30 July 2021 Photo Hunt - Bike

Can't you tell it's Friday again?  I recall as a child I had a Tri-ang tricycle, similar to the following (if my memory is correct but it was a long time ago!):

The only other time I had a bicycle was at University but that was short-lived.  I have used a bike soon after we moved to Lancashire in last 1983 but only the once.  I've no desire to get a bike as the roads are not safe for cyclists.  

So what could I share with you?  Light bulb moment!  Back in 2014 the first stage of the Tour de France started in Yorkshire.  A tribute to this was the bike structure at The Coldstones Cut.

The tires are from a huge dumper truck and are about 5½

feet in diameter.

There are no pedals and I suspect it would be impossible

to ride it!

If you've not been to The Coldstones Cut, then I can recommend it.  There is a small car park (free) but no facilities at all.  From the car park it is about a 600 m climb up to the moment.  The views are amazing.  You can read more about it here.

Driving up to Ribblehead Viaduct this bike overtook 

us.  He seemed to have an interesting pillion

passenger, but I could not get a better photo.

Back in September 2015 Colne was chosen as the end point of Day 2 (Clitheroe to Colne, 162 km) of the Tour de Britain.  In the morning I walked through Colne taking in the sights of the race yet to come.  Then I went home to watch it on television.

Plenty of decorated bikes lined the route.

A bit of an emergency stop?

Love it.

Me pretending to hit the barrier, to encourage the

lead rider to win.

There is a very long uphill climb to the finish 

line (it's not all visible here).  It was a good 

race, all the more so as I could see 

familiar countryside along the route.

As I watched this race on the television, I witnessed the sole lead rider going up this hill to win the stage.  Every time since then I think of his determination when I drive up this road.  Sadly he crashed out on the following stage.

Thanks again to Astrid.  Click here to return to her link page and see who else has joined in.

Bye!

23 July Photo Hunt - Ice Cream

Oooh, I like ice cream!  I used to make a lot of it, round about 2005 ish but we found we ate too much so I stopped making it!  I used to have at least 9 different flavours in the freezer and they all had to come out so the bowl of ice cream was quite large.....

I did have a manual ice cream churner but one day when I 

went to retrieve it from the freezer, the inner freezing

bowl had leaked and all the blue liquid had leaked out!

Back in June 2013 I attempted to make my own version of

Magnum ice creams but it was very messy and not successful.

Now I buy them occasionally.

Then the other week I decided to make some ice cream which was handyfor this week's word!  I keep it very simple.  No fancy machine needed and no need to take it out of the freezer, whip it, put it back in the freezer, take it out later and whip it etc etc.  I like the small, flaky ice crystals in it.

All I needed was fruit (raspberries), single cream, caster sugar,

an egg yolk, a plastic jug and a stick blender.

Mash the fruit with a fort and put in the jug.

Add the sugar, egg and cream.  Use the stick blender.

Yummy!

Get out some small (100 ml) containers with lids and pour

the mixture in, about ¾ full.

Put the lids on and pop into the freezer.

Remove one at a later date, leave to defrost for about 5 minutes and then eat.

It is tart and not too sweet.

Here's the recipe I use if you wish to have a go.  So simple.  I use a plastic measuring cup.

1 cup fresh (or frozen) fruit, mashed.

½ cup caster sugar.

1 egg yolk (I discard the white but you could make meringue....).

1½ cups single cream (I use a cartoon that contains about 300-310 ml).

Blend and pour into your freezing pots.

Easy, so easy so give it a go.

Thanks again to Astrid.  Click here to return to her link page and see who else has joined in.

Bye!

16 July 2021 Photo Hunt - Picnic

Another word that I had a slight struggle with as we don't have 'traditional' picnics.  I have distant memories of picnics as a child.  So what do we do that I can class as a 'picnic'?

Take a sandwich, drink and crisps with us on a drive out

and enjoy the food from the comfort of our car!

My lunch.

Beloved's lunch.  I can't eat all my sandwich and he

is happy to accept a donation!

On that day we were entertained by vintage Jaguar cars

driving past. There were about 20, one of which

happened to be a Jensen Interceptor.

After lunch we drove to The Coldstones Cut and walked up.

Another popular destination is Ribblehead Viaduct.  We park on a road looking down onto the viaduct.  En route we generally stop at Season's Bakery and buy some goodies and a brew.

His cake, mostly eaten in the car.

My cake; I kept some for coffee the next day.

This is the view from where we park.  It's just had very expensive maintenance work

carried out on it and all the scaffolding has finally been removed.

Just as we were to leave, a train went past.  Perfect.

A modern picnic, in GCHQ at home.

I look forward to seeing your picnics and I feel sure some pictures will be traditional ones, perhaps with a picnic hamper and champers???  Thanks to Astrid again and click here to return to her link page.

Bye!

9 July 2021 Photo Hunt - Grill

It's that day again!  I've been pondering about this word as soon as I saw it on the list and I have finally decided what to do.  We don't have barbecues so that was one option not available to me.  Also a photo of the grill in the oven was too boring.

Our donkey friends on a local walk, enclosed by a grille grill!

Giving the little birds a chance to get at the bird food.

I made this cage on the veranda, again to keep the big birds, 

crows, pheasants, squirrels out and let the little ones in.

Here's a little one!  Mr Bullfinch.

Apologies if this is a bit too far out of the box but at least I tried!  Thanks Astrid.

Bye!

2 July 2021 Photo Hunt - Sparkle

Another hard word for me but then I had a few ideas!

A broach I made with yarn that already had sparkly beads on it.

I decided to make a Mosaic shawl for myself but every bead

had to be feed onto the yarn just when it was needed

as I thought this would be easier than threading them all on

at the start.  I used a split needle as the hole in the bead

was tiny!

Bead on.

Bead incorporated into the crochet work.

Hopefully you can see the beads!

Finished shawl.  

Finally a female duck with some of her 8 little ones in the river at the bottom of our

garden.  Hope you can see the sparkly water as the ducklings move vigorously.

Thanks again to Astrid.  Click here to return to her link post to see who else has joined in.

Bye!