A Woman With A Camera

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Our Greenhouse

Just about the middle of May of this year we bought our first greenhouse. However, since the base wasn’t complete yet it was put up for a week or two. But when it was finally installed on the brick base we began to fill it with plants. And we couldn’t forget the chair. Got to have somewhere to sit and watch the plants grow. And the dog likes it too.

Now, this photo is a couple of weeks later and the tomatoes are getting quite big as we planted them before the greenhouse was even ready. That is just some of the tomato plants that we have. I think we have around 15 tomato plants, 2 pumpkins, 5 cucumber, some yellow carrots, some beetroots, not forgetting the Venus Flytraps, lettuce, onions (3 kinds), parsnips and cauliflower, some of which are actually outside the greenhouse.

Our other Westie enjoys sitting in the greenhouse also. Now the path is complete and gravel on either side, which we water so the humidity is higher and keeps the place damp during the night, its easier to keep the plants healthy. It can get quite warm in there at times. Could even use it as a sauna at times.

Even our first grapes are starting to appear. We bought this grapevine a few years ago and it was kept in a pot outside the shed. Now it’s been replanted in the greenhouse and the grapes have started to grow. There were a few grapes last year but they didn’t develop too well. Hoping they grow big enough to eat this year.

Who can resist a beer while sitting down in the greenhouse? A nice place to be admiring the plants and watching them grow. Its filling up nicely. And keeping the door closed makes it feel quite cosy.

The first tomatoes have started to appear now, all this in just over a month. Most of the tomato plants have now got flowers, and some have fruit. The flowers have started to appear on the pumpkins and cucumbers as well. Things are moving along nicely now.

There are also three strawberry plants, two of which have flowers on them. Even though they are quite small plants. Don’t think there will be too many strawberries on this plant though.

Not the best photo, but this cauliflower is still quite small. Smaller than a golf ball at the moment. We have several of this vegetables growing, all around the same size. Still a long way to go before we can pick them.

And finally, the onions. Which seem to have gone a bit made with the shoots. These ones were grown from sets. But we have several others grown from seed and are looking a bit better than these at the moment, if a lot smaller. Along with the leeks, all of which are growing outside the greenhouse. Just wondering what to grow in the greenhouse over the winter now. Got to get the thinking caps on. And do some more research.

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Our New Greenhouse

We have just bought a new greenhouse and it arrived a few weeks ago. The base was prepared, if not finished, and then erected. We had already started to grow some plants for the greenhouse and some was given to us. So, in they went, even though the floor isn’t completed yet. But it works for now. There was just a small space left and what to put in that space. A chair for somewhere to sit. Fits perfectly. Got to have somewhere to sit.

Then as we were transplanting some tomatoes in the greenhouse, our dog, Millie decided to join us. It was a little wet and windy outside in the garden. But in the greenhouse it was lovely and warm. So, she settled down and enjoyed the space. Where the tomatoes are in this photo we are going to make a small raised bed eventually for the tomatoes to grow in. And maybe other plants too.

It began to get quite warm at one point. But would Millie move? No. She was enjoying the heat too much. It took her a moment to work out how to get in the greenhouse the first time as there is a bit of a step to get over until the inside is raised up a bit. But once she had accomplished it she found it quite easy. I think we will have a visitor in the greenhouse whenever the door is open now.

The last two Tulips left in our garden. Thought I would get a photo of them before they disappeared until next year.

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My Bucket List Challenge

A few years ago I started my bucket list, all the things I would like to do before I die. Only thing was, that was as far as I got. I didn’t do any of them. So this year I resided to do something about it. One of those things on my list was to take a photo every day for a year. So I started this on the 1st of January 2020 and so far I have managed to take a photo every day. Some of those photo’s aren’t very good. Just snaps really. The the point is I’m taking those photo’s. I have started a group on Facebook to upload my photo’s but I thought I would start a blog also. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1024247111263573/ This is the address if you would like to take a look at it.

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.

R.I.P Gracie

We lost our lovely girl, Gracie las month. She was 13 years old and wasn’t very well at all for the last few days. She hadn’t eaten anything for 4 days, had lost a lot of weight and could barely stand. She was also nearly blind and nearly deaf.

Every time we tried to give her some food she would spit it out. Although she was still drinking water. She was having accidents in the house and when we could get her out it was for just a few minutes, then in she would come and back to sleep behind the sofa she would go. We miss her greatly. Our other Westie, Millie, is missing her also. Gracie has been around for most of Millie’s life so she is feeling it too. It seems so strange with only one dog now, but we won’t be getting another. Not just yet, anyway.

Gracie was cremated and I have a little of her ashes in a cremation pendant. She will alwsys be with me.

Llandudno North Wales

In Llandudno, North Wales there are several sculptures from the book written by Lewis Carroll scattered around the town. The reason for this is because the child that inspired Lewis Carroll the write the books used to live somewhere in Llandudno for a time and he visited the place also.

This seat was carved from a single piece of wood, which is the throne of the Queen of Hearts I believe, fronted by several toadstools. It is situated in Happy Valley close to the pier. In the background the cable car can be seen, which is the longest cable car in Europe, just over a mile long. It will take you close to the top of the Great Orme.

These two sculptures are situated in Haulfre Gardens and stand over six feet tall. They are just a few meters from the tea rooms, which do a wonderful Lemon Drizzle cake, which can be eaten outside when the sun is shining, if you don’t mind being visited by a friendly Robin or two asking for a few crumbs.

The tea rooms have changed hands a few times over the years but that hasn’t stopped the food from being just as good as ever. They also have a cottage to rent in the summer for self catering holidays. The views from the garden have got to be one of the best. And if you are feeling energetic after some of that Lemon Drizzle cake, then just follow the path to Invalid’s Walk, which leads you to the West Shore.

Llandudno’s West Shore is quiet and serene. Not so many people come to this part of Llandudno, where on a clear day the mountains of Snowdonia National Park can be seen. Sometimes a little snow remains on the peaks, even in summer.

Close by is the start of the 5-mile walk around the Great Orme, if you’re feeling energetic enough. I have done it a few times and I’m sure I will be doing it again sometime.

The start of the walk round the Orme is up hill, if you wish to do it this way round, from the West Shore and past Millionaires Row. But once at the top it is all down hill from there. Some people even jog around the Orme. Not for me thank you. Walking is the best way to do this as you can see all manner of wildlife from birds to Seals and Dolphins, if you are lucky. I’ve seen the Seals but no Dolphins yet. I have seen the Kashmir Goats on occasion though.

These goats tend to wander wherever they feel, sometimes even wandering around the town when the weather gets bad. Or when there is a virus happening and the streets are empty, as have been happening just lately. They are completely wild and have been wandering around Llandudno for a long time after they were gifted to the town over a hundred years ago.

Just a few miles away from Llandudno is the town of Conwy, named after the castle that had stood there for several hundred years. Many a time I have walked there from Llandudno and bused it back. It is a lovely coastal town with a small harbor and a wall almost round the whole place.

The harbor at Conwy is a lovely site to see, with the end of the wall round the town just to the left of the photo. Just to the left, out of sight in this photo, is the smallest house in Britain, a big tourist attraction.

This house is so small that only a couple of people can fit in it at once. I have never entered this place yet, so don’t know what it looks like. It is also know as the Quay House, which was created in the 16th century and remained in use until 1900 when the final tenant was forced to leave by order of the council. In terms of space, the little home only measures 10 feet deep and not even 6 feet wide. The ceiling is only a little over 10 feet high from the floor to the top of the eave. It is split into two floors. The first floor is devoted to the living area with room for coal and an open fire, and a water tap tucked behind the stairs. The upstairs holds the cramped bedroom, which also comes with a small niche for storage.

The Girls

I know I haven’t updated this in a while but with all this Covid-19 around I haven’t been able to take too many good photo’s. But now that we are able to get out more I am hoping to be able to take more photo’s. This is a collection of photo’s of my two dogs from when we went on a walk, apart from two that are from my garden. I love my dogs very much and they can be quite comical at times. They love their walks, even though one of them is getting old and is not so fast a walker anymore. But she tries.

This is Gracie, our 12 year old Westie, resting in our other dog’s bed. They do tend to keep changing beds at times and our younger Westie, when she wants the bed that Gracie is sitting in she will sit and stare at her until Gracie moves out the way. Sometimes she will even give her a slight growl to make her move and most of the time Gracie will move for her rather than cause any trouble.

This is Gracie watching a bird fly over in the sky, enjoying the warm spring day. She had just had her coat trimmed and it shows up some of the skin condition that is troubling her at the moment. We have to keep taking her collar off to make it more comfortable for her. It make her scratch some of the time and we have to keep bathing her in some shampoo that we got from the vet. It helps a little sometimes.

This is Millie taking a nap in the sun on our veg patch in the garden. For some reason she loves to lay there and go to sleep. Luckily, she picks a place where nothing is growing on it at the moment. The plants are a few feet away from this spot. We was hoping to plant something there but since she insists on sleeping there in the sun it makes its difficult. Luckily we now have a greenhouse so things can be planted there instead.

I found this a little while ago that I had forgot about. I had lost my original of this photo (I think my dad threw it away because photo’s didn’t mean anything to him), so I found this one on a school group that I joined on Facebook so I was able to get a copy of it. The teacher was Miss Guy, my favourite at Whitegate Junior School in Nottingham in the 1970’s. What memories.

Walks with the Dogs

Since this Covid-19 has been around I haven’t been able to get out that much to take the photo’s that I would live to take. So, only been able to take short walks with my two Westies to a local nature reserve which is just a short walk away. This was taken at the end of the walk that crosses a small street that for some strange reason is called Red River. It has never been a river, just a stream that at certain times of the year can almost run dry.

Our Gracie enjoying a roll in the grass. She does this for the love of and not always to roll in something. We can’t let her off her lead as she sometimes doesn’t come back when called, mostly because she is almost deaf. It’s on a sports field that leads off the nature reserve that at the moment isn’t being used because of the lockdown.

Gracie and Millie following the path along the nature reserve in an area we haven’t been round for a while. They wanted a longer walk today and enjoyed the extra time outside, other than in the garden.

Millie and Gracie sitting on the bench in the sun. They do like sitting outside as much as they can. Although Gracie will move to the shade when she gets too hot. Millie will just sit there and pant. She will move eventually but finds the seat far too comfortable.

Some of the stones I painted to be hidden around the area this week. I painted them with 3d paint that is made for tee shirts but works well on stones also. When this photo was taken they still needed varnishing. Several have now been hidden. Will be making some more soon.

From Our Holiday

Because of Covid-19 I haven’t been able to get out for a while now so, not been able to take any interesting photo’s. So I thought I would post a few photo’s from our holiday in Cornwall last year. We had a few day down there and we went everywhere and took lots of photo’s. We had a great time. This one is of St Michael’s Mount, a small island just off the coast. A lovely place. When the tide is out you can walk out to it over a path. This time the tide was in so we had to take a boat out to it.

This photo was taken actually on St Michael’s Mount, right by the harbor. It’s a very small island that only has one rather large house but plenty of visitors. Free to explore the island but you have to pay an entrance fee to see the house.

This is the pathway that leads up to the island, still partly covered by the sea. The path to the right is where it leads to the boats that take you over to the island. Such a beautiful place.

Another from the island harbor with the other half in the distance.

Macro Photo’s

I have been doing a bit of experiments with a new device I bought for my phone. It’s a microscope that plugs into my phone or computer. So I thought I would upload a few photo’s of my results. Photo No. 1 is of a cactus. We have a few of these littered around the house.

This one is of a leaf from a plant growing in our garden, a climber that has pretty much taken over our garage on the outside.

This one is a close up of a piece of broccoli, just one tiny piece that came away from the main part. Looks so different close up like this.

Now this one is of a Yucca leaf. You can see some of the tiny hairs on the surface. It took a few tries to get this one right because the leaf kept moving and I didn’t want to cut a piece off the plant just to take a photo of it. More to follow in the future when I get the hang of it.

Our Stay In Llandudno

Our stay at Sunnycroft Private Hotel was lovely as always. We have been to this place lots of times and wouldn’t dream of staying anywhere else. The new couple who took over this hotel a few months ago are lovely people and have come all the way from South Africa. Their accent is great. Just love listening to them talk.

This was the view from our room on the top floor. Forget about the sight of the roof, look beyond. It’s a lovely room and such a wonderful view.

This is the Bank of Conwy, a small pub in the coastal town of Conwy in North Wales, which used to be a bank. They have kept a lot of the features of the bank so you know what it used to be. Such a great place. They have a few beer, not many but enough to find something good to drink. They do some food, not big meals but enough to fill you up.

They also have quite a few gins and whiskey’s. You just don’t know where to look next. They have also turned the vault into a seating area which is just down a few steps. And as for the Ceiling…

This must have taken someone a long time to paint that on the ceiling. If it’s paint. Not sure. It’s still pretty cool. I think you can guess where the idea came from for the ceiling.

Windy Llandudno

Our holiday in Llandudno began with a lovely drive from home. Plenty of sun a a little wind. We knew that there was Storm Jorge come, hitting Wales first. This was one of the first sights we saw when we arrived at Llandudno. The Little Orme. Always a great sight to see.

The sorm came later that night with very high winds and heavy rain, too high to risk going out to the pub so we stayed in our hotel, Sunnycroft private hotel that night. Such a lovely place to stay.

The following morning we went for a stroll, most of the storm had now passed. After some shopping, as one does, we had a stroll along the prom, braving the windy conditions.

And we had to do the pier. It’s just one of the things we always do when we come here. One of the many things we always do.

Walking along the pier, which is one of the UK’s longest, can be quite windy, especially when its the tail end of a very strong storm.