Odd Shots On Monday

Here I am at last.
I've been out all day and I've only now turned my computer on.

This is my Odd Shot this week.

The post in the photo carries telephone wires and a road light.
The whitewashed wall behind borders the old graveyard, which might possibly explain the strange decoration.

Or possibly not!

For other Odd Shots this week, visit Katney, who had the idea in the first place.

I Have New Ear-rings!

I am very pleased with myself!

Beautiful little silver dragons.

Stephen took these photos for me.

Saturday PhotoHunt - High.

Time for the Saturday PhotoHunt again.

This week the theme is HIGH

We don't have high buildings.
We don't have high bridges.
We don't even have high trees.

What we do have is the highest mountain in Co Donegal.

Mount Errigal is a quartzite mountain, 751meters (2466 feet) high.

The notch at the top, according to local legend, was made by Lugh's spear when he slew the evil giant Balor, and the reddish streak from the notch is said to be Balor's blood.

To see other high posts, visit Tnchick.

Happy Hunting.

ABC Wednesday - J

Here I am, back just in time for ABC Wednesday. This week we've reached the letter J - and we have a fancy new logo!

J is for JUG

This lustre jug was bought for me by my grandfather when I was a tiny baby.
They were much sought-after, being made of pottery but copper-glazed to look like metal.

The top picture shows the colour more accurately. The bottom one shows the detail better.

I've been told that lustre-ware jugs like this were made in Staffordshire, but we always considered it to be Welsh. There's no potter's mark on the base or anywhere else.

If any of you have any knowledge in this field, I'd love to know more about my jug.

If you'd like to join the fun, visit Mrs Nesbit who started the whole thing.

Have a good Wednesday.

Saturday PhotoHunt - Metal

I'm posting tonight rather than tomorrow morning, as I've a busy weekend ahead. I may not be able to do much visiting, although I'll call on as many of you as I can.

Anyway, the theme for this week is

METAL

and here is my offering.

This is a metal grid in the road, covering a drain. If you look closely you can see the water several feet below, still draining away after the last rain.

Saturday PhotoHunt is hosted by TNChick - visit her to find more participants and to join in the fun.

Happy Hunting.

Treasure!

Nearly two weeks ago, during Saturday PhotoHunt, I saw something fascinating on a blog I visited. MyMaracas showed us all a Harmony Kingdom Treasure Jest, and I fell in love. Her post is here.

I searched around the internet, and I found the perfect item for me. It's called "Saint or Sinner". It just arrived, and I'm delighted with it.

It's a dragon, a lovely little dragon.The top comes off, and there's a small space inside to keep a tiny treasure.

If you look carefully, you might be able to see something already inside.


The skeleton of a Knight who thought he'd kill the dragon!
I should think so, too!

Thank you MyMaracas.

ABC Wednesday - I

It's Wednesday again, and today the letter is I.

Now you may think I should have posted this first picture last week, but for today's purposes this is not holly.
I am proud to present, fresh from my garden,

Ilex Aquifolium


Followed by two pictures of an unexpected little guest growing in a trough that's waiting to be cleared, cleaned, and eventually replanted, a pretty little dwarf

Iris

There's an out-of-focus Ivy leaf in the background, too, which reminds me of a couple of other photos.

Ivy by a mossy stone,

And flowering Ivy (with bramble and montbretia leaves) taken last October.

And that's an illustration of the difficulty I had voting in Mrs Nesbit's poll this morning. Mrs Nesbit hosts ABC Wednesday (do visit her to meet other participants and to join in the fun!) and she asked "How often during the week do you think about ABC Wednesday?" Now, I find myself thinking all the time that a shot would do nicely for next week. But sometimes I think and think, and nothing comes to mind, so I search my files, and even then I can be left wondering what to do. Those are usually the times when a last-minute idea hits me out of the blue. That was true this morning while I was arranging this post, and I thought of the Ivy.

I wish I had a more organised mind.

Periwinkle and Reflection

It's been another beautiful day, sunny and not too cold, although there was a frost last night.
The first flower has appeared on the periwinkle at the top of my garden, and the whole plant looks really healthy. It should cover that area nicely in the future.

Here's the sunlit top of our front wall reflected in the bonnet (hood) of our car. The double window to the right belongs to Stephen's room, and the smaller one to the left is the tiny spare room.
I love sunny weather.

Odd Shots On Paddy's Day!

Earlier I posted a picture of the Welsh flag. I should hurriedly point out that this was not intended to be an insult to the Patron Saint of my adoptive country. St Patrick's Day is a big occasion here.

So I have a mildly Irish Odd Shot today, but before I show you I'll give you a very quick history lesson.

Irish homes used to be roofed with thatch, rushes gathered locally and laid over the rafters. Sometimes the wind lifted the thatch, so twisted rope was thrown over and tied to stones left jutting from the tops of the walls. Where these stones were not available, loose stones were tied to the ends of the ropes to help hold down the thatch.



Bearing this in mind, I offer my Odd Shot for today.


For more Odd Shots, visit Katney and join the fun.

Thank You

I've been a bit "under the weather" so I didn't post yesterday - just visited a bit now and then. So I'm writing this now to say a big

THANK YOU

to all of you who visited my PhotoHunt entry and left such kind comments. I really appreciate the fact that you took the time to look in and let me know you were here.

To those of you interested in plants, I have to confess that I have no idea what one of those in my planter could be. There's the pink primula, some variegated ivy, a small tree-like plant that looks like something I've seen called "Goldcrest" (whatever that is!) and the mystery plant. This plant looks at first like the herb rosemary, but it's much paler in colour and hasn't the distinctive scent. As I said, I've no idea what it is, but it looks good!

My dragon is from a pewter pendant. Apart from the colour (which is pewter, of course!) it is the dragon from the Welsh national flag. He's a very friendly dragon, and gets on well with all the others. Oh, I wish there were dragon-eggs!


Editing this to say I've just realised that this was my 100th post. And to think I'd no idea what to do with a blog when I started!

I must extend the above thanks to all of you for making my on-line life so interesting.

Saturday PhotoHunt - I Spy

It's time for the Saturday PhotoHunt again, and this week's theme is I Spy.

The picture above is a planter I bought because it had some pretty, spring-like primulas. I'm afraid the recent high winds and hailstones have bruised the flowers a bit, but there are plenty of buds growing up to make new flowers.

I spy with my little eye,
something beginning with
D

Can you see my Welsh Dragon lurking in the greenery?

Click on the photo to make it bigger.

Look closely.

There he is!

For more PhotoHunters, pay a visit to tnchick, who started all the fun.

Happy Hunting!

Dog-Walking

Walking the dog can sometimes feel like a chore. After all, she can do what she needs in the garden, so a walk isn't necessary, is it?

I've explained this to her time and again, but it never works. She, unlike me, doesn't mind getting windblown, soaked with rain, and hammered by hail - and she adores snow! She has explained to me that she needs to go out, so that she can nose out who's been where and when - and exactly what they've done since she was this way last.

She has to know!

So I carry on taking her out.

I have to admit, though, that it has its advantages. Like this lovely scene by the old graveyard wall. There are no leaves on these alder trees as yet, but the daffodils are opening well and the grass is starting to grow.

It may not always feel much like it, but Spring is well on the way.

ABC Wednesday - H

Today's ABC Wednesday has reached the letter H.

H
is for

HOOKS

I couldn't choose between these two, so I'm offering both. They don't normally look as neat as this - I dropped a variety of coats on the floor to take these shots. Don't worry, I put them back afterwards so no-one will ever know!

Then I just had to add this one - the most important HOOK in the house!


For more ABC Wednesday pictures visit Mrs Nesbit's Pace. Have a good Wednesday.

Typing Test

Found this over at Damama T, and I thought I'd try it out.

26 words

Speedtest

Oh dear! I think I need to practise!

Belated Thanks.

I've just visited my friend Barbara's blog, for the first time in over a week, and look what she had for me there!

I'm so pleased and proud, although I don't know what I've done to deserve it. Thank you so much, my friend.

Vocabulary Test.

I found this on Rosebud's blog, and I thought it was rather fun. Well, I would, wouldn't I?

Your Vocabulary Score: A+

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Odd Shots On Monday

On my dressing-table.

Visit Katney to join the fun.

Hmm. Looking at this after the benefit of coffee, I see it's not properly in focus. Oh dear, sorry, must do better next time.

Saturday PhotoHunt - Different.

Today's theme for Saturday PhotoHunt is

Different

On one of my walks I found this small plant growing through the tarmac in the road. It's a quiet road, without much heavy traffic, but just the same I thought this was

DIFFERENT

For more Different photos, visit tnchick.

Happy Hunting.

Hedge Fan.

I found this hedge when I was out walking. It's on top of a bank, above my head, spreading like a fan. I'd like to see it in sunshine, against a blue sky, but there was no chance of that this time!

Those daffodils will open soon.

ABC Wednesday - G

Today's ABC Wednesday features the letter G.

G is for GARAGE.

Now, being me, my take on garage is a bit unusual, but if you're all sitting comfortably, then I'll begin. (Slight digression for those in a younger age-group than mine - that was the way the old radio programme "Listen With Mother" used to start!)

Once upon a time there was a garden shed. This shed was old, and had been used for a lot of things. One day a young man bought a motor scooter and stored it in the shed. Later he also bought a motor-bike. This also needed to be kept in the shed, but the door was very narrow. The young man's brother came and built new doors for a new wider doorway.

Yes, it fits!

So the shed became a GARAGE.
And lived happily ever after.

Then on my walk I found another GARAGE. This one keeps the worst of the weather off a small Hard-working tractor.

For more G words, visit MrsNesbit and the other participants, and have a Good Wednesday.

Icicles for Kate!

Look, we had icicles, too!

This one's for you, Kate.
(Snowed under in Maine!)

Cold Fire

This was my garden yesterday. Now I know this is nothing to you people living in snowy areas, but for us - this is SNOW!My poor wee dragon had his daffodil stuck to his nose.

And the houses behind us had snow over their turf stacks.

Cold fire!