A Crafty Day

It began with a walk on the beach at Beer, and a photo

shells
or two.
pebbles
Followed by an edit using Pixlr Express, to make a collage.
coastalcollage
Which appeared on my blog and then sat in a dusty computer folder for months.
Then I felt a need and found some paper
signatures
I cropped and printed the collage and stuck it to some card, the size of a shorthand notebook
covers
front cover
I ironed on some plastic coating. It would have been easier if I’d done that before, but hey, sometimes you have to learn the hard way!
With a little help from a friend with way more skill and experience than I have, thank you Lindy, I stitched it all together with Coptic stitch.
coptic stitch
So now I have a new notebook that’s very light, created to my own specifications, that no one else has.
finished
Tah-dah!

Distant Beaches

A few days ago I was reading a favourite blog friends post about beaches, and something seemed familiar.  I’ve seen photos of many wonderful places since I’ve been blogging, it’s great to see parts of the world I’ll probably never get to visit in reality. Australia is one of those places and Eurobodalla beach in particular, and yet I feel a connection. So when Meg posted images of Broulee beach I looked through my photos to try to find out why. har1 These rows where Dido and Daisy are paddling remind me of Meg’s beach har4har5As does this crisscrossing in the rock. har2and the view at Hartland is rather like Narooma!

And these are similar to Meg’s Smugglers Cove photos. har3 Craggy rocks with winkles. har8 Crops of determined little flowers har6Even surfers, but I expect they are colder than any near Meg. Pay a visit to Meg and see if you don’t agree with me, Hartland in North Devon has a lot in common with these beaches in New South Wales.  To find Hartland on a map of the UK, first find South Wales, then go due south.

Dartmoor Walls

 

Containing livestock
Containing livestock

Like many upland areas around the UK and the rest of the world, dry stone walls can be found all over Dartmoor. Some are hundreds of years old and have fallen into disrepair, others are well maintained and still functioning as they were intended.

Near Scorhill
Near Scorhill
The Two Bridges road
The Two Bridges road
North of Two Bridges, towards Wistman's Wood
North of Two Bridges, towards Wistman’s Wood

The name refers to the lack of any mortar used in the construction, although often nature takes its course and soil arrives and fills in the gaps.

Up close and covered with lichen and moss
Up close, covered with lichen and moss

I’ve always loved these old walls,  to run my hand across the granite is a journey back to the dawn of time on our planet, and to make contact with all the hands that have touched before me. Dartmoor’s dry stone walls may not be as grand as those built by the Incas in Peru and I don’t suppose they can be seen from space like the Great  Wall of China, but they are living, breathing masterpieces in their own way.

Cheri Lucas Rowlands has created the photos challenge of Wall this week, click to join in.

 

 

 

Release Your Inner Artist

Whatever form your creativity takes – and yes that means YOUR creativity, this is an inspiring read.

Tish Farrell's avatarTish Farrell

P1000210

We are each of us born brimming with potential, creators in the making. But then something happens – at least for most of us it does. Somewhere between the childhood dreaming, and the adolescent wake-up call we make a decision. For each of us this will be the result of particular, often very painful circumstances, but the outcome will be the same. From that point on we will tell ourselves we are not goodenough, and what we do is not good enough and that even if we toil until the crack of doom, it never will be good enough. We give up. Surrender, often before we have given ourselves half a chance. Somehow – through repeated expressions of contempt, denigration, ridicule, bemusement from peers and elders – we learn that it is dangerous to be too extraordinary, and that if we persist in following our dream we will…

View original post 634 more words

Down in the dumps Daisy

Little Daisy Border Terrorist has been slowly growing a skin tag on her eyelid, just under her eyelashes. It started as a little dot not doing much, but then seemed to turn grow to about 7mm almost overnight, so it had to go. The vet said that it would be no problem, just a little discomfort for a few days. She came home, head surrounded with a Buster Collar, very sleepy but still hungry. She had her eyelid shaved and it was quite swollen. Usually Daisy and her sister Dido like to groom each other several times a day so the collar helps prevent that, as well as protecting her from getting anything in her eye. She hates it! She tries to scratch or roll it off and she can’t judge how much space it takes up.  Going up and down steps is a challenge and scrambling through the dog flap into the garden is impossible.

Weekends usually mean extended walks, somewhere the dogs really enjoy, but Daisy isn’t allowed off the lead for ten days.

DSC_0179

Today we went to the cemetery, a nice stroll for me, with spring blossom around every corner.

7

Daisy didn’t feel the same at all, she wasn’t able to do her doggy stuff. Border terriers like nothing more than chasing through the woods and undergrowth, scrabbling in hedges, after some real or imaginary prey – rabbits, mice and rats. They loathe squirrels and the cemetery is full of them, I’ve seen Daisy climb six foot up a tree trunk in an attempt to catch one.

DSC_0181

Here she is looking sorry for herself. She has perked up a bit through the day, so she’s on the mend, bless her and Dido has resisted ‘cleaning’ her wounds!

Michelle Loves Orange, So do I

As long as I don’t have to wear it!

What’s not to love about orange? It’s vibrant. It’s cheerful. It makes a statement. It’s the perfect punctuation for a punchy photo.*

This week, share a group of photos where orange is either the dominant color, or provides a bold highlight. Shoot for at least three photos, and look for different shades — bright neons, deep rusts, delicate peaches.

So that’s Michelle’s challenge at The Daily Post this week.

And here are my photos, enjoy!

You know where to go to join in, I’m looking forward to seeing your entries.