Photo a Day Challenge - Upside down

He certainly is upside down.  Two guys in blow up sumo wrestler suits appeared at a BBQ yesterday - father and son!  It was hilarious to watch.

Photo a Day Challenge - Sign

......and Photo a Day Challenge - Addiction. 

I am a day behind in the Challenge, so first for the

Photo a Day Challenge - Sign  - a sign of the time gone by!
 

When I met my OH 40 years ago, we visited a local market, and these two picture block boards were for sale.  Just for a bit of fun I bought them - and said something like - "it won't be long before we are this age".  OH replied "not for a long time yet though", how wrong he was........

These have been hanging on my hall wall for all these years.....looking worn out - just like me!

Photo a Day Challenge - Addiction

Well this says it all - the computer - I don't watch television, I don't read books as much as I should, but I spend hours on the computer.  I don't need a picture to prove it.....I know!

Photo a Day Challenge - Finger

It is so difficult to photograph your own finger.  No body would volunteer one, so I had to have a go.  So I propped one of my place mats up against the toaster and photographed my finger pointing at the picture on the place mat, which is The Bronte Parsonage, Howarth. 

Photo a Day Challenge - Building

We lived too far out of town for me to attend secondary school over 50 years ago, and so with 25 other girls, I lived in this building (Girls Hostel), which was walking distance from the school.  This is the side of the building, and through that door was the huge dining room. 

The building still stands but for many years now, it has been used for other purposes. 

Photo a Day Challenge - Open

I am not very imaginative today - I am trying not to get stressed and thinking about what to present as a photo for todays subject.  So I decided to look back on some of the photos I have on the computer and found one of our dog.  She has her eyes open.

She is 9 years old this year - that is 63 years in human years.  A few grey whiskers around the muzzle and the top of her forehead, a bit of arthritis in her back leg, but still alert.  She is a Tom Jones fan.  Loves his music, she would be sitting in her bed listening to a CD and the next minute her head has drooped and gradually she slides down and falls asleep.

Photo a Day Challenge - Texture

Have you ever tried making your cakes with gluten free flour?  Even if you don't eat gluten free - you should try a recipe. 

My favourite cakes are marmalade or a fruit cake and I had made it with wheat flour, up until about two years ago, I discovered gluten free flour.  Happen to be walking though a street market, and found a stall selling just gluten free products. 

You use it in the same quantity as you use wheat flour, but sometimes you may need a little extra fluid in the cake mix.

The texture in the marmalade cake is like eating a shortbread biscuit, and in the fruit cake the texture is different, but you find it in the taste.

 I try and make all my cakes with gluten free flour now, only because I like the texture better than cakes made with wheat flour.

But be warned - you can't make pastry - like you can with wheat flour - you need to add Xanthan Gum. 

Before I knew this I tried to make an apple pie. I could not make out why it remained in bits, and I kneaded and kneaded it,  and added more water,  to no avail.  It still would not roll out into a nice sheet of pastry. Rather than waste the pastry I "picked" bits off and laid the pieces across the top of the apple pie til it was covered and baked it.  Of course the texture was dry. hard and bitsy.  It was only when I looked up on the Internet, that I realised that one should add Xantham Gum.

So now I keep at least one packet of  gluten free flour and one small container of Xantham Gum in my cupboard until I bake again.

Photo a Day Challenge - Letter

Spot the Letter S. 

S stands for Stress in my life at the moment, and I wish I never got there.  Had all the warning signs months ago, and started to do something about it.   I work from home - big mistake sometimes, as you put more energy into your work than you would normally do if you worked for an employer.  Well a few weeks ago I decided I was going to retire....and enjoy life.  Do things that I want to do not what I have to do.

I would still work, but at a slower pace.  Well that did not last long because no sooner I get a phone call from a client to ask would I be "interested in.......".  LOL .  £ signs rush before my eyes, and thinking about extra money......so I said yes!  Knowing full well that I have a small dispute going on between two people and I am "piggy in the middle", that is really stressing me out - and has partly attributed to how I feel now.

I had this bad headache, right at the base of the skull, wouldn't go away, neck was still, pains in chest, lack of sleep, you name I am getting it......so I booked an appointment with the Holistic Therapist - what a disaster....she couldn't touch me I was in so much pain and I eventually broke down.  Cried buckets full - all over her couch. 

Thats it!  Another warning sign - this has gone too far!  So.... today, as exhausted as I am - I have booked a mini holiday miles away in a little Guest House - just me and me alone.  Take a couple books and just chill out.  Only other time I did this was 20 years ago when things got tough, but then I was more drastic and booked a flight to Australia - for 2 months!!! 

So this letter S has to be dealt with now - or else there will be a dead end on my road to retirement......

Photo a Day Challenge - My favourite colour

Green is my favourite colour - I love green glass - although I have only this and another green dish.  Just keeping to a minimum.

Twenty six years ago my son, when he was a child, bought me from a Jumble Sale a green bottle - Venetian I have been told.  It stands about 17" tall.  Then my grandson five years ago bought me an identical one from a Charity shop. 

They both stand proud on my fireplace, together with the Christmas Cactus - a fond memory of gifts from children.

Photo a Day Challenge - Big

My shoes - Size 6

Friend's shoes - Size 14.5

Thats what I call Big!

Photo a Day challenge - Lunch

Sorry I have done it!  Just two days in and I am photoless.  Well I did have good intentions.  I heated up the left over mince, onion and carrots today and put some boiled potatoes on thinking - I must find my camera, I must find my camera......but guess what?  I remembered after I had eaten......and tonight isn't lunch - and tomorrow is another challenge.......must see what it is - I know its Monday - but whats the challenge.....think.....think....think.

Photo a Day Challenge - Garden

The better area of garden - not taken today but a couple months ago.  The wooden garden bench is facing away because it needs repairing and I would hate someone sit on it and end up on the ground. 

Just one of those jobs to be done.....

 

I am back - photo a day challenge - Chair

I am back!  I missed the Photo a Day Challenge - it seemed to make me think of life, rather than what I have to do in a day.  So here I am for todays challenge - Chair.  Thanks fatmumslim for the July challenge.  Hope I can stick to it this time.

Since reading other peoples blogs before I started writing this post, I feel I kinda copied someone's idea of a "chair" for todays challenge. Purely coincidental I have to add.  It took me a long time last night unloading all the stored junk in the spare room off  and around this chair before I could take the photo.

Mine is different.......because

under the seat pad is a pot!   My Nan sat on that, still has the imprint.....just kidding.  When she died some 20 years ago, I acquired it.  My intention was to re cover the seat, but like all things, I still have not got round to it.

I even thought I would take the pot out - because what I really want to do with the chair is to place it in our hall.  Beats sitting on the bottom of the stairs to put on or take off your shoes. It would look quite odd if someone saw a pot hanging under the seat as they come in the front door!

But like all things - this is on my list of jobs to do......

Photo a Day Challenge - 25th May -UNUSUAL

The only thing I could think of is unusual, although others might know exactly what it is.  My Aunt gave me her brass collection to sell.   I couldn't even list this one as I had no idea what it is.  Every time I go to see her I keep forgetting to ask.

It stands just 8 cms high, or does it lay down, or have I got it upside down, I just have no idea! 

Can anyone tell me?

Photo a Day Challenge - 24th May - SOMETHING NEW

Well I have only bought one thing new in weeks and weeks.  Since I have given the link of my blog to some friends and this is a gift for one of them, I can't show it to anyone at this precise moment.  So I am going to show you the box it will arrive in.

I will be wrapping it tonight and sending it on Monday.  When I know it has been received I will reveal all!

Photo a Day Challenge - 23rd May - TECHNOLOGY

I have only ever possessed one mobile phone - and the only reason I got it, is that I thought what a wonderful piece of technology if you broke down in the middle of the night, and to call for help you just reached into your handbag for your mobile phone.

Many many years ago in the early1970s long before I even knew there was such a thing,   I did break down in my car.  I had finished a night shift in an office in a large Hotel at 12 midnight.  I was driving  along the main road, luckily it was lit, when suddenly the car stopped.  I knew what I had to do, and that was to take off the distributor cap and put it back on again for it to make contact again. We had this problem before.  But my hands weren't strong enough to undo the clips.  So I just stood there (no I did not sit in the car), I stood there and waited for someone to walk by.  I wasn't game enough to flag down a car.

As luck would have it, about half an hour later someone was walking along the path, he too must of just finished work, and I asked him could he just undo these clips, and pointed to the part under the bonnet, which he kindly did, and hey presto, the car started first time. 

Mighty scary - since there was only this one guy (and me) - not even a telephone box nor a policeman in sight. 

So I am pretty thankful for modern technology, it makes life easier and safer.  But......I don't have anything fancy, just text and talk, that is enough for me.

 

Photo a Day Challenge - 22nd May - PINK

Pink is not my favourite colour - so for my Challenge today it just has to be those slipper socks again. 

Photo a Day Challenge - 21st May - WHERE YOU ARE STANDING

Today I found an old air bed in the garage.  It belonged to my Aunt and I remembered about two years ago she asked me to take it and put on Freecycle, which of course I didn't get around to it. 

We are going away soon, for a couple days, and will be taking our dog with us to a pet friendly studio apartment, and I needed somewhere for her to sleep.  I bought a cot bed with the intention of cutting it to size, but we realised that cutting the mattress to go with it, isn't really an option, and being wood, it was rather heavy and bulky to put in the boot of the car, with everything else and putting together at our accommodation. 

This airbed (probably from the 1970s) had its own air pump, a rubbery blob with a tube - and here I am  standing on the concrete pumping away.  I have never owned an airbed so no idea how long it would take to pump up. 

Nothing much was happening after an hour of pumping and when I looked at the it I found it had perished around the edges.  I tried to stick some heavy duty tape around the edge, then the hose split. 

Not doing very well am I?  I then tried the car tyre pump and I could not clip it on.....so I gave up and this evening went out and bought a heavy duty air bed pump, so maybe success tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

I just hope when I have been to all this trouble, the dog will go to sleep on it. 

Photo a Day Challenge - 19th & 20th May

I have gotten a bit behind on my Photo Challenge - so

19th May - A Favourite Place

Well I don't stray from the house very often - hardly at all really.  I work from home and only occasionally my work takes me away.  So I would say a favourite place is my bedroom.  The door opens out onto the patio, where I often think I might have breakfast, it over looks the grass (yes I know it needs a cut), and very early in the morning I can lay awake and hear the birds chirping, the sun rise, the foxes wandering back to the den, the squirrels bouncing about on the grass and hopping through the trees. 

With the breeze blowing through the window I can imagine I am on holiday somewhere else.

20th May - Something you can't do without
I visited a friend in Australia a few years ago and she introduced me to Green Tea, I am almost addicted to it.  My usual is several half pints a day.
I am afraid it has to be this tea - most have an edge to it - but I find this one so thirst quenching.

Yes I know its a coffee mug.  I found these in a local shop for such a good price.  So I have one with green inside, one with blue and two with black inside, the outside is a creamy colour.  Lovely to drink out of too.

Photo a Day Challenge - 18th May - SOMETHING YOU MADE

I don't have much success in making anything.  In looks great in my mind, but the thoughts do not quite reach my hands. 

Its a shame as I come from a very creative family - certainly my two sisters are very good with the needle, they take after Mum and my three brothers are good with wood, they take after Dad.  My granmother was good at knitting and crocheting, and my grandfather who was totally blind carved animals and figures in wood, and made miniature chairs woven in wire. 

Not me though........making things just do not turn out as they should - even though I try and try.  This is one thing I did make last year - a bouquet of flowers.



You see.....the bow....that just did not go right!  I practiced and practiced making that bow in front of the computer, watching the video, pause, watch again, and I could not get the hang of it. To me it looks like a bandage rather than ribbon.......

Photo a Day Challenge - 17th May - SNACK

I am pretty boring with snacks - it's either a digestive biscuit, a bar of chocolate or a banana, and that isn't every day.  Ideally I like to stick to breakfast, lunch and dinner.

So now the banana is back again.  Only because I am too tired to take a photo today!