Come away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o
A really difficult challenge this week. I get bored with those photos of waterfalls ‘stopped’ to white water and I’m not into sport, so for now this is the best I can come up with. But I may be back. Meanwhile a mini maelstrom of koi.
Join in over here, http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/weekly-photo-challenge-movement/
I was browsing around at other people’s entries for Ailsa’s travel theme and was inspired by http://adinparadise.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/travel-theme-art/ who shows photos of her sister’s beautiful art work. It reminded me of a visit to Sirigu in Northern Ghana, close to the border with Burkina Faso. SWOPA, Sirigu Women’s Organisation of Pottery and Art has been around for about fifteen years. It has brought women out of poverty while promoting their cultural identity in a traditional society. They are known for the way they decorate the outside of their homes and the art they produce is stunning, as well as the pottery they make. Here are the things we bought there.
This hangs on the dining room wall.
Bird one
Bird two
The entrance to the workshops
Round rooms, you can even stay here! That would be wonderful, these huts looked so cute. I would love to return and spend longer than a day visit.
I missed last weeks challenge. I used the excuse of being away, but actually it was just too difficult. This week Julia has returned to her more usual prompt of a few words . . . I blamed it on the dog . . . much more my scene. If you would like to join in, or read some of the other entries, pop across to http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups-week-48/
Meanwhile here is my entry.
A Bit of a Tickle
‘Forty years, that’s how long I’ve known her. I never thought she’d leave me. There’s not a day we’ve been apart. We never wanted kids – decided it would be just the two of us.’
‘Sorry mate, I’m not one for weeping, never had cause, we’ve always been so happy.’ The man, who looked far too young for that kind of work averted his eyes and muttered ‘No worries.’
‘She had a bit of a tickle, touch of allergy she said. I think I’ll be following her; I can’t live with this guilt you see. Passive smoking causes cancer. That cough, I blamed it on the dog.’
I’ve been spending time in Suffolk this week visiting my half sister and her beautiful daughter. For my blogging friends around the world, Suffolk is a county in East Anglia, a part of the country which has the earliest sunrise in the UK. Travelling friend came too and yesterday we had a girls dressing up day when Patricia got us all done up in Nigerian clothes from her copious wardrobe. Actually her wardrobe is several rooms including this one where she keeps some of her shoes. 
She herself looked fabulous of course; her outfit was made to measure for her, a lovely little number in blue. I chose a turquoise wrapper and headtie with a white buba (blouse); travelling friend wore a three piece set in a turquoise print with white panels and turquoise edging. Headties are great for bad hair days, just scrape it all up under and no-one knows if it looks a mess! A touch more make up than usual to try to do something with the very exposed face, some matching jewellery and off we drove. 
Southwold is the classiest little town on the east coast and as soon as we arrived we turned heads. I think that a Nigerian, a mixed British Nigerian and a white American woman dressed in traditional clothing was quite a surprise. We had only walked a hundred metres when three women stopped us to say we looked beautiful. That became the theme for the whole afternoon, every few minutes people approached us, smiling, chatty and paying us compliments. 
We walked the along the prom, or rather we promenaded, stopped in a café for ice cream, 
and strolled to the end of the pier, a must do, just to look back. 
A very sociable afternoon. So, if you want to get into conversations with strangers, then get into some unusual clothes, it’s a great ice breaker, makes you feel incredibly good about yourself and enormous fun.
This Photo was taken in the Louvre a few years ago. Please forgive the naughtiness, it just had to be done and I’m sure it has been many times before! To find out more about the painting go here http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/gabrielle-destrees-and-one-her-sisters and to join in with Ailsa’s travel theme challenge pop across to http://wheresmybackpack.com/2012/06/29/travel-theme-art/ meanwhile smile!
Like Isobel http://isobelandcat.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/fleeting-moment-on-the-street/ I have already posted a fleeting moment, but didn’t interpret the theme as it was intended. So here is my second attempt, taken on the street in Kuala Lumpur of a reflection I spotted overhead.
If you’re a regular visitor to my blog you may think I’ve been rude this week not replying to your lovely comments! Apologies, I’ve been in Suffolk for a few days so I hope you will forgive me. I will try to catch up but I probably won’t make it for a while – I’d been doing so well recently too! Anyway at least I’ve taken around five hundred photos and I think the ones below fit this weeks challenge.
This funky clock captures a fleeting moment of the pier at Southwold.
A little closer.
The explanation, do you agree that it’s a fleeting moment?
To see some more entries or to join in visit http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/weekly-photo-challenge-fleeting-moment/
On my birthday earlier this month, a day out to the South hams was planned and when a colleague suggested Aveton Gifford, I thought why not? He described the Avon estuary as a lovely place to walk and I was intrigued by the Tidal Road.
He said there would be a lot of birds and there were plenty of swans and this solitary egret, but he saw us coming and legged it. 
As we approached the Tidal road this beauty went haring past, I wondered if he knew something we didn’t, but remembered I had checked the tide tables the day before.
The wild flowers were lovely, the gentle palette of red campion, sea thrift, and honeysuckle, were a treat on a grey, misty morning.
This is the section of the road that gets covered, I really wouldn’t want to get caught in that mud. 
We took a high path that some locals recommended for the view, which would have been better had the sun shone, and this is where we turned back because the rain was setting in.
After lunch and a chat with my favourite local artist, at an exhibition of her work in Kingsbridge, http://emmacarter.com/main.php?g2_itemId=202&g2_enterAlbum=0 (I want this one so badly!), we called at Beesands where the weather was even worse.
Next was Torcross, where a World War 2 Sherman Tank resides as part of a memorial. Torcross was used as a practice ground for 30,000 American troops, because of its resemblance to the beaches of the D Day landings in Normandy.
Parallel to Torcross beach lies Slapton Ley, a wetland with a diverse (and hiding) wildlife. Although it is only separated from the sea by a narrow strip of shingle, it is freshwater, the biggest natural lake in the South West.
The last stop of the day was at Blackpool sands, which were neither Blackpool, thank goodness, or sand, but at there was a little colour.
Finally home via the Higher Ferry at Dartmouth. 
The weather may have been miserable but I had a lovely birthday and a lovely month. This is a long post for me, I hope I haven’t bored you senseless, but I do love the South Hams area of Devon!
Lucid Gypsy 