The last shots from this roll in August take me back to sunny days and Bar-B-Qs, or ODE’s as they’re known here ~ Outdoor Eating Experiences :). Our friends Paul and Lorraine who live over in South Shields and have a lovely big garden, had friends and family over one Saturday afternoon, and I took a few frames.
Phil, Lorraine Paul under the gazebo thingy
Paul ~ masterchef
with Pat & Derek, Lorraines Mum & Dad
a drink 🙂
It was nice to be socialising oudoors and seeing family we hadn’t seen in ages.
Phi and I had a few ODE’s ourselves on sunny evenings after work
Phil Masterchefing
Sauces and Sparkles
finally, I love it when the evening sun lightens the corner of the living rooom window, and if you look carefully in the shady bottom right hand corner, you can espy Lord Vincent on the back of his favourite chair.
That’ll be it on Film Friday for a while, I’ve got 2 rolls of film on the go and no-where near finished, but, I’ll be back!
Summer seems a long time ago now, sitting here with the rain coming down all day. More pictures from my August roll of film, this time. Back at the zoo with Cal and Liddy, the digital shots some of you saw on the Otherverse Blog.
Cal & Liddy, & Snowy Owl
with the Poitou Donkeys.
I’d never heard of these giant donkey’s before, so here is the informtion you are gagging to know too now..
The Baudet du Poitou, also called the Poitevin or Poitou donkey, are (no surprise) bred by the Pesky French. They were (?)created by breeding male donkeys with lady Poitevin horses to produce Poitevin mules which were formerly in worldwide demand for agricultural and other work. The Baudet has a distinctive coat, which hangs in long, ungroomed locks or cadenettes. They were possibly bred from donkeys introduced to the area by the good ol’ Romans. According to wiki they were also possibly a status symbol in the middle ages at least in France, (will rely on April for corroboration on that point) I suppose like having a top specs Range Rover is today, or was, maybe not so much now with climate change and the cost of fuel. Anyhoo, I digress. By the 1800’s France had established a studbook for the breed, and the 19th and early 20th centuries saw them being used for the production of mules throughout Europe. (Is anyone else thinking ‘genetic engineering to the max?) During this same time, Poitou bloodlines were also used to develop other donkey breeds, including the American Mammoth Jack in the United States. Then came mechanisation and by 1977 there were only 44 giant donkeys left in the world. There are more now because of private and public breeding and by 2005 there were 450 purebred Poitou donkeys. They are still an endangered species, their population is below 800 animals worldwide, with 60 of them in the UK.
ring tailed lemur
A Ring Tailed Lemur surprisingly in focus! Interesting factoid:- Ring-tailed lemurs have scent glands on their wrists, which they then rub all the way along their tails to then waft their tails at other lemurs in ‘stink fights’! As of early 2017, the population in the wild is believed to have crashed as low as 2,000 individuals due to habitat loss, poaching and hunting, making them far more critically endangered, despite reproducing readily in captivity and being the most populous lemur in zoos worldwide.
Fallow Deer
Fallow Deer have been around for over 8000 years, and are now found roaming free on every continent except Antarctica.
Liddy
Liddy ~ a unique member of homo sapiens, the most abundant and widespread species of primate. And she is a little monkey!
That’s it for this week! Phil and I are off to Edinburgh today, to the Murrayfield Stadium where Scale Scotland are having their model show, if the Pesky Scots have internet connection up there, I’ll catch up with y’all later.
Random photographs from a roll in the Contax I took with me out and about in August.
A few weeks ago I posted my Hipstamatic outing to Tynemouth Market over on the Universe Blog but of course took a few with my Contax too.
Lunch Huts
Doggies
I was with Phil, and we always grab a coffee from the Ouseburn Coffee Company, and Phil managed to knock his one all over the counter, resulting in copious amounts of paper towel mopping up on our part. The guy serving was very nice about it and gave him another cuppa free of charge. I’d have made him pay 😉
OCC
I know I posted a picture of Foxy Scotsy last time, but I like this one much more.
Foxy Scotsy
I do love the quirky things people bring to sell, I might have to have one of these next visit!
Wierd stuff
I wish I’d been sharper with the focus for these cute guys
Back in the Jurassic era, when there were heydays and I was in mine, on good weather weekends, my friends and I would cycle to the Grand Union Canal in Hemel Hempstead, where we lived, and cycle 8 miles along the canal paths as far as Tring, then we’d cycle back home. There were, and still presumably are, several establishments along the way where you could rest and refresh yourself with beverages, usually half a pint of Bulmers, and have a nice lunch. Summers were fab down south back then and I got fit and tanned, and only rode my bike and myself into the canal once. Ah halcyon days indeed.
The Grand Union Canal came to be in 1929 when it amalgamated with a couple of other canals to try and mitigate against the competitive rail and newly-developing road transport system. It’s the main navigable waterway between London and the Midlands, starting in London, with an arm running to Leicester and a second arm going to Birmingham. The London-Birmingham route is 137 miles long and has 166 locks to pass through.
The Grand Union Canal
When I went and stayed in Leighton Buzzard to look after my grandson whilst his Dad took his lady to the Isle of Wight Festival, I took my Contax to the bit of the canal that you can access from the carpark at the Tesco Superstore, and spent a pleasant couple of hours having a wander.
I found this carved felled tree trunk at the beginning of the walk
Lemmy Out.
Plenty of narrow boats that people either live in or use as holiday homes are berthed on the canal. Lutra is named after the Eurasian Otter of the same name.
Lutra Lutra
homes from homes
Loved the washing line and TV ariel on this
All Mod Cons
There are houses who’s gardens abut the canal,
an idylic situation
The Wyvern Shipping Company hire out narrow boats for day trips, or longer. holidays, it’s on my bucket list of things to do.
Not every vessel was a narrow boat
Narrow boats are usually decorated with plants and colourful painted bits and pieces
I reached the first lock on this stretch and was hoping for a boat to come through
Linslade Lock
And got lucky.
That was were I turned round and went back to pick up Lewis from school, after a lovely afternoon which brought some fab memories back.
All shots clickable and embiggenable
All shots taken with my Contax Aria on a roll of Kodak Portra.
I’ve recently been posting about Morpeth and Herterton Country Garden over on theUniverse Blog with images from my FujiXT2, but of course I took along my Contax Aria loaded with a roll of Kodak Portra 200 and took some more pictures with it which I’m sharing today.
The Toll House Toll houses were built on toll roads, tolls being fees that travellers on the road had to pay. A toll collecter lived in the house and there was often a gate across the road to stop people travelling without paying. This one is an early 19th century building, a Grade II listed building and is now a pub called The Office.
Morpeth sits in a loop of the River Wansbeck.
Morpeth Old Bridge ~ footbridge part. a medieval multi-span bridge of 13th century date, which spanned the River Wansbeck in Morpeth. The bridge was in use until 1835 when it was partially demolished and replaced by a new bridge downstream. The abutments and central pier remain standing to about 4m high and are surmounted by a 19th century footbridge.
Free dip and tomato ketchup!!
On to Herterton now.
Top topiary!
A saxon pot
The three faced scottish sundial on the arched byre, and Marjorie at work.
the exit from the flower garden into the wildflower garden
in the wild flower gaden
pink poppies
gooseberries
Macedonian scabious (Knautia macedonica), an extremely hardy ornamental plant.
Random shots taken on the Contax Aria on Kodak Ultramax film.
I do like a sparkling rosé once in a while
A glass of I Heart.
I planted these violas last spring and they’ve resurrected themselves this spring too, which is why I suppose, their nickname is Johnny Jump-ups.
Johnny Jump-ups
Phil sits on a stool in the conservatory to have a cuppa and read the paper. 🤣
Winnie
Vinnie
I am enamoured of the views from our upstairs windows, I like all the angles and lines of the urban landscape at the back, and I especially like Cheryl’s washing line as it’s so colourful. 🙂
The front bedroom window is my favourite though for all the trees and our Happy Eater Tree when it blossoms.
Blossom and blue sky
Blossom and storm
Last of the Blossom and fog
My first attempt at photographing the grandkids on the contax.
Liddy and Cal
My spider plant is taking over the bathroom, not sure what I’m going to do with all the babies.
Mum and babies
When the weather is kind I go on walks around our area.
runner
The secret lake, and distant swans.
Hmmm. Not the done thing.
Union Jack
On the whole we don’t fly our flag everywhere as in America, a good explanation as to why is HERE.
On a trog over the railway bridge to go to Lidl at Pelaw i saw the trailing foliage over a lot of people’s back garden fences.
Over on the Universe Blog on the last and next sundays are my close-up digital shots of the flowers Sophie and I found at Birkheads Secret Gardens. I also had my Contax Aria loaded with Kodak Gold 200 film, and used it to do wider shots of the gardens, and to photograph the quirky decorations that you come across when walking through the gardens. So to accompany the Universe posts, I’m doing a Film Friday post with the results from the Contax.
In one of the corners there’s a nod to pirates
Pirates Corner
Jolly Roger
There’s also an oriental kind of place
buddha
and you can sit by a pond and look for the fish and the newts.
Sophie sitting
Walking around you come across mini statues
fake cat
fairy town
gnomes & fairies
Big Gnome
the owners have a sense of humour
dead & buried, nearly.
They’ve left an area to become a wildflower place, with it’s own not-a-scarecrow and fake geese 😃
Sophie has been home from Spain for a couple of weeks and we’ve been out and about with our cameras. We spent a Sunday up in Edlingham and Craster ~ the Edlingham shots are mostly with the FujiXT2 so will be appearing on Sundays over on the Universe blog, but we also went over to Craster and had a windy walk up the coast to Dunstanburgh Castle, and I employed the Contax Aria for the visit, loaded with Kodak Gold 200 film.
Craster is a small fishing village on the Northumberland coast. It has a small harbour and a grassy path leading up to the castle which is the only way to get to it. For many years, the village has had a herring-curing business: Craster kippers are well known around the world.
Dunstanburgh Castle was built on an epic scale atop a remote headland along the coast. It was built at a time when relations between King Edward II and his most powerful baron, Earl Thomas of Lancaster, had become openly hostile. Lancaster began the fortress in 1313, and the latest archaeological research indicates that he built it on a far grander scale than was originally recognised, perhaps more as a symbol of his opposition to the king than as a military stronghold.
Unfortunately the earl failed to reach Dunstanburgh when his rebellion was defeated, and he was taken and executed in 1322. Thereafter the castle passed eventually to John of Gaunt, who strengthened it against the Pesky Scots by converting the great twin towered gatehouse into a keep.
The focus of fierce fighting during the Wars of the Roses, it was twice besieged and captured by Yorkist forces, but subsequently fell into decay.
Before we arrived at Craster we had lunch at our favourite café in Rock, which readers of theUniverse blog will have heard me bang on about.
The Rocky
It was a really blowy~blustery day so walking up the coast was a bit like being beaten up, we didn’t get right up to the castle before we’d had enough and turned round, wimps that we are, but far enough for a long shot of it.
flower pots line the roads coming out of Craster car park
Mermaid with a big fishy thing.
Flowery things and harbour
There are quite a few holiday cottages to rent, or maybe they are second homes for posh people, along the sea front, and the have their own little gardens to sit in with views of the harbour, castle, and sea.
Over on the Universe blog, I’ve been posting my outings to Northumberland churches, but I also took a few shots along the journey.
Sophie spotted this tree whilst I was doing my Ben Hur around the country roads, think it could be an oak.
Sophie’s Tree
We had late lunches and afterwards travelled home via the scenic route. Going through and out the other side of Warkworth there are parking spaces on the A1068 which runs along side the River Coquet. Looking back towards Warkworth you can see the medieval castle on the hill that dominates the landscape.
Warkworth
Looking forwards and ahead is Amble marina, you can just see the boat masts next to appartment blocks called ‘Coquet Cottages’. Pfft. Like no cottage I ever saw.
Coquet Cottages 🙄
Further along towards the coast we came across a stone gateway which seemed incongruous all alone on a country lane.
Craster Tower Gateway
It was built in the late 1700’s and made of whinstone rubble, and belonged to Craster Tower. The tower was a 14th century pele tower and is referred to in a survey of 1415 as in the ownership of Edmund Crasestir. When Edmund died the tower remained in the Craster family and a two storey Manor house was added to it in 1666 by another Edmund Craster. In 1769, George Craster erected an impressive five-bayed, three-storey Georgian mansion adjoining the south side of the Tower, which was reduced to three storeys and recastellated at this time.
In 1785 the estate was in the hands of Shafto Craster who changed the appearance of the pele tower, to give it a gothic style. It was at this time he also built the coach house and the gateway. Shafto was also responsible for starting the kippering industry in Craster which still thrives to this day.
Not much point in numbering the posts really as the Aria is now my go-to camera for shooting film with, and all my others stand forlornley on the shelf gathering dust.
I’ve recently been shooting some more Kodak Ultramax 400 and got the results back. A fair few I’ve taken when on outings with Sophie, so they’ll get incorporated in to the Sunday Fraggle reports over on the Universe Blog. I made good use of spring and summer which came the week before last, and took the Aria on walks around the neighbourhood. Sadly we’re back in winter now and it’s a bit miserable out there. Anyhoo here are a few from my walks:
The path that leads to the Hebburn Quarry Nature Reserve (or Wardley Lake as it’s known chez Fraggle) is lined with hawthorn trees, and is lovely to walk down in spring.
Hawthorn arches
The arch isn’t natural, Storm Arwen made it, and though some of the trees got broken and uprooted, somehow they’re still flowering.
Sidelined
This young one is quite exposed but managed to survive.
survivor
Their branches gently reach out for the light and their buds open one by one.
It was so nice to walk in sunshine, and hear the miriad birds warning each other of dogs and humans in their territory. A flash of red here and there across the sky as the bullfinches go about their nest building and the ubiquitous pigeons crash landing in the tree branches.
I turn back towards home at the end of the path and walk back through the houses. Cherry blossom trees are a favourite with the inhabitants of our estate
the pink blooms glow in the sunshine and you can’t help feel uplifted at their promise of warmer times ahead.
I have to say our resident graffiti artist(s) are a bit lacklustre, could do better I think.
pfft!
The oak tree I once spent a whole month photographing is still standing, though it doesn’t look any bigger considering that was 6 years ago now. Wow, where did those years go??
old friend
Last bit before home, and it made me smile to see this couple holding hands, still love’s young dreams in their hearts.
More shots taken in Newcastle this time with Kodak Ultra Max 400.
Next door to the long closed Gaiety Theatre in Nelson Street was the Café Royale, and it’s thespian pillars are fab. Sadly the café closed in 2020 and it’s owner converting it into offices. Or would have done if not for the plague.
fragglefilm 
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