16: a panoramic view taken while standing somewhere high in the air.
This is the view from the front gate of the Bluefunnels house. I told you they live on the top of a hill.
They look across the Severn Estuary towards England. Those darned trees need pruning though

4: people playing a board game or card game.
Take your pick because there are borad games, war games and roleplaying games going
on in this hall. This was the one picture I knew I would get because I am one of the organisers of this Games Con.
Dragondaze was invented by me in 1984. It fell out of use for 20 years and was revived last year as a fund raising event for Barnardo's Young Carers. We seem to have done pretty well again this year.

Take a look at the website in a couple of days and we'll have the pictures of this year up there.

A dreary day but a great day out

21. A photograph of me with a sign reading "2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt"
The title page of the album for this year - good grief I have just looked at the junk heap
behind me!

16. Apanoramic view, taken while standing somewhere high in the air. I don't do high. I get vertigo standing on a chair
I live in South Wales where we specialise in steep-sided valleys so this is
a Welsh panoramic vista complete with low flying clouds. The reason our valleys are so green is because
the mountains rip the bottoms out of the clouds and they leak all over the place

15. A flagpole with at least three flags on it. Only it isn't. it is actually a mast and a separate flagpole behind it
- at least thirty yards behind it. The perspective makes them look close together and the zoom lens on my
trusty Lumix (did you know it has a Leica lens?) gave the illusion. Driving up the road that is actually between
the two poles showed me that I could not cheat. This opne is going to be difficult

13. A Merry go round or carousel. Thrilled to get this one, not able to stop because this is Barry Island
on a Thursday afternoon during the high holiday season. For thos that watched Gavin & Stacey it might seem a little familiar as this is the promenade at Barry, where they would get on or off the bus. This shot taken at 20mph through the passenger window

Another shot of the same Merry go round. This time at about 5mph through the driver's window. Mr M aas a bonus in the picture. What you cannot see is the fine rain that is falling from all those ripped clouds

more for the Scavenger Hunt? - not sure

10. A college or University.
This is the University of Wales, Newport City Campus. It says
so on the sign. Difficult to capture it because we were going past at around 25mph
in traffic so I had to click as quickly as I could and hope for the best

16. A panoramic view taken while standing somewhere high
I am quite chuffed with this one simply because I got the gateway
and not just another hedge picture. I have a cunning plan for the real picture

20. A natural body of water
This is technically not the sea. This is the Severn Estuary -
actually this part is called the Bristol Channel by most people but that is
really just the navigable bit that goes to Avonmouth. This is the
beach at Trecco Bay, Porthcawl. Two of the three youngest grandchildren
enjoying a sunny day on a beach no longer stained with coal dust from the coal port at Cardiff

Summertime scavenger hunt - repeats

These are alternatives for number 6. A Metal bridge. This is our Tranny. The Transporter Bridge. There are only eight in the whole world and three of them are in the UK Ours here in Newport and another in Middlesboro that works differently but dominates the skyline just like ours and one in Warrington that is not working..
Here's the history lesson
It was commissioned to enable the workers from the Lysaghts ironworks to get across the river from where they lived to where they worked without having to travel two miles along the west bank of the Usk to get to the town bridge and then two miles down the east side to get to the works.
Because the River Usk, along with  the Bristol Channel has the second highest tidal rise and fall in the world the road base had to be very high above the river so that ships coming to the docks could get through on a high tide ( they needed the high tide to get into the docks). The banks are low at this point so a traditional bridge would have been too steep for traffic to use.
Ferdinand Arnodin designed our bridge with a platform that hung from the bogie on the top of the bridge and the bogie was propelled across the girders by cables and a motor and the traffic could park in the platform and be "transported" across.
Now a personal story
In the late 1970s - before I met him - Mr M was working at Lysaghts (now called Orb Electrical Steels, where he still works) and he had been out with a friend and was going home to change before making a night of it "on the town" he drove onto the gondola as the platform is called and it started across the river. The gondola stopped halfway across the river because the cable that turns the thingy that makes the bogie go across the girders broke. after sitting there for four hours they were eventually winched back to the side they had started from and they had to go the long way around. He has never been on it since.

Scavenger Hunt - a couple more

Grocery shopping and I got two more items from the list

17. At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms

I did ask the bakery workers if I could take their picture but they told me I had to have permission from the store.
As I had already taken this I shut up and carried on shopping

We went from the store to the petrol station and while Mr M was filling our car and trotting off to pay I saw this poor, sad, Billy-no-mates bouquet sagging out of its bucket and thought it was just perfect for the hunt

1. A Bouquet of flowers

Scavenger Hunt - two more last evening.

6. A metal bridge

7. A turtle

We went to Chepstow Garden Centre to buy me a new bag. I also bought a pair of sandals. On the way out we spotted a turtle propping up the deliveries folder so we crossed that off the list.

dinner at Paige's

We kind of decided to go home the pretty way so we headed up the Wye Valley and I asked Mr M to slow down so I could get a picture of the bridge over the river at Redbrook. It is a footbridge that goes to the Boat Inn. If you want to drive there then you have to go a few miles downstream and then cross at the road bridge.

Mr M intended to go to Jo's for dinner but they close at 5pm so we headed across country towards Abergavenny where there are several pubs that do food. We paused at The Bell at Skenfrith but a) they don't start serving until 6.30pm and b) as soon as we refused the wine list because we don't drink the man said that the chef wasn't arriving until 6.30pm and did we really want to wait?

We decided he could keep his alcohol filled food and his wine list with the exorbitant prices and we headed towards home. Then we remembered Paige's.

This is a fish and chip shop, not just any old chip shop it has a restaurant and they serve all sorts of fishy goodness. Mr M had Hake and I had Plaice. As you can see it is HUGE. We made the mistake of having a king prawn starter so I ate the peas and all the fish but only half the batter and four chips. Yep, that's right, this chip loving woman ate only four chips because she was so full of delicious fish and I even left a little of the batter too.

Scavenger Hunt - more from our Anniversary Break

14 Traffic Signal

The traffic signal took some getting because it was too far away when we were stopped and then, of course, everyone rushes through as soon as it goes to green. It's a good job I am experienced at this speed photography lark

5. Architectural columns

Saw these columns - well, actually Mr M said "Haven't WE got achitectural columns on our Scavenger list?" So I looked and said "Ooooooohhhh yes!"


Took pictures of both sides of me. This was at Killerton House, in Devon. We had delicious food there. The National Trust source as much as they possibly can from the local area so the pork loin in my dinner as well as the courgette, tomato and herbs for the Ratatouille all came from the estate at Killerton and the cheeses all were made with milk from local farms and came from a somerset cheesemaker for Mr Ms Ploughman's lunch.

5. Architectural columns

12. A Public restroom, bathroom or toilet

The toilets were pretty smart too. Not a great fan of pink walls in a ladies loo but this seems to be the fashion at the moment. I would prefer to see something not quite so sexist - but that's the "Rabid women's libber", as I was once called, in me - something like a rich clotted cream colour or a strong lilac. This is something I will be suggesting to the NT on my next feedback card.

20. A natural body of water

My view of the Bristol Channel from the car at 70mph, you can just see my reflection in the wing mirror. The tide was out so what we can really see is mostly mudflats with the deep water channel in the far distance. The coastline is north Somerset.

Summertime Photo Scavenger hunt trophies!

3. A person walking a dog

12. A Public Restroom, bathroom or toilet

 We spent a few days away in south Somerset and Devon. We visited several National Trust properties and I found a load of things for the scavenger hunt. As usual many of the pictures were taken while travelling at speeds of up to 70mph, although we did manage to be stationary for some of them.

9. A Tent

11. A Cellular Tower or Television satellite dish

19. A Ticket Booth

16. A Panoramic view taken while standing somewhere
up High

20. A Natural body of water.

Number 8 Someone "plugged in" to social media

We went to the Black Country Museum today with the Lord Admiral and Lady Bluefunnel

It is a fascinating place with old houses and shops and the Workmen's Institute. So much to learn and so much to see. We went into the cafe after our two trips on the trolley bus and there was this couple, totally sucked into their phones 

Summertime Photographic Scavenger Hunt -

We're Off!!!

Here's the list as published by Rinda on 1st June

1. A bouquet of flowers
2. An ornate door knocker
3. A person walking a dog (or other animal)
4. People playing a board game or card game
5. Architectural columns
6. A metal bridge
7. A turtle
8. Someone "plugged in" to social media 
9. A tent
10. A college or university
11. A cellular tower or television satellite dish
12. A public restroom, bathroom, or toilet
13. A merry-go-round or carousel
14. A traffic signal
15. A flag pole with at least three flags on it
16. A panoramic view, taken while standing someplace high in the air
17. At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms
18. An overloaded truck, car, bicycle or other vehicle
19. A ticket booth
20. A natural body of water
21. A photograph of you with a sign reading "2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt". Note: you may not use a substitute for this item.
If you find something on the list too difficult, you may substitute one of the following items for any one item on the list, except for Item #21:
Alternative A: People eating outside
Alternative B: Someone holding an umbrella
Alternative C: A rocking chair 

2. An Ornate Doorknocker

This is so good because this is MY door! The knocker is brass but has not been cleaned since it was put there 34 years ago. It is perfect for wiring the Christmas wreath to every year and occasionally people use it to knock the door when they don't see the glowing bell-push at the side of the door. So good to have started

Valentine's Postcard Exchange

 These are the postcards I received. aren't they lovely?
It was such good fun choosing and sending out my cards and then waiting... I hate waiting ...

Some of them came from so far away and now they are pinned to my wall until December 31st.

What? you don't do that? oh I love postcards and I have kept every one I have ever received since I was a small child. My Granny used to send me a postcard every time she went anywhere. She went to America for three months to visit her brothers and sisters who emigrated there in the 1920s and she sent me more than 50 cards which were destroyed during an altercation in a previous life.
I kept my postcards well hidden after that. Mr M doesn't share my love of postcards but he has been known to carefully put away any new additions in the file drawers allocated to them.


I always pin them to the wall just behind the front door - after I have read them and showed them to Mr M of course - and there they stay until the end of the year when they will be transferred into categories in the drawer

Thank you to everyone who has sent me postcards in the Valentine's Postcard exchange

I will come back and put a picture of all my received postcards when all six have arrived. In the mean time I will just say thank you to everyone for taking part and giving me so much fun. I love receiving postcards. One of the things my children will have to do when I am gone is decide what the heck to do with my 60 year old collection of postcards - some of them much older than that too.

Definitely NMP (not my problemo)

Sometimes I worry...

Sometimes I worry because I see other people's blogs with pictures of their scrapbook pages and they have all sorts of stuff on the page. Metal stuff like paper clips and staples, wooden bits like pegs and they use different tapes and stickies. 

I worry because staples will rust... not "might" rust but will definitely rust as will paper clips. Sticky tapes will dry and the sticky might damage pictures unless it is acid free.

 I wonder if they have thought about how long their pages will last with all this stuff - putting doilies on a page is fine as long as they are not the cheap ones from the bargain shop because they are NOT acid free and the paper will leach the acids into the acid free paper and leave a permanent doily impression on the backs of pictures and that will soak through the pictures.

 I think I have to make a resolution to stop worrying for other people

In the mean time here is a ZiZo Miss Boo enjoying an after dinner magnum