Down by the sea

Just a small collection of boating pictures

Passing vessels - here at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

All on it's own - North Hatley, Canada

Launching the boat - Montenegro

The south Cornwall fishing and tourist village of Mevagissey

Dilbert

I have a widget on my Mac - Dilbert !! -

I find this cartoon character really amusing - having worked in offices for 40 years I can recognise many of the scenes from the cartoons. Office life is certainly full of " politics " and  " watch your back " etc. 

There is even a web site at -  www.dilbert.com/

I find some of these widgets quite fun - an amusement during a slack hour or so ..

The Mast

This is a well known landmark in Heaton Park, Manchester - so well known that you tend not to notice it. It's been in the park a good many years now - I originally though it was a television or radio transmitter but now I think it's more to do with telecommunications.

Had  a pleasant hours walk around the park this morning - quite warm ( for England ) and sunny - forecast for this afternoon showers ...

Waiting for customers

 Bulgaria - cafe waiting for customers ..

Bulgaria - railway - more

View from the train ....

From the coast to Sofia and a few stops in between !

Bulgaria - rail journey ..

Here's a train and station in Bulgaria

Bulgarian railways are very cheap to travel on ..

Photo taken in 2005

Granada 3

Another photo of the Alhambra ...

That's it now - have had trouble loading photographs this morning ( a wet Sunday morning in England )

Granada 2

Another view of the famous gardens of the Alhambra in Granada

Granada

This fountain can be found in the grounds of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.

The Alhambra is a favourite tourist destination and can be very busy at times .

A crisp clear winter day is an ideal time for a visit ..

Seville Jewish Quarter

You may not guess from the cross but this is actually part of the old Jewish quarter in Seville southern Spain.

Was quite impressed with the centre of Seville - I was expecting it to be quite rundown but not so..

Would recommend a visit - not in summer - very very hot - the frying pan of Spain I think is the name for Seville and surrounding area !

Cats

These semi wild cats seem to thrive on the streets of Seville.

Plenty of food seems to get provided !

Seville Transport

Shall we travel by motor bike or horse and carriage ? Which is eco-friendly ?

Where's my carbon footprint ?

Here in Seville southern Spain in April 2005.

Alicante 2

Another favourite area in Alicante for bag snatches !!!

Alicante

Not far from here on the Alicante sea front it was brought to my attention that someone had squirted cream over my haversack - this is a common trick  - while you are trying to remove the cream someone runs off with this or another  bag.

Was lucky that day - and retained all bags ....

Universal - Orlando

Taken some years ago on a trip to Florida  - here we have Universal Studio in Orlando Florida

A really interesting day out that was !!

Small boat- Big harbour

Alicante harbour April 2008 

Alicante is the major city on the Costa Blanca - with rail routes to Madrid  and Barcelona - air routes around the world and a port  with regular sailings  to Algeria

ABC Wednesday -P for Poland - Icy Gdansk

Picture taken in March 2006 - ice still clogs up the waterfront here in Gdansk

ABC Wednesday - P for Poland - Earnest conversation !!!

Wonder what they are talking about - here in Gdansk Poland ??

The state of the world or perhaps the history of the world !

Little Italy

Today went to a  small exhibition at MOSI ( Museum of Science & Industry - Manchester ).

The exhibition is about the Italian migrants who went and settled in Ancoats, Manchester in the 1800's and built up such a large community that the area became known as Little Italy.

Many were ice cream manufacturers and featured in city life for many years - others were skilled workers who made musical instruments or scientific equipment. They retained their Italian culture for quite a long time but in the 1960's the area of Ancoats was cleared of the old slum housing and the community dispersed over the city.

The story of some of the families is told - and what  happened to them in the World Wars , how they worked and how they participated in the Whit Walks and retained their Italian culture.

The exhibition is free - in Building 3 ( the old station )

Water Water !!

Here's the Mediterranean Sea for you ..

In all its glory..

Down on the beach

Big Boy's Bucket & Spade

Down on the beach at Guardamar - these " fishermens' cottages " are gradually falling into the sea and are being demolished much to the dismay of their owners .

Moral - do not build your home on sand ....  easy said - they have been here many years without problems  !!

Perhaps the building of a marina has changed the tides and caused the beach to be washed away ??

Bridge too far

This bridge - situated on the road between Guardamar and Rojales - has been awaiting repair for several years now . Guess not a local priority

Just make sure you do do stop for a picnic underneath.

Nederlands Dans Theater 1

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a performance of the Nederlands Dans Theater 1 at The Lowry , Salford Quays

They performed " Silent Screen " ( Lightfoot León  2003 ) and  " Toss of a Dice "  ( Jiri Kylián 1997 )

This was my first taste of modern dance - and I was very impressed with the performance and the content of the works. Would recommend anyone to go and see them - a pleasant evening was had.

Guardamar Graffiti

Here's a selection of the graffiti to be found in Guardamar.

Take it or leave it - as you want.........

A lot of graffiti can be found in Spain - especially in Torrevieja - the abundance of such gives the town a down at heel look.

Orange Blossom Time

Normally when you arrive in Spain on the Costa Blanca you can smell a very distinctive warm musty smell which I am told is the dust.

However this time the wind must have been in the right direction and the conditions correct for a wonderful odour of orange blossom over the whole town. This is one of the plus points about Spain which attract me back to the place.

Orange and lemon groves abound on the banks of the Rio Segura - sadly some of these are being ripped up and replace by urbanisations and blocks of holiday flats..

Trip to Villajoyosa

Am back from my jollies with a few pics that I hope will be of interest

We went for the day to Villajoyosa - famous for it's painted houses - which I must admit need what is called an " upgrade "