9th September photo - Shrewsbury shops

For September's Shrewsbury shop watch I have chosen a very successful independent shop - Watson & Thornton - haberdashers. It is situated at the bottom of Mardol. It is another half timbered Mediaeval building.

It sells yards & yards of the most gorgeous material and even if you are not a sewer its enough to make you want to become one. It used to be just one shop, but then it took over the shop next door - so it has a large floor area and even goes up to the second floor. I used to sew a lot - I made all my maternity frocks and made clothes for the children - though they were mostly with Cloth Kits kits - but I have not made any clothes for ages.

My last purchase from there was some ribbon & half a yard of Hessian for a scrapbook layout and some material squares for the quilts I am going to make for the children - but they remain just nearly finished cut out strips with no stitching yet - perhaps this can be my project for next year - finish the children's quilts!

8th September photo - new cookbook

Jessica has bought me a new cookbook from from book sellers that turn up to her work. The Philadelphia cookbook. lots of the recipes are not surprisingly for cheesecakes, but there are also a lot of other tasty looking cakes and savoury dishes that I can't wait to try. The photo I print out will be one of these 2. Hopefully before long I will be posting a photo of some the new foods made from it.

I have scrapped again!

I was not able to go to the Scrapz crop on Saturday again - due to going to the caravan - I WILL be back soon girls - thankfully the site closes soon for the winter and I will regain my weekends to do what I want to do again - namely scrap. I thought it was time to make inroads into the huge pile of Jessica's uni photos - I have already done one uni album - but there are so many photos with stories attached to them, that I think I may have to make it a 3 album collection - one for each year at Uni.

So this week I have been working on this layout - just doing a little bit each evening such as punching out the squares (American Crafts papers), inking the squares, making the folder for the hidden photos - underneath the top photo. I quite like it and am itching to get going on my next layout now.

7th September photo - cinema

This evening Jessica and I have been to the cinema to watch 500 days of Summer. It was a truly fab film - a nice romantic comedy with no violence nor aggression - just what I needed and a nice story to boot. Joseph Gordon Levitt was just gorgeous and I think I may go back to see it again very soon!

When we came out it was dark and the cinema was lit up nicely so I dashed back home to grab my tripod and took these nice night shots!

I think this first one will be my POTD.

6th September photo - what a grey day

oh dear - sometimes despite my best intentions - the photo of the day just does not materialise.

Eating breakfast in the caravan - we could see lots of activity out of the beach so rushed out to see a group of swimmers braving the chill of the sea - being cheered on by their supporters. What a great idea for a photo and already sorted by breakfast time I thought - but no. As you can see the sea is is dull & grey and the minute bobbing heads do not make a good photo. Back to the drawing board.

Then along comes the bright orange lifeboat - ahh better picture material - but again no - too far away to make any real impact.

So a walk in the woods should throw up some ideas - yay - look a frog! But no again - he is far too well camouflaged to make much impact on the photos.

So down to the beach - sea gulls - surely? - but no - too dull & grey against a dull & grey beach & sea!

The fantastic rock formations on the beach? - no - even these look dull & grey today.

On the way home we stop at Llanidlois and I grab the chance to take this photo of the old market hall there. I know its black & white but at least its not grey!

So at the end of a long day I eventually have a POTD.

5th September photo - Autumn?

I was really stumped for a photo idea for today - but thanks to Dorothy's POTD - showing the start of Autumn - I have just been out for a little walk along the river banks, with the express purpose of looking for signs of Autumn here. The leaves on the trees are still green thanks to all the rain we have had over the summer, but I did find these Rose Hips. Their bright orange & red colours look very Autumny to me - so I proudly present the first sign of the next season here in Shrewsbury.

Thanks Dorothy for the inspiration!!

4th September photo - OT Jess

Today's photo is of Jess in her new OT uniform - but I did not want to post it on the internet - sorry - so blank page today! Photo is printed and in my album though!