Shopping in Venice

A slightly odd selection of photos to start with here, but shopping in Venice is hard to miss, From the stalls at Rialto, to the Classy shops near our hotel everywhere you looked you were urged to buy something! So two of my favourite things,,,, shopping and taking photos, what could be better?

My favourite shop in Venice, particularly so this time as it was very close to our hotel. Most of the gondoliers were a little camera shy, but these were ever so obliging.. I even liked the wooden smiles!

It's like looking in a mirror really!!

If you look closely I am sure you can spot the willy shaped pasta!!

and more masks.... there are plenty of places to buy these in Venice.. and I mean plenty

what can I say????

Rialto Market was closing down for the weekend when I arrived, but looked wonderful anyway

OK not technically a shop, but it did give an enormous amount of pleasure to my uncle who had nobly given up watching Manchester City for this weekend away.. and this Pub had a large screen!! Given that he didn't even allow his wedding to be on a home match day I was honoured at this sacrifice.. Thanks Edward!

Flying Home From Venice

Arrived home after a whirlwind weekend in Venice. I think I have taken over 400 photos so it will be a mammoth session tonight I think! This was the last photo that I took of Venice, as we flew over on the way home. I like the fact that you can see the Grand Canal and also St Mark's Square so clearly!! If only Stelios cleaned his windows a bit better I would have taken better pictures!!

Oh Dear I'm off again!!!

Oh dear! I'm off to Venice for a long weekend. Hopefully plenty of photos on my return. This was taken in Richmond Park today

Windsor Races 18 August 2008

. . . . in the gloom. We went to celebrate Thomas' birthday. Someone forgot to tell the weather it's supposed to be summer. All photos very gloomy, a bit like my racing predictions. . .

Borough Market

Another visit to Borough Market and another bag full of delicious food: It's a bit like the game I play with the children in tonight's blog..... My granny went to market and bought me...

Some stinky stilton . . . . terrific tomatoes (???). . . . .

Outrageous (ly impressive) Olive Oil

Fabulous French sausages . . . . .

A Yummy Younger Son . . . .

Cheerful Cherries . . . . .

Some fancy cakes . . . .

and finally some not very friendly fish . . .

Big Pit - Pwll Mawr

We had such a lovely weekend with friends in Cardiff, however it has to be said, that the weather in Wales over the weekend was absolutely PANTS!!! If it wasn't raining then it was seconds away from starting. Consequently, any photos that I managed to snatch in between the showers (and I am using that word relatively)are rubbish... even more rubbish that usual, if that is possible. And this is a great shame because we had a lovely weekend and Cardiff is a beautiful city.

In an effort to thwart the rain we spent Monday at Big Pit (Welsh name Pwll Mawr) near Newport. What an amazing place, anyone in the area should go. A working mine until Thatch intervened in 1980 it offers visitors a unique experience. We donned miner's helmets and lights (and emergency breathing equipment!!) and headed into the mine. The mine was only lit by the lights on our helmets, and appeared to be much as it was at the end of the last working shift. It was really fantastic. Sadly cameras were not allowed inside the mine incase it blew the whole thing up (something to do with methane gas and sparks). . . I mean I know my photography is not always good, but blowing things up????

Pwll Mawr, or Big Pit... If you are in the area go and visit it!! http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/bigpit/



My interpretation of the place. . . . .

Alway eat five-a-day