ABC Wednesday - O.

Denise is the originator of this theme.
She is very unhappy at the moment, having suffered the sudden loss of her dog.
You are in all our hearts, Denise.

This week we have reached the letter O.
In this house, O can only be for OWLS.

Yes, I know I am a dragon addict, but my husband is an owl person. His earliest memory is of an owl hooting, and he has always loved them.
This is the first owl in his collection. It came from an old hotel in Swansea, very many years ago, and has stayed with him since. It normally lives in a glass dome, but my camera refused to focus properly because of the reflections. So here is Spook, exposed to the world.

All the family looks out for more owls for his collection.

Small...

...and large.

Sometimes I wonder how we find room for ourselves, with all the collections in the house!
Please see the ABC page for this week's participants. MckLinky misbehaved earlier, so you may need to check the comments to find everyone.

Monochrome Weekly Theme

Aileni started this theme.

More monochromes can be found through the dedicated page.

A Dragon Award

I have been given a most prestigious award.

The great and powerful Fandango has passed this on to me, and it has cheered me up a lot!

As ever, the award comes with rules.

1. As a dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through blogging.

2. To seek the reasons why we all love blogging.

3. Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it.
(I'm a wee bit late, but I hope I'll be forgiven.)

4. Don’t forget to mention the person who gives you the award.
(Done that!)

5. Answer the award’s question by writing the reason why you love blogging.
Blogging has brought me many friends.

6. Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.
I'm sending this to Dilly, as she is a dragon princess.

7. Don’t forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.
(Done)

Monochrome Weekly Theme

This post is very late in the week, but I didn't want to miss altogether.
I want to thank all of you who visited and left comments last week. I'm sorry not to have returned those kind visits - I have been quite unwell. I'm hoping to be able to catch up soon.

This week's photo is of a succulent plant on my windowsill.

Visit the Monochrome page for a load of excellent photos.

ABC Wednesday - M and N.

I missed last week - not at all well.
So I'm doing two weeks in one.

M is for MUG.
I posted a new egg-cup for E, and later I found a matching Mug which I now use all the time for my coffee. The dragons are irresistible!

Now for this week's letter.

N is for Nailvarnish.
I love nailvarnish and I have many colours.

And here are some painted Nails.

Denise started this fun idea, and more entries can be found on the ABC page.

Wilma is in my heart, Denise.

Monochrome Weekly Theme

Started by Aileni.

Detail of a beached crab/lobster trap of the newer variety.
The iron weight can be seen inside.

Many more pictures can be found through the Monochrome page.

ABC Wednesday - L.

L
is for
LUSTRE-WARE
(or luster-ware if you live in the USA)

Pottery was glazed with a metalic finish, and this became popular in well-to-do houses. Displays of lustreware jugs brought a glow to a farmhouse dresser. Sometimes the technique was used to give a mother-of-pearl quality to the item.
Wikipedia has an article here.

I think I posted this jug last year some time. It was made in a local pottery, most likely Llanelly, and bought for me by my grandfather when I was a small baby. It's probably quite valuable now - but it's certainly not for sale!

I've shown this pie funnel before, as well. Although it's old, it's a relatively recent acquisition. Pie funnels were used to keep the piecrust from sagging into the filling, and to let the steam from the cooking escape. The ones I grew up with (which were still used at times) were much plainer items than this gorgeous copper lustre dragon!

This is an example of the mother-of pearl lustre. It's a fascinating fish-shaped jug (the tail is the handle.) The fascinating part is that it's a gurgle jug. The hollow of the jug goes right round into the tail/handle. When liquid is poured the displaced air makes a gurgling sound. I have to say that it doesn't pour all that tidily, but it's fun!

Denise started this great theme over two years ago.
Many more L posts can be found through the ABC Wednesday page.

Monochrome Weekly Theme

The bell outside the Old Chapel, Dungloe.

This theme was started by Aileni.
More participants, and some wonderful shots, can be found through the Monochrome page.