SCAVENGING IN BARCELONA.....

......not literally, you understand.....but for RINDA'S  Summer Scavenger Hunt. 


One of Kirsty's friends was with us when we found the first two...she was totally bemused by my excitement, and Kirsty tried to explain about my picture-taking 'illness' as she refers to it! 


The first opportunity came totally out of the blue..and was one of the pictures I thought may be hard for me to get.......


NUMBER 16- A BRIDE

We were just walking across one of the main squares, when one of the Tourist Buses drove along, with a bevvy of brides on the top deck! Of course, I realise that they are not actually brides per se, but it was too good a photo opportunity to miss!

The second picture I HAD  been on the lookout for:

NUMBER 18- A MOVIE POSTER

Of course, no trip  to  Barcelona would be complete without the obligatory snap of LA SAGRADA FAMILIAR, which gives me NUMBER 6-a historical landmark.....I could of course, have used it for No.17(a church), but will use our local one for that I think.

Now I will concentrate on the items nearer home...I'm now thinking the maze, labyrinth or trail and the pier may be my greatest challenges now, but we shall see.

If you're playing along,which item do you anticipate being the most difficult to find?

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

Summer Scavenger Hunt...Final Instalment!

Tomorrow sees the end of the Summer Scavenger Hunt, organised by  RINDA over at 'Gallo Organica'.


I took my last few pics today and here they are:

No special story, but the interesting fact is that here in Spain, the dead are buried in walls and not in the ground....ladders are provided if your nearest & dearest are 'at the top' and you want to clean the stone, or leave flowers!!

A 'froggy' garden  sculpture I found, while browsing in a Garden Centre today!

Finally...time for the self-portrait

I believe this only leaves 'someone painting outside the house', as my failure...though admittedly, there a quite a few of my entries that Rinda could be forgiven for disqualifying!

I have really enjoyed it, though..thanks for organising it Rinda..it has certainly made the summer more interesting!!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

LSNED DAY15 and Serendipity (or' Two more pics for the Scavenger Hunt')!

The lesson was that my DD has absolutely no sense of direction!!


 We drove up to Barcelona yesterday (which we had no problem with at all) and she had made an appointment to view an apartment at 6.30pm (her current Landlord has decided to sell the one she's in just now, and wants her and her flatmates out by Oct 15th!...this does not fill me with joy). Anyhow, off we went ....we had already parked the car for the night (costing 30 euros...it has been moved to a cheaper site today!), so we walked then took the Metro, with DD assuring me that she had checked GoogleMaps and knew exactly where to go....until we got there! Let's just say that we still haven't viewed the apartment......(oh yes! forgot to mention she had left her phone and wasn't able to ring the agent for directions!!!)


After that, we decided we needed to eat and why not go to this great Mexican place she loves....'sounds great' says I and we set off through a warren of streets off the Ramblas. Twenty minutes later she 'fesses up that she is totally lost.....BUT (this is the 'serendipity' part), we turned a corner and discovered....not only a student demonstration, but it entailed throwing leaflets in a fire burning in a bin (I know it's not a campfire, but it's the closest I'm going to get). For those not keeping up, these are two of the items I had still to find on RINDA'S Summer Scavenger Hunt! 

This girl was shouting at the top of her voice and you can just see the drum which was being banged in the bottom LH corner!

you can just about see the flame!

and here are said leaflets being burned...though you can't see the flames!

And to  top it all...we turned the corner and there was the Mexican Restaurant! We had a lovely meal...accompanied by a much-needed-by -that-time Margarita!

After being fed and watered, we walked back to DD's apartment...stopping for coffee AND ice-cream (diet?...what diet?)!

So really we didn't do so bad at all from DD's dreadful sense of direction....we had a lovely evening together, had a yummy meal (and ice cream!!), had a few laughs and got another two pics for the SH!

Thanks for dropping by!

take care of you

Alison xx

Summer Scavenger Hunt

Now I realise that this isn't strictly a beehive....but I was very excited when i opened up my patio umbrella to find this

It's a 'paper nest', started by wasps.......needless to say I swiftly got rid of it, after photographing it of course. We get a few of these every year, and only once has one been so well concealed that we didn't see it until it was well-inhabited! I reckon this is the closest I'm going to get to a beehive!

I also took these pics of the pine forest behind our house...that's our chimney in the pic!

I must go and find my list, and check what I've still to 'capture'!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

Summer Scavenger Hunt....Graffiti Art

Graffiti Art doesn't seem to be a big thing in this little corner of Spain......and I certainly didn't find any whilst in the UK either...what is a girl woman to do?


The answer appeared a couple of nights ago, while the News was on ......I'm out of the box again for this, people!

To be honest, I'm not even sure where this was taking place....I just heard the word 'graffiti' and ran for my camera and started snapping! It's not a great photo, but I felt  rather pleased with myself anyway!


It was weigh-in day again today...and I lost 1.8kg (4lbs)!!! It's the most I've lost in a week for a while, so it was happy dance time .......I think the amount of time I'm spending in the pool, out of the intense heat is helping...that and the fact that I'm surviving on salads. I haven't cooked a meal for yonks, though I have sent for a slow cooker (crockpot) today, in the hope that it might encourage me to get back to it. Also, DH and DD are home next weekend, and they expect something a bit more substantial than  salad every night!


Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

Scavenger Hunt Finds in the UK

I keep meaning to post these..and then it goes out of my tiny mind! I thought I should do so while it's actually in said tiny mind ('cos who knows how long it might stay there before I find yet another distraction!)


First up, when I arrived at Edinburgh Airport I spied these in the Gift Shop

The St Andrew's Cross (blue and white)is the official Scottish flag, and the Lion Rampant is the one often associated with Scottish football, rugby etc. I do realise that we all come under the Union Jack, but we Scots are very proud of our 'own' flags!

I  knew I was going to struggle with the wooden bridge in the surrounding area here, so imagine my delight when, while I was in Whitley Bay, my friend Suzanne suggested lunch at a  local Garden Centre...not only does it have a very nice restaurant, but I reckoned I just might find a wooden bridge there! And lo and behold...

a wooden bridge...going nowhere, but a wooden bridge just the same! And, when I turned round... 

.....a hand-chalked sign! I have to say that plants cost much more in this Garden Centre, than they do at my local one!!

I've a few more that I've collected here, but will post them later ....just wanted to do my UK finds, while I remembered!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

Outside the Box!

The two items which are causing most difficulty on RINDA'S Summer Scavenger Hunt (for me certainly, and for many others who are participating) are the PIRATE and the UNICYCLE!


The friends at whose house we are staying (while they are in wet and windy Wales!), have two lovely, knowledge-thirsty boys and it occurred to me that if I had a look through their bookshelves I may just find something to do with unicycles. Imagine my excitement when , not only did I find this:

courtesy of 'The Guinness World of Records 2010'!!

but also THIS !!

Whilst doing a little 'happy dance', I thumbed through and found that I was spoiled for choice for pirates....I KNOW they are not real, living breathing, Johnny Depp(sigh!!)-type pirates....now, there's another out-of-the-box thought ladies!....but  I am very pleased with myself, all the same.

The first pirate on this page is one from the Barbary Coast....until watching half-listening whilst blog-hopping, to a programme on TV  last night, I had no idea that the Barbary coast was actually what is, today, Algeria! I had always assumed it to be in the Carribbean...you really ARE never too old to learn!!

I have managed another few items while I've been here, which I will share later....I was just so excited to find these two that I couldn't wait to share!!!!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

Scavenger Hunt.....a Spanish Castillo

Walking through the not so quiet coastal village of Moraira with my houseguests last week, I came upon my castle for The Scavenger Hunt (see THIS POST). I had totally forgotten about the little castle there and positively shrieked with delight when I saw it.....by this time E&R had become used to my camera being whipped out at the drop of a hat!....so weren't at all surprised as I rushed off to 'do my thing'.

It really is a tiny little castle, details of which you can read HERE.


I am off to the UK on Thursday, so hope to pick up a few more things there.


If you fancy a good read, then remember to leave a comment on THIS POST...I'll be drawing a winner tomorrow night.


Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

Summer Scavenger Hunt

Like quite a few of you, I am joining in  with  Rinda's Scavenger Hunt this summer. 


I haven't quite decided whether to make a mini-book (like Jacky ), or whether to make a page which will look something like Helena's.


I shall continue mulling the quandary over in my tiny, little mind,and let you know when the momentous decision has been made!


In the meantime, here is the list of items I am looking out for:


1. A picture of your entire team (or self-portrait if you're playing alone)
2. A Museum
3. A camp fire (or fire in a fireplace)
4. A protest, town hall meeting or other political activity
5. A hand lettered sign selling something or giving directions
6. A person dressed as a pirate
7. A decorated mailbox (Non-U.S. participants may substitute a piece of garden sculpture)
8. Your country's flag
9. A festival or fair
10. A wooden bridge
11. A forest
12. A unicycle
13. A cemetery of historical significance or with an interesting story.
14. A castle
15. Graffiti art (not just graffiti and not just a wall mural)
16. A building made of metal or glass
17. Rain
18. A person sketching or painting outside their house
19. A beehive or an ant farm with live ants
20. A handmade roadside memorial or shrine.
21. A rooster

And here is what I have , so far

a roadside shrine on the way out of our village

#20

fiesta (festival) of St.John the Baptist

#9

our local museum ( where they have examples of local craftmanship)

#2

rain bouncing off our pool

#17

the new Alicante Airport...all glass and metal

#16

the rooster who parades (noisily) outside the papercraft class I attend

#21

I shall be  'keeping my eyes peeled', for the rest of the summer...the self-portrait will be taken after I get my hair done next week, methinks ;)

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx