen Elizabeth I as "The fairest, goodliest and most famous parish church in England". There are also caves accessed through the wall below the houses where red sand was mined for the production of glass and pottery. A fascinating step back into Bristol's history.

Further on there is a marina of more modern boats.

There is a blend of old and new houses all equally brightly painted. It has become quite the trendy place to live.

Our destination was the boat seen in these two pictures.

The Grainbarge is a floating restaurant where we had a very pleasant if not slightly different Christmas meal. My choice was the chicken stuffed with whiskey haggis. My only complaint would the brussel sprouts which were so hard they would have made great canon balls to aim at the famous SS Great Britain which was directly opposite.

The First Flowering Bulbs

The days are getting slightly longer. Despite all the rain there is occasionally a little promise of Spring in the air. Snowdrops are beginning to come out.

An encouraging sight to see.

Take Three Thursday: Six Months Old

I am joining Mary Lou again with her Thursday meme showing 3 photos from this week. It's quite a while since I have done a Poppy post. So here she is.

The sun was shining when we went for a walk today so an ideal time to capture her.

She is now 6 months old and becoming a little more testing. Her favourite trick is finding different ways to get out of the garden. Bless her!

Horses are In

We have had a very wet spell of weather which has made all the fields very soggy. When the weather is like this we cannot let the horses out. We have a system of putting up a sign when the horses have to remain in their stables. 

My niece's horse Vicky is very well behaved and is allowed to wander out on the grass in the yard while her stable is mucked out.

She is styling her new head ware.

Ahh, that's better!

Now for a quick leg stretch to the muck heap.

Take Three Thursday : Winter Sky

I have just made it still in Thursday to join Mary-Lou in her Thursday meme where you capture three pictures of what you have noticed.

It's been a glorious if not rather cold day and most of the time I was indoors helping with the lunch club. Thank goodness for the days getting longer because I got home in time to walk Poppy while it was still light. 

The sun was just beginning to go behind the trees and hedge but I caught these on my phone of the lovely sky and the tree silhouettes.

A Sense of History

My December walk with my walking group was around some of the historic parts of Bristol. I have chosen some of the sights that we passed as possible options for No. 16 A Sense of History in the Winter photo hunt. One of our first stops was The Exchange in Corn St. Once a busy corn exchange and now part of St Nicholas Market. Outside are some of the original 'nails' where merchants carried out their business. The pillars had edges to the tables to prevent coins rolling off. Deals were closed by payments on the nails. 

We also passed one of the oldest taverns in Bristol. The Llandoger Trow was built in 1664.

This fish restaurant was originally a granary on the harbourside built in 1869 in what is known as the Bristol Byzantine style. It has also been a nightclub in the 70's and 80's. It remains quite a striking building.

Lastly the replica of John Cabot's Mathew outlines the far more modern Big Wheel in the background.

A Few Options for the Photo Hunt

I have been very slow getting going with the Winter Photography Scavenger Hunt. I did however manage a couple at the Aerospace Museum. 

No. 2 Luggage 

This cross section of a plane doesn't have any passengers but it does have the luggage!

No. 25 A Peek Inside 

There were several cockpits on view to peep into to give a feel of being the pilot.