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!

Fadding in the time of Corona

Back in January, I wrote my first (and thus far only) post of the year, chatting about the last decade and waxing lyrical about controlling the narrative of our personal stories by charging into the 2020s with the same energy as the upthrust from a SpaceX rocket launch.

Hmm… didn’t really go to plan, did it?

Whilst I had knowledge at the time of the situation unfolding in Wuhan, and years of watching apocalyptic movies did send my panicked brain to worst case scenarios on more than one occasion, I certainly didn’t, at that point, envisage we’d be where we are now.

But this post isn’t about the doom-heavy world picture being painted by a viral artist, or about the thousands of uplifting acts of hope and strength from humans around the globe, as we’re already acutely aware of the devastating impact on people’s lives. Plus, there are much better reporters saturating all outlets with both ends of the scale, without me getting involved!

I have to say though, there may have been a myriad of changes to the human race as a whole in the last few weeks (I STILL don’t understand the toilet roll thing) but I’m mindful that personally, it could be much worse. I might not like having to disinfect the weekly shop, or feeling I have to be battle-ready on the few occasions we leave the house, but as fairly introverted folk, we’ve not had to adjust as much as others. The slower pace and peace outside has been a welcome positive and we live in a house just big enough to prevent us from wanting to kill each other!

Side note: I’m not sure if I’m expecting a passing truck to sneeze on me but has anyone else found themselves socially distancing from other cars when driving? Probably just me…

Anyway, I digress.

Wednesday Lensday: Smugglers Ahoy!

“The houses of the old town…are all red-roofed, and seem piled up one over the other…”
Mina Murray’s journal, Dracula.

The Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby may have been firmly put on the tourist map, thanks to Bram Stoker and his vampiric anti-hero, subsequently becoming a North of England Mecca for all things Gothic or Steam Punk, but take a 5 minute drive south from the prominent abbey and you’ll discover a place with a darker, and more factual, history.

“…a most noble ruin, of immense size, and full of beautiful and romantic bits.” Mina Murray’s Journal, Dracula

Alphabet of Travel Snaps: D is for…

…the delightful country of our recent trip, DENMARK, specifically the wonderful city of COPENHAGEN!

Having a love of all things Scandi, scrumptious food and beautiful photo opportunities, the capital seemed like a great location for a short school holiday getaway. I’d heard nothing but good things about Copenhagen and was excited to experience some of the healthy, Hygge lifestyle.

And we were certainly not disappointed. Firstly, the Danish are just soooo polite and friendly. Copenhagen never had the feel of a capital city, being very relaxed, super clean and orderly – the road might be empty but don’t go thinking you can just saunter across unless the green man says yes!

Even nearer the central station, around the red light district, I would have happily walked around alone and although we did see large numbers of police vans heading out towards the waterfront on a couple of days*, I don’t believe they actually have crime. More likely the police were bored (as everyone is so considerate of each other) and simply needed to give the vans a run out. Even the sirens came on in small blasts, as if to apologise to the masses for the disruption they were causing!

Every interaction we had was friendly and happy – except, perhaps, for the bus driver, who wasn’t exactly grumpy, he just didn’t lay on a special taxi service to the connecting bus (that we weren’t aware we needed) when his route ended, instead telling us that we had to get off. How disgraceful… 😉

The whole atmosphere and mindset of getting outside, spending time with friends and family and striving for positive mental health certainly oozed through every area we visited. There’s no wonder they are the happiest nation on the planet.

So, here’s my run-down on all the highlights and why you definitely should try to spend a few days in Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen!

Wednesday Lensday: Legends and Lights

Had a bit of a camera clear out…

In an event to continue the legacy of Hull’s City of Culture status, Urban Legends: Northern Lights (back in December 2018) had various illuminated installations around the city centre. Some told tales that brought giant, fantastical creatures to life on the walls of our museums. Others carpeted pedestrian areas in an ever-changing kaleidoscope of asymmetric patterns, or lit our landmarks in an array of bright colours.

Then there were a few that were just plain…odd. Like the talking mermaid and the ice queen propped up in shop windows and looking like bad fairground freak-show attractions. But you can’t win them all! Fortunately, I was too short to get close enough to them, so you’re saved from the disturbing images!