Scavenger hunt - the start

I have already said that We are going to have a go at Rinda's scavenger hunt because Mr M was keen. Today we went out to find a PYO farm to get some gooseberries. There was an advert in the local paper for a place just outside Abergavenny and as it wasn't raining when we set out, we thought we would see if we could find it.
There were detailed directions in the advertisement, but for that to be useful a person has to remember to cut out the advert AND take it with them when they go looking. To spare you the details of our journey through the lanes outside Abergavenny I'll just say that it only took four U-turns before we read the signs correctly and found the farm.

A Pheasant not flying away

 It was kind of useful though, because we got a photograph of a pheasant - yes, I know that isn't on the scavenger hunt but it has long been an ambition of Mr M to get a picture of a pheasant that wasn't a blurred blob disappearing into the distance. 

A heck of a place for a bus stop

We also got a picture of a red, double-decker bus in a field. We don't know why it was there but we just had to slow down and take a picture.
That is quite a key phrase, "we just had to slow down." This is because most of my photography has to be through the windscreen of the car at an average speed of 40 mph. I have been known to hand Mr M a squeegee thingy and tell him that if I am to continue as chief photographer I need clean windows.

The Church of St Brigid, Skenfrith

This is one for the scavenger hunt. A Church, Chapel, Cathedral, Mosque or Temple.
This is The Church of St Brigid, Skenfrith. It is a fabulous little place and well worth a visit if you are ever in the area. The village of Skenfrith clusters around the castle - a magnificent ruin. The church is a short walk along the lane - a hundred yards at most. It has a 14th century cope in a display case within the church, unless they have finally managed to get the funding for the new display case and conservation work on the cope. In which case there will be a space where it used to be.
The other claim to fame for St Brigid's Church is that it featured in an episode of Dr Who. The episode was called "Amy's Choice".

shopping at the roadside

Another for the scavenger hunt: A Roadside stand selling something

This is also in Skenfrith, they sell tea and coffee and crafts and plants and delicious cakes and sandwiches. It is open on Saturday and Sunday during the summer and all profits go to the church and the village hall.

A border.

Mr M slowed right down so that I had time to turn the camera on - the only downside to digital photography - I even managed to take two pictures before we were past it and gaining speed up the hill. He doesn't like to hang around, my husband.

A symbol of my nation

"Give me your camera and hold this!" he said as we went into Oakchurch farm shop. So I gave him my camera and held the leek. The expression on my face says "I am doing this because I love and trust you"...... I do look a bit like a pillow half stuffed into a pillow case don't I? and I seem to be a vision in pink today, not sure why.
Anyway, when he had taken the picture and given me back the camera he then replaced the leek on the shelf and I was still none the wiser so I asked.
"Why did I have to hold a leek?"
The look on his face told me that I was just not paying attention here. "A photograph of you with something that symbolises your nation!" he said, very slowly so that dimbo here could understand. I paused, and then realised that having read the list once or twice now he has it committed to memory. So not a bad day out altogether. We picked gooseberries, bought strawberries from the same place - we are not built for picking strawberries, they are too far down. We bought Rhubarb and apples and lemons from the Oakchurch shop and decided that we really like the stuff they have there but we need to take the cold box and the freezer box with us next time. We had a delightful afternoon out and took a few good pictures.

Four down seventeen to go.

Storage Solutions

the stuff under the table belongs to my cousin

The new Scrap365 is on sale - I love that magazine! and on their blog here they ask us about our storage solutions. I do the same as most people I suppose. I use the clear plastic food containers that our chinese takeaway is delivered in.
They are perfect for small stuff and you can see through them. I find  if I put stuff into solid containers it is like a vanishing trick and I forget I have stuff. so no drawers or boxes that can't be clearly marked or that don't sit in my direct line of sight. I have a "really useful" storage box full of these wonderful containers. They don't smell of food after a go through the dishwasher and they are just perfect for me.

So there ya go, my storage solution. I am sure more people will join in with this so pop over to Scrap365's blog and take a look

Scavenger Hunt!!!

I have decided to take part in Rinda's scavenger hunt this year. I saw some of the pictures that Sian and Mel put onto their blogs and thought what a fun project it seemed to be.
Today I saw that Rinda had published this year's list so I showed it to Mr M and he said "Print it off and don't forget it when we go out."
I am taking this to mean that we are in it!!
As I don't go out unless I am with someone, this is going to be a good challenge.

Looking forward to the summer now

Scrap365 Sketch challenge

I just couldn't resist this and had to have a go.  The pictures were taken at the recent Food Festival here in Newport. The lovely lady in red was making a mermaid for Em and while she was doing it two young girls from the nearby hairdressing salon came to watch.

from the sketch by Wendy McKee

"How did you learn to do that?" the first one asked.
"I went to Ballooniversity" replied the lady, keeping her face totally straight.
"Really?" said the second girl "oh, cool! Where did you have to go?"

"Airshire" she answered giving a little wink to Em.

Both Andrea and I were in fits of laughter but the hairdressers totally accepted it.

We might live in a fast moving technological age but gullible is still out there catching people unawares, thank goodness for that.

Craft Robo YAY!

I now have my craft Robo set up in my craft room! for the first time I will be crafting in the same room as the robo AND it has its own laptop so I just flick a switch and I am ready to ROBO!!!!

Now all I have to do is transfer all the files I have on my desk top to a stick so I can transfer them to the laptop because it doesn't connect to the internet upstairs, the walls are too thick.The next thing will be to get a printer for that computer - sigh - there's always something isn't there?

Sketch Challenge

I am not a great fan of layers or embellishments, I just can't often be bothered to fiddle too much - lazy that's why. However, I saw this challenge in the May edition of Scrap365 and decided to have a bit of a go.
It helped that my granddaughter and her partner and daughter were staying with us this weekend so I had someone to scrap with - it is so good to chatter while scrapping.
This is the result of my endeavours.

Journalling will go in the space at the top

I suppose I should explain the title because you simply had to be there to understand and this page is going in the album of that wedding. The simplest way to explain is with another picture

official hotel notice

I had to take a picture of the notice put up by the hotel and, of course, everything that happened for the rest of the day referred back to that error, hence Weeding the speech.
Daft I know but it was a great icebreaker amongst the guests and families and it took away some of the terrors for the Grooms as they were both shaking like leaves in autumn before the ceremony.

Take a look at the Scrap365 challenge

I have been scrapping again!

It seems to have been ages since I last sat down and "did" a proper page. I am not one for lots of embellishments or folderols. I like the picture to be visible and the story to be there with it. I like the writing to be clear and I have always thought that telling the story is the most important thing. I have been known to fancy up the occasional page but that is always the exception.

I have been going through the drawers of photographs. Yep, that's right, they all contain photographs dating back to the 1900s.
The ones collected by my Granny are still kept in Grandpop's Ditty box. At least those that haven't been scrapbooked yet.
OK so one of the drawers has my collection of postcards in it, so I am not sure it counts. Although I do use postcards in my scrapbooks when my own photographs are not good enough because of weather or being forbidden to use the camera inside a National Trust property.

 This is a picture of me taken in 1981 not long after Mr M and I got married. In fact we were on our Honeymoon! we got married on a Friday and had the whole weekend to ourselves because my children were staying elsewhere. We went to Goodrich Castle, then we went through the Forest of Dean and to Lechlade so it was just a skip down the road to Tadley where my new in-laws lived. I loved, and still do like a lot, the men's collarless shirt. I bought that one in a jumble sale for five pence and wore it until it fell to pieces.

 Our white van. It was a Dodge - it could also have been a Talbot or a Simca. All the same vehicle just made in different places by the same company. We loved it and it served us well. It looks a bit worn there but that is red oxide paint where we had rubbed down the rust spots and would eventually spray with white. That was the idea anyway. We never did get around to the spraying bit so for as long as it lasted it had the red patches.

 My three aged seven five and four. For several years Michael thought that Monmouth Show was put on especially for his birthday as we went every year until Dad stopped exhibiting his electric welders and retired. Just me and my kids enjoying the day out. Their Dad never came because Monmouth Show is always on a thursday and he worked nights and wouldn't take time off.

 This is Gamesfair at Reading Uni just one of the games run by a friend.

 Three little snaps taken with an instamatic camera to record a training weekend at Broneirion in spring 1981. All I can say is that if you get the chance to go on a training weekend with the Girl Guides then jump at it. We had the most amazing fun and laughed the whole time. I remember that one year we all had to make kites and then take them up the hill and fly them. I laughed so much I couldn't climb the hill and had to crawl up. This made us all laugh even more.

Oh and a Christmas weekend is just so special grab it with both hands

OH cute! didn't I look young there? Well that's because I was nineteen. I know, I know but I wouldn't change a thing. That tiny baby is all growed up now and her own daughter is seven years old and is my youngest granddaughter.

This is the best convention game EVER! This was taken at Dragondaze '86. The Roleplaying and wargaming convention we organised and ran here in Newport every year for several years.
A young man called Will Power, I kid you not, ran Asterix the Gaul. A Bar-room brawl game that was a fast and furious 45 minutes where the players had to really think on their feet about the actions of their character. Each session ended with most characters unconscious or dead and all the players breathless and laughing. I have never seen the like of it since.

So, some plain and simple pages just to show that I am not sitting here twiddling my thumbs. I might go back and put titles of some of these - on the other hand I will probably just dig out some more pictures and do some more pages.