Sunday Catch-up ~Tiki Tours Galore

Another week gone already? It's been busy, but I'll let you know more about that another time :]
In the mean time, what did I get up to this week? Well, Monday I went to help our sister hotel set up their till banks for a new promo we have starting. No one there knows how to program the tills and so I get the privilege, but to be fair, I don't mind xD It's something I enjoy doing anyway and being the needed person is fun too x3

Tuesday was a work day, so without much time to myself I just dossed around the house and played with the pets :] The gerbils are getting so much bolder now! They are mostly fine with the lid of their tank opening now, and even come out to get sunflower hearts x3 I'm so proud!

Wednesday was a busy day. Dad and I were supposed to going out to Derby for an arranged flight he got for Christmas, but the weather wasn't quite right so as I was up and I'd managed to get the day off we went out for a tiki tour anyway XD
Dad suggested Llangollen, his go to spot for days out, and I usually try to steer him into something else cause it feels like we always go there XD But I thought that I've not been there for a while now so away we went. We had a really good day too! We checked out all the usual spots and yeah the weather wasn't always at it's best but we had a good day exploring and seeing what we could find x3

Dad managed to rearrange his flight for Friday, which luckily I already had off work. We set off pretty early and ate some breakfast sandwiches in the car on the way there x3 Dad's Christmas present was a 30 minute microlight flight and he seemed to really enjoy it! He saw some good countryside and got to try an experience he'd not done before.

The flight gave him an idea of what to explore next and we headed to a local town he'd flown over...and the name slips my mind. It was a lovely little town though, but we weren't parked in a great spot so moved on to look at a place called Dovedale. It was very similar to some Shropshire beauty spots, but of course it's always fun to explore somewhere new x3

We moved onto a beautiful proper English village called Ilam then. This is the kind of place people imagine when you talk about England I think, just look at it! There was also a national trust manor house there which we checked out, as the gardens were free to get in X3 The sun was out in full strength by now though and it was really sapping our energy, so we headed back to the river that ran through the town and found a nice shady tree to sit under- where we promptly fell asleep for 20 minutes XD

On our way back towards home we spotted a random car park in the middle of nowhere, so out of curiosity we went to see what it was about and found this massive ex-train tunnel! We were not expecting that XD It was a good way to finish off our day of exploring though x3

Today was our local area's funday. It's always quite a small affair, but I love that they put the effort into putting it on, even though we haven't always got the best reputation as an estate :x It started out raining but luckily brightened up to give them a lovely day for a fete-like event x3 After me and Dad were done checking it out, we went cherry hunting around the estate. It always astounds me that people don't realise that cherries off a tree are the same things they buy in the shops, but I'm glad as this way I get to eat them all! (Okay I'll share with Dad & Face ;p) This year has a bumper crop going on too so I'm soon going to have more than I can manage I think XD
Have you had a good week? Get much exploring done? ;3



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July Photo-a-Day ~Week One

I realise that my photo a day for July was supposed to be updated on Saturdays, but I didn't predict how busy I was going to be this Saturday! So far I'm 11½ hours into a 16 hour shift, but thought I would type on my break :]
So, let's jump straight in, shall we?

A Statue of a Dog or Horse
This one was taken while over at Wolverhampton racecourse checking out a camera show :3 You'd think the photo for this day would be 'camera' right? But no, it goes to this statue of a horse I found while there and I thought it seemed like a good chance to tick this one off the list as you don't come by statues of horses or dogs very often, right?

A Pond with a Fountain
Another thing I don't see very often, so took the opportunity while in The Quarry, Shrewsbury. The Quarry is a beautiful spot and we sat and admired it's wonderful landscaping and gardens, this pond and it's surrounds reminded me of some of the Japanese gardens me and Face found while over there x3

Transport
Some of these prompts I already had an idea for when I started the challenge, but I didn't see this for this one XD While out and about in Wales, Dad and I stopped at a aqueduct next to a viaduct and while we were walking next to the canal a train came over, he even blew his whistle and waved at us as he went past! I was pretty impressed!

Camera
Heeeeere it is ;p I knew it wouldn't be long before I managed to fulfill this prompt, the question was just with which camera? This camera is borrowed from a friend in Wolverhampton who also likes to collect old school analogues and I took it out while visiting Horseshoe falls in Wales. Hopefully I'll have got some good shots when I get the film processed x3

Reflection
This was taken at Ilam house (manor?) Friday, a beautiful day and perhaps a little too warm to be wandering around some old house's grounds XD Still, finding this spot was a bonus and we watched the reflections of the river under the bridge for a while in the shade before moving on again.

A Castle Turret
I'm not entirely sure on this one, if it counts or not. It's a decorative part of the gardens at Ilam manor, but it is distinctly a castle turret, isn't it? Let me know if you think I cheated on this one ;p

Free Shot
I thought I would use this week's free shot on this adorable greengrocers in Llangollen x3 I always take a photo of this place if we pass through as I just find it so...authentic? I imagine back in the day there would be a shop like this every couple of streets with displays outside to make people buy from them, but you rarely see it these days. What really topped this place off was the lovely cherries they sold! We had to get more on the way back the first lot had been so good XD
Hope you enjoyed the beginning of July's photo a day, which was your favourite shot? Are you doing the challenge with me? Let me know x3



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Sunday Catchup ~Hot and Cold

All right, here we are. Catching up, okay? xp I didn't manage this yesterday as about a week ago I switched the file type my camera saves in from jpeg to RAW...and subsequently found out that nothing my computer does previews, opens or edits RAW. Huh. So what I hoped would improve my photography a little has really just resulted me converting my files back to jpeg so I can edit them and being a lot more time consuming. Hence why I'm here Monday instead of the scheduled Sunday. No worries anyway. Shall we get on then?

So Monday was a bit of a wander around the garden day, not up to much really but I got a few shots, like this one of the kiwi fruit vine in flower for the second year in a row, and again it's put on a pretty impressive display. Hopefully this year will be a little more...fruitful than last where nothing resulted.

The weather began heating up from Tuesday onwards, and Wednesday was easily the hottest it's been in a long time, as confirmed by the news! I had to go to work which was a bit of a sweatbox nightmare with power cuts taking out the aircon, but before all that I got to sit in the garden with my feet in a paddling pool, drinking homemade strawberry milkshakes x3 So good!

Things started getting busy then as many early mornings ensued (I'll go into more detail about that at a later date) and I lost track of what was happening when, as I do when I get up too early xp My week was made when the new single from The Libertines was released, the first in 11 years, Gunga Din <3 OMG this track is something, it gives me shivers!

Friday was my first day off in about 10 I think, and I was ready for it! It was another early start but after a recovery can of Red Bull and a bit of a relax on the computer, I got some mail- my Graze Box. Bored of not receiving jerky recently, I went on the website after the last one and 'send soon'ed some options I fancied, so this box looks particularly tasty x3

After I'd recovered I went out with Dad in the afternoon to go for a mooch round Shrewsbury. We had a good afternoon just taking pictures and not doing a lot, as ever! We went round by the river, up through the Quarry, where I got this pic of a lovely lily mix, and then up to the castle for a view while we ate dinner. It was a good way to spend my day off x3

Sunday I kind of had it in my head that I wasn't going to do a lot until the evening, but at 10.30 I got a txt from a friend asking if I wanted to check out a camera fair in Wolverhampton. Sounded interesting, so away I went! And it was good, I'm kinda glad I didn't take too much money though as I managed to spend too much as it was x.X I ended up with 3 new cameras! All analogue, of course x3 And two of them were only a pound each! How could I turn that down? (Even if I can't use them because they take film that hasn't been made since the 70s...)
As we left the fair this storm rolled in but as we were in the car we just watched the rain and enjoyed being dry while checking out out purchases x3
But what about you, did you have a good week? Busy or more relaxed? I'd love to hear about it x3



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Sunday Catch-up ~Busier than I thought!

Here we are again, back at Sunday! It's been a more eventful week than I hoped at the beginning as one of my coworkers swapped shifts with me so I didn't have to do all 12 starts, which although I lost out on a little money, was way better for my mentality xp I did miss a lot of the good weather by having to be at work, but at least I got to enjoy a little of it, including this great sunset on Thursday, which I nipped out the back gates at work to take a picture of in the middle of service!

Thursday daytime I had a good day trekking around the shops and found a fair bit that I wanted to buy- luckily I'd only taken so much money with me, perhaps something I need to do more often ;p

It did mean on Friday I'd got all that out my system and I got a little time to focus on the garden, dragging planters about an putting in some new things, I still have a lot to do but I'm pleased with how it's all doing so far :] I'll save you from any pics of dirt this week though xp

On Friday I went out with Face to a factory shop nearby where they sell surplus of all the products they make. They sell a load of brand name foods so cheap it's totally worth the trip out to see what you can find x3 This time we found a massive tub of caramel flavour frappe mix! So guess what we did when we got home? They were really good too! I was surprised at how easy it came together with just a little bit of mix.

Yesterday was a super busy day for me, my first day off in over a week and I was ready for it! I dyed my hair in the morning (though the less we speak of that at the moment the better) and then went to get a new tattoo from the girl who does Face's. It was a good afternoon of scratchy pain an i think well worth it! Excuse the picture, I promise you none of it's blood!

In the evening i went to see my friend Sami in Wolverhampton and we went out to Isosushi, which as recently opened up x3 We ate a little too much but it was well worth it! If I had a shop like this near where I live I would be poor with the amount of sticky rice I could buy on demand *.* Maybe one day... After we went back to her house for some Matcha latte and a look around the garden in the dark x3
Today I was waiting for the weather to warm up a little and I'm off to go have a play in the garden again x3 Did you have a good week? Let me know! I'll catch you soon!



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Sunday Catch Up #3

Man, quickest week ever or what? Of course, because I had a break from work this week went crazy fast for me. It's Sunday already ;/
Ah, but there's no point moping about it now, I've done as much as I could towards stuff I wanted to do, although I would've liked to get outside more, the weather just wasn't up to it. It's been pretty windy and cold out there this week and that does not appeal to me at all xp So, Monday I spent in with my This is Not a Book (I've been going about this a lot recently, huh?) trying to get it completed. This week I wanted to focus on my 'projects' to at least get a couple completed, something that doesn't have to sit on my mind when I'm at work then!

I also wanted to try making some different foods. I've not been able to take advantage of being able to cook my own food really since January, so Monday I turned my hand to try and make Baked Eggs with Spinach.
They came out well if I do say so myself! Very rich, but also very tasty XD Sorry, the picture doesn't really do it justice. I'm no food photographer!

Because I work so slowly, Tuesday was also pretty dedicated to the TiNaB, and some of my only pictures today were taken for the book, including this one for the challenge 'This is a Methodology'. This book makes me do some pretty stupid things...

I did a few things on Wednesday which mostly involved getting food for the dragons then spending way too much on food for myself at Tesco, even though the house has plenty of food x.X I'm terrible for it. I did a little housework when I got back though which included going an checking on the greenhouse. Dad set some strawberries off in there before he left and I've been keeping an eye on them. He also put some potatoes into big tubs and I'd started wondering if they'd just rotted away, but would you look at this! Just as I begun to doubt them, there they are! I guess we are going to get some early new potatoes this year x3~

Thursday I went to visit a friend in Wolverhampton, nearby. We walked around the town a little and got a film she'd just finished processed to see how her new film camera had performed. She also let me borrow her Holga 120 for the spare flm I managed to buy from Ebay when buying some 35mm film. I've never used 120 before so it should be fun! I don't know if this camera particularly suits me though XD

Friday, after a week of work off and on, I was finally able to film a flick-through of the TiNaB and upload it to Youtube! It's been a long time in the making, that video. I'm not very good at doing things speedily XD I also got a lot of housework done and even made some cakes, two other things I wanted to get done this week XD

Saturday I had lot planned for, but it all fell through at the last minute. Don't you hate it when that happens? Xd So I focussed on my online stuff for a while then as the weather was good, went outside to do some gardening. It was a lovely day for it and it's about time I put some effort into it for when Dad gets back XD
Sunday I don't have a picture for actually, I spent all day at Face's Mum's with his family, just spending Easter together. We had a massive dinner then played some board games, it was a good laugh and we didn't leave til late :]
And that was my week. I had a great week away from work, now if only I could have another!

Sunday Catch-Up #2

Another week gone, and it was another one where I didn't achieve much but managed to get a few pics.
Monday I was working, the weather was bad, I only managed to get a photo for my picture a day. Weirdly, Tuesday was pretty similar.

On Wednesday the weather picked up a little and I brought the dragons out to enjoy the sunshine a little on the windowsill before I had to go off to work. I think the natural sunlight is better for them than their UV bulb, and they do seem to enjoy sitting in the window, watching the world go by :]

The week didn't show a lot more picture opportunities until Friday, when my Graze box came. I love these little boxes XD I get one every two weeks to try and stop my snacking on sugar (it occasionally works xp) and this week's selection looks particularly good. Even though you choose which to receive and which you never want to see come through the letterbox, some weeks you just don't fancy the granola or flapjack XD I have been looking forward to trying their take on Miso since it was released though so this was a good choice, thanks Graze!

We had a tattoo convention on over the weekend at work and I had a little look around the stalls on Friday as we were doing the finishing details of set-up. This Ram's skull really stood out to me, I love animal skulls, even if they are a little morbid x3 I was half hoping to get a tattoo over the weekend but just haven't had time (or money really) to go. I do have a couple of designs in mind but they can wait.

Yesterday as my first day off this week I went out on an exploring mission. First I went to local Ironbridge then decided to go check out an ex-nursing home nearby that I used to spend a lot of time at as a kid. Now that it's not in use anymore they've put up a lot of fencing which is really hindering my exploring but I had a go! I actually tried to get a hold of the security that watches the place but no one would come out. I'm not even 100% if they were there or had just left the car behind to make the place look guarded. This photo is of one of the few places I could get to, I'm not sure if the creepiness comes across as well as I feel it when I'm there XD
And that's been pretty much my week. Next week I've booked off from work so I can spend a little time getting on top of all these projects I've set myself! I'm sure that means I'll be by here more often too, so hopefully I'll see you soon x]

Catch-up #1

For a good start to my first week back on the blog, I'm two days late for this post! Sorry about that, and sadly it's probably not the first time you'll hear it. I have terrible timing.
To be fair, Sunday I was actually quite busy, my first day off for 5 days. I know that's not unusual for most people to have a Sunday off but my work schedule is pretty stupid most of the time. But I'll tell you a little more about that in a minute.
Lets start on Monday, which was also my first day off for a while and so I spent it being amazingly productive (really!), washing all the dishes, vacuuming, tiding and folding clothes, I even wiped my virus-filled computer and re-installed Windows on it. I was pretty pleased with myself! I had an enjoyable evening after that just doing little bits in my This is Not a Book, which I'll give you more of an insight into tomorrow x3
Tuesday I was back at work with that Monday feeling, so I wasn't really in the mood for photos. Wednesday was a much anticipated day as McDonalds brought back the Creme Egg McFlurry and their Monopoly. I know it's sad but I get really excited about it, I love the Mcflurries without chocolate, even though they hurt my teeth :x I managed 3 on Wednesday to come back with a bang!
And Thursday was a beautiful sunny day, you can really feel Spring coming into the air and the plants can too. This pair are our garden's first full-size daffodils. Friday was the day of the partial Solar Eclipse, but sadly I missed it. I'd forgotten to set my alarm, and managed to wake up about 9.30, half an hour too late. It did seem a little darker than it should be but maybe I was imagining it! Since we were awake though we decided to go out for breakfast at Frankie and Benny's. We've been for diner before but not breakfast, but it was really good, maybe some day I'll get up early enough for breakfast here again!
On Saturday I had a bit of a dud day as I was at work literally all day. I went in at 8am and didn't leave until 3.30am. Yeah, that was fun. Sunday though made up for it, because although I had only 5 hours sleep I was raring to go to the MCM Expo in Birmingham, I'd been looking forward to it all week! I met up with a friend and Face came along too and we had a great day mooching stalls soaking in the geekiness. I even got a pair of Steampunk goggles and they've inspired me a lot, putting lots of ideas in my head!
Once we left the expo we headed out to Birmingham to eat at our favourite japanese restaurant, Mount Fuji. It's beautiful and we both over ate. I'm missing Japan so much but it gives us a little hint of it at least!
So that was my week! Has it been a busy week for you too?