CURVES

Carmi's Challenge this week is CURVES.

Snails have beautiful curves - something about Fibonacci curves, I think - and this one is no exception. Not as fast as Carmi's bicycle (follow link above to see what I am talking about) but moving and alive, all the same!




These Horse Chestnuts hold within them an unbelievable potential for growth. And they are a gorgeous colour too!




More potential in these plants, but I loved the repetition of the labels.




Its the way the snow falls that makes the picture!




And lastly, the lovely bright terracotta curves of these saucers for standing plants in.

PAIRS

Well, it is St. Valentine's Day, so Carmi has chosen Pairs for his Challenge this week.




Walking together often leads to..........




..........the patter of tiny feet!


Have fun!

GROCERIES

This, I know, is not a brilliant photograph, but it was taken in 1941 by my father, and that is the rations for one person for one week!

That's right, a few ounces of margarine (and it wasn't very nice tasting!) very few ounces of butter, a cup of sugar, and that meat is, I think stewing meat, you bought it by price, you were allowed, say one shillings worth of meat per week, which would buy enough stewing steak for a couple of meals, filled out with veg, or a minute bit of frying steak, if you were so inclined. Up to you what you ate from the veg basket for the rest of the week!

Tea was rationed, used tea leaves were dried and used again, bacon was about two rashers per week per person, cheese was rationed, not a very big bit, something like 2 ounces.

How my mother managed to feed a family of four, but she did, as did thousands of others.

Well, you had to. Food was in short supply, unless you could grow your own veggies, which we did, or buy on the black market, which loads of people did if they had the money.

Just thought I'd show you! Since Carmi's challenge is GROCERIES

SCREENS

Carmi's Challenge this week is Screens.

He meant electronic, but I haven't any photos of those (I don't really "do" electronic things) But I do have a photo of part of a metal screen erected in front of the door to the Park people's stores, etc.

As far as I know it has deterred vandals and other unlawful types.

MOVEMENT

Carmi's challenge this week is MOVEMENT

This is a fairly conventional picture of movement - but it was rather funny to watch, as the Sailing Club here teach beginners, and more than one falls in the lake! It is a very popular spot too, as there are hundreds of water fowl there, including dozens of swans and greedy ducks. The Council (or whoever) has made a rough parking spot into a hard standing, and a proper pedestrian bit for duck feeders and small children to watch in safety.




On the other hand, this is not a very interesting photo until you know that is a tap running into soapsuds in the sunk! I had to draw running water for an Art Course I was doing on-line a while ago, and not being able to get out carrying all my materials, paper etc., I decided I could make running water quite nicely at home! And I used it for photographic purposes too.

I feel it should be called "HAVE YOU WASHED YOUR HANDS?"


STOP PRESS - I took another one this afternoon. He was just about to land, but still moving!

Carmi has asked us to GLOW in his challenge this week.

I didn't want to publish another of our mediocre sunsets, so I found this one I took a couple of Christmasses ago, at my daughter's home.

It was a great Christmas Day, and a beautiful glow!

AFTER DARK

Carmi's Challenge this week is AFTER DARK

Well, I don't go out after dark much nowadays (poor night vision, so afraid of falling, etc. etc.) but I do love looking out of windows. This photograph is of sunrise over Morecombe Bay, taken from our holiday cottage at Grange-over-sands. We had fantastic view across the Bay, and watching the sunrise, whilst the town was all dark, and mostly asleep, was an enormous pleasure.




The second photo is at the other end of the day. We don't get much of a view from the front of our house, but the sky one evening at sunset was so good I had to have a go!