HELLO MONDAY

A new week ahead, and I'm saying:

HELLO to a trip to the airport, as Craig heads off again :(

HELLO to lots of reading, thanks to the broken toe...I'm very bored with said toe already!

HELLO to deciding to abandon LSNED...to be honest it never really got off the ground for me

HELLO to making a final decision about  how (and where) we will spend Christmas this year..I realise that it may seem a little early to many of you, but flights have to be booked and little dogs arranged to be looked after!

from CATE'S BLOG...why not count down to Christmas with her?!

HELLO to starting the Christmas Present list.....I am heading to Scotland in October, and am hoping to get the bulk of the UK contingent's presents bought while there

HELLO to the last week of the Summer Scavenger Hunt :(  one item to find (a pier), but I think it will be a heart shaped rock (which I have yet to find) taking its place

What are you saying 'Hello' to today?

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

SCAVENGER HUNT UPDATE

Before I went MIA last week, I had managed to get a few more pics for RINDA'S  Scavenger Hunt.....in fact I now have all but one...and have to confess to looking for a heart-shaped stone!

NUMBER 2O - A swing hanging from a tree (or a hammock)......I know I already posted what I thought would be my best bet HERE, but would you believe that on popping in to a Garden Centre in a nearby town I came across these!

NUMBER 14-A person playing with a ball....I came across this group playing Beach Volleyball- I have to say I was really surprised, as it was an incredibly hot day!

NUMBER 2 - A clothesline....I've had this one for ages, but had hoped to find something a bit more interesting on my travels- needless to say I didn't!

NUMBER13-A Library....an actual Public Library I have really struggled with, so I have done a bit of cheating 'thinking outside the box' and have come up with this.....

...part (a very small part!) of Craig's DVD library!

By my calculations that only leaves a pier...and I reckon that in reality the pier is going to look remarkably like a heart-shaped stone!

I really have had fun again this year....Rinda has intimated that she intends running the Scavenger Hunt again next year- if you didn't join this time, why not pencil it in for some  Summer fun in 2013?!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

GOT ME AN ANGEL!!!

Just when I'd given up hope, there she was......

.....just standing there,waiting for me.....in my neighbour's garden!

I popped along to show her the results of yesterday's pedicure (which I shall share with you soon- I have marbled toenails!) and as I walked in to her garden I spotted this little statue. My neighbour couldn't quite understand my excitement, but was very happy to have been able to help!

I also have as-close-to-a-hammock as I reckon I'm going to get

I'm hoping it qualifies Rinda?!...if not, I'm off looking for a heart-shaped stone! It IS suspended from the hanger on one side, though I realise that technically it should be both sides.

I await your judgement ;)

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

I CAUGHT A TRAIN!!

Not as in "I caught a train to go to..." but for (no surprises here, I'm thinking!) the SUMMER SCAVENGER HUNT being run and organised by RINDA.

Desperation does terrible things to people me! 

As you can tell, I was in the car at the time...AND...I was actually driving! But in my defence, I had remembered before setting off (to Valencia to pick up Kirsty and her friend, last week) that when travelling on the 'coast road' as opposed to the motorway/freeway, I had often had trains pass me...and that on the outskirts of Valencia you actually pass a train station, at which there was sometimes  a train standing. So I  took my trusty P&S out of my bag and kept it handy on the passenger seat.

I had actually forgotten all about the trains, when I saw one stopped at a light on the track....I knew it would eventually start moving again, and I was on the stretch of road where the rail line runs parallel to the road for a good few miles...fortunately it's not a road on which people drive very fast, so I was primed and watching in my rear mirror ..and yay! here it came. Left hand holding the steering wheel, eyes still on the road and P&S in right hand, I just started clicking...and was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the results later!

As I approached the station outside Valencia, I saw there were trains sitting at it and grabbed the camera again...just in case I hadn't actually caught anything previously!...and snapped this on the way past 

Today I have fingers crossed for an angel and a hammock...though I won't have to be doing so out of the car window (hopefully!)

How's your scavenging going? I'm really enjoying what people are coming up with for the prompts!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

HELLO MONDAY!

HELLO to what looks like an entire week with NO visitors, and NO airport/bus station runs!!

HELLO to my package from LIZ EARLE (hopefully!)

HELLO to finding a few more items for the Scavenger Hunt

HELLO to finding a few shady spots to do some reading in....all  I need to do is find Boo- she knows where they all are!

HELLO to a meeting which will hopefully clarify a new venture in  the village, which I'm hoping to become involved in

What are you saying 'Hello' to this week?...whatever it is, I hope there's something you're looking forward to!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT LINK-UP

Not only has the lovely RINDA organised another Photo Scavenger Hunt this summer, she has also put together a Linkup for all (70!!) participants today!


Up until now I have posted 13 pictures, and, apart from the WASHING LINE  (which given the number of visitors I've had-and have still to have- is not a problem..I just keep forgetting about it) the remainder are the tricky ones:


1. A PIER- not something I've seen on my travels, but having read  this little snippet on Wikipedia:  'In American English, pier may be synonymous with dock', I think I MAY (with your permission Rinda?) have got around that one!


5. A TRAIN - not so much tricky, as that it's not something I can find locally...I just have to remember to go via the Railway Station in Valencia, when I go to pick Kirsty up tomorrow.


8. A PERSON DRESSED AS AN ANGEL OR A STATUE OF AN ANGEL- you would think that in this very religious country I could find a statue of an angel...well, I can't!


13. A LIBRARY-  another one that sounds simple, but I haven't seen one yet!!


14.A PERSON PLAYING WITH A BALL- not even Boo wants to run after a ball in this heat!


20. A SWING HANGING FROM A TREE (OR A HAMMOCK)....I think this is going to be the one to cause me the most problems now.........


even though I thought it would be NUMBER 21- A PICTURE OF YOU STANDING WITH SOMETHING THAT SYMBOLISES YOUR NATION . Being in Spain, I was finding it difficult to  find anything remotely Scottish, but on tidying a few things away in Kirsty's room yesterday I found the very thing:

...a little set of bagpipes (actually a magnet) which, when I pressed it onto the mirror, played  'Scotland the Brave'...that DID make me smile!!

Why not pop over to RINDA'S BLOG if you want to check out some more scavenging tales....I'm  looking forward to seeing what the other participants have been up to...hopefully having as much fun as I have!

Thanks again Rinda, for putting this together!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

THE LAST FEW FOR JULY...

.......Scavenger Hunt items, that is!


 I'm sure you know by now that I've joined RINDA'S bit of Summer fun-a photographic Scavenger Hunt...and even though I've had a few days off from blogging, I HAVE managed to get some more of the coveted items!


NUMBER 12- A MAZE, LABYRINTH OR TRAIL


I knew I wasn't going to find a labyrinth or a maze around these parts, but as I was walking up from the village a few days ago, I happened to look down to see how full our reservoir was, and noticed this perfect trail through the orange and almond groves

That is the reservoir in the foreground...and it's now beginning to drop slightly, as the water is being fed to the  vines, ready for the harvest at the beginning of September

NUMBER 15- Someone Dancing

I took this on the last night of our Line Dancing class..we have to stop for six weeks over the summer as it just gets too hot!

NUMBER 19-AN OUTDOOR STAIRWAY

I came across this eye-catching staircase when I was out for lunch last week...out came the camera again!

NUMBER 3- A BORDER

I mainly garden in pots, but this is one of my raised borders

And that's it for July, my friends...I'm working on a special one for Saturday's LINK UP.

I am enjoying a few  days on my own, just catching up with lots of little jobs (between going in to the pool to cool off!!). Craig left yesterday and Kirsty is back (with a friend) on Saturday, so the busy-ness starts again then!

Hope you're all having a good week

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

A BIT MORE SCAVENGING!

By my calculations I have posted all of FIVE photographs for the SCAVENGER HUNT, arranged by RINDA...here are another four


NUMBER 9- A FOUNTAIN

The little town a few miles from us where we our Bank  is, has this lovely fountain in the square

NUMBER 19- A HORSE

Not great quality- it was taken out the car window. I always feel so sorry for these horses having to pull these covered carts in all this heat...and the leading horse looks exhausted here!

NUMBER 17- A CHURCH......

The Church in our village

You can just about see how ornate the inside is, compared to the outside.

NUMBER11- A SHADOW

The shadow  of  a palm tree

That brings me up to nine items found...only twelve to go!!

I'm becoming a bit obsessed about this Scavenger Hunt......I nearly accosted a little boy at the airport yesterday who was carrying two Scottish flags, to have my photo taken with something symbolizing my nation.....and almost missed my friend Elaine arriving! 

Hope you're enjoying the hunt as much as I am.

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

AND WE'RE OFF........

......on the 2012 SUMMER SCAVENGER HUNT organised by RINDA. In her latest post, there would appear to be about 40 of us playing along...I participated last year, and even though I had to cheat  be somewhat inventive with some of my entries, managed most of it. 


The items we are looking for are as follows:


1. A pier
2. A clothesline
3. A border
4. A roadside stand selling something
5. A train
6. A historical landmark
7. A person playing a musical instrument
8. A person dressed as an angel or a statue of an angel

9. A fountain

10. A horse

11. A shadow

12. A maze, labyrinth, or trail.

13. A library

14. A person playing with a ball.

15. Someone dancing.

16. A bride.

17. A church, chapel, cathedral, mosque or temple.

18. A movie poster

19. An outdoor stairway

20. A swing hanging from a tree (or a hammock)
21.  A picture of you standing with something that symbolizes your nation

It has been Fiesta in our village for the last few days, and when we went down to watch the festivities a couple of nights ago, I managed to get my first few photographs.

SOMEONE PLAYING A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT  (7)

There was actually a whole Marching Band of people playing musical instruments!

There were also stalls selling balloons and toys for the children, so this gives me A ROADSIDE STAND SELLING SOMETHING (4)

Now there are only 19 to go!

I am off to Barcelona tomorrow for Kirsty's Graduation, so am hoping to catch a few pics there...I'm also hoping to meet a special someone before I return home on Sunday..that might be a late entry for STORYTELLING SUNDAY over at SIAN'S BLOG! 

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx