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I'm taking a short break away from my PC ...

I'll be back on 1st August. 

What Caught Her Eye #21

Continuing my new series for Fridays: 

the contents of that Smythson notebook,

one page at a time.

"... she had learnt long ago

that anything could be endured

if you tried hard enough."  

Frances in "The Ship of Brides"

by Jojo Moyes

From the T'internet | Blogs of Note

When I began blogging, I sought out fellow bloggers

who were writing about what I was writing about.

Namely, scrapbooking and photography.

However, as the years have passed, I've become a reader of a wide-range of blogs.

Here are two current favourites:

Jaime at angloyankophile, I discovered through her guest post on Shimelle's blog.

Apart from living in London, her in the East and me in the West, 

we have don't have much in common.

Jaime writes a lot about home decor (she and her husband have just bought their first house),     

~ source ~

marvellous food in smart restaurants, living in the capital city 

and travel around the globe.

Find her on Instagram under angloyankophile.   

Ok, But Coffee First blog is run by Katya and covers 

London, coffee and mobile photography.

~ source ~

Her photos of London are always well composed and thought out.  

Katya also has a free course on how to become a 

London Photography Superstar. 

Find her on Instagram under katya_jackson.

Both ladies are generous with their time, will answers any questions

you may have and respond to comments promptly.

Feel free to share in the comments any new-to-you blogs.

Tennis Camp | Snap #22

Helena has a new photographic theme for 2016:

Snap, a visually linked group of 2 to 4 images.

***

The Boy Child has begun the Summer holidays by attending

Tennis Camp in a local park.  He's currently on day 2 of 5 days

and is having, ahem, a ball. 

He was also chuffed to find some of
his best friends were on the courts with him.

 You can see more Snap images here.

Photography Scavenger Hunt 2016 | The Definitive List, Numbers 1-7

This is the fourth year I've participated in Rinda's Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt.

You can see this year's list here.

#1: A 'wild heart' - a naturally occurring heart.
 Clematis petals found on the lane where I walk the pooch.
With added silver shoes.

 #2: A footprint or paw print.  The Boy Child was happy to oblige for this image 

when we were on Horseshoe Bay beach in Bermuda in early June.

 #3: A skeleton, bone or x-ray.
The Boy Child was willing to act as photographer's assistant for this one. 

#4: A book or magazine read during 2016.
What I was reading or preparing to read in early June.

#5: A porch or a deck. 
 This rather grand house near Gibbs Hill Lighthouse in Bermuda fits the bill.

#6: A camper (caravan).  
This extremely neglected VW Camper is parked
around the corner from our house.  It's road worthy.  Allegedly. 

#7: A family gathering.

Our friends with their newborn and two-year-old.

With added The Boy Child.

Some of these images have already appeared in my Instagram feed.
Search under #rindas2016photohunt.

How are you getting on?

You can link up with Rinda here.

School's Out for Summer

The Boy Child broke up

for the Summer holidays on Friday.

He rounded off a terrific first year in a new school

with recognition of a full school year of 100% attendance

{that's the gold bar on his blazer.  Red bars for Autumn and Spring terms of 100% attendance}

and the form prize for Maths.

Year 5 in September?  

He's ready. 

What Caught Her Eye #20

Continuing my new series for Fridays: 

the contents of that Smythson notebook,

one page at a time.

"Let me be a window

in your home."

David Tasma,

survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto.

25 February 1948

{Still} Recording This Life of Ours

I may have stopped doing Project Life this year,

but that doesn't mean I've stopped recording the everydayness

(that's not even a word, is it?) of our lives.

Naturally, earlier this year, circumstance meant that hardly anything

 made it into a scrapbook.

Hardly any photos were taken, either. 

 (And I'm still not back to using my big camera on a daily basis).

Having said that, the desire to scrapbook returned around mid-May 

and I'm making time to continue to play with paper and photos a little every day.

At least until the Summer holidays ...

Many years ago, The Brainy One asked me why I loved scrapbooking so much.

I replied that it was cheaper than therapy.

I still believe that.

Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, Bermuda | Snap #21

Helena has a new photographic theme for 2016:

Snap, a visually linked group of 2 to 4 images.

Gibbs Hill Lighthouse is the highest point on Bermuda.

Unluckily for us, the clouds rolled in on the day we chose to visit. 

It was also extremely windy and I was the only one brave enough 

to venture out onto the viewing platform.

 You can see more Snap images here.

One Photo | Twenty Words

Turkish baklava may just be

the answer to every single question 

known to man.

Life-threatening allergies to nuts notwithstanding ...

Memorandum Monday

Monday has rolled around again, and that means it's time to

join in with the lovely Sian and

 share something that I've learnt over the weekend.

***

You don't know what you don't know.

A little self-education along the way can be a good thing.

We were at a 4-year-old's birthday party on Sunday.

The party was full of people we didn't know.

I took my chance, albeit quietly, to inform.

{I was a little less quiet on IG.}     

You can see what Sian discovered over the weekend here. 

What Caught Her Eye #19

Continuing my new series for Fridays: 

the contents of that Smythson notebook,

one page at a time.

"Time is too slow for those who wait,

too swift for those who fear,

too for those who grieve,

too short for those who rejoice,

but for those who love,

time is eternity."

BAMZ | Bermuda

The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo 

is the island's most popular tourist destination.

It's easy to see why.

It's small enough to do in half a day,

but big enough to hold your attention.

It's also situated in the stunningly beautiful Flatts Village.

 What's not to love?

Bermudian Pottery | Snap #20

Helena has a new photographic theme for 2016:

Snap, a visually linked group of 2 to 4 images.

I fell in love with Bermudian pottery. 

 I didn't fall in love with the price.

 I knew Deb would love the turtle theme.

 But ... I did revisit one particular store ... 

and buy two pieces.

I didn't tell The Brainy One how much I spent.

You can see more Snap images here.

Photos as Art

If you're like me, when you see photographs used as art

on the walls of friends' houses or in restaurants,

you might think {modestly, of course},

"I can use that idea and make it my own."

Last week, I hung Instagram photos of Bermuda's palm trees 

on the bathroom wall, using cool frames from a High Street store.

{The Premier of Bermuda liked this photo on Instagram ... I was so chuffed!
Remember when I didn't see the pull of Instagram?}

This week, I'm eyeing up the stairwell as a canvas for a triptych

of London in Spring photos.  

How about you?

Do you display your photos as art?

{We're not counting photos of our children in this.} 

  

Month in Numbers | June

June was, in parts, rather joyful.

Here's a look at some of it.

(I decided not to include any numbers relating to Bermuda,

for fear of causing you to roll your eyes.

Bermuda?  Again?)

17.41 Million voted to leave, 16.14 Million voted to remain.  

The outcome of the EU Referendum has pretty much been 

the only topic of conversation across the UK since the early hours of June 24th. 

£152.90: the amount spent at the dentist - check-up, hygienist and filling replacement.

And that's with the actual dental bits on the NHS.

3: the number of nights we had a 6-months-old black Labrador puppy

staying with us.  He's a real live wire!

I may have ignored my own policy of no-dogs-on-the-furniture ...

£684.64: the amount we spent on treatment for the pooch at the vet.

That's on top of a large bill from last month.

943: my place in the queue when attempting to re-book

swimming lessons.  The reality?  All done in around five minutes.

1802: the number of fibreglass breeze blocks used to construct Unzipped Wall

at the Serpentine Gallery, Hyde Park.  It's by Bjarke Ingels of Denmark.

 Month in Numbers is the brainchild of Julie

and you'll always find a warm welcome over at her place. 

 Not to mention entertaining posts about a varied list of topics.

Go on over, stop by and say hello. 

You can find my previous Months in Numbers here. 

What Caught Her Eye #18

Continuing my new series for Fridays: 

the contents of that Smythson notebook,

one page at a time.

"... is there some heartache

you can't outrun ..."

~ Bryan Adams

2004