Do you vacuum your coffee machine? (And other questions)

Well hello… as I’ll be posting this in the first quarter of the year, I feel I can still refer to myself as a blogger. An ‘occasional, whenever I can be bothered’ blogger but a writer of digital words nonetheless.

But as you know, I’m also an educator and that requires asking many questions and answering them in an appropriate way, regardless of how ridiculous they might seem.

I went on a 10 mile walk the other weekend. There were a lot of snowdrops!

As you lovely readers know (at least those who’ve stuck by me for several years now), I do enjoy the odd random ramble too and this post is such.

Because, in a year of becoming very acquainted with the daily banality of life, I realised my mundane existence might be a little less weird than yours, or vice versa.

To be fair, I’m banking on the vice versa, especially when I pose the question:

DO YOU VACUUM YOUR COFFEE MACHINE?

Wednesday Lensday: Mannakin

When your mum suggests a day out, I’ll assume that for most of you, that means something like a nice lunch, maybe a shopping trip, a pleasant walk or a visit to a theatre.

Perhaps I’m stereotyping mothers but whilst she’d happily do any of the aforementioned activities, there’s certainly nothing stereotypical about my mum and I wouldn’t have it any other way! So, when she opted for a day at a mannequin graveyard for Halloween, I didn’t bat an eyelid.

The ‘graveyard’, Mannakin in Lincolnshire, is the dumping ground for full-bodied and dismembered dummies of all shapes and sizes. A passionate collection accrued by the site’s owner over many years, from vintage creations to just plain odd.

And it’s completely fascinating. You can buy direct, attend craft days or, like we did, have the place to yourself to take weird and wonderful images. Sadly, some mannequins have been damaged by fire but I found these to be the most interesting.

These are some of my favourites of the day, which some will have already seen on Facebook (I’ve just been lazy in sorting them into a blog post).

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And then there’s Susan… the ‘child’ I acquired on the visit who now sits proudly adorned in succulents, after a little upcycling, in my kitchen.

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Guess I’m just a chip off the old block… 😉

The Shamelessly Promotional Post

Firstly, apologies. It’s incredibly rude to have been away a while and then come back to promote a little business venture but I’ve been semi- productive during lockdown and now have a new page!

After thinking about it for a while and bolstered by the feedback of at least three people, I’ve decided to offer some of my photo art for sale.

Taking some tentative steps into this marketing malarkey, I’ve set up a new page on Facebook: Aloada Bobbins’ Creative Design where you can purchase greeting cards and (eventually) larger Giclée prints.

Here’s a preview of what to expect – some images you may even recognise!

So, if you’re on Facebook or know someone who might be in need of something to brighten up a wall space, then please pop along, take a look and spread the word!

You can follow along by clicking HERE.

(If you’re outside the UK but are still interested in purchasing something, just drop me a message and I can let you know about postage options.)

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IMAGE CREDITS: All my own… but I REALLY want you to share 😉

Wednesday Lensday: Beach Bubble!

Bubbles.

Once just a whimsical plaything, fascinating all ages or a sticky signal of indifference from bolshie teenagers, full of Ennui. Now, bubbles are synonymous with the pandemic, in the UK at least.

But no, the title of this post isn’t referring to one of Boris’ illogical ‘Get-out-of-Lockdown-free’ guidelines – it’s something far more entertaining. My new toy!

Our first visit to the local beach since… probably last year…was accompanied by a lensball. A nifty, spherical lens that encapsulates the image, as if in a bubble. They’re all the rage on Insta… well maybe if we were still in 2018. I feel I’m late to the party, as usual!

Thankfully, our beach was empty except for a few dog walkers, so we were safe from being swallowed into a giant pool of human bacteria, like the beaches in Southern England last week.

It was probably down to the good old Blighty weather taking a turn for the decidedly chillier, so kudos to the family behaving like it was the Riviera, in swimsuits and with a full picnic, whilst the rest of us trudged past with coats zipped up to our noses!

However, it was also a benefit not having the sun blazing as I have it on good authority the lensball heats up pretty quickly and can burn your fingers like a spider caught in the glare of a sadistic 8 year old’s magnifying glass…

Anyway, it’s a little trickier to work with than I imagined, such as lining it up if capturing the horizon, but I’m pretty happy with my first attempts and look forward to what else I can create with it.

An added interest to our visit was seeing this poor chap – talk about having a good side for the camera. The other angle was not pretty… missing eye and dismembered fins 😦 Apparently, they regularly wash up on our shores after a storm.

Question: When a a cat also a dog?

Answer: When it’s a fish…

Another discovery was a piece of history. This section of the east coast is renowned for the amount of fossils it holds but having been several times over the years, I’ve never found one. Until this time! Meet Amelie the Ammonite with her friend, Happy Pebble.

What? You don’t name your inanimate objects? You’re missing out…

Once we were home, I had the notion to play around with the images and came up with this:

I still need to refine my Photoshop skills, but like the idea the ‘ball shape’ could be incorporated into something more creative.

And if all else fails, it’s basically a mini crystal ball. I’m available for Zoom readings every second Tuesday… 😉

Stay safe everyone!

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IMAGE CREDITS: All my own so please be sweet and ask before sharing!

A SIMple Life

The school summer holidays; Forty plus days of no work and having time to catch up on lost sleep, half-read books and to get out exploring.

But despite being in the midst of a storm as I type, which has brought some much needed rain, for weeks the whole of the country has experienced soaring temperatures which has seen me retreat to a darkened room faster than a vampire evading a crispy death!

I don’t do hot.

So I’ve found myself (among other, cooling, lets-not-use-much-energy activities) returning to video games. I’ve always considered myself a gamer – not a proper one, with a multi-platform set-up, a swivel chair and my own Twitch channel. More that I’m someone who likes to dabble in different games, dip a toe in and move on to something else when I can’t conquer a level.

You know, like every other hobby I’ve ever had. 😉