My A-Z album

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Has Spring sprung? photo for 22nd February

Apologies for such a boring photo of my washing line - but it marks an annual landmark - today has been the first day that I have been able to hang any washing out. Its such a relief, as over winter my house tends to resemble a Chinese laundry, with washing dotted all over the house to dry or the tumbler dryer rumbling away.

The photo also shows another achievement - Steven cut the grass for the first time this year - so Yes I think Spring must really have sprung!

Images of Liverpool

When Liverpool won City of Culture for 2008 - I must admit to being very surprised, but that was down to pure ignorance as I had never even visited the city! But since Eleanor has been studying there I am starting appreciate what the city has to offer and why it was so deserving of that title and yesterdays trip was no different.

First I went to Williamsons Tunnels to do an earth cache and was able to go on a tour of the underground tunnels which he built into the sandstone rock underneath the city in the nineteenth century.

This was a fascinating insight to the social history of that period and I wish I had lots of money so that I could contribute to their funds to allow further exploration of the site.

The day was full of contrasts - the old and the new - which Liverpool seems to do very well. Next stop the contemporary Roman Catholic Cathedral

and the old sailors church at the sea front.

The modern seafront buildings sit comfortably next to the old docks and grand old shipping administrative buildings - I can't wait until this museum opens next year.

I still prefer the grandeur of this though.

Liverpool seems to pride itself on sculpture - it is dotted all around the city and whilst I can appreciate the new modern style - I really love the old grand style of sculpture.

Just look at death slyly reaching out to grasp the soldier - whilst at the same time the message extols all men to go and do their duty.

Its nice but...

21st February photo

In an attempt to cheer myself up, I sat and watched a DVD about the great Leonardo Da Vinci. So a lazy day and a lazy photo!

20th February POTD - this is how I feel today

Yep weary and forlorn. I shouldn't be as I have spent the day in Liverpool and had a lovely time. I went on a fascinating underground tour of Williamson's Tunnels and admired the re-development at the waterfront - it is going to be beautiful when it is all finished.

But I could not find 4 geocaches that I really should have done - so instead of feeling uplifted from a day out, I feel completely the opposite. Time to give this geocaching lark a rest and get back to scrapbooking.

These photos were taken today in Liverpool - and the beautiful sculptures are on a war memorial I think, because at the top it says ' its every Englishman's duty to serve'. This is the photo I will use in my album as it is landscape orientation - but the top one is so much better.

19th Feb photo - Eleanor

But which one to choose?
Eleanor came home for 24 hours to collect some things for her trip to Chicago next week. She is presenting her PhD research findings at a conference there and I am so jealous, as I would dearly love to visit Chicago! She says she just can't squeeze me in her suitcase though!

As she does not get her photo taken very often she was a willing victim for today's POTD and in honour of Cheryl's upcoming photography class I tried some arty portrait shots - not very easy on someone who wears glasses - they kept getting in the way.

I love both these shots - she prefers the one with her teeth showing and I prefer the one when they are not showing. And she really is as pale as this as she is always in the lab - she hardly ever goes outside to get any rays from the sun!

The Source of the Severn

Yesterday Thelma & I walked up to the source of the Severn River high up in the Welsh Mountains. It took us 5 hours - though we did a geocache and ate lunch at the top!

We parked the car at Hafren Forest car park by Llanidlloes. It was visitor friendly - except that the toilets were locked! It was lovely walking up and watching the Severn become smaller and smaller until we reached the little trickle at the top.

We knew we had reached the source because of this marker post - 2 sides in Welsh and 2 sides in English.

OMG how fat have I become!! The diet must start again very soon!!!

The walk was wonderful - just a steady climb along well made paths. There was a wonderful sense of achievement when we arrived at the actual source of the river, as it was so exciting to see the start of something which has such a major impact on our lives. Shrewsbury is surrounded by the river and I cross it many times a day, walk along it and when it floods, suffer the disruption that it brings.

At the top we sat and admired the views - gorgeous mountains surrounded us completely. Then we were treated to a fly by from this plane - it was so close to us as we were so high up!


After lunch and a geocache we headed back down the valley and into Llanidloes for another geocache which we could not find - so to cheer us up we headed towards a huge lake (Llyn Clywedog) created by the building of a dam. What a treat - the sun was just starting to go down so we were treated to the most glorious scenes of the lake - it took a long time to drive round as we kept stopping to take photos!




Just beautiful!

A perfect day.