Reading My Way Around the World

Sunday 29 October 2017

Photo Scavenger Hunt October 2017

I didn't get a chance to join in with you all last month for the photo Scavenge Hunt and really missed you all - but I'm delighted to get back to playing this month.

Hawthorn always come up with an amazing list of prompts to really challenge our heads, and this month there have been some real corkers ....  so here goes.  

Street
We have had beautiful proper Autumn days for the past few days and we took our visiting friend across in the ferry to Carlingford in Co. Louth.  Carlingford is a Norman Town and very popular with tourists... this is the pedestrian street and the arch at the bottom housed the town jail.




Empty

This is the jail - just tucked in to the left corner of the arch.   It is tiny and thankfully very empty.   totally open to the elements and only about 4 foot high - I couldn't stand up in it. but I"m sure it housed at least 3 or 4 men waiting for deportation in the 17 and 1800s




Starts with a ...... F

We stopped in PJs pub for a pint of Guinness and some lunch.   They're all prepared for Halloween and the fire was very welcome after the ferry crossing.




Neat

PJs pub is famous throughout Ireland - for many things.   For a start, it's one of the last remaining grocery pubs - they've made this a tourist feature now.   Plus the Guinness is very good and you don't have to pay Dublin prices for it, although it's still a price hike compared to here in the North.
But it is also famous for its collection of leprechaun clothes!!!
What a neat little man was Sean Og - these are his belongings.   Again, the pub was decorated for Halloween so the cobweb streak is masking his little jacket but you get the idea.   Every year, Carlingford hosts a leprechaun hunt in the mountains behind .   It also has a great Oyster Festival, if that's your thing.



Unexpected

This stone is new since the last time we were over in Carlingford and so interesting - for sure Kate is more familiar with the theme than I am.  Occasionally you see Ogham writing on jewellery and it's a huge field of study.   I loved this stone carving listing the trees for the different lunar months of the year - the year of course beginning on November 1st and ending on October 31st.   Apologies if this photo runs off the page a bit, but I wanted to make it large enough for you to read.

Paper

Thankfully the wet weather of the past few months has let up for a while and allowed the leaves to dry out.   I just love the smell and the lovely crunchy richness that looks and sounds like paper. 


The Fairy Glen
Vase

This vase came out of Tom's grandmother's house and it's being kept safe up on a ledge in the porch with last years' hydrangeas in it... that's actually a clay drum beside it - all the big items that we can't find a home for end up on that ledge, but then so too do the young swallows in spring if we don't keep an eye out.

Kettle

The seaspray in this photo is known as a Kettle around here, or the Carlingford Kettles.
At certain times of year, the wind whips up the lough  - they're like mini tornadoes on the water ... this was the only picture I've ever been able to catch of them.   It's something to do with the lay of the mountains on either side of the lough - the sprays of water go up to 20 or 30 feet high and then appear to run across the top of the water into shore.   Very exciting to see.  



My own choice

I spotted this one time in France - not because I love macaroons - I do :)  but because of the name.
I never use my full name - because our society here was so blatantly us and them, religious wise, and my name gave away my background like a stamp on my forehead I never liked it.   Being known as Phil people had to guess a while longer.
When someone shouts Philomena I hear nuns in my head usually with raised voices and usually attached to the feeling of having done something wrong .....
But there is one exception... when it is pronounced by a French man - how shallow am I!!  Philomène sounds so much more ancient and goddess like than Philomena ... to my ears anyway ... I'd nearly moved to France for that lol.  



Making ...


As I've been spending much more time knitting this year, my horizons have been widening to learn some of the wonderful new-to-me skills that are out there.   For the first time I joined in a Mystery Knitalong - which has me tortured - not because of the mystery (you don't get the full pattern at the start), but because of the blinking beads - there are about 800 of the little blighters on this piece .... never again.
Fine lace knitting is not something I've ever tackled before, and it's very annoying because you can't really see what it's going to look like until it's off the needles.   The last row had about 250 beads on it and I"m now on the cast off which is very slow.  
But it will be worth it when I'm finished.
For the crafters reading this, the yarn is a hand dyed Tussah Silk from Yorkshire I think - this was a first for me - beautiful yarn to work with - it is so strong, but still fine - this colour is called Mermaid's Tale - can't wait to get to the end of it to see what it looks like - once I have it finished and blocked I'll do a show and tell.    Repeat note to self: KEEP AWAY FROM BEADS!!!




So that's been my month.   Off now to have a look at everyone else's pictures for the month.  
Are you taking part?  What's your month been like?  

19 comments:

  1. A fascinating and educational read with lovely photos. Your knitting looks amazing, such skill! I know just what you mean about names, I've got an awkward one. Last time I was in France a customer in the bakery just wouldn't accept that I wasn't French, she said I had a very French face! It was an odd moment. I think Philomena is a beautiful name.

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    1. Thank you Juanita - I think your name's gorgeous :)

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  2. I too have a strange name and everyone thinks I can't spell it... so they correct it for me - big sigh! What I like about Hawthorn's photo hunt is that everyone shows snippets of their lives, so interesting. I liked your interpretation of the words, especially Kettle. Must be good to see it. At the moment I'm making a crochet shawl using lace yarn and, silly me, decided to incorporate very small beads; rather than thread them on, I'm using a split needle to pull a loop of yarn through the bead; getting there very slowly!

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    1. Yes, I threaded them on as I went too, with a very small crochet hook pulling them through... They really weight the shawl and I have to say I am very happy with the result now that I've finally got it off the needles. Next step, blocking.... oh dear lol

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  3. I really enjoyed your photos and the stories associated with them. Love the interpretations too especially Kettle, the street looks fascinating as does the Ogham stone:)

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  4. Wow, your photos have blown me away & now I really want to visit Ireland, somewhere we keep missing when in UK due to time constraints & family commitments. The "Kettle" must be amazing & well done capturing in pics for us. I found your informative stone & the wee items fascinating and as for the knitting, beautiful, time consuming & all those beads, which I probably couldn't even see these days. Thank you & take care.

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    1. Finding time on a holiday is always hard - there's so much to fit in, but do try to come over to Ireland next time Susan - it is worth the visit :)

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  5. So glad you joined us again Fil, your photos are lovely as are your stories :) I love your Ogham stone and your Kettle image - I've never heard the sea spray called that before - how very interesting :) You story of your name, or rather the pronunciation and the connotations it has with your childhood made my heart pang - your name is beautiful and rings of music to me!

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    1. Thank you Kate - yes, names were a bit like tattoos here and I wasn't strong or defiant enough. But ... So glad to be joining in again:)

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  6. Hi Fil - what an interesting read ... loved seeing Carlingford ... and your name - I can see how it must have worried you ... Fil is fine! Then if you'd moved to France - life would have been very different.

    Kettle - the whipping sea is fascinating to see ... and must be awe inspiring ... does the kettle involve a fish catching area - as the tides go in and out? The ancient locals taking advantage of the rock formations for the kettle ...

    While your silk and those beads - you're very clever to bring something to fruition like this ... delightful - all of it to see and to read - cheers Hilary

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    1. Hi Hilary, You couldn't stand and fish while the wind is blowing that hard - the Kettles come up when there's a real gale blowing - they're almost like mini tornadoes on the water - but I'm sure the fish have a ball down below.

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  7. I love to see how people interpret the prompts - interesting to see your 'kettle' :) and your knitting project is lovely. I'm looking forward to seeing a pic of the finished project. All your pics were great, thanks for showing us part of your world.

    Diana

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    1. Thanks Diana - finally got it blocked so I'll show it off in a few days :)

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  8. Carlingford looks very interesting and inviting. I need to look at a map and see if we were anywhere near there in our travels. Not a beer drinker, well used to be, but somewhere along the line developed an allergy to it. Did though enjoy drinking Hot Whiskey while we were in Ireland. Sure took the damp chill off. Didn't know you were also a knitter. I like trying to learn new stitches, but since I rarely make anything for myself, tend to revert back to the basics; as most of my knitting is for charity where the speed getting it done, it being study vs pretty etc are important. My charity blog, dedicated to helping homeless through knitting and crochet is Bridge and Beyond, in case you're interested.

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    1. What a wonderful initiative Bridge and Beyond is Sandy - I've just visited your charity blog and had a look around .. my mother knits for a charity in Africa - she and the other ladies at her day centre knit squares for blankets and also the wash cloths - they're a great idea. and a lady here in the village collects knits for the homeless in our local town and in Dublin- but I haven't known of a dedicated charity like your own before. Well done.

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  9. Carlingford looks like a lovely place! I've never been to Ireland but there's a few places on the list I'd like to visit there. A lovely collection of photos, I like your shot for kettle too!

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  10. Love you photos this month. That kettle is amazing and so different to the rest of our interpretations of the word. Your name is beautiful but I can understand your preference for Fil under the circumstances at the time. Sorry comments are late this month.

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  11. Making my Sunday blog rounds, so thought I'd pop back in. Thanks for visiting my charity blog. Just today I printed off a pattern for a washcloth that is The Nativity. I'd like to start it, but then keep thinking about 3 unfinished projects in my stash area in the living room, lol 2 afghans, one crocheted and one knitted and a scarf. So, instead of working on any of it today, I labeled more of travel pictures and wrote a new travel post. Perhaps I'll knit tonight in front of tube. Pop in anytime.

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