Heyjude

One Day One World Project: 17:00 to 18:00 hours

When I see something like this opposite where I am staying, it just cries out for me to investigate. Just who were these people?

At 5:30 in the evening, the rain had cleared and the sun encouraged us to go out and explore the little town that will be our home for the next week. And an open doorway to a cobbled wynd (a narrow street or alley in Scotland, especially between houses) …well could you resist?

Stained-glass artist and watercolourist E A Taylor and his wife, illustrator Jessie M King used to live here after their return from Paris at the outbreak of the First World War. (Both attended the Glasgow School of Art )

Kirkcudbright is known at ‘The Artists Town‘ having hosted generations of painters, craftmakers and artisans, a culture still thriving today.

And along with a cute and friendly tabby cat, I unexpectedly found this.

Lisa of the blog NorthWest Frame of Mind has decided to run a different project over the next 24 weeks. To try to show what is happening in different parts of the world (if you all join in) at a particular time of day.

If you would like to participate you have until next Saturday midnight to post a photo or write about what is happening in your part of the world between 17:00 – 18:00 this week. I hope you’ll join in! See links for more details.

After the rain…

After driving from the Lake District yesterday to Dumfries and Galloway in southern Scotland, we hit heavy rain. Settling down to watch the women’s final at Roland Garros, we resigned ourselves to the rest of the day indoors as we watched the mizzle turn to drizzle and people with umbrellas passed by.

But, unexpectedly, as Maria Sharapova took the crown yet again, the sun came out, so donning raincoats (just in case) and armed with cameras, we ventured out to explore our new surroundings.

and what a pretty place it is…

Opulent Saloons and an Engine Room

The steam yacht Gondola is a rebuilt Victorian, screw-propelled, steam-powered passenger vessel on Coniston Water, England. Originally launched in 1859, she was built for the steamer service carrying passengers from the Furness Railway and from the Coniston Railway. She was in commercial service until 1936 when she was retired, being converted to a houseboat in 1946. In 1979, by now derelict, she was given a new hull, engine, boiler and most of the superstructure. She is back in service as a passenger boat, still powered by steam and now operated by the National Trust. Source: Wikipedia.

The Illustrated London News of 7 July 1860 reported after her maiden voyage that the first class saloon was “beautifully finished in walnut wood and cushioned and decorated after the style of the royal carriages of our railways.”

Locomotion Enterprises, a training company in the North-East of England, got the task of building the new engine whilst W Bertram & Sons of South Shields provided a new high-pressure boiler, fittingly to the same design as the Ffestiniog Railway’s locomotive Prince.

If you find yourself in the Lake District then I can recommend a cruise on this beautiful boat.

A Lingering Look at Lakeland Windows

My wish is fulfilled
I am back in sweet Grasmere

~ Woodrow Wilson 1908

Visiting the beautiful Vale of Grasmere in the heart of the English Lake District I couldn’t help photographing some of the interesting buildings and windows in the pretty village.

Above: The National Trust Shop and the Storytellers Cottage.

(click on an image to enlarge and scroll through the gallery)

Some of the pretty tourist shops and cafés in the village.

And the most sumptuous Victorian Villa with lacy barge-boards and wonderful conservatory windows.

This weekly challenge is hosted by Dawn from ‘The Day After’ who invites participants to post pictures of any windows that they find curious, inviting, photogenic, or in some way tell a story. Visit her blog to see more windows and/or to join in with the challenge.

Loads of Ellies

We weren’t travelling along the Garden Route simply to explore it, beautiful though it is, no, there was an actual destination in mind – Addo Elephant Park – where we would spend the next two nights inside the park in a rondavel overlooking a waterhole. And hopefully seeing some of Africa’s wildlife close up.

So which wild animal has had you enthralled?

(Join me on safari and please add your twopenny worth to the comments on the original post. )