Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt: The Last Edition

Hello hello.

Like summer itself the Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt, hosted by Rinda at Gallo Organico, draws to a close today and so this is my final scavenger post for 2015. 

• After all those days out, clutching the hunt list with me wherever I went ... 
• After all those streets, skylines and waterways scrutinised ... 
• After all those paths trodden in search of treasure ...

... it seems only fitting that my final 'find' is something rather more sedate.

I didn't find 'No.4 Someone playing a board game or card game' and so instead have turned to one of the alternative items:

Alternative C. A Rocking Chair 

Early in the summer my Dad, an alchemist with all things wooden [in no way does that description make any scientific or grammatical sense does it?] restored this heirloom rocking chair with near-invisible repairs. 

It's been handed down the family to James's Mum but had recently experienced a minor calamity which left it quite literally 'off the rails' and 'off its rocker'. 

But which of us here can't say the same thing? 

So that's it for another year. Another summer. There's just time for a quick look back at my full set of 21 treasures: 

All 21 'found' items:

Just like I did during last year's final round-up I've been trying to draw out just what this collage can tell me about my summer ...

1. Delightfully there are lots of blue skies! Hoorah! Way to go England! [Remind me of these photos next time I slander you for not giving us any warm days this year!].
2. En-masse like that there's an almost ridiculously condensed essence of 'nostalgic-summer' happening: Donkeys on the beach? Yep. Glittering water? Yep. Fun fair? Check. Ubiquitous touristy shot? Absolutely. 
3. All those bikes, boats and tents; it could almost be a storyboard for Enid Blyton's 'Famous Five: The Movie'!
4. And so much blue, yellow and red!  And all flowery-ness and greenery-y!
5. Oh and ... it records the fact that I went to see Hamlet!! 

Did you know that I saw Hamlet? No?

*wonders where you've been all summer*, *wonders if you're fibbing*, *wonders if you've had a recent concussion.*

If you'd like to catch up with the summertime stories behind those photos then you're welcome! Just drop into any of my scavenger hunt posts from across the season:

• The South Bank / East Coast Edition
• The London edition 
• The old book edition
• The Hamlet 'ticket booth' edition
• The 'Out & About on Holiday' edition
• The 'Lincoln City Centre' edition
• The 'Town Centre' edition
• The 'Haven't I seen that outfit somewhere before?' edition

And I mustn't forget a big thank you to Rinda for organising the hunt, for coming up with yet another taxing, vexing and ultimately inspiring list and, most importantly, for encouraging us to take time to both document and share our summertime experiences!

Here's to the Summertime Scavenger Hunt 2016!!

Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt 2015: the 'Out and About on Holiday edition

Me again. And I presume that's you. So, with the introductions over, let's just get started shall we?

OK ... following on from the photos I crossed off the Scavenger Hunt list the other day today's set of snaps were also taken while I was on holiday in Lincoln only these were found a little further afield than the city centre.

We spent a full day at Hemswell Antiques Centres plus a few of the other antiques/ collectibles/ junk stores on the same site and, alongside finding some actual treasure, papery treasure that is [visit my Etsy shop for a few of the fabulous finds you can share in!] I also kept an eye out for some scavenger hunt treasure.

Which is where I found ...
7. A turtle

This was in one of the more rambling, let's say 'eclectic', shops on the site which had an area selling cement/stone garden ornaments. If you're an Archer's fan ... it's like Eddie Grundy set up stall there.

And this - outside one of the main antiques centres was what I thought I'd have to rely on for ...

15. A flag pole with at least three flags on it

Yes ... I know that that's not one flagpole with at least three flags on it.

Yes ... I know that it's more like two flagpoles with one flag each. 

But it's been a struggle to find the one pole three flag combo that I thought I'd better take photos of anything that was 'near enough'. 

Which is why - inside the antiques centre, I photographed a whole BOX of flags in the hope I'd be getting nearer to the original category:

But wait ... because the following day ... we went for a wander around a marina which is where ... ta daa!!! I spotted this:

James did suggest that there was probably a 'proper' name for this thing ... but I'm saying it's a pole, it's got flags on it ... and there's at least three of them. so I'm calling this category done.

While we were there we pondered about how much money you'd need to have to have a boat like those that were bobbing around at the ends of the jettys there. And the fact that there's an office there calling itself a 'wealth management' service made us think the answer to our ponderings was: quite a lot. 

Because if I was asking someone to manage my wealth it would probably just mean I wanted them to stack my small change in size order ...

Anyway ... while casting our eyes to the water I also found:

8. Someone "plugged in" to social media

Can you just make out her iPhone over her left shoulder?

At first glance you might not think that this was a photo worth taking; 'young woman with phone' is a regular day-to-day occurrence what makes this one so special?

Well ... allow me to zoom out where you'll see that yes, she was indeed staring at her phone in the way millions of others do ... but she was also staring at her phone while distractedly eating an ice lolly ... and while carrying a carrier bag full of shopping in the other hand ... and - and this is the killer - while balancing standing up in a dinghy on the water!!!

And if that doesn't define someone as being 'plugged in' then I don't know what does!! 

Once she'd finished with her phone she sat down and rowed herself across the water back to her house on the other side. And drifting off is what I'm going to do now ... 

Have a great weekend ahead - and if you too are on the photo-hunt then best of luck with your scavenging! 

See you soon. 

Julie :-)

p.s: you can catch up on my other Scavenger Hunt posts for the year - so far - here:

• The 'Town Centre' edition
• The 'Haven't I seen that outfit somewhere before?' edition
• The 'Lincoln City Centre' edition 

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If you want to join in the hunt then make sure you visit Rinda as it's her brainchild! Share your photos via your blog, on Instagram with the hashtag  #‎rindas2015photohunt or join the Facebook group and make sure to visit Rinda's blog to catch her regular round-ups and link posts.

Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt 2015: the Lincoln City Centre Edition

Hello you.

I've been away - I dare say you missed me something rotten but my scheduled posts must have been of some balm to you ... right? ;-) But you can dry your tears now because I'm back; and with me I've brought back some photos I can cross of the Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt list.

So here are the items I found while wandering here and there around Lincoln city centre last week.

1. A bouquet of flowers

While inside Lincoln Cathedral [following our roof tour ... scroll down for an amazing view!!] I spotted these two floral displays which I thought would be perfect for this category. In the photo above I loved the contrast between the softness of the the fresh petals and the solid, timeworn, Norman brickwork.

I also spotted this one in a small side chapel:

Then, later in the week, I just happened to look up and spot another - albeit irregular - bouquet of flowers:

If the scavenger hunt had had the category '3 false gerberas in an upturned old tuba outside a tattoo parlour'then I would have nailed it with this shot! Now onto another equally decorative item from the list ...

2. An ornate door knocker
Down the hill from our hotel I spotted this beast ... 

...what do we think? Fox? Wolf? Bear? 

And I also found this vintage scrolled design one ... which someone clearly felt wasn't already ornate enough, so they added their own decorative extra:

Next, strolling around behind the cathedral, I realised that through Priory Gate [built in 1816 but reusing materials from a 14th Century gatehouse] ...

... I could capture ...

14. A traffic signal

I like the idea that, once upon a time, it'll have been horses and carriages passing through here ,,, not sure what they used as traffic signals back then!

And while we're on the road ...

The day we headed off for our week away we had no idea that, at the very same time we'd planned to to arrive at our hotel in the heart of the city, the British Cycling Road Racing Championships would also want to be using the very same roads we needed.

Guess whose plans won out in the end ...

Here we are, after already running into at least 4 'Road Ahead Closed' signs finally just having to sit and wait until the race raced by:

 When we finally found a way through, parked up, emptied the car and took our cases to the room we decided to stretch our legs with a nice walk through the old town. Which is when we discovered that, while one area of the race had finished ... it wasn't all over just yet. In fact this was the sight 1 minute away from our hotel:

Crowds and crowds of people lines the course along the old streets and it was from here that I think we saw the Mark Cavendish from the back as he turned uphill. But seriously ... who am I to tell one cyclist from another?

It was later that afternoon, once the race was over and the crowds dissipated through the streets that I managed to cross off yet another item ...

18. An overloaded truck, car, bicycle or other vehicle

We spotted this giant screen in a car park which must have relayed the days events to those who couldn't get a view from the course itself. And, if you look carefully, you'll be able to see that this monster of a TV somehow emerges up from the back of a truck! 

And finally for today here's a category I'd already crossed off the list but ... after taking these shots last week, I thought they were so appropriate that I couldn't resist sharing another take on ...

16. A panoramic view, taken while standing someplace high in the air

When we took the roof tour at Lincoln Cathedral I took this photo from a walled ledge near the base of one of the main towers showing the town with the castle walls and tower in the centre:

Then, a day or so later, when we visited the castle I took a mirror image shot this time from the top the castle tower showing the view of the Cathedral:

Actually, while we were up on top of the castle tower - taking photos like this one - we could actually see some other people taking the Cathedral roof tour ... so we were taking photos of people on top of the cathedral who were taking photos of people on top of the castle just like we'd done a few days earlier ... and now my head hurts! It's like lining up two mirrors and trying to work out where the original image begins!

As you can see from my list I'm well on my way to finding all 21 items on the list:

While I haven't yet blogged all 17 of these I have photographed them, so I'm not too worried about whether or not I'll find them all but ... to cover all my bases ...

... while I was passing The Usher art gallery in Lincoln I did stop to take a photo of everything ...

Y'know ... just in case?!

More soon

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If you want to join in Rinda's hunt too then you can! Share your photos via your blog, on Instagram with the hashtag  #‎rindas2015photohunt or join the Facebook group and make sure to visit Rinda's blog to catch her regular round-ups and link posts.

Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt 2015: Haven't I seen that outfit somewhere before?

Hi again.

I'm back to cross off  another category from the 2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt created by Rinda from Gallo Organico and this one was always going to grab my interest [you know how I love clothes!].

17. At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms
Last month, right before the Middlesbrough Mela Festival got underway [which I mentioned earlier here in my first scavenger hunt post last week] James and I climbed up to the second floor of the MIMA gallery and went out onto the deck to get a good vantage point of the preparations.

From there we spotted these tall, strange characters - all in matching outfits - being photographed by the press:

They were bird-like wearing beak masks and with huge wings which they duly demonstrated for the cameras.  And they also had a look of those figures you see in Venetian festivals ... with a hint of 'elaborate choirboy'!

Oh and, as you might have noticed, they were led by a large rooster-ish chap, naturally! But he wasn't wearing the same outfit:  

I was fascinated by how whoever was in there was managing to walk on those legs and feet which were quite clearly way out of alignment with their centre of gravity! As someone who can fall over just by standing up from the sofa ... I had great respect watching him.her get around so effortlessly!

And the idea of balance takes us nicely to my SECOND attempt at the same category ...

17 [again]. At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms

It was a sunny, still, and almost silent morning in June and I was working at my desk with the window open when I could suddenly hear voices. 

When I looked out I could see a child, around 9 or 10 slowly cycling by ...

Followed close behind by another ...

... and another ... and with so many of them all wearing the same High-vis vest ... I decided to reach for my camera to capture them for the hunt. 

Which was actually pretty tricky. 

The first shot I grabbed was as the last one was turning the corner ... therefore the photo didn't have the necessary 'at least two people' in it!! So I thought I'd missed out ... until ... 

... until I realised that the road they'd taken was a dead end and that... possibly, at some point, they'd have to turn around and maybe, just maybe come back the way they came. 

I'm guessing they were part of something like the Bikeability scheme [the fancy 21st Century version of 'cycling proficiency'] as they were all very well behaved, very orderly, and clearly being shouted direction from the adult at the back. 

What a nice way to have spent a sunny school day morning. I wouldn't have minded doing that when I was at school [although, that said, if it had been during secondary school I might well have taken the opportunity to just keep cycling and get as far away from everyone as possible! ;-) ]

And then there they were, back again for another lap, and another, where I managed to grab these shots from my window: 

 So there you have it my No. 17s. My 'At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms'. My strange collection of school children in neon yellow and people wandering about on stilts.

Practically what summer's all about then! 

If you want to join in the hunt too then you can! Share your photos via your blog, on Instagram with the hashtag  #‎rindas2015photohunt or join the Facebook group and make sure to visit Rinda's blog to catch her regular round-ups and link posts.

And I'll see you soon with more photos. 

Julie 

Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt 2015: the town centre edition

Hello hello.

Ever since last summer I've been looking forward to joining in with the scavenger hunt again! This will be the third time I've joined in with the Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt created by Rinda from the Gallo Organico blog and if you want to join in too, you can, Rinda is happy to have you.

You can blog your finds, share them on Instagram with the hashtag  #‎rindas2015photohunt or join the Facebook group. Plus Rinda also blogs some of those photos that have caught her eye throughout the hunt and she blogs posts where you can link up your successes too. 

I like the hunt because of two seemingly opposite factors:

1. that it gives your summer snapping a structure - in finding things which match the 21 categories listed.
2. while at the same time providing you with more free-form opportunities, excuses even, to go out wandering with your camera 'just because', to see whatever it is you'll see, to let serendipity have its way with you and to capture it all on film [well, in pixels more likely!].

So let's kick off with my first round of finds. I've crossed off those I've found so far [although they wont all be in this post].

Earlier in the month James and I went into the town centre mainly so we could have curry at the Middlesbrough Mela festival for lunch. Only it turned out that ... due to the unusually high winds happening around lunchtime... the curry stalls were prevented from opening on health and safety reasons!

You'd think that anyone selling curry would be used to strong wind by now wouldn't you? [Too far?]. But I digress ...

... so, while we were in the vicinity anyway we did a spot of 'tourist in your own town' wandering around with our cameras and here's the categories I managed to scavenge from that day .. 

6. A metal bridge
There's something of the 'old Middlesbrough' the Infant Hercules about the riveted steel on the ornate Albert bridge that runs into the train station:

And then, 2 minutes away, something entirely 'new Middlesbrough' in the sharp lines of this metal walkway between buildings in the digital and creative Boho zone:

9. A tent

Three colourful promotional stalls at the Mela festival in Centre Square.

10. A college or university
This was always going to be the easiest item for me to find ... it's where I work from time to time. I managed to somehow lose/delete the photo I wanted to share - of a new building in progress - so this one  - with its funny bobbly things on the side is the next best thing:

11. A cellular tower or television satellite dish
Also on campus these were spotted at the tippermost top of the 10 storey tower building:

12. A public restroom, bathroom, or toilet
Inside the MIMA gallery:

 As soon as I saw this category on the list I knew I wanted to capture the acid yellow of the art gallery's loos. Clearly I've paid their toilets too much attention ...

13. A merry-go-round or carousel
How about 3?

Taken from the 2nd floor outside deck of MIMA before the Mela festival got started.

And while we were up on the deck I grabbed ....

16. A panoramic view, taken while standing someplace high in the air

Up above the streets and houses ... [British 80s kids I'm pretty sure how you just finished that sentence! ;-) ]. I love the outline of the hills in the distance , quite different from the much closer view of them I get from my workroom window.

So that's 7 out of 21. A third of the list duly scavenged; plus there's another item I found on the same day but I'm holding that one back for a later post.  

All in all not a bad start ... especially considering they're all from one morning/afternoon's wanderings and I've found one of the 'alternatives' in case I can't find all 21 on the main list. So I'm feeling pretty positive that I'll have an album full of summertime scavenger hunt photos by the time September looms into view.

Also before September there's June's Month in Numbers post - my regular monthly round-up in statistics - heading this way, so I'll see you at the end of the month. 

Julie