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!

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!

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.