PODcast

What’s The Story? | 12th May 2014

Hello everyone, welcome to What’s The Story? for w/c 12th May 2014.

Thank you to those of you that joined in week. So many great posts again, you make it so hard to choose favourites! Thank you too if you’ve voted in the BiB awards, I’d love to be a finalist in the photography category.

There are only two more days now until the first of the new photography projects kicks off on PODcast. The Alphabet Photography Project starts on Wednesday 14th May with “A is for…”. You will find inspiration in the Alphabet Photography post and you can check out the Pinterest board too.

Follow PODcast grappling with a box of frogs’s board Photography: The Alphabet Project on Pinterest.

If you’re new to What’s The Story? it’s a photography based Linky which enables you to share the stories behind your photographs. It’s open from 6.30am every Monday through to the following Sunday.

To join in all you have to do is share a photograph and the story behind it. You can write as little or much as you like and your photo/s can be from any time – old or new. You can link up a old post too if it’s relevant.

Feel free to use the What’s The Story? badge or include a link to PODcast in your post – I’m happy to share it in return. Please do take the time to comment on some of your fellow bloggers posts when you can. It’s always worthwhile checking back later in the week too.

There’s a #whatsthestory community on Google Plus so do pop over if you haven’t already. All posts are being shared there each week now. You can find me at Charly Dove or PODcast.

Have a great week everyone #whatsthestory

Silent Sunday

Project 365: Week #19

Following the azalea extravaganza on Saturday, the rest of the Bank Holiday was a chilled affair. It was the opposite from then on so good to reach the end of the week without missing a day.

Welcome to Project 365: week #19.

Day 124

My brother came over today, we had a really great day catching up and sitting in the garden. Love the beautiful roses he brought and POD is very keen on her flower press too.

Day 125

Bank Holiday Monday mostly consisted of having fun in the garden. POD entertained herself by hanging off her swing

and doing high-fives with the magnolia tree. She also gave it a kiss and a cuddle!

Day 126

Had a meeting in Felixstowe today so grabbed a few minutes on the beach afterwards before heading back to Guildford. A flat tyre warning light appeared but incredibly I made it home by driving 50 miles *embarrassingly* slowly.

Day 127

Today I walked POD to nursery and spotted these pretty little flowers by a stone wall. The car had to have three tyres replaced, none of which were run flat *awards self gold star for superb driving skills*

Day 128

Spotted this wonderful wisteria hanging over a garden fence today, such a fabulous sight. The way it hung and calmly blew in the breeze reminded me of the willow tree we used to have – minus the flowers!

Day 129

The wind was too high for any outdoor photography today. I discovered my bridal shoes though, they were purchased at a boutique store in London in 2004 – the crystals added by hand. Seems such an extravagance now although I did show them to everyone on our wedding day. I had a chuckle when I noticed the light coating of mud on the soles!

Day 130

An over-tired POD today but we all raised a smile in the garden – especially when she wanted to fly.

Winkworth Arboretum in May

Winkworth Arboretum is a wonderful find. Maintained by the National Trust, the hillside arboretum has 1,000 different shrubs and trees with many of them rare. The red, orange and yellow hues displayed in Autumn are incredible, so much so we made two visits to take full advantage! In February we were greeted with daffodils, snowdrops and sunshine too.

Having not visited Winkworth Arboretum in Spring before, a return visit was necessary to see the magnolias, bluebells and azaleas. This is the sight that greeted me when I arrived – bluebells as far as the eye could see.

That wasn’t the last of them though, beautiful bluebell displays were everywhere – in some cases lining each side of the pathway.

If that wasn’t magical enough, heading towards the Azalea Steps I turned a corner only to be greeted by a huge rhododendron. It was so immense it stopped me me in tracks and caused me to saw “oh wow” out loud. This towering ball of white must have been five times the size of me, I’ve never seen anything like it.

Little did I know what was around the corner.

The Azalea Steps are something else. An inferno of colour all the way down to the Boat House and Rowe’s Flash Lake. It was a breathtaking sight.

As well as capturing the azaleas en masse, it was great to get up close too. There was so much to discover

like these moss covered branches.

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The smell was wonderful too.

Even at the bottom of the Azalea Steps you couldn’t help but turn back and have another peek.

The Boat House looked as inviting as it always does.

Inside you can read its history, see old books

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and a few of the flowers I’d seen were there as well.

The view from the Boat House was as beautiful as it always is

and there was no shortage of blooms nearby.

The walk back took me across the Badgers Bowl and up to the viewing platform. The reward being wonderful views across the Surrey countryside.

It’s the first time I’ve visited Winkworth Arboretum in Spring – it really was spectacular.

Thank you to everyone that nominated PODcast in the BiB awards. I’m thrilled to be shortlisted in photography. You can vote to get your faves into the final here.

Linking up with Mammasaurus for #HDYGG.

Photos from the beach

We recently spent the weekend at my Dad’s in Budleigh Salterton. This picturesque town is located in the East Devon area of outstanding natural beauty and has a two-mile pebble beach.

It’s a while since POD was by the sea so we took the short clifftop walk down to the beach. It was a glorious day. The sky was bright blue, the sun sparkled on the sea and seagulls squawked above us.

It was one of those days where ice-cream was compulsory.

At the top of the beach there are great views of the Otto Estuary which is a nature reserve providing a haven for migrating birds.

Just up from the reserve is the perfect place to skim stones.

This is Daddy showing POD how it’s done.

POD decided it was far more fun to throw large stones! She may have selected an interesting outfit that day but there’s no denying her stone throwing abilities!

We’re used to seeing POD explore the countryside but it was great to see her enjoying the beach so much. She loved selecting stones, throwing them and giggling when they hit the water. The large stones were the most appealing but she did opt for smaller ones on occasions.

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She didn’t want to leave this area so we stayed for a time making sure she didn’t venture to close to the water.

There weren’t many shells around but we discovered a few. POD carefully examined each one to check they weren’t occupied.

When we re-located to another part of the beach we sat down to take in the views.

POD collect stones whilst displaying a look not dissimilar to Stig of the Dump!

Daddy and POD then embarked on building a stone tower. It was strenuous work though so they had to have a lie down when they’d finished.

Not long after that POD showcased her jumping and climbing skills. If we weren’t launching ourselves off the beach wall and watching POD scale back up it, we were sat on a bench watching the world go by.

It’s not often you get the opportunity to do nothing but sometimes it’s good just to go with the flow.

Linking up with #whatsthestory here on PODcast and #countrykids at CoombeMill.

What’s The Story? | 5th May 2014

Hello everyone, welcome to What’s The Story? for w/c 5th May 2014. As always so many wonderful posts to read, it’s great that there’s such diversity each week, thank you for joining in.

Thank you too to those of you that nominated me in the BiB Awards, I’m delighted to be shortlisted in the photography category. You can vote to get your faves into the finals here.

There are three new photography projects kicking off on PODcast this month. The Alphabet Photography Project is first to launch on 13th May 2014, this will be a Linky if you fancy joining in.

There’s a #whatsthestory community on Google Plus so do pop over if you haven’t already. All posts are being shared there each week now. You can find me at Charly Dove or PODcast.

Have a great week everyone #whatsthestory

Silent Sunday

Project 365: Week #18

There are a couple of extra days this week as we headed to Butlin’s last Friday for a weekend in Bognor Regis. POD loved meeting her favourite characters and we had the best time. Having arrived home on Monday, the rest of the week was business as usual.

Welcome to Project 365: Week #18.

Day 115

It was wet on Friday afternoon but we couldn’t resist having a look at the traditional fairground when we arrived! POD got to meet Angelina Ballerina, listen to Billy & Bonnie’s Storytime and we saw the Scooby-Doo show too.

Day 116

The sun appeared on Saturday so we were able to explore the resort following a parent and toddler swim. We tried out the carousel, the helter skelter and squeezed in a walk to Bognor beach.

We also discovered Scoop, an ice-cream parlour with the most wonderful selection of flavours including crème brûlée, coffee and pistachio.

POD was almost beside herself when she met Fireman Sam!

Day 117

Sunday was glorious so we made the most of the outdoors in-between shows. I love this photograph of the helter skelter.

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and this one of POD having fun in the play area!

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Day 118

Once home on Monday we got to enjoy some outdoor fun before the working week. The highlight was Daddy mowing the lawn and POD pretending to do the same next to him.

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Day 119

It was an absolute delight to discover these humbug-like snails are back. They hide at the base of our Red Hot Poker stems but travel upwards when it rains.

Day 120

Little time today so it was a quick capture of our ever changing seedum.

Day 121

Dandelion clocks seem to be everywhere. I found the perfect one to photograph but sneezed and lost my footing. This was the result!

Day 122

No complete dandelion clocks today so I made do with what was available. They’re such pretty weeds!

Day 123

Another speedy capture today, this time of a fern unfurling. They’re so interesting close-up!

The Alphabet Photography Project

If you read this post you will know there are three new photography projects coming to PODcast. Each has a specific focus with the overall aim to improve our photography skills as a collective. And have a bit of fun!

First up is the Alphabet Photography Project #alphabetphoto

When it starts and how it works

On Wednesday 14th May 2014, you’ll be able to link up your ‘A is for…’ photograph. The body of your post can be free of words or if you prefer you can include a short description. The theme can be interpreted in any way you choose.

A is for… might be a photograph of an apple for example. But it could also be an object that resembles the letter A (like a pattern in a gate) or a photograph of the letter A using props. The letter A might could even be an adjective.

You will be able to link you post up on PODcast and/or share it on Instagram and Facebook using the #alphabetphoto hashtag.

Inspiration

To keep those creative juices flowing, each week you will be provided with ideas for the following week’s letter. So to start us off, here are some prompts for the letter A:

Apple, acorn, ant, aerobics, art, abstract, architecture, abandoned, arches, animals, amphibian, angel, Autumn, adventurous, alert, attractive, average, angel, award, ape, apricot, April, animal, August, aquatic, autograph, amusement, attic, athlete, aubergine, artichoke, archery, arrow, anchor, arm, aeroplane, attitude, anxious, anticipation.

You can also check out The Alphabet Photo Pinterest board:

Follow PODcast grappling with a box of frogs’s board Photography: The Alphabet Project on Pinterest.

An open garden

We spent a couple of days with my Dad over the Bank Holiday weekend. He lives in a town called Budleigh Salterton located on the South coast of Devon.

Dad took us round the garden when we first arrived much to POD’s delight. It really is looking immaculate at the moment and with good reason too. Along with others in his community, Dad is opening his garden to the public for two days in June. It’s part of a garden scheme to raise money for a local charity called Hospiscare.

The garden is bursting with colour.