Saturday 27 July 2013

Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt 2013: The Windmill do-over

Hello.

Not only have I already captured a 'windmill' photo for Rinda's Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt, I even shared it here on my blog, last month. And I never intended to go seeking out another but then two things happened:
  1.  my good friend Kirsty - windmill freak, tomato hater, creator of the soon-to-be-published craft book Hoop-La! :100 Things to do with Embroidery Hoops - Neale, yes, that Kirsty Neale, expressed her deep disappointment that the windmill I found wasn't a real one ... ;-) and
  2. ... on our drive in to Lincoln the other week we spotted a 'real' windmill high up the hill ... seemingly very close to town. And it's a sight we've seen many times before, off in the distance, but which we'd never, ever, seen any closer up ... so we decided to make this the year we tracked it down!  Which was easier said than done ...
Once you land in the city centre you really can't see it anywhere. Which is very strange considering the size of the thing!

Then we came across a tourist leaflet for it in our hotel, in which we learnt:
  • It was real after all! Yay!
  • Built in 1798 Ellis Mill it was still in working order. Yay!
  • It's open to the public. Yay!
  • You can buy souvenir flour there. Yay!
  • It's only open on weekends 2-5pm ... oh ...
It was around 6pm on a Sunday when we learned that it's going to be an entire year before we get to go again and look inside the thing! I couldn't believe we came so close to the full mill experience and missed out by a matter of hours!!!

Anyway, to make the best of things, the next morning we decided to go and have a look anyway, checked out a street map and set off for a for a walk ...

After a while we found this rather promising road name:
So we followed it around ... and around ... past tightly packed, old red brick terraced housing where we soon  realised that we were looping back on ourselves and heading back towards the main road we'd just turned off! The road was one long curve and we were almost back were we began but then ... we passed by a house calling itself 'Windmill View' ... and once again ... our hopes were raised.

But where was the view? How could there be a windmill tucked in here between these narrow roads and small houses?

A few steps further and I had my answer ...
And there she was, in all her glory.

Her arms open wide in welcome:
and, for the second time ... I got to tick-off my list ...

 No.16 A Windmill:
And a beautiful one at that!

For those interested, here are a few more details:
And if you want to play along with the Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt there's still plenty of time [it doesn't finish until Sept 21st 2013] then make sure to visit Rinda over at Gallo Organico for all the details.
 
Thanks for spending time here today.
 
Julie :-)

21 comments:

  1. What a great story - definitely a hunt! I'm going to go windmill hunting this weekend, I think!
    Rinda

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  2. Great find. Shame you couldn't visit.

    Mine might end up being a kids toy blow around one unless I get over to Skidby near Hull before the deadline.

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  3. Great story and find, I'll have to have a hunt for it next time I'm visiting Lincoln as my parents are nearby!

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  4. I remember going on a school trip to this. Great find

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  5. I just want to pull this face at you now . . .

    :-( )

    Thrilled agog that you got a real one. Also, even more excited it was that particular one. My parents have friends who live in Lincoln, and they bought us some flour plus a sketchy postcard picture from that exact windmill at a Lincoln farmer's market last year. Which was lovely, but not quite as good as the actual windmill. Which now, obviously, I've seen. Am so glad you found it, especially as it involved a little hunting. Finding them around an unexpected corner is probably my favourite thing.

    xx

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  6. Beautiful - I love windmills x

    If you are ever in the Netherlands go to the open air museum near Arnhem (a bit like our Beamish) - you would be in windmill heaven there!!

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  7. Super photos and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the journey too!

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  8. Oh, WOW! Totally worth the repost of #16! :) It is a beautiful one indeed!

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  9. A really lovely windmill and a true hunt for it. Thanks for the steer to Kirsty's book. I have done a few projects with embroidery hoops and am just about to start another . I have ordered the book, available in September. Can't wait!

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  10. oh what a shame! great photos though and a story you'll remember for a while x

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  11. Wow, now that's dedication! I really enjoyed your lovely story leading up to the fantastic photos of your windmill. I've yet to find that item on the list and I may have to get creative in order to capture one.

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  12. Oh how frustrating to have missed out by a few hours. Glad that you found it though, looks like a fun place to visit next year!

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  13. At least you got to see it up close and personal! What a find!

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  14. WOW! Well worth the walk. I need this item too.

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  15. What a wonderful find! I love your second shot of it!

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  16. I have discovered that we are all prepared to do weird and wonderful this purely in the name of scavenger hunting, amazing really what we will do to achieve that perfect shot of a single item for an internet based hunt!

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  17. Great find - that's one I'm struggling with!

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  18. This is a fantastic windmill ... love your dedication to the cause!

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  19. Hence forth thou shalt be known as Julie 'Robert the Bruce' Kirk for not giving up. I'm still relying on my windmill on a cushion snapped in Debenhams!!

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  20. Wow, how frustrating to be so close to going inside! I love buying flour when it is fresh milled and how lucky of you to have this local. It sounds like you and Kirsty had a fun time seeking it out and another great collection of photos to choose from for your scavenger hunt!

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