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Monthly Archives: February 2015

Update on 52 in 52

28 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in 52 challenge, all about me, days out, more to life

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Tags

challenge, me

As we are two months into the year, I thought I’d post an update on my 52 challenges.

I have completed 7 challenges and 10 are on target, as work in progress.

1 ~ Visit Gibraltar ✔
3 ~ Drive a left hand drive car on the right hand side of the road ✔
11 ~ Do some voluntary work ✔
14 ~ Make blueberry muffins ✔
32 ~ Observe a court case at The Old Bailey, London ✔
35 ~ Watch 10 movies that were made before I was born ✔
47 ~ Complete London Underground Circle Line challenge – my own version ✔

4 ~ Send a postcard every week for a year
6 ~ Blog for a year
13 ~ Complete 365 Photo a Day
16 ~ Complete “a sentence a day” journal
33 ~ Learn more photography techniques
34 ~ Learn more photo editing techniques
42 ~ Re-read my original gap year journals from 1985
43 ~ Reduce my alcohol intake, alcohol free weekdays unless special occasion
49 ~ Expand my blog network and blogs I follow
52 ~ Take a selfie every week for a year

It has been fun and we’ve had some special, memorable days at The Old Bailey, on the Circle Line and in Gibraltar.

Driving on the “wrong” side of the road was ok, I’ve proved I can do it, but I’ll always let Aussie Mate do the driving out of choice. Every time I tried to change gear my left hand whacked the side door, as habit kicked in before I remembered the gear stick was on my right hand side. Roundabouts were just scary!

I’m enjoying my volunteer shifts, meeting new people and experiencing a different side of life. I am baking a bit more than I’ve done in recent years too, after success of blueberry muffins and various flavour muffins in a mug.

The big surprise is my new love of old movies. We have already watched eleven movies that fit the category.
From Here to Eternity – 1953
..Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr
Streetcar Named Desire – 1951
..Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh
The Wrong Man – 1956
..Henry Fonda, Vera Miles, Anthony Quayle
Bridge on the River Kwai – 1957
..Alec Guiness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins
Giant – 1956
..James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson
Operation Petticoat – 1959
..Cary Grant, Tony Curtis
Hobson’s Choice – 1954
..Charles Laughton, John Mills
On the Waterfront – 1954
..Marlon Brando, Karl Maldon
The Wild One – 1953
..Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin
An American in Paris – 1951
..Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant
Sabrina – 1954
..Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart

We’ve a list of many more that we want to watch. We will continue with this challenge to see how many we can watch throughout this year.

There are some great films from the early 1960’s which are getting into the mix, even though outside the original criteria. Such as ….
To Kill a Mockingbird – 1962
..Gregory Peck

The “work in progress” challenges are going well, as I continue to enjoy photos, sentence a day, blogging, and improving my knowledge, techniques and networks.

So far, so good.

Weekly Photo Challenge – reward

28 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in creativity, photography, weekly photo challenge

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

beach, flowers, Gibraltar, London, photos

This week’s prompt is .. reward

Various things came to mind…

The reward of early spring flowers after the winter months.

snowdrops

crocus

Views of Tower Bridge on my lunch time strolls were the reward of working in London and the daily train commute.

Tower Bridge

The view from the rock of Gibraltar after the cable car ride and before the long walk back to sea level was certainly a just reward.

Gib view

We spotted dolphins from our beach side apartment balcony in Sydney and this photo is the reward for a long time staring at the ocean waiting for another glimpse. Unfortunately the little girl on the beach was distracted by something else by the time this dolphin decided to show itself.

dolphin

My usual reward to myself is either sparkling wine, chocolates or occasionally, both.

bubbles and chocolate

Reward

Weekly Photo Challenge – thirds

23 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in photography, weekly photo challenge

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

architecture, beach, flowers, macro, photos

This week’s prompt is .. rule of thirds.

This is when the subject is off centre or when image naturally segments into thirds, horizontally or vertically.

A couple of macro shots with a blurred background which is known as bokeh. Morning frost and a flower.

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A local sky scape

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Whitstable beach

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St Paul’s Cathedral

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Plaza de Espana in Seville

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Rule of Thirds

Macro – first attempts at a different photo technique

22 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in creativity, one with nature, photography

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Tags

flowers, macro, photos, still life

To mark six months of daily photos, I have treated myself to a clip on lens for my iPhone. The lenses are wide angle, fisheye, 10x and 15x zoom. Wow, what fun I’ve had. I’ve been taking close up photos of anything I can think off, jewellery, money, keys, flowers, food and this morning, outside in the frost.

So here are a few of my first attempts….

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6 months of blogging and photos

22 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, remembering / musing

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Tags

me

This week marks six months since I started this blog.

My initial intention was to keep in touch with family and friends, as Aussie Mate and I headed off for an adult gap year, winding up our home in UK and moving to Tasmania to live and work there for a while. We were hoping for a year’s adventure (thanks to redundancy) before we decide where we should spend the next phase of our lives.

Right now, we are still in the UK, as selling our house has taken longer that we anticipated. So we’ve been having adventures on this side of the world. Holidays in UK and Europe, days out in London and southern counties.

We’ve had time to enjoy life, with no work commitments. It has been a fun six months.

And this blog has gone in directions I had never anticipated. Through this blog I have joined a global community, have made online friends, have shared places, experiences and have been inspired.

There have been over 800 visitors to my blog who have recorded 1,600 views to the posts. These visitors are from 49 different countries. I am totally amazed.

This week also marks six months of my “photo a day” challenge. I have posted a photo for 184 consecutive days on a facebook group. This has also been a wonderful experience, learning about photographic techniques as part of a supportive community. There have been some amazing photos, which encourage me to experiment and improve.

My enjoyment of photography led me to join a weekly photo challenge for bloggers. By sharing my photos and looking at those of other bloggers, my network has grown beyond my imagination.

Another blog challenge that I have joined and am delighted to take part in, is the 100 word challenge for adults. As well as the weekly set challenge I’m using this technique for some of my own posts.

So, I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has joined me on this blogging journey, thanks for taking the time to read my words, to look at my photos, to like the posts and leave comments. Thanks for all the encouragement.

Thanks also to Aussie Mate, for proof reading and editing services. And for being so patient when I stop “for jut one more photo”.

I’m looking forward to the next six months of our adventure.

Hastings – fishing boats, history and cliff railways

21 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in days out, one with nature

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

beach, boats, day out, Hastings, photos

Tuesday was a perfect winter day, cold but sunny. We drove to the south coast and spent the afternoon at Hastings.

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For us Brits, Hastings has historic significance that was drummed into us as kids… Batttle of Hastings in 1066 and William the Conqueror. We now that France is just a few miles across the English Channel.

Hastings is a modern town but has kept reminders of its history. Castle ruins sit on the cliff top, where a castle has stood since 1066. The building of the original castle is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.

Hastings was a popular fishing town and resort during Victorian times. These tall “net shops” are unique to this area, where Victorian fisherman stored their nets and ropes to dry out. Fisherman still sell their daily catch in huts along the back of the stone beach.

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There are numerous restaurants and cafes selling fish and chips. There are always people sitting outside eating fish and chips from paper wrappers. We sat inside in the warm but enjoyed a tasty fish dinner.

Sometimes I think I missed out by not having sons or brothers. Over the years I have dismissed some things as “boys stuff” and not taken notice, when in fact, those things are fascinating.

One such example are funicular or cliff railways. There are two at Hastings, East Hill Cliff Railway opened in 1891, currently the steepest funicular operating in the UK, and West Hill Cliff Railway opened in 1903.

As we rode the West Hill Cliff Lift, two boys got into the car along with their grandparents. One lad talked about the car, the cables, but also mentioned water used to balance the cars. I didn’t ask questions at the time but I googled it when I got home.

The East Hill Lift originally worked on this principle with two water towers built at the top of the line and tanks constructed under each car. The car at the top was loaded with water until it was heavier than the car at the bottom, causing it to descend the hill and pull up the other car. The water drained at the bottom and the process repeated with cars exchanging roles. How clever. The line was modernised in the 1970’s and converted to an electric operation.

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As with many UK seaside resorts, there is a pier at Hastings, again originating fro Victorian times. The pier was partially destroyed by a fire in 2010 and is currently being renovated.

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Volunteering

20 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, making changes

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

me, work

Five months must be my natural tolerance for “doing nothing”, for living without any formal work commitments, without any structure to my time. I’ve got to the point where I need to “do something”.

I remember similar sentiments after five months of maternity leave, back in the day. I was then ready to get back to work. Now I am ready to do something useful and have some framework to my week. as we wait for our house sale to work out.

After a couple of useful and inspiring conversations, I chose a local hospice charity shop, completed a trial session, filled out forms, provided references and am now an approved volunteer.

It is a totally different environment to my working life. It involves sorting donations, clothes, household fabrics, toys, bric a brac, books, media. Items suitable for future window displays are put aside. Recent windows have related to Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day and now toys for half term week.

Clothes are organised onto hangers, with size tags, price tags are added with a cool little gun gadget. The manager actually prices items but we then place them on shop floor. Clothes racks constantly need tidying. As items are sold, shelves and displays need to be restocked. They’ve let me loose on the till, taking cash, processing credit card transactions.

Everything gets labelled with a week code and stock is rotated amongst other shops after two weeks to keep all stock fresh. Our smallish shop has sales targets of £500 pounds per day.

On my first morning shift, I arrived before the manager, so waited outside. A lady loitered and I started talking to her. She wanted to buy something from the window, but had a fixed appointment, so even before the shop had opened, I had taken £12 with a promise to put two items aside for her to collect later.

Standing up for hours on end is also a new experience for me. I have spent decades sitting at a desk. The standing plus a half hour walk each way has got to be good for me. I’m only working two shifts each week, three and half hours for each shift. Nothing too strenuous.

I’m enjoying it, I’m gaining new experiences, meeting new people and seeing a different side of life.

Credit to the multitude of volunteers who freely give their time and energy and contribute to our society.

100 words – The holiday apartment

18 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in 100 word challenge, one with nature, remembering / musing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

100 words, Australia, beach, Sydney

100 word challenge – this week’s prompt is …the blue was sapphire…

100words

They’d booked the holiday apartment online, from the opposite side of the world.

They arrived after dark. The apartment was just as they hoped.

They went to bed but insomnia woke her in the early hours. She lay quietly, very aware of the rhythm of life, the sound of the waves on the beach, the sound of her husband’s breathing next to her. All very calming, very peaceful. Back to nature, back to basics.

As the sun rose, she stepped out onto the balcony. The view was simply stunning, grass, beach, ocean. The Pacific was blue, the blue was sapphire.

Back in 1985 – New Zealand – Auckland and Bay of Islands

15 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, back in 1985, remembering / musing

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Tags

beach, in 1985, New Zealand

This day in 1985 … I was in New Zealand, sailing around the Bay of Islands on a thirty foot yacht. We anchored off a sandy beach for swimming, lunch and bush walks through one of the islands.

A wonderful day of sunshine, sea, sand, salt in my hair, on my skin, the sounds of wind in the sails and the boat sailing though the water. I met other travellers on the yacht and also in the lodge where I was staying, some at the end of their time in NZ and Australia, so lots of tales and ideas of where I should visit.

I’d arrived in NZ on 6th February, Waitangi Day. Friends of UK friends welcomed me into their home in Auckland. We clicked straight away and a life long friendship blossomed.

Auckland is such a beautiful place. A city on a narrow strip of land, surrounded by water. The Tasman Sea on one side, Pacific Ocean on the other. Wherever you looked there were bays, creeks, harbours. From Mount Eden, you see a three hundred and sixty degree view spread out below. Some of the beaches were totally unexpected, with black volcanic sand, such as Piha Beach.

In the city, I wandered down Queen Street to the quay, where QE2 was docked along with the Greenpeace ship “Rainbow Warrior” which was sunk just a few months later. I explored the main streets, the squares, art galleries, shops. We drove over the harbour bridge, and I found my way around the western suburbs where I was staying.

NZ is such a picturesque country, green, fertile, so much space. I began my travels by heading north on the bus. The driver was delivering parcels as we went. Sometimes stopping at shops, but later by just throwing newspapers and packages out the window, or kicking them out the door. Something different!But here people only expect things to be delivered to the end of the drive, post, milk, newspapers, not up to the front door as I was used to. One place we stopped was a kiwi fruit plantation (one male plant needed to pollinate every nine female plants).

We passed someone moving house, literally. A police car appeared with a “wide load” warning, then a house drove past on the back of a lorry. Wow.

I stayed overnight in Kerikeri, a town on the river, with wharf and two of the oldest settler buildings in NZ, then a couple of nights in Paihia on the coast with three beaches.

I walked along the beach to Waitangi, which is where Maori chiefs signed a treaty in 1840 ceding sovereignty of NZ to Queen Victoria. Hence Waitangi Day. A visitor centre shared the history, the governors house, a Maori Meeting House with intricate carvings, and a Maori war canoe, carved from three kauri trees, to hold one hundred and twenty warriors.

To make a phone call from Paihia to Auckland, I had to use a phone box and go through the operator for “toll” call – long distance call. Who would have imagined mobiles back then?

Oh I was loving NZ. My planned four weeks there was not going to be long enough.

My Day in 100 words – Ely and Cambridge

14 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in 100 word challenge, days out, photography, remembering / musing

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Tags

100 words, architecture, Cambridge, day out, Ely, photos, WW Remembrance

A foggy morning, the turrets of Ely Cathedral are hidden in the mist.

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Through the doors, the Gothic cathedral is light and bright, with a tall nave. The centrepiece, literally, is the stunning octagon.

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Cambridge is a historic university city, with beautiful buildings, centuries old, and the picturesque “backs” of the colleges.

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The city is hectic with shoppers, tourists and students. Bicycles everywhere.

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Just out of town is the American Cemetery. Open space with just the sound of bird song and my feet crunching on the gravel paths. 3,812 WWII graves. 5,127 names on memorial wall with no known grave.

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