WOYWW - Scrappy Sunday !

Happily we finally have some sunshine to enjoy and a warm day !
Great to be able to eat our meal outside at the garden table and potter about watering the pots etc.

Sunday was a different story - it poured from before dawn until early afternoon so after swimming I hunkered down at my desk and scrapped my memories of last week's trip to Bergen .. great feeling to have got on with the scrapping and have it all safely in my album !

























I also had a go at a couple of cards ... one for a friend in the Netherlands who has just had a baby

and a birthday card for my Mum - not to sure if I like this one - a bit busy maybe ? The colours haven't come out very well on this photo either - it is quite a nice vivid blue in real life !













Has anyone else noticed that in the past few weeks there seem to have been an explosion of colouring books for adults in the shops ? I have seen it both here in the UK and when I was in Norway - I am not to sure if it is something for me, but I saw this little book of postcards with " The Secret Garden" theme - so I thought this might be a way to give it a go and they might even work as part of an Art Journal page ...

Anyway, heading to Ireland for work for the next few days, then Much Beloved has bought us tickets to see Fleetwood Mac in concert on Saturday night - so we should have fun !

Have a great crafty week yourselves !
Ali xx

WOYWW - Historic City & Midnight Sun

No crafting done this week but I have a very happy excuse as we spent a wonderful long weekend in the historic city of Bergen on the West Coast of Norway.

The visit was inspired by an article I read in a travel magazine a couple of years ago saying how lovely the city was - and that I had the desire to see the Midnight sun on my bucket list !

And Bergen certainly came up trumps on both those fronts !


We arrived to a damp day on Thursday - but were so lucky with the weather Friday & Saturday as every local we met was keen to tell us they had just endured 92 consecutive days of rain and everyone was beyond depressed ! So for us to have some sunshine - even if it was still quite chilly - was a blessing !

We were staying near the historic area of Bryggen with its medieval Hanseatic warehouses lining the harbour-side. These were the trading base of a thriving community of German seafaring merchants from the 12th century onwards - they had a fascinating museum where I took a tour & learnt about the rather austere life they lived !


We were able to wander around the city - the cobbled streets were rather a challenge for me pushing Much Beloved's wheelchair but we were determined not to miss anything !


We visited the Aquarium, toured the city sights on a bus with commentary, ate some wonderful seafood, drank the local Hansa beer (food & drink was breathtakingly expensive with a small glass of beer costing nearly £9 each !!!).

We took a boat trip around the extensive fjord like harbour leading into the city from the sea which was rather bracingly chilly but we loved seeing the scenery & the city from the sea as generations of seafarers would have experienced arriving in the town.

In the lower right hand picture here you can see the boat dangling from the steel structure.

This is where people who will be working on the oil rigs out in the North Sea come for there safety training and these steel structures are how the emergency escape boats are launched into the sea.




Most spectacular of all took the Floribanen funicular railway to the top of Mount Floyen (the city is built on seven mountains of which this is the highest) and just gazed for ages at the stunning views out over the city, the mountains & the fjords beyond - amazing !












 And yes I did get to go out at Midnight and it was still light - that was pretty amazing too !
It did get dusk by about half past midnight - but was getting light again by half past 2 in the morning - I have no idea why I had such a craving to see this but I am very happy to have experienced it !!

This is me out in the historic area of Bryggen at well past midnight !

Have all my photos printed ready for a scrapping session at the weekend !

Hope you have a great crafty week
Love Ali x
  

WOYWW - Only in Wales ?

After a wet soggy Saturday (silver lining was some journaling done !), Sunday here turned out much better than forecast so after our weekly swim, some gardening and a few errands , we headed out to the Botanic Gardens.

And we happened across a harp weekend ! Only in Wales ?

So we stopped and lingered in the Great Glasshouse (largest single span glass house in the world !) to listen to talented harpist Shelly Fairplay giving a tutorial & recital on a selection of harps

We were amazed at her electric harp on which she can record a phrase and immediately incorporate this into a harmony - building up layers of sound - all generated by one harp - we'd never heard anything like it !
Great sound !

Thought the Artist in you might enjoy seeing this colour combination from the Gradens - vivid scarlet poppies in a sea of blue nepeta  - looked amazing !

On my desk tonight is the Journal I wrote when I went to Barbados back in February - it has taken me this long to get around to adding in the photos and some art journaling !
 It was fun to look back on a sunny relaxing break !








 I also finished my Dad's birthday card - went a bit mad with the Perfect Pearls !

Just a quick post tonight as I am heading off for the weekend to Bergen in Western Norway tomorrow - I have "seeing the Midnight Sun" on my bucket list - don't know why but it is one of those "want to experience" things !

So we have picked the weekend with the longest day in it and have my fingers crossed it won't rain the whole time !

Have a great crafty week ! Ali x

WOYWW - - A Bit Of A Painty Project !

Well I am back at my craft desk this week after a business trip to Düsseldorf last week.

I saw this building just opposite my hotel on the other side of the Rhine and it made me laugh out loud - so I though you might enjoy seeing it too !

Look at these colourful figures clambering up the building !!

This weekend was sunny - if a still chilly with a sharp edge to the wind !

Nevertheless we took advantage of the sun to tackle a painty project !

We had been meaning to paint these garden ornaments for the past few summers - and finally set to it !

We had an anchor, a heron, a sundial and a pump to do so we spent a happy if very messy couple of hours sitting on an old shower curtain with a nice big tin of black Hammerite paint between us - we know how to live !

Anyway we think it was worth the effort now they are done !


On Sunday afternoon we headed down to Burry Port for a walk and a stroll on the beach - I never get tired of these views we have so close by !

And finished the afternoon off with a BBQ - as you can see Much Beloved chose to wear his most conservative and low key trousers !

On my desk this week I have a couple of half made projects !

This one is the June part of the 2015 challenge that Lynda and I are now half way through - this month we drew Embossing and A Quote as the 2 parts of our challenge - this just needs putting together !

And a card I am making for my Dad - annoyingly it just isn't coming together !
The images are getting lost in the background - I am going to take it to Club tomorrow to get some inspiration & advice from the girls on where to go next ! All ideas welcome !

Just one last thing to share - do you remember the spray painted cow parsley I showed you a few weeks back ?

Well here's where it ended up - this was inspired by the art I saw a lady selling at the market in Cirencester a couple of months ago.

I couldn't justify buying one although they were lovely - and I kept thinking about them and decided to have a go myself !

It isn't as refined or stylish as the artist's work I saw but for a first attempt I feel it hasn't come out too badly !

 Have a great crafty week !
Ali xx