My sturdy dog-walking boots, after a hard day’s tramping.
Filed under: Dogs, photo | Tagged: boots, dog | Leave a comment »
Photohunt Awesome
Posted on April 7, 2012 by lindaharley
One of the most awesome achievements that I was privileged to be a teeny part of was the construction of the new Calum’s Road in The Gambia.
The original Calum’s Road, on the Scottish island of Raasay, was an awesome achievement itself: one man’s toil and struggle against the intransigence and disinterest of the authorities, eventually building a road to his croft all on his own.
This inspired the late Stella Brewer, and later her sister Heather Armstrong, to repair a road near the village of Sambel Kunda, to provide a vital link to schools, health centres and markets. Much of the fund-raising for this was done by my husband and a group of fellow motorbikers, who journeyed through the snows of January 2010, across sub zero temperaturs in France, through Spain, across to Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal and finally to The Gambia.
One of the bikers was Gert de Jonge, who was tragically killed in a road accident later that year. The road is dedicated to him and to Stella, and the ribbon was cut by Gert’s widow, Annette.
Filed under: travel | Tagged: calums road, motorbike, the gambia | 1 Comment »
Photohunt fresh
Posted on March 31, 2012 by lindaharley
These are some freshly unfurled skunk cabbage or swamp lantern, taken at the lake in Hillsborough forest.
Their colour is stunning in the spring sunshine, all glossy and jaunty yellow. But after a few weeks the smell they give off is pungent!
Filed under: Lisburn, nature, photo | Tagged: hillsborough skunk-cabbage | 2 Comments »
Photohunt spicy
Posted on March 24, 2012 by lindaharley
St Georges Market, in downtown Belfast is a great place to find all sorts of interesting foodstuffs. Here’s one of the spice stalls.
My kids always tease me about ordering the “most random thing on the menu”. As I surveyed my morning’s purchases – roast dulse, dopiaza sauce, feta stuffed peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, pistachio and sour cherry biscotti and a bottle of sarsaparilla cordial – it did strike me as being particularly “random”, even by my standards! Well worth a wander any time you’re passing by.
Filed under: Food, photo, recipes | Tagged: market, spicy | 2 Comments »
Photohunt Play
Posted on March 17, 2012 by lindaharley
My favourite waste of time of Facebook….
I have to limit myself to 3 goes at breakfast time, and this has made me late for work on more than one occasion!
Filed under: gadgets, photo | Tagged: game facebook play | Leave a comment »
Photohunt Symbolic
Posted on March 10, 2012 by lindaharley
Belfast is certainly not short of examples of symbolism – flags, murals, peacewalls, painted kerbstones, they’re everywhere you look!
But in recent years there have been more positive changes. And one of the themes that Belfast has found to come together behind is the Titanic. Quite why a maritime disaster engenders such a response worldwide is a bit of a mystery, but the Belfast shipyard where she was built has realised rather late in the day that there is a tourism potential to be exploited.
The 100th anniversary of her launch was last year (31 May, my son’s birthday so I always remember it) but it is the 100th anniversary of the sinking in April which is being prepared for.
The area of the city around the shipyard has been named the Titanic Quarter, and this new visitors centre is almost ready to receive the hordes of tourists expected to visit.
It’s a stunning looking building: The 4 pointy corners represent the prows of the ships built here, and from above its a star shape for the White Star Line. The metal cladding reflects the light in such a way that it looks like shimmering water.
The race is on to have it completed in time for the anniversary on 12 April!
Filed under: buildings, photo | Tagged: photohunt, symbolic, titanic | 2 Comments »
Photohunt Drop
Posted on March 3, 2012 by lindaharley
Why do we use the word “drop” meaning to go down a couple of dress sizes? And why is it a “dress” size?
I’m a real bargain hunter, especially when it comes to clothes – I can smell a sale-rail at 30 paces. And of the reasons I fell in love with my husband was his theory that “sale rail bargains don’t count as shopping”
I found a fabulous pair of jeans in a “pop-up shop this week – it took me several goes to find the shop open at a time that I was passing, but my patience was rewarded with a brand new pair of Not Your Daughter’s Jeans, price tag showing original price of £150, for a tenner. And the size? A 4.
Now, they do promise to make you look a size smaller. And they are skin tight. And that’s an 8 in UK sizes. And they’re sort of stretchy, like jeggings rather than stiff denim.
But I cannot wipe the smile off my face. This time 18 months ago, my trousers were a UK size 16.
Filed under: relationships | Tagged: diet, drop, jeans, photohunt | Leave a comment »
Photohunt Loud
Posted on February 25, 2012 by lindaharley
A bunch of mikes being used at a works do in the Europa Hotel.
And some very loud patterned carpet.
Filed under: photo | Tagged: loud, microphones, photohunt, stage | 3 Comments »
Quinoa salad
Posted on February 19, 2012 by lindaharley
Cook a cup of quinoa, in water or stock.
Take one large or 2 small courgettes, and cut into rounds. Lightly oil a griddle pan, and cook the courgette rounds so that they get lovely stripes on each side.
In a dry frying pan, toast a handful of pine-nuts.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, crumble some feta cheese into it, and add dressing of your choice.
I used a balsamic dressing, which was probably a bit strong – lemon juice would be nicer.
I think it could be made more attractive – maybe some halved cherry tomatoes would make it more colourful.
Filed under: Food | Tagged: courgette, quinoa, recipe | Leave a comment »
Photohunt Point
Posted on February 18, 2012 by lindaharley
This is the new Peace Bridge in my home city, Derry. The picture was taken a few weeks before its official opening.
It’s a curving S-shape, representing the road to peace which isn’t a straight line. And it connects the mainly nationalist city side of the River Foyle with the mainly loyalist waterside. It goes from beside the Guidlhall, scene of some of my earliest dancing performances, to a new peace park in the grounds of a former army barracks.
As well as having lovely pointy support spires, I’m amused by the fact that the word point is close to pont, French for bridge.
Filed under: photo | Tagged: bridge, Derry, peace, point | 1 Comment »
Dancing At Lunacy 