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… 😉

Alphabet of Travel Snaps: S is for STAYCATION!

You know that thing, that global thing, that stopped everyone travelling? No, not the virtually unpronounceable volcano in Iceland… which, incidentally, caused the largest air-traffic shutdown since WW2. At the time, obviously. In 2010.

But this is 2020 (yes, still) and we all know what I’m talking about. So let’s move on.

Well, although there were brief windows of international travel possibilities, we chose to stay close to home to be a little safer. And I have to say, we discovered some gorgeous areas, often within a very short walk of our own front door, allowing us to be back in time for tea!

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!

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

Wednesday Lensday: Grandeur Abandoned

Burton Constable Hall is a large country house, approximately 10 minutes drive from where I grew up. The Grade I listed, Elizabethan property that stands today, began its construction in the 1560s and is surrounded by 300 acres of parkland designed by Capability Brown.

If you were to visit the hall, you’d likely learn that it has been the seat of the Constable family for over 400 years. You’d probably marvel at the interiors decorated in original furniture and features from the 18th century and you may even discover that parts of the building date back much further to Medieval times.

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It’s several years since I’ve wandered in its peaceful grounds and the last time I explored the rooms, everything was distinctly larger and taller, so it was lovely to return over the Easter holidays with my mum.

Yet, as elaborate and intricate as the ceilings, bedrooms and even the radiators were, the rooms ‘dressed’ in their original splendour were not the most interesting to me. All a little too ostentatious and gilded.