16. the story thingy

so – last week I forgot to mention the next challenge…..it was to ‘tell a story from a different perspective’…..so without further ado…..
toni: am here in brussels, editing photos taken in a leuven bar yesterday. used my vintage ricoh gr compact and have twiddled with pix on the BF's ancient lap-top and cutting-edge tv screen... all is streeeeeetched beyond comprehension, so am hopeful they look ok in 'real life'... the stories the pictures tell... i don't know... but they felt like stories to me...


meanwhile…..
had I followed advice given by mon fils (yes, it seems we are in the UK as you are in Belgium.....ironic, non?) I should have been lurking in toasty-warm bookshops; and on reflection it might have saved my trigger-finger from going completely numb…..
however, cccold frosty early morning walks by the river in Abingdon have their moments, especially when a very cute squirrel pokes his nose through the railings on the bridge…..

to watch (as I like to think) jealously as the ducks on the bank below are being fed.
 
and then, on the way back from Waitrose (have been having far too much fun there!)…..a man in red walks past a charity shop window…..

after which a late afternoon ray of sunshine beams through one of St Helen’s windows.

toni: cloudy churchy heavens are beautiful... as is hand-knit nativity... am sliding into sunday eve in a haze of red wine and neuhaus chocs... not quite waitrose [but did a festive shop at hema yesterday, which is a low-rent equivalent]...
jenny: found the knitted nativity in the Salvation Army charity shop window - it's open Monday - am SERIOUSLY considering asking if it's for sale.....even though it would surely mean d.i.v.o.r.c.e.
toni: Buy! Buy! Buy!
i don't have iporn book here, so choose number 12 for next week ... hope all is good - belgium v festive and snowy and twinkle-y...
jenny: no i-porn book here either but we will be back 'home' on Tuesday evening (although we leave again on Thursday at the crack of before dawn for the looong drive to.....Girona.....and lunch again at El Celler de Can Roca…..hoping v much that number 12 lends itself to arty farty restaurant pics.....)

15. pastures new

toni: helloooooooooooooo... here is the picture taken at my 'unknown place'... the visit was triggered by a text from a friend, who had gone to buy an xmas garland base, from a barn that sells locally grown flowers and trees... on the banks of a reservoir near where i live... perfect! i trotted along yesterday to buy my crimbo tree, in the excitement forgetting both camera and cheque book. the owners were unperturbed, and told me to simply go back some time soon and settle up... 

sooo... went back today...and mentioned our blog... and they told me to wander wherever... and take pictures wherever too... she had 'stuff' everywhere... so here is a pic of that stuff, lovely, old, vintage-y, heirloom-y stuff...

jenny: helloooo to you toooo!

haven't quite got to your pic yet.....but wanted to reply right away

earlier in the week we had gone for a walk (somewhere we often go - just down the hill from here - and over the border in Switzerland) with a view to stepping off our usual path; ended up tramping alongside a building site.....the light was fab and I got some half-decent pics.....

then, on Saturday we went off to lunch (again somewhere we often go) - and I snapped a couple of views out of the car window of places we have passed before but not actually been to = more pics!

but - but - but

the lovely waiter, on seeing my camera plonked on the table in amongst the salt and pepper and the wine glasses (and remembering how the anglaise is a bit weird always seems to be pointing her camera at things) told us about a fête d'hiver that afternoon in a nearby town.....so after swilling down the last of the wine, off we went; managed to park and waddled (big lunch!) towards the town centre - and WOW!  he came up trumps!  to cut a LONG story short, I came home with 785 photos (yup!) on my mem card.....spent the entire evening faffing about as well as lots of this morning.  I still have more than 200 - all of somewhere new!!!

but now I have the IMPOSSIBLE task of choosing.....and I am trying not to peek at your photo before I do!  tum-tee-tum Swiss building site?  misty mountains? French winter festival?

OK - now I HAVE to peep at yours.....

and sigh.....I love the soft, warm colours of the flowerpots; the fact
that they are scratched and faded and worn.....they remind me of a record (ha -
remember those?) we had when I was small; ‘twas the
Tale of Peter Rabbit; when Mr McGregor (sp?) took a flowerpot which he attempted 'to pop upon the top of Peter' (and I
quote!) and there was the hollow grating noise of pots being turned over - this
photo so evokes the memory of that!

toni: ah... just the 200 to edit down then.?.!!!!!!!!!!!!!...sounds bliss... i had a choice of precisely seven drizzly shots... i look forward to seeing a collage of collages of your light-filled hiver [our roolz! remember?]

jenny: (don’t need to be told twice!)

1) a little taste of 'hiver', Oyonnax style!

(toni: oh wow! bubblicious!!! my face expressed, 'wow' at these pix...)

2) peering through the fence towards a Swiss building site.....

(toni: oooooooh... oooooooh... ooooooooooooooooooooooh!)

3) on the way to lunch.....finally the rain stopped

(toni: and 'ahhhhhhhhhh' at this one...)

14. creeping about

J: I meant to get up early this morning and go creeping off somewhere - but it was a crap morning.  So I made porridge (with golden syrup AND cream) instead.  I crept up on a leaf yesterday.  It didn't notice me.

T: I'm 'oop north' with no internet, waiting to embark on a 'vintage sewing' workshop all day tomorrow. Hoping to make appliquéed blanket. We'll see. So, am planning to creep up on some running stitch there (would be a nice juxtaposition, non?!). I tried to creep up on the sunlit river near my house this morning... but that ran off too...

J: struggling to think of something to creep up unsuspected upon.....and so feeling rather relieved we abandoned the idea of Sunday posting.....CRAP (so, even worse than before) outside (wind howling between gaps in blinds - which mostly remain firmly down) so very disinclined to venture out to do my creeping; what about you – hope running stitch not too fast for you!

T: i managed to creep up on a stationary bundle of vintage fabric yesterday... caught it in the act of being still... no running stitch to escape under the guise of. not sure at all how close to fitting brief it is, but will have to do - took camera out this morning on looooooooooooooong dog walk... but nothing, nadir, worth creeping up on. all drizzle and grey northern skies [no hint of desolate beauty, even].

J: and this is Christmas doing the creeping.....this could be it unless I get a strong grip of myself and GO OUT

(T: ok... you are now in possession of my [really not very close at all] contribution to this week's blog...meanwhile, am in love with your 7177... could actually be a card in its own right... i like the 'hint' of 'chris' [deep breath, take it slowly... as the full word approaches...]... mas)

T: this week's challenge is 24 - go somewhere you've never been... d'you reckon we can do this? [i'm thinking never been, but not at all far away..!]