tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19719013403593550742024-03-13T16:31:44.938+00:00Emma Cowley IllustrationIllustrator turned Marketer, the online diary of a strategic planner, creative soul and nature-lover.Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-43635522179189854972020-06-30T21:55:00.001+01:002020-06-30T21:55:45.782+01:00June 2020: Staying Healthy in LockdownHello everyone, happy Tuesday!<div><br /></div><div>This is coming to you mid-pandemic from Syston, just north enough of Leicester city centre to be outside the newly announced zone to be placed under strict lockdown for a second time. Thoughts and best wishes to our family and friends stuck in the middle of it all (which includes my own Mum and Dad).</div><div><br /></div><div>One ongoing theme of this blog is health, fitness and wellbeing; it's a subject close to my heart and something I've given priority to ever since visiting China at the age of sixteen and learning that in their culture, health and wealth are viewed as being of equal importance as the former helps you to achieve the latter for yourself and your family.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's also something I've struggled with: I have yet to experience a serious injury or physical health problem, but have always been the recipient of (justified) concerns from health professionals because I'm heavier than I should be and carry too much body fat. As an adult, I've never been smaller than a UK size 16 in jeans, despite the best efforts I can manage.</div><div><br /></div><div>To be honest, at the moment I'm pretty happy with how my body looks - even my big tummy! The wealth of plus-sized bloggers and larger ladies of Instagram have been hugely inspiring and proved to me that round, plump bodies with cute little rolls of chub can indeed be very beautiful and stylish. Hats off to all of you! However, though I am learning to appreciate my body, managing my weight continues to be a struggle. I love the idea of intuitive eating, so it's a shame that I utterly suck at it! If I ate what I wanted in the quantities I wanted all of the time, I would just gain weight uncontrollably and continue to do so until my fitness, wellbeing and satisfaction with life deteriorated. Them's the facts, as hard as it is.</div><div><br /></div><div>For that reason, most of the time I need to measure portions, track what I eat and limit my food intake, which I first started doing using an app called MyFitnessPal and more recently an alternative one called LoseIt. I'm not necessarily trying to lose huge amounts of weight, just making sure it's managed so I don't increase the risk to my health any further - even though I resent the mental bandwidth it takes up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lots of people are experiencing the same struggle at this time it would seem: routines are disrupted, gyms and swimming baths closed, childcare arrangements in disarray and all the comfort eating/drinking caused by anxiety, uncertainty and boredom have had the result that many are finding that the balance of calories in versus calories out is becoming hard to manage. </div><div><br /></div><div>As someone who has a complicated relationship with food and who definitely 'uses' eating (to celebrate, to commiserate, to feel happier, when I'm bored - the list goes on...) here's some things I've found over the years to give myself a 'treat' instead of using junk food:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Do a fun workout that you'll enjoy - for me, it's Zumba or Clubbercise. There's loads of virtual classes online that you can subscribe to or do for free.</li><li>Do something calming, such as yoga, meditation, or some simple stretches. Carving out some time just for yourself on a regular basis is really important for your wellbeing.</li><li>Get outdoors - this could be a walk (ideally through a sunny, green space in the sunshine but this being England, we'll take what we can get!) or doing some bits around the garden you've been putting off. There's something so soothing about playing in the mud like you're a kid again!</li><li>Make yourself a low-sugar hot drink (such as tea, fruit tea, coffee or a hot cocoa) to linger over at your leisure.</li><li>Plan out your weekly menu of delicious, nourishing meals; incorporating plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean protein and complex carbohydrates. Feeling that you're eating well and treating your body with respect is a huge mood boost! I love browsing recipes on the BBC Good Food app and adjusting them to my taste. Then... get cooking and enjoying!</li><li>Look up some healthier treats that you can bake for yourself: Tom Kerridge, The Hairy Bikers, Pinch of Nom, Diabetes UK and My Fussy Eater all have some excellent recipes online for you to discover.</li><li>Do an absorbing, creative, hands-on activity; such as painting, drawing, cross-stitching, sewing, knitting, weaving, photography, pottery... whatever takes your fancy!</li><li>Do something that occupies your mind and attention - I especially like reading books, magazines or blogs; doing crossword puzzles, writing (doesn't need to be long - sum up your mood each day in one sentence if you like!) or watching a really engrossing film or TV series.</li><li>Listen to your favourite music or podcast. The glory of this is that it can be enjoyed while doing just about anything else; I like to have something interesting to listen to while I'm folding clothes or washing up.</li><li>If social media is your thing, find something positive and uplifting and share it on your channel/s - could be a pretty flower you saw, a moment of kindness or something awesome that happened to you. Spread the love!</li><li>Do some big-time pampering: have a long, hot soak in the bath; take a refreshing shower, give yourself a massage with some oil or body lotion, do a manicure or pedicure, put on some nice-smelling hand/foot cream, light a candle or incense in your favourite scent - indulge your sense of touch and smell!</li><li>Dress yourself, in whatever feels good for your mood in that moment. Maybe it's your favourite confidence-boosting outfit: a silk top, jeans, sparkly shoes, jewellery and a full face of make up. Or perhaps its your cosiest onesie with a pair of slippers for ultimate comfort. You do you.</li><li>Lastly and perhaps most importantly - reach out. Call a friend for a chat, or write someone a letter, card or message. A problem shared is a problem halved after all, and lots of people are feeling lonely and ready to reconnect with loved ones. Thinking of something you can do to lift someone else's day is one of the most life affirming things you can do.</li></ul><div>I hope you've found some of these suggestions useful, that concludes this blog post! Thank you all for reading and I'll see you next time!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Best wishes,</div><div><br /></div><div>Emma x</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0Leicester, UK52.6368778 -1.139759231.212850340351835 -36.2960092 74.060905259648166 34.0164908tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-44247771858594545672020-04-02T17:11:00.000+01:002020-06-30T16:50:05.784+01:00April 2020: Moving the Goalposts<br />
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Hi everyone, this is my first post of 2020 (better late than never!) Hope you enjoy.<br />
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So the first post of the year is usually where I share my goals for the year ahead, here are the ones I set at the end of last year for 2020:<br />
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<li>Get a full-time job as a marketing specialist</li>
<li>Buy a house with Tom</li>
<li>Get a dog</li>
<li>Reach my target weight</li>
<li>Practice using my drawing tablet</li>
<li>Make some new pictures</li>
<li>Go to weekly Zumba sessions</li>
<li>Do strength workouts twice per week</li>
<li>Go on regular walks with Leicestershire and Rutland Walking Group (weather permitting)</li>
<li>Learn to ride a bike</li>
<li>Have a book on my bedside table at all times</li>
<li>Complete a crossword puzzle a day</li>
<li>Use the calendar on my phone instead of a paper diary</li>
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What a mockery these last few weeks have made of my plans for this year (and I’m sure that’s a feeling shared by many!) The current situation with COVID-19 in the UK has changed everything and I’ve had to have a major rethink of what is now realistic for me to achieve in 2020.<br />
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I reached the first goal in February when I succeeded in securing a new job as a Marketing Coordinator at Mattioli Woods, a financial services company in Leicester city centre. I was so proud and pleased to have taken the next step in my career, and to have achieved one of my major life goals so early in the year.<br />
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Well, things didn’t turn out as planned, sadly. I started my new job just as the Corona virus situation was getting serious, and in the end only worked there for four days before being let go. Being a job seeker in the present situation is disheartening enough, knowing that it will probably be some time before I can find work again as many companies have postponed hiring until life returns to something approaching normality. It also has a knock-on effect for our other goals of buying a house and getting a dog, which likely won’t happen this year. However, I’m determined to use my newly available time productively by working on personal projects and improving my skills.<br />
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One exciting development is that the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) have decided to allow Associate members like myself to work towards and eventually achieve Chartered Marketer status – something that previously only Members and Fellows could do. To achieve this, I will need to record and submit evidence that I have completed the requisite amount of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for two consecutive years and then successfully pass an online assessment. I’ve already started logging my CPD and will complete my first year at the end of October this year. Becoming a Chartered Marketer is one of my big long-term goals, so the prospect of being able to achieve that much sooner than I thought I would is very cheering.<br />
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Once I found out I was out of a job, I made a veritable laundry list of things I would like to learn and do, including renewing my skills in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign software, studying HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and learning more about Google Analytics, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC). I would also like to undertake a couple of projects: one selling products online (to put my SEM, SEO and PPC learning into practice) and another building a website from scratch (to test my HTML, CSS and JavaScript knowledge). The product-selling project will have a creative aspect, as I’m thinking it would be fun to design some new cards, postcards and prints to offer, which I can use my new tablet to create so I’ll get practice using that too. These kinds of products should also be ideal as they can be sent via post without needing to visit the Post Office (limiting unnecessary human contact).<br />
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I do have fun things planned too, such as reading books, doing crossword puzzles, watching films, cooking and baking. I’ll also have more free time to practice self-care: lots of pedicures, face masks and long relaxing baths! I’d like to get the house a bit cleaner and tidier, and have found that migrating from a paper diary to the calendar on my phone has helped me organise myself more effectively.<br />
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My health continues to be one of my big priorities, and with all this free time on my hands I’ve been able to really step up my exercise regimen. Earlier this year I started attending a Zumba class each week. Obviously, those had to cease once the lockdown started, but our instructor is a real trooper and has sorted out virtual dance classes several times a week that we can stream live to our living room. So I’ve started doing classes three times a week: Tuesday Clubbercise, Thursday Zumba and Saturday Move2Muscials. It’s a form of exercising I really enjoy – very energetic and even more fun than dancing in a club! The other weekdays (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) I do some weightlifting and a 30-60 minute jog. Sunday, of course, is the day of rest, with just a gentle walk outside in the fresh air. I’m already starting to see improvements to my stamina and muscle tone; I also find that keeping active gives my days structure and lifts my spirits.<br />
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Once the weather is nice, I can head out to nearby Watermead Country Park with Tom and hopefully start learning to ride a bike. I think this would make my cardio even more fun as I’d be able to cover longer distances and explore further afield during my daily exercise. Walks with Leicestershire and Rutland Walking Group (our local Ramblers club) have sadly all been cancelled for the foreseeable, which is a shame because I’d been looking forward to enjoying some long walks now that the weather has improved.<br />
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Still on the subject of health but focusing on weight loss, I decided to not continue my journey with Slimming World. Despite some early success I found that my weight plateaued, and I couldn’t seem to make any further progress by following that programme. So I decided to try calorie counting using MyFitnessPal, and have been very pleased with the results so far. I managed to lose around half a stone, though I put a few pounds back on when I lost my job and did some ‘oh screw it’ eating (read: pizza, fish and chips and plenty of chocolate). I think such a reaction is understandable in the circumstances! I’m now getting back on an even keel emotionally and mentally so have got my head back in the game and have been on track for a week and a half. I’m taking the advice of a slimming group called Team RH who recommend taking your weight each day and then working out a weekly average as a more accurate way of measuring fat loss, so I still have yet to see if my efforts are bearing fruit. The most important part is that I feel much more energetic, motivated and happier in myself when I am eating well.<br />
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Some other nice news is that Tom succeeded in passing his driving text in February; it’s been lovely having someone to share driving duties with (and he’s been very generous offering me lifts and being designated driver if we’re out having drinks!) We won’t be taking that trip up to Scotland to visit my brother and his family that we were looking forward to, but hopefully we’ll be able to go later this year.<br />
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So that’s how we’ve been getting on, amazing how much can change in the space of a few weeks! Looking forward to the rest of this year, it looks like career and house/pet ownership goals are on hold for now but achievements for creativity, health and new skills are within reach and seem promising. Either way, I’m determined not to take this setback too hard and carry on working on my personal development. We’re in a much more fortunate position than many and I want to make the wisest use of this gift of time I unexpectedly have.<br />
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Thanks for reading everyone, hopefully my next missive will be delivered in more cheerful times! Wishing you all the very best and hoping that we all make it through these challenging circumstances together as best we can.Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-21805167818816681532019-12-28T17:50:00.004+00:002019-12-28T17:50:48.167+00:00December 2019: The End of a Decade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello readers, and welcome to this, my first (and last!) blog post of 2019!</div>
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It’s been well over a year since my last update, apologies for the super-long hiatus. There’s been a lot of changes in the interim, it’s amazing what can happen in such a short space of time (when put in context of the human lifespan). But since I’m off work for two weeks for the Christmas and New Year break and finally have some free time, I thought it would be nice to get one last blog entry in before the start of 2020 and the new decade.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ll get the bad news out of the way first: Pete and I ended up going our separate ways. He was put in a situation where he needed to move back to Manchester to care for two of his three children full time, and I wasn’t willing to go through the upheaval of moving to a different part of the country away from family and friends. It was an amicable split, and we’re still in touch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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However, some very good things have happened: in November 2018, I (finally!) passed my driving test, which was a huge achievement for me and the culmination of many hours of practice with my instructor and long-suffering parents.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a pass! Finally got my license on 22nd November 2018.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;">This lead to the second very good thing: I got my first car! She’s a white Citroen DS3 and I have named her Lady Rosalind (or Rosie for short), because a pretty car deserves a pretty name. She handles very well and is easy to drive, plus comes with all the mod cons I wanted (parking sensors, cruise control, sat-nav, air conditioning and DAB radio). My only complaint is with the on-board sat-nav: its tends to pick idiotic routes and constantly needs paid-for updates to stay current; these days I just use Waze on my phone, which is free, updates automatically and is very effective at finding efficient routes to miss traffic and obstructions. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my newfound freedom, zipping around with Planet Rock blaring through the speakers!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My shiny new car, Lady Rosalind (Rosie, if you like), out for a spin at Foxton Locks.</td></tr>
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Rosie came in especially handy when I met my third piece of good news: my new(ish) boyfriend, Tom. We met shortly after I got her through the dating app Bumble, and since Tom hasn’t yet passed his driving test (his first try was Friday 13<sup>th</sup> December – sadly it lived up to its reputation as a day for bad luck!), I currently am the default designated driver. We were soon planning trips both near and far: one of our first dates was to Foxton Locks (country lanes in the dark, such fun!) and since then we’ve taken Rosie to Bath, London, Coventry, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Next year we’re hoping to share the drive up to Scotland to visit my brother and his family, providing Tom has passed his test by then of course!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ancient Roman Baths at the Georgian spa town of Bath.</td></tr>
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Then the fourth piece of good news to share: Tom and I moved in together! Tom had been living in a massive pad in the Stoneygate area of Leicester (it had an AGA and everything!) with his pal Rob, but they wanted to move out as the rent was due to increase and unfortunately the landlords hadn’t been proactive about maintaining the standard of the property, so it was slowly falling into disrepair. He had to find a new place to live anyway, so he asked me… how about finding somewhere together? We’d only been seeing each other for around three months at that point but decided to take the plunge and see how we’d get on making a home with each other.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our lovely home in Syston, it looks even better in the summer when my hanging baskets don't look so sad!</td></tr>
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I’m pleased to say that almost nine months on, we haven’t regretted the decision once! Tom is an absolute pleasure to live with, he’s relaxed, easy-going and happy to pull his weight with the housework (which is a godsend to me, being rather house-proud). Hopefully he feels the same about me! Our home is beautiful too, it’s only around ten years old with lots of modern features, a humungous kitchen and lots of light and space. For the first time I have ample room to store away all my kitchen gadgets, organise ingredients and experiment with food – I am thoroughly spoiled! We also have the pleasure of really friendly landlords; their parents are also our next-door neighbours and lovely people, so easy to get along with.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our massive kitchen, possibly my favourite room in the whole house. I'll often be here cooking or enjoying a cup of tea!</td></tr>
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Our new home is in Syston in north Leicestershire, and we’re enjoying living in this area so far. It’s really peaceful and quiet, has its own rail station with direct routes into Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham; and has the added benefit of a small town centre with ample shops and amenities. It also has the craziest number of supermarkets within spitting distance: Aldi, Tesco, ASDA, a giant Sainsbury’s, M&S Food Hall and Costco (which we absolutely love!), plus the Barkby Thorpe out of town shopping centre five minutes’ drive away. The jewel in the crown though is Watermead Country Park, a series of interconnected lakes and waterways with lots of leafy paths to explore and waterfowl to spot. A lovely place for an afternoon stroll or picnic!</div>
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This coming year we plan to buy a house together to settle into and make our very own, so we will be moving again in the fairly near future. However, we’re not planning on going far and if something suitable comes up in Syston, we’d definitely be more than happy to stay in the area.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strange sculpture at Watermead Country Park in Syston, not a clue what the scene is supposed to depict.</td></tr>
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2018 was a year of ambitious forward thinking and progress towards goals, and my career aspirations were no exception. In September that year I started a distance learning course with the Oxford College of Marketing to achieve a Chartered Institute of Marketing Level 6 Diploma in Professional Marketing. Throughout that winter and during the first half of 2019 I studied extremely hard, submitting two lengthy pieces of written work and then sitting an exam in July. In September this year I got my results (more good news!): Pass with Merit! I also discovered that I am now eligible for an upgrade to Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and can use the letters ACIM after my name. It was a really proud achievement, that I am hoping will allow me to further my career in marketing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To be framed and hung in pride of place: my hard-won diploma.</td></tr>
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One last piece of lovely news is that we have some new additions to the family: in 2016 I became an Aunt for the first time when my little nephew George was born to my brother James and his fiancé Jenni, my older brother and his wife Leah followed suit in 2017 when they had my niece Niamh. In August this year Will and Leah welcomed another new arrival, a little boy called Edwin. And in May 2020, James and Jenni will also greet their second child. I’m thoroughly enjoying my new role as an Aunty; my niece and nephews are cute as buttons!</div>
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Another thing I should mention before I sign off: Sunday Assembly Leicester is sadly no more. For over a year it was essentially being run by three people including myself, then that dropped to two of us and became impossible to manage without more manpower. So we made the decision to see it through to the end of 2018, and held our last assembly in December of that year. We went out on a high, singing Christmas songs and enjoying lunch together like always. It was a good time to bring that chapter to a close as I was able to then better focus my energies on studying for my CIM qualification, and (once Tom and I moved in together) maintaining our new household (no more Mum and Dad getting dinner ready for when I come in from work!)<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom and I celebrating our first anniversary at Tandem in Leicester.</td></tr>
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Lastly, I’ve been making some plans for future good health, which has included adding more walking to my daily commute (to and from Syston and Leicester train stations each way), creating and using a home gym, and joining Slimming World in July this year and achieving a weight loss of over a stone so far. The latter of which in particular has been really rewarding, I’ve discovered new ways of cooking and eating more healthily, have tried lots of delicious new recipes and made some great new connections in my local area. The Christmas break has presented a bit of a departure from the usual plan regarding food (anyone know a recipe for Syn-free sherry trifle or Christmas pudding? No, I thought not!) but now that Christmas is over it’s time to put some control back in and perhaps just allow myself some extra Syns for alcohol on New Year’s Eve.</div>
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I think that’s all the news I have to share (for now!), see you in 2020 for the start of a new year and a new decade. Here’s hoping it’s a really special one for all of us; wishing you all health, wealth and good luck!<o:p></o:p></div>
Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-84099665604021443462018-08-04T12:35:00.002+01:002019-11-02T16:52:10.050+00:00June - July 2018: RHS Chatsworth, Peak District walks and Coton Manor GardensGreeting readers, felicitations to you on this fine August day! For once I am bang on time (perhaps early even, given that the month has only just started?) with my posting schedule and am here to bring you the latest news, activities and (hopefully) some pretty photos.<br />
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<b>June</b><br />
The month kicked off in style with Leicester Riverside Festival, an event taking place each summer on the river Soar on the Western side of Leicester city at Bede Park, Castle Gardens and surrounding streets. You can enjoy boat trips, music, live performances, and stalls selling food, drink and hand crafted goods. There was a lovely friendly, buzzy atmosphere and everyone seemed to be having a great time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Narrow boat converted into a stage at Leicester Riverside Festival 2018.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musicians on a boat at Leicester Riverside Festival 2018.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a good turnout for Leicester Riverside Festival 2018, with a chilled-out atmosphere.</td></tr>
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Midway through June my brother came down with his fiancee and son to spend a few days with us. Mum's 70th birthday was back in January, but for her big birthday we planned a special (if delayed) treat: a day out at RHS Chatsworth! None of us had been to an RHS flower show before, and we were not disappointed - the arrangements and presentation of the flowers were absolutely stunning, and getting the blooms to look (and stay!) so fresh was a real skill. I had a fun time spotting my favourites: orchids, chrysanthemums, dahlias, roses and peonies. I also loved the displays of Japanese acers, as well as succulents, grasses and leafy plants to add texture.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Chatsworth House.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Display of orchids.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Display of orchids.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Display of orchids.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Display of peonies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Display of acers.</td></tr>
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At the end of the week we took a trip up to the Stoneygate area of Leicester to see Art House Leicester, an event where homes in the area open up to the public and become temporary galleries for local artists. It was my first time attending the event and I was immensely impressed by the quality and amount of local art on offer - suffice to say I made a few purchases! I'm very much looking forward to seeing more next year.<br />
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I took my monthly trip up to greater Manchester to see Pete and the kids, for which we decided to make the most of the fine weather and do a walk in the Peak District since it's not far from where Pete's Mum lives. The walk was a circular one from Ashford On The Water, going through Monsal Head, Deep Dale and Sheldon before passing over Sheepwash Bridge (allegedly the best place to play poohsticks!) and back to Ashford On The Water.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friendly cows.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View into the Wye valley from Monsal Head.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A large weir.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pete and the kids in front of the weir.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homes in Sheldon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plant growing out of a stone wall in Sheldon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View over greater Manchester area.</td></tr>
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The video below shows the view around the lovely rolling countryside of Deep Dale.<br />
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At the end of June it was my 31st birthday, and it happened to fall on my day off! So we took a special trip to Coton Manor Gardens to wander around in the sunshine and admire the plants. The house is still privately owned so is inaccessible, but we had a lovely time looking at the flora and fauna - which included flamingos!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T6mTxRj0EbY/W2WG8W3P3vI/AAAAAAAAC6E/1rZrYhG11RYdSgzOWvksLRwNc0cmdIa-wCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T6mTxRj0EbY/W2WG8W3P3vI/AAAAAAAAC6E/1rZrYhG11RYdSgzOWvksLRwNc0cmdIa-wCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_2022.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flamingo at Coton Manor Gardens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flamingos at Coton Manor Gardens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roses at Coton Manor Gardens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sculptural water feature at Coton Manor Gardens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pond at Coton Manor Gardens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coton Manor</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XwzxqE7uI6o/W2WG7Y3L91I/AAAAAAAAC6A/pHuxYLu0qWcl1HzxP_Dq0dwNX5NrFGHbACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XwzxqE7uI6o/W2WG7Y3L91I/AAAAAAAAC6A/pHuxYLu0qWcl1HzxP_Dq0dwNX5NrFGHbACEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_2010.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lilies at Coton Manor Gardens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-09pFOA6RR3E/W2WG7phyVnI/AAAAAAAAC6E/EpcGbU_nfP8AAFICIxMBZUP9QkM0TtW7ACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-09pFOA6RR3E/W2WG7phyVnI/AAAAAAAAC6E/EpcGbU_nfP8AAFICIxMBZUP9QkM0TtW7ACEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_2011.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wildflowers at Coton Manor Gardens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wildflowers at Coton Manor Gardens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water feature at Coton Manor Gardens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stag sculpture at Coton Manor Gardens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irises at Coton Manor Gardens.</td></tr>
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The day was rounded off with a trip to Boboli in Kibworth, one of our favourite Italian restaurants. The following day we went for a manicure and back massage in Oadby, and then on the Saturday night I went out with some pals for dinner at Casa Romana (another Italian - their steak in truffle sauce is to die for!) Afterwards we hit some bars in Leicester city centre, including 33 Cank Street, The Terrace and 45 West, all of which I can heartily recommend.<br />
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<b>July</b><br />
This was a month of much organising and planning: Leicester Sunday Assembly's July assembly was fast approaching and as the other committee members were away, it was down to me to lead the event! This involved organising and delegating, setting up on the day, coordinating the cooking, as well as hosting (i.e. presenting the event) and doing a reading. It was a busy morning but all went well - even the food! I felt pretty proud of myself afterwards as only a matter of months ago having so much responsibility would have scared the hell out of me, so it was a validating experience to rise to the challenge. And I was lucky to have my fellow assemblers there to provide support when needed!<br />
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The last major event of July was another Peak District walk, this time we decided to tackle Mam Tor, also known as the Shivering Peak! This walk started and ended in Castleton, going up Losehill, along the Great Ridge to Mam Tor and then back past the Blue John Mine and Treak Cliff Cavern. It was a boiling hot day so we were rather uncomfortable for much of the walk, but the views made it all worth it: probably the best of any of the walks we've been on to date.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of the ascent to Losehill.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View across the Great Ridge to Mam Tor.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top of Losehill.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top of Losehill.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View across the Great Ridge to Mam Tor.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The descent heading back towards Castleton.</td></tr>
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The two videos below show the view either side from the top of Mam Tor giving views of the surrounding valleys: Kinder Scout, Edale and Hope Valley on one side and Castleton on the other.<br />
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That's all for now folks, see you in October when I'll be sharing news and events from August - September! As always, thanks so much for reading :)<br />
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Emma x<br />
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<br />Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-35673236196409856002018-07-01T16:00:00.000+01:002018-07-01T16:07:58.817+01:00March - May 2018: Cheesefest Leicester and Much Wenlock in ShropshireHello lovely readers, I hope all is well with you! This is (only) my second post of 2018 - and we're already more than halfway through the year! Apologies that this is somewhat later than expected, I meant to create this post at the end of May but was somewhat overtaken by events. My next post detailing events that took place in June and July is due to appear at some point in August, then we should be back to a regular bi-monthly posting schedule.<br />
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<b>March</b><br />
For this month I decided to set myself a challenge and do DECHOX to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation - the original idea was to give up chocolate for a month but I decided to make it more challenging and give up all foods with high levels of added refined sugar - including biscuits, sweets, jam, sugary cereals, cakes... in other words all the good stuff you like to treat yourself with! It was very challenging, especially towards the end as Easter approached and the shops were full of rabbit and egg shaped sweet treats. However I did have an advantage in that my Dad has been sugar free for a while now, so if Mum does any baking she'll use Splenda, fresh or dried fruit in place of the white stuff. So I wasn't completely deprived of something nice to have with a cup of tea! As the 1st of April (Easter Sunday) approached I readied a glass of chocolate milk (I'm a sucker for the stuff, like the woman-child I am) and toasted in the start of the new month at midnight. The following day I broke my chocolate fast with a yummy Easter egg.<br />
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We were supposed to see two ballets this month: Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet and Swan Lake. However we only made it to the latter performance because of the unseasonally huge amount of snowfall - we got out on the roads and had to turn back because it just wasn't safe to drive through. It was rather gutting for Mum because Romeo and Juliet is one of her favourite pieces of music and she was looking forward to that performance most of all, but I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled and hope they come again another year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5k2pgQL5gdQ/WzjiY25w7pI/AAAAAAAAC0Q/UC_fcRmV7tMS0CnHzKLh4PvnPtV-oH40wCLcBGAs/s1600/Dechox_2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="707" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5k2pgQL5gdQ/WzjiY25w7pI/AAAAAAAAC0Q/UC_fcRmV7tMS0CnHzKLh4PvnPtV-oH40wCLcBGAs/s640/Dechox_2018.jpg" width="451" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The certificate I received at the end of my fundraising, I raised a respectable £55.00.</td></tr>
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<b>April</b><br />
There were more cultural activities this month as I went to my first ever opera - in fact, two in two days! The first night we were treated to La Traviata which was very moving and powerful, and then the following night we saw Madame Butterfly. I didn't enjoy Madame Butterfly as much as I felt it didn't build up to such a moving climax as La Traviata, but I certainly felt a lot of sympathy for the young protagonist in the story and both performances were very skillfully executed.<br />
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I bagged us tickets to Cheesefest at The Athena in Leicester as soon as they became available - an entire festival of cheese sounded right up my street! There were more flavours and varieties than you could count, and we tasted and picked up a lot of cheeses to take home with us, including (allegedly) the favourite cheeses of James Martin and Gorden Ramsey. Most of the cheeses we chose were continental as they prove harder to get hold of in this country, but I think my tastes must be changing - French and Italian cheeses used to be my favourite, but the cheese I enjoyed most of all was a humble cheddar! Black Bomber by The Snowdonia Cheese Company, to be precise. We also took the opportunity to try some much-celebrated halloumi fries while we were there, which deserved their reputation for being delicious.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hzNl3Lc4nx8/WzjlIqGmwSI/AAAAAAAAC0g/i1QFXrRQmXA6fFg1VbNlWP-Efod2x-YdACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hzNl3Lc4nx8/WzjlIqGmwSI/AAAAAAAAC0g/i1QFXrRQmXA6fFg1VbNlWP-Efod2x-YdACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_4169.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chutney stalls at Cheesefest Leicester.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bx-_eO3dbmg/WzjlId4-hgI/AAAAAAAAC0c/-4gfQBeObf4WdCNo28MMe6uQNYpVjyv7wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bx-_eO3dbmg/WzjlId4-hgI/AAAAAAAAC0c/-4gfQBeObf4WdCNo28MMe6uQNYpVjyv7wCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_4170.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheese stalls at Cheesefest Leicester.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KrCHwN_bju8/WzjlIsI7qbI/AAAAAAAAC0k/7YX24GWXlh8SsE0hapsJYIuA5uLtSxbvACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KrCHwN_bju8/WzjlIsI7qbI/AAAAAAAAC0k/7YX24GWXlh8SsE0hapsJYIuA5uLtSxbvACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_4171.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheese and cured meat stall at Cheesefest Leicester.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pND51woeIAk/WzjlJa2TnDI/AAAAAAAAC0o/VxuiSYj0mTQj0mkHHEQL3J9ys8e23_70ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pND51woeIAk/WzjlJa2TnDI/AAAAAAAAC0o/VxuiSYj0mTQj0mkHHEQL3J9ys8e23_70ACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_4172.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheese stall at Cheesefest Leicester.</td></tr>
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<b>May</b><br />
There were more performances to see this month which provided good excuses to catch up with friends: we saw My Dad Wrote A Porno Live (hilarious), The Crucible and Fleabag (loved the TV series, had to see the live show where it all started).<br />
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We also had a very big reason to celebrate: my dear friend Holly married her long-time partner and university sweetheart Jools! The wedding was down in Shropshire, so we took the opportunity to stay in Much Wenlock and see a little of the surrounding area. We explored Much Wenlock town centre, as well as taking a trip out to see Buildwas Abbey and Benthall Hall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36r-FQPWElg/Wzjmd7FTdZI/AAAAAAAAC10/UhGjMgp6hp8vqSbM0MWTAzKMP-cT39PCwCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4304.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raynald's Mansion, original Tudor manor house in Much Wenlock.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-THstOjhLLY8/WzjmeJdVZWI/AAAAAAAAC1w/4Q-4UwDhcaMW9q8QQYW_Cu3EbZ8XPzVxgCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4305.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Corn Exchange in Much Wenlock.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-slork1t_dfc/WzjmeNefFQI/AAAAAAAAC1o/N8Lt8f5fz4cNMqyTJAmUJHUZvbhKOTTxACEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4306.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Guildhall in Much Wenlock.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XgK8VO81IQ0/Wzjme7IRrcI/AAAAAAAAC1s/GEbzeN09qSMuH1CsaXmkYm8hwUbxG7rwgCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4309.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Clock Tower in Much Wenlock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DV7mjpDOKsU/WzjmfPf9TLI/AAAAAAAAC14/KYPluklL3V43KcMkdetTFID54l0XEBJ3gCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4310.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An antique and vintage shop in Much Wenlock.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ew1A50sy6ps/WzjmhXij5gI/AAAAAAAAC10/rK9O7xnIpX8tDxtEMfZ_zYnJDIdxJptQQCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4330.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buildwas Abbey.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gG3_ZjUkfaE/Wzjmf8rMH8I/AAAAAAAAC10/R0h8T_PyTOc8JH_10PbA0QFfkQAJoDLggCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_4323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gG3_ZjUkfaE/Wzjmf8rMH8I/AAAAAAAAC10/R0h8T_PyTOc8JH_10PbA0QFfkQAJoDLggCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4323.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buildwas Abbey, cloister ruins.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oV_7r7U1ujY/Wzjmgqf8udI/AAAAAAAAC1w/Sd73GxaCirc1MEb83NQX5qZGz0Mev4GWACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_4327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oV_7r7U1ujY/Wzjmgqf8udI/AAAAAAAAC1w/Sd73GxaCirc1MEb83NQX5qZGz0Mev4GWACEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4327.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original tiles remaining at Buildwas Abbey.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4ewda6rpGYA/Wzjmi4UB5MI/AAAAAAAAC18/hMaqluQzqsko956yaW7zSfYNXcTvWWaUQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_E4326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4ewda6rpGYA/Wzjmi4UB5MI/AAAAAAAAC18/hMaqluQzqsko956yaW7zSfYNXcTvWWaUQCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_E4326.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windows at Buildwas Abbey.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hszBXJgNGXY/WzjnA8OTGHI/AAAAAAAAC2M/1ltRO_kBovYJVrQ1jQBes3M58K5BhC8eQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_4324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hszBXJgNGXY/WzjnA8OTGHI/AAAAAAAAC2M/1ltRO_kBovYJVrQ1jQBes3M58K5BhC8eQCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4324.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Archway at Buildwas Abbey.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--HhHOwv8iXQ/Wzjmh8-jG-I/AAAAAAAAC14/0APSmQYOzyEaowIhUgbpTrOJ-FcFbFTmwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_4336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--HhHOwv8iXQ/Wzjmh8-jG-I/AAAAAAAAC14/0APSmQYOzyEaowIhUgbpTrOJ-FcFbFTmwCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4336.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benthall Hall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FlA153fxmhg/Wzjm6YZYjiI/AAAAAAAAC2I/Oq17QzPYG-Y5onzmnExyCNGpogtp9znyQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_4322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FlA153fxmhg/Wzjm6YZYjiI/AAAAAAAAC2I/Oq17QzPYG-Y5onzmnExyCNGpogtp9znyQCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4322.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Table setting at Holly and Jools' wedding.</td></tr>
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Finally, we rounded off the month with a trip to Alton Towers for my partner's son's birthday treat. We tried out the new Wickerman ride (a modern reimagining of an old-fashioned wooden rollercoaster - swoopy bits were rather fun) as well as old favourites Air (renamed Galactica with the option of wearing a VR headset during the ride) and Nemesis. We also went on The Smiler for the first time, which I was trepidatious about given the awful accident that happened on there some years ago but actually enjoyed that most of all the rides - the twists and loops were such good fun! I was also pleased with my frugality that day - I brought a packed lunch and a refillable water bottle, which the staff were happy to top up with tap water at kiosks throughout the park. All in all a very pleasurable day out.<br />
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That draws events to a close for now, check back in August for my next post! Thank you for reading as always!<br />
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<br />
Emma x<br />
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<br />Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-59983742356311936112018-02-24T21:29:00.003+00:002018-02-24T21:29:51.451+00:00Exploring Leicestershire and LincolnHello dear readers and welcome to my first post of 2018! In line with my goal of updating this blog bi-monthly I am here with the latest news and adventures from Casa Cowley.<br />
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January largely passed without incident, getting back into gear at work and catching up with friends after the Christmas break. February has been a little more exciting as I had a week off with my partner Pete, which we spent exploring Leicestershire and its vicinity.<br />
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On Monday we collected our hire car and then headed into Market Harborough to explore. We ducked into a few shops to look round (including locally based fashion label <a href="https://www.joules.com/" target="_blank">Joules</a>) but spent a lot of the time tucked up in a pub or coffee shop because it was so bitterly cold! I was pleased to take him into <a href="http://www.emersonandwests.co.uk/" target="_blank">Emerson and Wests</a>' to peruse the cakes and sweet treats on offer, in the end curiosity got the better of us and we shared a local treat called a Market Harborough Cheesecake between the two of us. It was very nice, spongy and fruity and slightly creamy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LMQDt3dBlFk/WpGwoi2BFBI/AAAAAAAACuk/c3znzTMKiy0lZHAMC4_gOQHy1p3Da7pFQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LMQDt3dBlFk/WpGwoi2BFBI/AAAAAAAACuk/c3znzTMKiy0lZHAMC4_gOQHy1p3Da7pFQCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3798.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasty treats at Emerson and Wests'</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasty treats at Emerson and Wests'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ONzIeERL97k/WpGwpZuL6nI/AAAAAAAACus/CKYuv26IZc0pZQruWbdhLInZpMcycjgqACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ONzIeERL97k/WpGwpZuL6nI/AAAAAAAACus/CKYuv26IZc0pZQruWbdhLInZpMcycjgqACEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3801.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasty treats at Emerson and Wests'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eJRjYNln-aE/WpGwo88IfMI/AAAAAAAACu0/oO-t9Y7BIeAldeESIX59flQRxjvOqJvJQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eJRjYNln-aE/WpGwo88IfMI/AAAAAAAACu0/oO-t9Y7BIeAldeESIX59flQRxjvOqJvJQCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasty treats at Emerson and Wests'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUG5GLctb7o/WpGwoXeENYI/AAAAAAAACus/6Dh1AJF33mEEJGnUevEmUA2Rnic9sUGowCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUG5GLctb7o/WpGwoXeENYI/AAAAAAAACus/6Dh1AJF33mEEJGnUevEmUA2Rnic9sUGowCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3799.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasty treats at Emerson and Wests'</td></tr>
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In the evening we were joined by my parents and we tried out a local restaurant called <a href="https://www.rocksaltbistro.co.uk/" target="_blank">Rocksalt Seafood and Grill</a>, which served us a very pleasant dinner.<br />
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Tuesday was a really indulgent treat: a spa day at <a href="http://www.bw-ullesthorpecourt.co.uk/" target="_blank">Best Western Ullesthorpe Court Hotel</a>. We were greeted by hot chocolate and biscuits upon our arrival, hitting the onsite gym shortly thereafter to mitigate for the calories. At lunchtime we were served an afternoon tea, and then enjoyed our treatments: Mum enjoyed a thermal body wrap while I and Pete went for a hot stone back massage. After that we went for a swim and lazed in the jacuzzi, steam room and sauna.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T1zKg9tzF9I/WpGwrt7kLkI/AAAAAAAACus/6M87Z-Ano7IsO8i6kyQcckgZCeO4ZswywCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T1zKg9tzF9I/WpGwrt7kLkI/AAAAAAAACus/6M87Z-Ano7IsO8i6kyQcckgZCeO4ZswywCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3806.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiced biscuits welcomed us at Best Western Ullesthorpe Court Hotel</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An indlugent salted caramel hot chocolate to go with the biscuits</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jfmkffipkG0/WpGwr_RwG-I/AAAAAAAACuw/r4OmrRO9tRA5ruVToIlU2rShBZSXNNLKQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jfmkffipkG0/WpGwr_RwG-I/AAAAAAAACuw/r4OmrRO9tRA5ruVToIlU2rShBZSXNNLKQCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3808.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious afternoon tea of sandwiches, scones, furit and cakes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VqlnnCW2yxM/WpGwsCFnD3I/AAAAAAAACuw/4gvny43lgdshg1fHaUC-734jrg4dFr-lQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VqlnnCW2yxM/WpGwsCFnD3I/AAAAAAAACuw/4gvny43lgdshg1fHaUC-734jrg4dFr-lQCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3809.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pretty frosted buttercream cupcake</td></tr>
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We had an exciting adventure on Wednesday: a trip to Lincoln to see <a href="https://www.lincolncastle.com/" target="_blank">Lincoln Castle</a> and <a href="https://lincolncathedral.com/" target="_blank">Lincoln Cathedral</a>! I had been once as a college student to meet and interview Kat and Dave (a.k.a Sue and Steve) of web comic <a href="http://twosideswide.keenspace.com/" target="_blank">Two Sides Wide</a> but didn't get to see much of the city at that time, so I was really excited to get the chance to explore it properly. Pete had worked here for a week recently and had told me it would be worth a day trip - we weren't disappointed!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HwGua2jIEi0/WpGwuLPxqjI/AAAAAAAACu0/ATuSeSn2a4M9wins4xVXd5HboMBWjygLQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HwGua2jIEi0/WpGwuLPxqjI/AAAAAAAACu0/ATuSeSn2a4M9wins4xVXd5HboMBWjygLQCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3842.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of Lincoln Cathedral from Lincoln Castle</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of Lincoln Cathedral from Lincoln Castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Georgian prison building to the left and Lincoln Crown Court straight ahead</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Georgian prison building with the Victorian section visible behind</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the water tower from wall of Lincoln Castle </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Lincoln Cathedral</td></tr>
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First we visited the castle, which started life as a motte and bailey built by William The Conqueror and was a Roman legionary fortress before then. It assumed various guises throughout the ages but today the buildings consist of two prison buildings, one a red-brick Georgian wing and another Victorian wing; as well as a medieval castle wall that you can walk around and the Lincoln Crown Court which was built in 1845. It also has a modern vault containing a genuine copy of the Magna Carta for the public to view.<br />
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We then headed on to the cathedral. Its construction began in 1088, and wasn't complete for very many years as it was subsequently built and rebuilt many times over! For 238 years it was the tallest building in the world due to its spire, unfortunately it lost the accolade when the spire collapsed in 1549. We were lucky to walk in just as a guided tour was about to start, so were treated to an insider's scoop of all the quirky carvings and interesting history of the building.<br />
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While in Lincoln we ventured down The Steep, a long shopping street leading down a steep slope away from the castle and cathedral. There were loads of awesome quirky shops and tearooms to explore, but my best find was the local art gallery and artists' co-operative <a href="http://www.hardinghousegallery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Harding House Gallery</a>! Highlights included ceramics by <a href="https://www.lizziebrownceramics.co.uk/" target="_blank">Lizzie Brown Ceramics</a> and <a href="http://www.tyddpottery.co.uk/gallery" target="_blank">Tydd Pottery</a>, as well as paintings by <a href="https://gillvineslife.carbonmade.com/about" target="_blank">Gill Vines</a> which Pete was especially keen on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dIV-k5Gyddc/WpHPcHy7WWI/AAAAAAAACvY/A-bzg1s5FJIffFVPSlAraNnwQUDZXWz-ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dIV-k5Gyddc/WpHPcHy7WWI/AAAAAAAACvY/A-bzg1s5FJIffFVPSlAraNnwQUDZXWz-ACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_3850.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceramics by Lizzie Brown Ceramics</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ToFOL5L4C4Y/WpGwxwQzR3I/AAAAAAAACuo/RJlFJA7009kear0aIFBaXpUi1c_xe2oywCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ToFOL5L4C4Y/WpGwxwQzR3I/AAAAAAAACuo/RJlFJA7009kear0aIFBaXpUi1c_xe2oywCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3851.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceramics by Lizzie Brown Ceramics</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dVjwYNd3-L0/WpGwyJxeSCI/AAAAAAAACus/Zkn8IKxp2Lgyj5fExgUp262wRtjJsjD7gCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dVjwYNd3-L0/WpGwyJxeSCI/AAAAAAAACus/Zkn8IKxp2Lgyj5fExgUp262wRtjJsjD7gCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3852.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceramics by Lizzie Brown Ceramics</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JWI5B-8PXCQ/WpGwymOAJqI/AAAAAAAACuw/-0Q_US6XLekn3Gjj_1Wdd-W1HwKz0viSgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JWI5B-8PXCQ/WpGwymOAJqI/AAAAAAAACuw/-0Q_US6XLekn3Gjj_1Wdd-W1HwKz0viSgCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3853.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceramics by Tydd Pottery</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6XE6oZkEkw/WpHC7X4YSrI/AAAAAAAACvM/bZ8_jknzCg09XhDpMvwNRBuNoIi4fbwvgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6XE6oZkEkw/WpHC7X4YSrI/AAAAAAAACvM/bZ8_jknzCg09XhDpMvwNRBuNoIi4fbwvgCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3854.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceramics by Tydd Pottery</td></tr>
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We rounded off our visit with dinner before heading home, since we were in the mood for a curry we called in at <a href="http://www.castleviewindian.co.uk/" target="_blank">Castle View Indian Cuisine</a> which was well reviewed on TripAdvisor and with good reason! It very much slaked our thirst for warming spice and luscious flavour.<br />
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On Thursday I got to tick off a to-do that had been on my list for a long time: <a href="http://www.bosworthbattlefield.org.uk/" target="_blank">Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre.</a> I had visited the initial excavation of the car park where the remains of Richard III were discovered (before they even knew for definite it was him) and had since been to visit his final resting place in <a href="http://leicestercathedral.org/" target="_blank">Leicester Cathedral</a> and the <a href="https://kriii.com/" target="_blank">Richard III Visitor Centre</a> in Leicester city centre, but had never been to see the site where he was actually killed after a heated battle against the forces of Henry VII. It was really moving to see the place in person and hear in detail the story of the battle that day and the events leading up to it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing in the cold at the memorial on Bosworth Battlefield</td></tr>
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The exhibition and walk round the field took around 3 hours to complete, after which we headed home to relax in the warm with a rejuvenating pot of tea.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cup of fragrant cherry-flavoured black tea.</td></tr>
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Friday was our last full day with the hire car, so we rounded off the week with a bracing walk at Rutland Water, which I hadn't been to since going on a trip with the Girl Guides when I was young. We headed to the Hambleton Peninsula where there was a convenient parking area right near to the start of a circular walk around taking in the whole peninsula. We completed the walk in roughly two and a half hours, and then headed in the direction of home. However on the way back we stumbled across the famed Hambleton Bakery, and couldn't resist popping in for some treats! We left with some wonderful breads to try as well as a couple of pastries to sample.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breads and baked goods at the Hambleton Bakery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastries at the Hambleton Bakery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breads at the Hambleton Bakery</td></tr>
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On Saturday morning we had to return the hire car (making sure it was squeaky clean inside and out!), after which we headed up to Leicester city centre to do some shopping and watch Maze Runner: The Death Cure at the cinema. I had recently bought the new Tom Kerridge recipe book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lose-Weight-Good-Full-flavour-low-calorie/dp/1472949293" target="_blank">Lose Weight For Good</a>, so we used a recipe from that to make dinner: South Indian fish curry. It certainly helps that Pete and I are pretty good when it comes to cooking but I have to hand it to Mr. Kerridge - this dish was delicious! Not the quickest ever to cook but packed with flavour and certainly not what you'd consider 'diet food'. We always enjoy a chance to cook and will certainly be making this dish again.<br />
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Well that pretty much wraps up the week! Pete and I packed quite a lot of activities in, we don't get to have much time off together and don't yet own a car between us so we like to make the most of both the time and the transport. Judging from my diary we don't get another full week together until October! However you will hear from me before then, they'll just be weekend adventures rather than week-long ones!</div>
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All the best and I hope to see you then!</div>
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Emma</div>
<br />Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-73095551970657441262017-12-31T17:16:00.001+00:002017-12-31T17:16:23.697+00:002018: Goals and AimsGreetings lovely readers, I am delighted to share with you the very last post of 2017! My previous post looked back on the successes, failures and achievements of the past year, so in this post I'll be looking forward to 2018 and listing my goals for the year about to start.<br />
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<b>Goal 1 - Use Happiness Jar</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My newly acquired Happiness Jar</td></tr>
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My first goal is to make use of my new Happiness Jar to record and remember things I'm grateful for, including moments of success and good things that have happened. In general I'd like to try to be more grateful and appreciative of the things that I have this year. There are some major goals that I have yet to achieve, but though remaining focused on your goals is a good thing it is also important to remember, acknowledge and congratulate yourself for the progress that has been made so far.<br />
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<b>Goal 2 - Complete 52 Lists Project and Q&A A Day Books</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">52 Lists Project and Q&A A Day books</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">52 Lists Project book - double page spread</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Q&A A Day book - double page spread</td></tr>
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I was lucky enough to be gifted both of these books last year and have been eagerly awaiting the new year to start them ever since! The 52 Lists one lasts for one year with you making one list per week while the Q&A book lasts for five years with the owner answering one question per day. I really enjoy activities like this that get you thinking about your peccadilloes, interests and priorities - though the prospect of recording over a whole 5 year period scares me somewhat! I'll be halfway through my thirties by the time the Q&A book is complete. There are so many things I want to achieve by that time... I wonder if I'll have managed to accomplish them all?<br />
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<b>Goal 3 - Driving</b><br />
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Probably my biggest goal of 2018 is to pass my practical driving test, after that I intend to take motorway driving lessons and once I feel I've mastered driving on a motorway I will buy my first car. After that some major milestones will be driving to Manchester and back to visit my partner Pete's family, and then later in the year helping with the drive to Scotland and back to visit my brother James and his family. They've indicated that they'll be spending Christmas at home in Dunfermline next year and will be inviting us up from Leicester and my sister in law's family over from Northern Ireland to spend it with them, so I'll have some time to prepare for this goal! I'll be particularly happy to achieve this though as I always feel bad about not being able to contribute to the driving on such a long journey.<br />
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<b>Goal 4 - Health</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in October 2016</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in September 2017</td></tr>
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As stated in my previous post I've already made some great progress in this area over the year by losing 25kg, following an NHS prescribed eating plan and increasing my activity and fitness levels. In 2018 I'd like to go the distance and finally reach my goal weight of 60kg by losing a further 25kg over the course of the year. This would put me in my healthy weight range for the first time in my adult life (I've struggled with excess weight since my age was in single digits) and would greatly decrease my risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. This second stretch will likely be even harder than the last: my weight loss plateaued for a few weeks prior to Christmas though after a few adjustments (cutting back further on starchy foods in particular) I've managed to have it dropping steadily again by about a kilo per week. I'm sure such plateaus will occur again as I near the finish line, so I'll have to see what sacrifices I can bear to make while still enjoying life. In support of this I will be aiming to continue going to the gym 3 times a week and completing further long walks in the Peak District.<br />
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<b>Goal 5 - Career</b><br />
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To further develop my career I'd like to improve my skills in deign programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign. Presently I feel that I'm competent in these programs but would like to fully master them. I also want to continue learning to code in HTML and CSS and start learning to code in JavaScript.<br />
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<b>Goal 6 - Personal Development</b><br />
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During 2018 I'd like to gain further experience of public speaking in a low pressure environment to build my confidence in this area. I may take on some small speaking roles at the non-religious Sunday Assembly group I attend and perhaps attempt some larger ones as the year progresses, possibly including a 15 minute presentation about Pedestrian, the arts education charity I work for.<br />
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<b>Goal 7 - Illustration</b><br />
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This area was badly neglected in 2017 so I'd like to make some modest improvements and work on some more creative goals in the coming year. I intend to make a new piece of work to be submitted to the <a href="https://www.visitleicester.info/whats-on/the-open-exhibition-p721351" target="_blank">Leicester Open Exhibition</a> in 2018 as well as completing some outstanding pieces of work and designing Christmas cards to send to family and friends. I will also aim to do some on-location or observational drawings every month. I am hoping to update this blog and my Facebook page once every other month as well as continuing to share good quality content on my Twitter and Instagram accounts.<br />
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<b>Goal 8 - Relationships</b><br />
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A newly added category but an important one! I've recently reconnected with a good friend I've known since infant school so I intend to keep in touch with her better by writing a letter at least once per quarter.<br />
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Phew, it's going to be quite a year! What aims, goals and ambitions have you set yourself for 2018? Let me know in the comments!<br />
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Best wishes for the new year, and thanks as always for reading.<br />
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EmmaEmma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-74305282249325477282017-12-17T13:31:00.001+00:002017-12-17T13:31:51.514+00:00Emma is Doing Her Best: Looking back on 2017Hello dear readers!<br />
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Welcome to my latest blog post and what will probably be the last installment of 2017! It's been an exciting year with many ups and downs, trials and tribulations. Mostly it has been a year of successes and positive developments, there's a sense that things are finally moving in the right direction after a few years fraught with difficulties and setbacks. Many of my goals have yet to reach their endpoints, but I have made good progress this year and am optimistic that they will be accomplished in the new year. So without further ado, here is what I have achieved in 2017:<br />
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<b>Driving</b><br />
This year my driving has improved a great deal, I feel so much more confident behind the wheel and in my last few lessons there has been very little for my driving instructor to correct me on. This year I succeeded in passing my theory test with good marks, practised driving in my Mum's car (i.e. with no instructor, second set of pedals or other person to take over if I mess up), gained experience of driving in a petrol car (my instructor's car is a diesel one), memorised the notorious Pork Pie roundabout and became fully confident at driving at speed and on county roads. I have yet to pass the final finish line and pass my practical test (having attempted it twice) but considering how well things are going I have a feeling that a pass is just on the horizon. The only challenge to this is that as of the 4th December 2017 the content of the practical test changed, so I'm going to have to learn some new things before I can put in for my test again.<br />
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<b>Health</b><br />
I've made some dramatic improvements to my health in 2017, the journey towards which began in January when I was referred by my GP to a programme run by the NHS called <a href="https://www.lrsport.org/programmes/leap-lifestyle-eating-activity-programme" target="_blank">Lifestyle, Eating, Activity Programme (LEAP)</a>. This consisted of 12 sessions run weekly during which we were weighed, then had an hour of diet/food education followed by an hour of exercise in the form of circuit training. At the beginning of the programme we were given a diet regimen tailored to our measurements and activity levels to follow, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was all very common sense (moderate portions of carbohydrates and lean protein, plenty of fruit and vegetables and as little fat and sugar as you can manage to do without) and that there was no mention of all the nonsense you see in the national press about eating macca powder, chia seeds and other quack 'super foods'. My apologies, but I don't have the patience to make smoothies and Buddha bowls! A great thing about the diet (or rather, 'lifestyle change') is that it's very easy to stick to, flexible and doesn't restrict whole food groups. And even better - it works! By April I had lost 9.5kg (1.5 stone) and by the end of this year I have lost 25kg (about 4 stone). By the end of next year I hope to lose another 25kg and reach my goal weight of 60kg (about 9.5 stone).<br />
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Alongside watching what I eat, I have also increased my exercise which has the dual benefit of helping with my weight loss as well as improving my physical fitness. Earlier in the year I was doing Aquafit class, yoga and a gym session each week, which were good fun but the classes tended to finish later than I would have liked and were difficult to fit around my schedule. Plus, to get home from the gym I had a 40 minute walk - fine on balmy summer evenings but not a pleasant prospect in the cold and dark of winter! So I recently swapped gyms for one in the city centre that I can go to directly after work, do a full hour session and then catch a bus home. I'm finding this routine pretty easy to stick to (goals need to be achievable, after all) and in a few weeks time have seen a marked improvement in my stamina and strength. I also succeeded in <a href="https://emmacowley.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/more-peak-district-hiking-fun.html" target="_blank">completing two walks lasting about six hours across challenging terrain in the Peak District this year</a>, which was testament to how far I'd come and how much my fitness has improved.<br />
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<b>Career</b><br />
I don't think I've stated it explicitly anywhere but as you may have guessed I decided in 2015 to cease pursuing a career as an Illustrator and instead find a more 'normal' job. In August that year I secured a role as Administration and Finance Officer for an arts education charity in Leicester called <a href="http://www.pedestrian.info/" target="_blank">Pedestrian</a>. It plays to my good organisational skills, and I'm lucky that I still get to work in the creative sphere and for a worthy cause. This year I've been focusing a lot on the marketing side of things, and in October took on the role of PR and Communications Coordinator for a project we're involved with called <a href="https://www.moneywiseplus.co.uk/" target="_blank">Moneywise Plus</a>. This was a really positive development as I'm interested in progressing into this area and it gives me opportunities to use my written and design skills in creating posters, invitations, flyers, blog/social posts and press releases. I gained some valuable experience with using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and am looking to improve my knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite by working through some books I bought called 'Adobe Creative Cloud Classroom in a Book' for <a href="https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Adobe-Photoshop-Classroom-Book-release/dp/0134663454/ref=pd_sbs_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=K8616Y774GXCTE0RZ1EA" target="_blank">Photoshop</a>, <a href="https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Adobe-Illustrator-Classroom-Book-release/dp/0134663446/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=72WSPKY3JAAJ9ZTR9EQ2" target="_blank">Illustrator</a> and <a href="https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Adobe-InDesign-Classroom-Book-release/dp/0134664094/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VZV1NZTX2BCJCV0JX8F1" target="_blank">Indesign</a>. I have them ready and waiting for the new year! I've also started learning HTML and CSS coding through <a href="https://www.codecademy.com/" target="_blank">Code Academy</a> this year.<br />
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<b>Personal Development</b><br />
Probably one of the things I'm most nervous about is public speaking, so in a bid to improve my skills and gain some confidence I stepped forward to do some small speaking roles at a group I attend called <a href="https://leicester.sundayassembly.com/" target="_blank">Sunday Assembly Leicester</a>. These are gatherings that happen on Sundays once a month at <a href="http://www.leicestersecularsociety.org.uk/PHP_redirected/secularhall.php" target="_blank">Leicester Secular Hall</a>, the idea being that these are fun non-religious events that anyone of any belief system is welcome to attend. It involves singing songs, listening to talks and readings and then having a vegetarian lunch together. This year I did three readings (including an excerpt from a story by Isaac Asimov) and filled a slot we have called 'Doing Their best' in which we talk about our successes and failures (much like this post!) I was pleased that I managed to get a few laughs from the audience and was praised afterwards by one of the attendees for being brave enough to talk about my weight loss goals and struggles. It was a really positive experience and definitely an area that I'd like to continue developing in 2018.<br />
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<b>Creative Development</b><br />
Oh dear, there's always going to be one area you end up neglecting! Unfortunately this year I've been so busy pursuing other goals I've not had much time and head-space for creative activity, I always find I need a decent block of time and some physical space to relax and settle in to making artwork and I've not had a vast amount of either recently. This is definitely something I need to improve on next year! I also failed to achieve my aim of updating my blog with a new post every month, by the end of this year I'll have done 5-6 posts (including this one) so updating my blog bi-monthly looks like a more reasonable target. I have however been very active on Twitter and have been pleased with some of the photographs and posts I've shared on there. I'm by no means a professional photographer but a fun snap on the fly is always satisfying! Chatting and sharing with others is such an enjoyable activity and there's been steady growth in my followers on that platform, so this is an activity I'll be continuing.<br />
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That's all for now folks, as always thank you for reading! Join me closer to the new year when I'll be setting and sharing goals for 2018. It promises to be an exciting year!<br />
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Best wishes,<br />
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EmmaEmma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-49205305002285213532017-10-26T17:19:00.002+01:002017-10-26T17:21:03.484+01:00More Peak District Hiking Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings lovely readers!<br />
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In the last installment I shared with you photos from an aborted hike up in the Peak District, so I am pleased this time to share with you some documentary evidence (in the form of photos!) that we returned a few weeks later and completed it successfully!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Grindsbrook path from its apex</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the landscape from the top of Grindsbrook</td></tr>
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We headed up the Grindsbrook path as before, taking the correct route this time so the ascent onto the Kinder Plateau wasn't too arduous. There isn't really a photo that can do justice to the altitude you climb in such a short space of time, but you can get some idea from the pictures above!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the landscape from the top of Kinder Scout</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interesting rock formation</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock formation that looks like the head of a crocodile - people have even put in little stones for teeth!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shallow waterfall on Kinder Scout</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shallow waterfall on Kinder Scout</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shallow waterfall on Kinder Scout</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocky outcrop</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terrain on Kinder Plateau</td></tr>
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We then travelled across the top of Kinder Plateau (also known as Kinder Scout), enjoying the somewhat alien looking terrain and interesting rock formations as we went. There was also a small waterfall to traverse which made a lovely subject for photographs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View down Jacob's Ladder</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View up Jacob's Ladder</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made it! Reaching Jacob's Ladder at last</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View across farmland</td></tr>
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Despite poor visibility due to mist we found our way around the ridge and eventually to the top of Jacob's Ladder. Once we'd descended (stopping to take cheesy celebratory photos) there was a stroll across farmland and then onto the Pennine Way for the home stretch back to Edale. We thoroughly enjoyed having a walk on the wild side and found the route challenging without being exhausting. Though as with any extended trip I'd definitely recommend taking plenty of water and snacks - this walk took around six hours and the last thing you want is to be stuck up on the tor, hungry and thirsty! Lots of warm layers and a waterproof are also a must.<br />
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I hope you've enjoyed this post, thank you for reading!<br />
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Emma<br />
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Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-71822733149982373742017-08-26T12:15:00.000+01:002017-08-26T13:00:01.628+01:00Hike in The Peak District: Edale to Jacobs Ladder<span id="goog_694071576"></span><span id="goog_694071577"></span>Hello everyone, and welcome back! This time I've just popped in to share with you some photos of our latest adventure, a hike in the Peak District from Edale up Grindsbrook to the Kinder Plateau and down Jacobs Ladder. Well, that was the intention anyway!<br />
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We headed up Grindsbrook, trotting along mud paths, scrambling over boulders and negotiating the stream at various points. Unfortunately the weather wasn't in our favour, rather than rain proper there was a very fine drizzly mist that meant that by the time we were on the climb up to the Kinder Plateau we were soaked through even under waterproofs. We took a break for lunch to refuel but the ordeal had proved a bit too much for my partner's youngest, who was rather too young for a trek as challenging as this and who was too tired to continue. Furthermore we discovered from a kindly and experienced walking guide who passed by us that we had accidentally taken the more difficult route, and would soon have to negotiate a waterfall to continue or descend back the way we'd come for some distance to then climb up the easier way. Since progress with the little one was so slow it seemed unlikely that we'd complete the walk in a reasonable time frame, so we decided instead to retreat to the <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g806083-d2102304-Reviews-Penny_Pot_Cafe-Edale_Hope_Valley_Peak_District_National_Park_England.html" target="_blank">Penny Pot Cafe in Edale</a> for hot chocolates and coffee. Even though we didn't complete our goal this time it was refreshing to be out on the Peaks again and I enjoyed snapping away with my camera capturing all the wonderful colours and textures. Another big plus is that walkers are some the nicest, most polite people you can meet! This will probably be our last trip up the Peaks this summer but hopefully we will return next year.</div>
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If you're interested in this walk you can find the route and map on the <a href="https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getoutside/adventures/kinder-walk-from-edale/" target="_blank">Ordnance Survey website</a>, hopefully you'll have more luck completing it than we did! Happy hiking!</div>
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Thanks as always for reading and see you next time, best wishes,</div>
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Emma </div>
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<span id="goog_1822424528"></span><span id="goog_1822424529"></span><br />Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-54914700409561264762017-08-03T20:57:00.002+01:002017-08-03T20:58:56.680+01:00Trip to Sweden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello lovely readers, and welcome back! Well it's looking like summer has been and gone again, I wonder if we'll get any more warm, sunny days before the year is out? In June I and the fella went on a trip to Uppsala in Sweden; we'd packed plenty of warm clothes since Scandinavian countries have a reputation for being cold but as it turned out it was much warmer than expected. Here's some photos and details of our stay in the land of meatballs and Ikea (we did see an Ikea from a train window, but no sign of meatballs during our stay).<br />
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<b>Day 1: Uppsala Cathedral and Botanic Gardens</b><br />
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On the first day of our visit we swung by Uppsala Cathedral (Domkyrka), where scientist Carl Von Linne and Gustav Vasa (Gustav I of Sweden) are buried. The interior was very richly decorated with lots of gilt, sculpture and painted patterns.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uppsala Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carl Von Linne's grave</td></tr>
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We then made our way to the Botanic Gardens, which house over 10,000 species of plants and which as an orangery and tropical greenhouse. It was gorgeous to take a stroll through, sit on a park bench overlooking a lake and let the world go by. I also had fun spotting the local plant and bird life.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Uppsala Castle to Botanic Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uppsala Botanic Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uppsala Botanic Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birdlife of Sweden - I believe this may be a Fieldfare</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<b>Day 2: Old Uppsala</b></div>
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On the second day of our trip we caught a bus a short while north of the city and found ourselves in Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala), the site of several burial mounds and boat graves. They had an impressive museum on the site which showed some of the best finds and gave a background in local history and Norse mythology. The remains in the burial mounds had been cremated so there was frustratingly little that could be determined as to who was buried there, though there are several theories (including that they were ancient kings, or the graves of important noblewomen). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burial mounds</td></tr>
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We then headed to Odinsborg for refreshment, a restaurant famed for its horns of mead. We also popped in Gamla Uppsala Church.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odinsborg ceramic stove</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odinsborg collection of kettles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gamla Uppsala Church</td></tr>
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<b>Day 3: Linne Museum</b></div>
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For our third day's activities we headed to the Linne Museum, dedicated to Swedish scientist Carl Von Linne, who was a famed botanist and developed the sexual system of classification as well as binomial nomenclature i.e. the scientific way of naming species usually using latin names (homo erectus for humans, for example). The Museum was his home where he lived with his wife and five children, Adjoining the house was his garden, restored to be similar to what it was like while he was living there. It even contained his favorite plant which he had named after him : <i>Linnaea borealis.</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of Carl Von Linne</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linne Garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A marsh-like flower bed in the Linne Garden</td></tr>
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We then made a pit stop at Cafe Linne where I made sure to try a slice of famous Swedish Princess Torte - which apparently is often served up as a birthday cake! I had fancied trying ever since I saw it on Great British bake Off. You can find their recipe for it <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/prinsesstrta_17336">here.</a><span id="goog_1462451577"></span><span id="goog_1462451578"></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cafe Linne</td></tr>
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<b>Day 4: Uppsala Castle</b></div>
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On day 4 we decided to have a look around Uppsala Castle (Slott), which was built by Gstav Vasa in the 1550s. It burned down in 1702 but in the years that followed was rebuilt and took on its present form. It was possible to look around the old ruined parts of the castle where there were still scraps of floor tiles and wall decorations to look at, which formed part of what was once a very ornate castle.<b><br /></b></div>
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We then had a chilled out stroll through the green spaces of Uppsala, stopping by the urban garden (Stadstradgarden).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake in the urban garden</td></tr>
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In the afternoon we called by Ofvandahl's bakery-cafe (konditori) for a cup of coffee and a pastry. Apparently it's quite the institution and is endorsed by none other than the king!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastries and coffee at Ofvandahl's</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An impressive selection of cakes - the whole green one is the aforementioned Princess Torte</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cakes, pastries and sandwiches at Ofvandahl's</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastries</td></tr>
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<b>Day 5: Stockholm</b></div>
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We couldn't miss seeing the capital while we were in the country, so on the morning of our fifth day we caught the train over to Stockholm for a flying visit to see the sights. We walked by loads of impressive buildings as we made our way along the waterfront from Stockholm Central Station to Djurgarden (the capital is made up of a series of interconnected islands).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zi5LjTO7_08/WX4njK3dt_I/AAAAAAAACjg/vpwvftmEtFURgHOMGhM7NTI7qU6wn_OLQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_1907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zi5LjTO7_08/WX4njK3dt_I/AAAAAAAACjg/vpwvftmEtFURgHOMGhM7NTI7qU6wn_OLQCPcBGAYYCw/s640/IMG_1907.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Building in Stockholm</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3szyyCc3LjM/WX4njLRA39I/AAAAAAAACjQ/Pf8ZEgTmyDgpJfxtjDlcKUoklTjXkWBqACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3szyyCc3LjM/WX4njLRA39I/AAAAAAAACjQ/Pf8ZEgTmyDgpJfxtjDlcKUoklTjXkWBqACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_1909.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Building in Stockholm</td></tr>
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Situated on Djurgarden is the Vasa Museum, dedicated to a warship called The Vasa: a disaster of engineering that sank barely after leaving port in 1628 and which was raised from the deep in 1961. The bottom of the ship was built far too narrow, meaning that the ship couldn't roll without tipping over and didn't have enough ballast to make it stable. A real shame given that the ship was richly carved and painted, it also took several members of its crew to the bottom of the deep with it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MSpgz5yY10I/WX4ni6uIv7I/AAAAAAAACjI/UVtMI-V9jXI6v5c4OiTIucdxPzRzvpRbQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MSpgz5yY10I/WX4ni6uIv7I/AAAAAAAACjI/UVtMI-V9jXI6v5c4OiTIucdxPzRzvpRbQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_1921.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The warship Vasa</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Asn2rW56QSo/WX4nj7pFlEI/AAAAAAAACjU/XlMMozdXNzorDDad-LAvXFjlHVzlHZ5GACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Asn2rW56QSo/WX4nj7pFlEI/AAAAAAAACjU/XlMMozdXNzorDDad-LAvXFjlHVzlHZ5GACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_1922.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stockholm waterfront</td></tr>
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We then made one last stop by a sweetshop so my fella could pick some treats up for his kids.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YOPtorjzt3M/WX4nkDm8_II/AAAAAAAACjY/C1H57UlkwiA4lV8qVq6uyJ8dvehXgMK5QCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YOPtorjzt3M/WX4nkDm8_II/AAAAAAAACjY/C1H57UlkwiA4lV8qVq6uyJ8dvehXgMK5QCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_1948.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stockholm sweetshop window</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TgXFw7zDheA/WX4nkN_eb-I/AAAAAAAACjc/qTiC5czJA88Lcp6QqaWGCRbxVepfgBxFwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TgXFw7zDheA/WX4nkN_eb-I/AAAAAAAACjc/qTiC5czJA88Lcp6QqaWGCRbxVepfgBxFwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_1949.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stockholm sweetshop window</td></tr>
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We then had another day in Uppsala, where we mostly took it easy and went to visit the Museum Gustavianum, which contained an amazing 17th century art cabinet as well as an early autopsy theatre. Unfortunately it was a little too dark in there to take decent photos without the camera flash on. We also went to see the Carolina Rediviva, which is the university library usually housing a fine selection of texts and manuscripts (that section was closed on our visit due to restoration works being carried out) and the Upplands Museum which houses collections and displays relating to the history and folk culture of Uppsala. In general we were very impressed by the quality of the museums on offer, the collections were well displayed and always very informative.<br />
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Then finally it was time to catch our last train back to the airport and a flight home! We had such a lovely time and would love to go back for another holiday, perhaps in the capital this time so we can see some more of the sights there. We were glad to be in Uppsala though as it was a little off the tourist track and just a lovely, green and peaceful city to wander through. And as it houses Sweden's oldest university (Uppsala University, founded in 1477) it was a hotbed of learning and education resources. I don't think I've ever seen a city of the same size so densely packed with museums!<br />
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Next time I'll share with you some photos of an (attempted) hike up to Jacob's Ladder in The Peak District. Things went a little awry, but I'll tell you more about it then!<br />
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Thanks for reading, until next time!<br />
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EmmaEmma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-52584627454166195492017-05-28T16:53:00.001+01:002017-05-28T16:53:27.323+01:00Bring The Paint 2017: International Street Art FestivalGreetings lovely readers! I hope you are well and thank you as always for visiting my blog.<br />
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Yesterday was a hugely exciting day as my hometown of Leicester hosted <a href="https://bringthepaint.wordpress.com/">Bring The Paint 2017</a>, an international street art festival. There were a number of sites around the city where creative activity was taking place, with huge sections of buildings in the city being adorned by participating artists such as Smug, Leigh 'Mono' Drummond and Said Kinos. The work and talent on display was truly breathtaking, and there were also other treats to enjoy such as skateboarding and BMX displays, music events, children's workshops as well as food and drink stalls. It all added up to a great atmosphere with Leicester locals coming out in force to enjoy art and music in the sunshine. The artwork should be up for some time to come so if you're ever up East Midlands ways, you can't do worse than to pop into Leicester and spend an afternoon wandering the city seeing how many pictures you can spot! I didn't manage to find all of them myself, so will be making some repeat visits up town to track down the rest. Until then, here's the ones I did manage to find!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zu8dO9zZrEc/WSrnSNMc7qI/AAAAAAAACg0/R9daRjavVOYvhTaX8ekB2OGTLLxTiYbagCEw/s1600/IMG_1728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zu8dO9zZrEc/WSrnSNMc7qI/AAAAAAAACg0/R9daRjavVOYvhTaX8ekB2OGTLLxTiYbagCEw/s640/IMG_1728.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural and graffiti in the LCB Depot courtyard</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9LvVfvUcRl0/WSrnSDl0XZI/AAAAAAAACg0/90ZhMzgMjdwiiOJswi6URde8FPw30GBwgCEw/s1600/IMG_1732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9LvVfvUcRl0/WSrnSDl0XZI/AAAAAAAACg0/90ZhMzgMjdwiiOJswi6URde8FPw30GBwgCEw/s640/IMG_1732.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural on the side of the LCB Depot</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GjFfRr6N8Vg/WSrnRmTZB0I/AAAAAAAACg0/ng28oBuN_cYdowXq5p9-iKrUJdtuUSWDgCEw/s1600/IMG_1735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GjFfRr6N8Vg/WSrnRmTZB0I/AAAAAAAACg0/ng28oBuN_cYdowXq5p9-iKrUJdtuUSWDgCEw/s640/IMG_1735.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murals on hoardings around The Curve</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3297oFqDqyk/WSrnSbB7qVI/AAAAAAAACg0/e7vw5aq7BU4mWfqaQQbAnuPjuRosgPeyQCEw/s1600/IMG_1737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3297oFqDqyk/WSrnSbB7qVI/AAAAAAAACg0/e7vw5aq7BU4mWfqaQQbAnuPjuRosgPeyQCEw/s640/IMG_1737.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murals on hoardings around The Curve</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l8tn9C6NmNM/WSrnS54DbiI/AAAAAAAACg0/Rm_f8oexB00hJyo49Zl3JszZPBE9dPc0QCEw/s1600/IMG_1739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l8tn9C6NmNM/WSrnS54DbiI/AAAAAAAACg0/Rm_f8oexB00hJyo49Zl3JszZPBE9dPc0QCEw/s640/IMG_1739.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murals on hoardings around The Curve</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5NnwDp-G4xw/WSrnTElqJGI/AAAAAAAACg0/kEIVwV9l-cwUSgRfefZDNfqF-Mr4B49dACEw/s1600/IMG_1740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5NnwDp-G4xw/WSrnTElqJGI/AAAAAAAACg0/kEIVwV9l-cwUSgRfefZDNfqF-Mr4B49dACEw/s640/IMG_1740.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murals on hoardings on Queen Street</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pJciqp7VXxw/WSrnTP8vrwI/AAAAAAAACg0/jJVffjruj9YNVONnKG9BhSyIB4QJV3JOwCEw/s1600/IMG_1742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pJciqp7VXxw/WSrnTP8vrwI/AAAAAAAACg0/jJVffjruj9YNVONnKG9BhSyIB4QJV3JOwCEw/s640/IMG_1742.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murals on hoardings on Queen Street</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--fcbWQU4JuI/WSrnTV9MZOI/AAAAAAAACg0/gJmW9lxyo8MI77GtwzS9BgA4qycoo8LQQCEw/s1600/IMG_1743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--fcbWQU4JuI/WSrnTV9MZOI/AAAAAAAACg0/gJmW9lxyo8MI77GtwzS9BgA4qycoo8LQQCEw/s640/IMG_1743.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murals on hoardings on Queen Street</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A6iz2AqL6uo/WSrnT_Z-CfI/AAAAAAAACg0/h94jiB4i4WYNVnfScA0dS6kRFui74GRpACEw/s1600/IMG_1745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A6iz2AqL6uo/WSrnT_Z-CfI/AAAAAAAACg0/h94jiB4i4WYNVnfScA0dS6kRFui74GRpACEw/s640/IMG_1745.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murals on hoardings on Queen Street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xstg-MSOUVI/WSrnUKbKtAI/AAAAAAAACg0/MDOLaZhwSYEnUYxc5rVXPygT44-oZY37ACEw/s1600/IMG_1746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xstg-MSOUVI/WSrnUKbKtAI/AAAAAAAACg0/MDOLaZhwSYEnUYxc5rVXPygT44-oZY37ACEw/s640/IMG_1746.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murals on hoardings on Queen Street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CR-HB8cYcOc/WSrnUDVAffI/AAAAAAAACg0/opo4Ev1w5FAse_E5mFWBavQwj-zebResQCEw/s1600/IMG_1748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CR-HB8cYcOc/WSrnUDVAffI/AAAAAAAACg0/opo4Ev1w5FAse_E5mFWBavQwj-zebResQCEw/s640/IMG_1748.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Leicester Print Workshop</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TmLchEHHokE/WSrnUnx6LDI/AAAAAAAACg0/2KLR6iGgLr8Y70DLteR0-qTgMgICjVfgQCEw/s1600/IMG_1749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TmLchEHHokE/WSrnUnx6LDI/AAAAAAAACg0/2KLR6iGgLr8Y70DLteR0-qTgMgICjVfgQCEw/s640/IMG_1749.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Leicester Print Workshop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We also took the opportunity to stick our heads into <a href="http://www.leicesterprintworkshop.com/">Leicester Print Workshop</a>, who were hosting their annual exhibition of woodblock prints.
There was a huge diversity of work and so many exquisitely detailed
pictures. I was excited to learn that you can do letterpress,
lithography, screen printing and etching at the studio - what a fabulous
creative resource to have right on your doorstep!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u2r27ZmyqQA/WSro-W3kt4I/AAAAAAAACg8/XSW2dOtg-FEz9TQ0ZejvPNVb6hVaY-NpQCEw/s1600/IMG_1750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u2r27ZmyqQA/WSro-W3kt4I/AAAAAAAACg8/XSW2dOtg-FEz9TQ0ZejvPNVb6hVaY-NpQCEw/s640/IMG_1750.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wave mural on The Sound House</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gdt7ISEkANA/WSrnUyvEa9I/AAAAAAAACg0/j9NnE0ESm_sst8YPYHETpEFrPb_IROnXgCEw/s1600/IMG_1751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gdt7ISEkANA/WSrnUyvEa9I/AAAAAAAACg0/j9NnE0ESm_sst8YPYHETpEFrPb_IROnXgCEw/s640/IMG_1751.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graffiti on Morledge Street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--qa6adwaNyQ/WSrnVNZFI_I/AAAAAAAACg0/UWB3h_0mTgYmBTQHl5BgL0MvB9ig9ZTvQCEw/s1600/IMG_1755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--qa6adwaNyQ/WSrnVNZFI_I/AAAAAAAACg0/UWB3h_0mTgYmBTQHl5BgL0MvB9ig9ZTvQCEw/s640/IMG_1755.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graffiti on Morledge Street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qhrw08D4wqo/WSrnVrRu0CI/AAAAAAAACg0/LCyc8aLb7SICxQT0XYj4kvMwe4TgZGQFACEw/s1600/IMG_1757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qhrw08D4wqo/WSrnVrRu0CI/AAAAAAAACg0/LCyc8aLb7SICxQT0XYj4kvMwe4TgZGQFACEw/s640/IMG_1757.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural near Morledge Street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-COsLqBxH1Rk/WSrnV9MLhmI/AAAAAAAACg0/vMygOs0u0nIzGe83wRCd38k9MxsjYVNIwCEw/s1600/IMG_1761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-COsLqBxH1Rk/WSrnV9MLhmI/AAAAAAAACg0/vMygOs0u0nIzGe83wRCd38k9MxsjYVNIwCEw/s640/IMG_1761.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graffiti and mural near Morledge Street</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B3qM4KZffS0/WSrnWd5lRLI/AAAAAAAACg0/fqTmGhyETnU3-tx93DvsGD_sWzwnhGxNACEw/s1600/IMG_1762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B3qM4KZffS0/WSrnWd5lRLI/AAAAAAAACg0/fqTmGhyETnU3-tx93DvsGD_sWzwnhGxNACEw/s640/IMG_1762.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graffiti and mural near Morledge Street</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_h27_aukUZE/WSro-qYvFMI/AAAAAAAAChA/ZKRNQCWfmY0Iq7ZvXX4gvbOkforc6bZBACEw/s1600/IMG_1764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_h27_aukUZE/WSro-qYvFMI/AAAAAAAAChA/ZKRNQCWfmY0Iq7ZvXX4gvbOkforc6bZBACEw/s640/IMG_1764.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural near Rutland Street</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CP1iDsY18CY/WSrnXAEiNgI/AAAAAAAACg0/A4Y43XpkWPM2L8gCztsmzX8KnN30_Mj7gCEw/s1600/IMG_1765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CP1iDsY18CY/WSrnXAEiNgI/AAAAAAAACg0/A4Y43XpkWPM2L8gCztsmzX8KnN30_Mj7gCEw/s640/IMG_1765.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural near Rutland Street</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CWDMFBsDJy0/WSrnX3zglMI/AAAAAAAACg0/9_PFTExDsJsZ7QeGort2A31FyHCI_UqhwCEw/s1600/IMG_1766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CWDMFBsDJy0/WSrnX3zglMI/AAAAAAAACg0/9_PFTExDsJsZ7QeGort2A31FyHCI_UqhwCEw/s640/IMG_1766.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural near Rutland Street</td></tr>
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As you can imagine, for myself as an illustrator I found it hugely exciting for the visual arts to be celebrated on such a monumental scale, especially at the current time when students are encouraged to study STEM subjects and arts education in general is being devalued. Arts and cultural events are of massive importance to the enjoyment and well being of society and I hope that there will be many more events like Bring The Paint in future.<br />
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Thanks for reading and have a great Bank Holiday tomorrow!<br />
<br />
Best wishes,<br />
<br />
Emma<br />
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<br />Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-47768488371363677282017-04-27T16:12:00.000+01:002017-04-27T16:12:03.655+01:00Exploring North Leicester<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hello
all, long time no blog! Hope all my lovely readers are in good spirits
and that 2017 is treating you well so far. I'm thrilled to bits to be
back at my keyboard typing away, there's been a lot of upheaval in my
life since my last post (including parting ways with my last partner,
moving out of the home we shared and starting a new job) so posts
stopped for a period while I got myself together again and started
putting affairs in order. There's been a fair bit of tumult but the job
I'm in is going well at the moment and I'm happy in a new relationship,
so I'm feeling in a better position than I was a couple of years ago.
I'm currently working as Administration and Finance Officer for an arts
education charity called Pedestrian, so I'm still involved with creative
activity but since I'm working there four days a week (and then
learning to drive one day a week) illustration work has taken something
of a back seat.</div>
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My
new fella is from out of town (he hails from Manchester) and is down
visiting this week, so I have decided to show him some of the sights of
Leicester as well as treating him to a spa day. Yesterday I took him to
the north side of the city to see Abbey Park, Abbey Pumping Station,
Belgrave Hall and Gardens as well as Belgrave Road (The Golden Mile). </div>
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I
took my trusty DSLR along for the trip, with a couple of new lenses to
play with: a telephoto zoom and a wide angle. There were plenty of
opportunities to put them to use, starting right at the beginning of our
jaunt when we spotted this Heron at Abbey Park! Sadly it looks like I
didn't manage to get him in focus properly but it was still a fab
sighting.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LNaxnVx53GA/WQH-R9yOEuI/AAAAAAAACes/cM_pi4Iy8asH8hoC5cXo4_OO2N2-LHZYQCEw/s1600/IMG_1662.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LNaxnVx53GA/WQH-R9yOEuI/AAAAAAAACes/cM_pi4Iy8asH8hoC5cXo4_OO2N2-LHZYQCEw/s640/IMG_1662.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heron on the bank of the River Soar, Abbey Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h8S37w3qYxA/WQH-Rm3UctI/AAAAAAAACdk/BJhu0-Y35moKoCkLS5l7i-DlP63zmlV6wCLcB/s1600/IMG_1663.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h8S37w3qYxA/WQH-Rm3UctI/AAAAAAAACdk/BJhu0-Y35moKoCkLS5l7i-DlP63zmlV6wCLcB/s640/IMG_1663.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keepers House, Abbey Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k7IQcE8B1bA/WQH-Rz4PgCI/AAAAAAAACdo/RGJqLpy6EGo-fisXrmJt69z7G4QtaBkYACLcB/s1600/IMG_1664.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k7IQcE8B1bA/WQH-Rz4PgCI/AAAAAAAACdo/RGJqLpy6EGo-fisXrmJt69z7G4QtaBkYACLcB/s640/IMG_1664.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of Cardinal Wolsey outside the Cafe Pavilion, Abbey Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RRXKNwRPDDU/WQH-SUa7X2I/AAAAAAAACdw/vy6LEJnwCq0_Iy6DY6ZePcQ9QwA_ROjUACLcB/s1600/IMG_1666.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RRXKNwRPDDU/WQH-SUa7X2I/AAAAAAAACdw/vy6LEJnwCq0_Iy6DY6ZePcQ9QwA_ROjUACLcB/s640/IMG_1666.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge outside the Cafe Pavilion, Abbey Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dfFMmFq-kGM/WQH-SUXYLAI/AAAAAAAACd0/YAffy01ixMwrPtT8k4-RfgmyKm3NB9WIgCLcB/s1600/IMG_1671.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dfFMmFq-kGM/WQH-SUXYLAI/AAAAAAAACd0/YAffy01ixMwrPtT8k4-RfgmyKm3NB9WIgCLcB/s640/IMG_1671.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coot chicks, Abbey Park</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ClQfXvOuQmA/WQH-SrYkPuI/AAAAAAAACd4/6OzC-W84IjkOTDKlK6jV2jeIRqbAB2NkQCLcB/s1600/IMG_1674.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ClQfXvOuQmA/WQH-SrYkPuI/AAAAAAAACd4/6OzC-W84IjkOTDKlK6jV2jeIRqbAB2NkQCLcB/s640/IMG_1674.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canada Geese, Abbey Park</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8NDuFTAjOXE/WQH-S6vP9-I/AAAAAAAACd8/sMMj1jXxwX8JkFVvlmwA_vQHsXef39EFACLcB/s1600/IMG_1676.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8NDuFTAjOXE/WQH-S6vP9-I/AAAAAAAACd8/sMMj1jXxwX8JkFVvlmwA_vQHsXef39EFACLcB/s640/IMG_1676.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canada Geese, Abbey Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NblS1GqUpKg/WQH_7psR0sI/AAAAAAAACe0/wh_Zk5V3JPsEPP6o-2g2tn8lLRvQHFPVwCLcB/s1600/IMG_1681.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NblS1GqUpKg/WQH_7psR0sI/AAAAAAAACe0/wh_Zk5V3JPsEPP6o-2g2tn8lLRvQHFPVwCLcB/s640/IMG_1681.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goldfinch, canal towpath</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P39d9gOJsTQ/WQH-TOZ-v6I/AAAAAAAACes/JHAuBmOM8ucpzB72exrMKVVMYqeh8lA5gCEw/s1600/IMG_1683.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P39d9gOJsTQ/WQH-TOZ-v6I/AAAAAAAACes/JHAuBmOM8ucpzB72exrMKVVMYqeh8lA5gCEw/s640/IMG_1683.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abbey Pumping Station</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-puqPn96d9cs/WQH-TXgnW8I/AAAAAAAACes/m5jjvLG2Gh42Xn05-MirfNljrqweanDoQCEw/s1600/IMG_1698.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-puqPn96d9cs/WQH-TXgnW8I/AAAAAAAACes/m5jjvLG2Gh42Xn05-MirfNljrqweanDoQCEw/s640/IMG_1698.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beam engine room, Abbey Pumping Station</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6YJoBDvIK3Q/WQH-TX1k05I/AAAAAAAACes/pRxPedFDA3c-FMvuC0K89m8jSqhTYgC5wCEw/s1600/IMG_1705.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6YJoBDvIK3Q/WQH-TX1k05I/AAAAAAAACes/pRxPedFDA3c-FMvuC0K89m8jSqhTYgC5wCEw/s640/IMG_1705.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original boiler, Abbey Pumping Station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_kXf8Qvi3-I/WQH-Uh6KDXI/AAAAAAAACes/ise319DJCiAhibEniXeCxZ1-zBbyYstZQCEw/s1600/belgrave%2Bhall.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_kXf8Qvi3-I/WQH-Uh6KDXI/AAAAAAAACes/ise319DJCiAhibEniXeCxZ1-zBbyYstZQCEw/s640/belgrave%2Bhall.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belgrave Hall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3oUSekjBCy8/WQH-T496dEI/AAAAAAAACes/t6_P_TTHFHYBX28U9dyxnmDoCW7vVCz0QCEw/s1600/IMG_1706.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3oUSekjBCy8/WQH-T496dEI/AAAAAAAACes/t6_P_TTHFHYBX28U9dyxnmDoCW7vVCz0QCEw/s640/IMG_1706.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belgrave Hall Gardens</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4MFJJNOTvxg/WQH-T_MKGHI/AAAAAAAACes/PcdffsanxGIeeezRYd8gaKd9vDKU6X8oQCEw/s1600/IMG_1707.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4MFJJNOTvxg/WQH-T_MKGHI/AAAAAAAACes/PcdffsanxGIeeezRYd8gaKd9vDKU6X8oQCEw/s640/IMG_1707.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belgrave Hall Gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lxZOR6hm7Fo/WQH-UNZ3s-I/AAAAAAAACes/b3qnnVoM_ekcq-f5h-OzBXyhnxVaKuDiQCEw/s1600/IMG_1710.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lxZOR6hm7Fo/WQH-UNZ3s-I/AAAAAAAACes/b3qnnVoM_ekcq-f5h-OzBXyhnxVaKuDiQCEw/s640/IMG_1710.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belgrave Hall Gardens</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wioDCOBtC74/WQH-UEB3orI/AAAAAAAACes/GTJ-OhAoTwEjWvChBOf08wPSqymDrDxhwCEw/s1600/IMG_1711.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wioDCOBtC74/WQH-UEB3orI/AAAAAAAACes/GTJ-OhAoTwEjWvChBOf08wPSqymDrDxhwCEw/s640/IMG_1711.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belgrave Hall Gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P0aYATQf-Wg/WQH-Ua3-hnI/AAAAAAAACes/6WEn63DQROcGYkJO7tuNfmas1ih4vOVkACEw/s1600/IMG_1713.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P0aYATQf-Wg/WQH-Ua3-hnI/AAAAAAAACes/6WEn63DQROcGYkJO7tuNfmas1ih4vOVkACEw/s640/IMG_1713.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belgrave Hall Gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-APjWVoNV1qM/WQH-UoW_c7I/AAAAAAAACes/5FpPbBRa8YYwReK0kwQ1DcF8GNNWDIDDgCEw/s1600/IMG_1714.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-APjWVoNV1qM/WQH-UoW_c7I/AAAAAAAACes/5FpPbBRa8YYwReK0kwQ1DcF8GNNWDIDDgCEw/s640/IMG_1714.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belgrave Hall Gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As
you can see it was a good day for bird spotting - Coots were out with
their chicks, as well as Canada Geese and Goldfinches! I loved my zoom
lens for allowing me to get much closer shots of them than usual.</div>
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As always thank you so much for reading, hope to see you next time!</div>
Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-71935687105689338052014-04-14T18:41:00.001+01:002014-04-14T18:41:19.550+01:00Spring Flowers<div style="text-align: center;">
Hello lovely readers, I hope you're all enjoying the clement weather that we've been enjoying lately!</div>
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I'm just dropping a quick post today to share with you some more lovely spring flowers at the Oadby Botanic Gardens near to where I live. We're really so fortunate to have such fantastic facilities so near by and it's worth popping back periodically as there always seems to be a different part of the garden in bloom to stir your inspiration and passion for nature.</div>
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I was totally bowled over by their lovely clouds of primroses in pink, creamy yellow and lilac - like a spring dream! The stripy Pushkinia Libanotica was also very striking.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fEEhEjFZAkM/U0wD8JQbNOI/AAAAAAAACHw/TXoNmVSPYX0/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fEEhEjFZAkM/U0wD8JQbNOI/AAAAAAAACHw/TXoNmVSPYX0/s1600/1.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Box Hedges</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XPaKmzGyxOA/U0wEFeCF3QI/AAAAAAAACI0/yjBpXuc8Zsc/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XPaKmzGyxOA/U0wEFeCF3QI/AAAAAAAACI0/yjBpXuc8Zsc/s1600/2.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daffodils</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k_Lx1iiOKUw/U0wEGXsOvEI/AAAAAAAACIw/L4MueoZfi8Y/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k_Lx1iiOKUw/U0wEGXsOvEI/AAAAAAAACIw/L4MueoZfi8Y/s1600/3.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Azalea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AaXZKvO5sCs/U0wEH-lw0kI/AAAAAAAACJE/ivza9v-twv4/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AaXZKvO5sCs/U0wEH-lw0kI/AAAAAAAACJE/ivza9v-twv4/s1600/4.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Primroses</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4kF5b1X7IgI/U0wELmDKNOI/AAAAAAAACJg/UZ6vrQEHt30/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4kF5b1X7IgI/U0wELmDKNOI/AAAAAAAACJg/UZ6vrQEHt30/s1600/5.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinodoxa</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bMYnyoBUYD0/U0wEKD5twHI/AAAAAAAACJU/48HoD-niJJg/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bMYnyoBUYD0/U0wEKD5twHI/AAAAAAAACJU/48HoD-niJJg/s1600/7.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alpine Primula</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yp5esmqJlmQ/U0wELSeqtNI/AAAAAAAACJo/R18pcfkwevU/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yp5esmqJlmQ/U0wELSeqtNI/AAAAAAAACJo/R18pcfkwevU/s1600/8.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alpine Tulip</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saxifrage</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comfrey</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-woIpUxyqimk/U0wD9iv0-8I/AAAAAAAACH0/8bqn1M3NnjE/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-woIpUxyqimk/U0wD9iv0-8I/AAAAAAAACH0/8bqn1M3NnjE/s1600/12.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cowslips</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry Blossoms</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-67eYcF8rhDQ/U0wEALvlzhI/AAAAAAAACIE/PDAF-LYETJM/s1600/14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-67eYcF8rhDQ/U0wEALvlzhI/AAAAAAAACIE/PDAF-LYETJM/s1600/14.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pussy Willow</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZDyVNy8UPg/U0wECF3m36I/AAAAAAAACIM/UReW5NnavZ8/s1600/15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZDyVNy8UPg/U0wECF3m36I/AAAAAAAACIM/UReW5NnavZ8/s1600/15.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catkins</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pushkinia Libanotica</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hyacinth</td></tr>
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I hope you've enjoyed these spring blooms as much as I did, thank you for reading as always!</div>
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Best wishes,</div>
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Emma</div>
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Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-35049358650140028072014-03-17T17:37:00.002+00:002014-03-17T17:37:44.464+00:00Trip to Cambridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Good afternoon everyone!</div>
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At the start of the month I decided to blow away the cobwebs by going on a day trip with some friends to explore the lovely city of Cambridge. There were more beautiful and historic buildings than you can shake a stick at, so I was keen to document the experience thoroughly!</div>
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We were even lucky enough to bag seats at the Eagle pub, and in the precise spot where Watson and Crick first announced the discovery of DNA, and where the scientists often dined of an evening. It was wonderful to get away from my desk and go exploring for the day, I shall certainly visit Cambridge again I am sure!</div>
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Thank you for reading and have a lovely week,</div>
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Emma</div>
Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-17991185414159145282014-03-10T14:19:00.001+00:002014-03-10T14:19:36.969+00:00Leicester: Stoneygate and website woes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Good afternoon everyone!</div>
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Continuing with my photo-blogging tour around Leicester this week we're in the Stoneygate area, which is known for its galleries, quaint shops, elegant tearooms and lovely architecture. I made a stop by <a href="http://lockwoodstearoom.co.uk/">Lockwood's Tearoom</a> for a piece of cake and a cuppa (one of my favourite haunts) and then had a nosy around the area to take some snaps.</div>
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There really are some very grand old buildings round there!</div>
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In other news, I've been very busy behind the scenes getting my business up to scratch - there have been extensive amounts of filing and accounting (not very exciting, but utterly essential) and you may also have noticed that my new logo has appeared lately on my blog, social media and website. The next project that I'll be working on will be the site itself, which has been badly in need of an update for some time. I had been muddling along managing the site myself using Dreamweaver for a while but have decided that I don't really have a web expertise to do all the updates myself using that program (especially since the site exploded in my face recently during an attempted update), and so instead have arranged to have Word Press installed on my domain by the lovely Lea at <a href="http://startuptrainingschool.com/">Start-up Training School</a>. I'll be working on getting that up and running in the coming weeks, and will share with you all here when it is ready. I'm hoping that this will lead to a much more attractive and easily up dateable site! Stay tuned!</div>
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Thanks as always for reading,</div>
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Emma</div>
Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-32291764359174088872014-03-04T13:29:00.001+00:002014-03-04T13:29:27.237+00:00Active Arts 23rd Annual Art Exhibition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hello everyone!</div>
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This weekend was the 23rd Active Arts Annual exhibition so I dropped by to have a look around the show and take some photos to share with you all here.</div>
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There was a lovely diverse collection of artwork in the show by some very accomplished practitioners. It was a real pleasure to take part in the show and I look forward to doing so again next year!</div>
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As always, thank you for reading,</div>
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Emma</div>
<br />Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-50815948204550715342014-02-28T14:03:00.001+00:002014-02-28T14:09:46.356+00:00My illustrations in Active Arts 23rd Annual Art exhibition <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello lovely readers, I hope you are all well! I am delighted to announce that my illustrations Peacock and Nightingales will be exhibited this weekend (1st - 2nd March) at the Active Arts 23rd Annual Art Exhibition at Countersthorpe College. The show will include over 300 works of art and is open from 1pm - 5pm on Saturday and 10.30am - 4pm on Sunday. The address is:</div>
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Countersthorpe College</div>
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Winchester Road</div>
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Countersthorpe</div>
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LE8 5PR</div>
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You can see more details about the exhibition on their <a href="http://www.activearts.org.uk/Art_Exhibition">website</a>. Hope to see you there!</div>
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As always, thank you very much for reading!</div>
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Emma</div>
<br />Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-61091366473330185872014-02-17T15:48:00.002+00:002014-02-17T15:48:54.519+00:00Foxton Locks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Yesterday was such a fine and sunny day that I headed over to Foxton Locks with my folks to have a walk by the canal side. There were lots of other families out that day too appreciating the gorgeous countryside, as well as the pretty boats and wildfowl on the water. Enjoy!</div>
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Thank you for reading, look forward to seeing you next time!</div>
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Emma</div>
Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-31831894437108485762014-02-10T18:00:00.002+00:002014-02-10T18:00:28.862+00:00Oadby Botanic Gardens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last Sunday was an unusually sunny and warm day, so me and the folks headed up to the Oadby Botanic Gardens for a walk around the extensive grounds with its large array of interesting and rare plants.</div>
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I was particularly impressed by this Chinese Witch Hazel tree, with it's glorious yellow star-like flowers bringing some much-needed colour to the gardens in winter. According to the University of Leicester Botanic Garden Newsletter the famous gardener E.A. Bowles called this tree the Epiphany tree because of the timing of it's flowering and because the flowers mimicked the colour of gold and the scent of frankincense.</div>
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There were large carpets of Snowdrops and Crocuses beginning to come into bloom, along with many other spring favourites.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crocuses carpet the ground</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xUita0NEQnI/UvkKsjHGqzI/AAAAAAAAB8g/poMTx1dgsQc/s1600/Primroses.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xUita0NEQnI/UvkKsjHGqzI/AAAAAAAAB8g/poMTx1dgsQc/s1600/Primroses.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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The greenhouses there were also full of beautiful cultivated specimens. It was very cheering to see so much colour when the weather has been so wet and windy of late!</div>
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Some much-needed winter colour was added by this lovely plant with its red leaves, as well as the red stems of Dogwood and red berries of rose hips.</div>
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There were also signs of spring approaching with the catkins coming out on the Hazel trees.</div>
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I hope you've enjoyed these signs of spring as much as I have! Thank you for reading, see you next time.</div>
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All the best,</div>
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Emma</div>
Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-58525987227363139532014-02-03T12:37:00.000+00:002014-02-03T12:37:13.731+00:00Gardens in Winter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Greetings everyone, I hope you are all keeping well!</div>
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We were blessed with a lovely and unusually bright and sunny Sunday yesterday, but sadly the rest of last week (and indeed, that last several weeks) has been thoroughly miserable, cold, wet and windy. I've been wanting to go on some of my favourite walks over fields near my home, but it's been rather too muddy underfoot to venture over that way. Instead I have been thinking about ways to cheer oneself up through wet and miserable weather, and have been finding some lovely colours in the garden.</div>
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There are still some bright red berries clinging to the bushes (that the birds haven't yet gotten to) as well as red on the thorns of some varieties of rose. In addition, there are some promising signs that spring is not too far off, as the presence of Snowdrops testify! Spring may be yet to come, but there are still some lovely colours, textures and blooms to be enjoyed outdoors in the meantime.</div>
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<br />Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-49255200790403169132014-01-22T23:50:00.000+00:002014-02-02T16:59:36.489+00:00Leicester: Granby Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello lovely readers! I hope that 2014 has been treating you all well so far, and that you have all enjoyed splendid Christmas and New Year celebrations.<br />
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Often when I am walking around Leicester I am struck by how many fine and grand old buildings there are in the city, especially when you look up above street level. I've been taking my camera around with me documenting some of the sights of the city, in particular the beautiful architecture. The following are some of the loveliest buildings I found down Granby street in Leicester. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Hotel</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Turkey Cafe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old HSBC bank</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old HSBC bank</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old HSBC bank</td></tr>
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<br />Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-28452411401077344092012-12-23T15:00:00.001+00:002012-12-23T15:12:20.450+00:00Christmas shopping round-up: where I spent my money this year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Hello everyone, just a quick post today before all the Christmas celebrations begin!</div>
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It's been about five months since we upped sticks from the big smoke of London to settle back in leafy Leicester, and so far we are finding that the change in both location and pace is suiting us very well. We have our own place which we have now been in for over three months, and while I still have a long list of things I want to do to make it truly 'ours' it is feeling more and more like home these days. It's been a delight to catch up with friends and family that we didn't get to see as often as we would have liked when we lived in the big city, and while we dearly miss our friends in London we aren't feeling nostalgic about the noise, traffic or crowds! Chris is getting on really well with his course at University, and I'm finding it much easier to focus on my illustration career without the stress of trying to juggle it with a part-time job. Moving home has disrupted my productivity somewhat (since there is just SO much stuff to do!) but since we are now just about settled, I'm hopeful that I can produce a lot more work in 2013 to share with you.</div>
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When I began looking for Christmas presents at the beginning of this month, I had no idea what goods the local shops might offer. I was a teenager when I last lived here, and I remember at that time feeling pretty underwhelmed by the shopping in Leicester - the locally owned shops seemed despondent, down-at-heel, struggling after years of being out-competed (on price, though perhaps not on service) by the big-brand stores; while the large chains themselves offered the same soulless, cloned merchandise that you can find on any anonymous UK high street. Would I still find things as I remembered them, or had the situation changed?</div>
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Doubtless, things have been tough the last couple of years for retailers, and as in many other city centres across the country Leicester has more abandoned, empty shop-fronts than anyone would ideally like to see. However, I am pleased to report that there are also clusters of little independent shops that are fighting back: offering the people of Leicester excellent quality in terms of goods, service, and even value for money. Here is my gift-hunting hit list for Christmas 2012, cherry-picking the shops where I found my presents this year. I hope you'll find it useful, either for next year's gifts or if you'll be joining the crowds in a mad dash for presents today and tomorrow!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6dxum5cQwCc/UNb6DlwEMwI/AAAAAAAABi0/nqncttNNn2I/s1600/Frog+and+Mouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6dxum5cQwCc/UNb6DlwEMwI/AAAAAAAABi0/nqncttNNn2I/s400/Frog+and+Mouse.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frog and Mouse Picture Company<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Frog and Mouse offer original artworks, and a large selection of high quality prints. They seem to get new work in fairly regularly, so if you don't see something you like the first time you visit I'd say it's worth visiting again later. Obviously, there are some pieces that cost in the hundreds of pounds, but I was pleasantly surprised by the large selection of very reasonably priced prints, many under £100 and others under £50.</span></div>
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I came here looking for great quality, British-produced knitted goods, and I was not disappointed! As the name would suggest, they specialise in sweaters but also sell hats, scarves and other items. Their kid's range is really cute, too. Just recently they have had 100% wool jumpers and leg warmers in stock, which make great gifts for people who like their clothes to be made with lovely, natural materials.</div>
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Just... the Fair Trade Shop stocks a wide range of beautiful items: home wares, toys, clothes, jewellery, food, confectionary, even eco-friendly cleaning supplies! Sadly I found their clothing a little too expensive for my Christmas present budget this year, but lots of the other items were priced very reasonably and are of excellent quality. My highlights this year include their pairs of patterned socks made from bamboo fibres, as well as lovely hand-sewn Christmas decorations embellished with sequins and beads.<br />
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Set and 2clear by Set specialise in unusually designed gifts and products. There are lots of beautiful items, and I was especially impressed by the prices - I picked up some stocking fillers here, some of which only cost between £1.50 and £3 each. And happily, low prices doesn't mean low quality in this case! Very handy if you're shopping on a budget.<br />
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Nope, we're not talking pizza! This is (I am informed) the largest independent toy store in the Midlands, with a huge selection spread over several floors. They also offer model-making kits as well as arts and crafts supplies. I came in hunting for a gift for my young nephew: not being a parent myself (and without much experience of toddlers) I had no idea of what might be suitable, but fortunately the helpful staff pointed me in the right direction.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In the summer I read a feature about Mosaic in the Leicester Mercury, and so when December rolled round I decided that it was high time for me to go check them out. I've found a number of great gifts in this store, and the option to choose your own beads to create a personalised present has a lot of appeal. If you aren't crafty yourself, you can pay to have one of the staff make the jewellery for you, and you can even bring in items for repair (a service I might make use of in the future!)</span></div>
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Sheehan's is a real Leicester establishment, and has been in the city for years. I don't often have a reason to visit (since I'm not musically talented myself) but the staff are great: friendly, helpful and (since many of them are musicians themselves) very knowledgable about the instruments they offer.<br />
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So now that my Christmas shopping is complete, I can put my feet up and relax over the festive period! Hope you've enjoyed this Christmas round-up of shops, I might make it a feature every year so if you think that's a good idea (or not!) do please let me know in the comments below. I really appreciate your feedback.<br />
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Thanks for reading, see you again next time!<br />
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Emma xxx<br />
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Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-83169832350509734852012-10-08T02:29:00.000+01:002012-10-08T02:29:14.738+01:00Inspiring India<br />
Hello folks!<br />
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Autumn is well and truly here, isn't it? Time to get those warm socks on and snuggle up cosily with a mug of something warm and comforting. I love this time of year, though I've been looking back to summer a little this week as I've been finishing up my piece for the Inspiring India bloggers challenge, which is a project organised by Cox and Kings, the world's longest established travel company who specialise in <a href="http://www.coxandkings.co.uk/grouptours">escorted tours</a> and <a href="http://www.coxandkings.co.uk/">luxury holidays</a>. Perhaps if you're missing the sunshine you'll enjoy the picture I've been working on too (though all I'm showing for now are little clips, so as not to spoil the surprise). The piece will debut at the event this Wednesday evening (10th October, 6.30pm - 10pm at the Royal Geographical Society in London) so I shall reveal the whole piece on here sometime after that. Incidentally, if you want to attend the event there are still some tickets available - just click <a href="http://coxandkings.eventbrite.co.uk/%20and">here</a> to purchase or to find out more about the program for the evening.<br />
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Hope you enjoy these little teasers, I would play a another game of 'guess the birdie' with my readers but I think this one is far too easy! Though very appropriate given the subject matter, I think. I hope you agree.<br />
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<br />Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1971901340359355074.post-193307173957011732012-09-16T21:15:00.002+01:002012-09-17T23:38:30.960+01:00Summer dreams and Inspiring India<br />
Hello folks! How are you all?<br />
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It's been over a month now since my fiance Chris and I moved away from London, and at last things are beginning to fall into place. We just got the keys to our new home (a beautiful little Victorian terraced house on the south-eastern edge of Leicester) and are currently organising getting our affects and some furniture in there. I can't wait to get settled in! It will take a while before it feels truly ours, but once it's looking presentable I shall certainly share some pictures with you on here. Both our sets of parents have been fantastic, rallying round offering support, advice, and furniture. We're already sorted for a sofa, bed and mattress, and my folks have gifted us my great-grandmother's walnut sideboard so we should be very well set up!<br />
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Just a week ago we were having a BBQ at a friends house, sipping wine in the afternoon sunshine... just look at it now! So grey and cold outside - it seems that summer is finally over. I've been wistfully looking over these photos today, which were taken in June, on my birthday. Me and Chris decided to celebrate by having ourselves a day out at Hampton Court Palace, and it was so roasting outside that we were relieved to escape inside the cool stone buildings to view the rooms and galleries. The gardens soon tempted us back out again though; I was very impressed by the abundant, colourful blooms (and besides, there's nothing as wonderful as a rose garden in June!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The white greyhound of Richmond<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chapel Court Gardens</td></tr>
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That day was so perfect, if I had a time-machine I would revisit it!</div>
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I had planned on taking it easy work-wise during my move, but as we all know time stands still for no man... and I'm not one to pass up a good opportunity! As ever, I've been busy doing illustrations for Making Magazine (you can see all the projects so far on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150692016924413.420649.311045684412&type=3">facebook page</a>) and I have also agreed to take part in an art challenge for creative bloggers called Inspiring India. The project has been organised by travel company Cox & Kings, who specialise in providing <a href="http://www.coxandkings.co.uk/">luxury holidays</a> and <a href="http://www.coxandkings.co.uk/grouptours">group holidays</a>. They challenge the bloggers that they have invited to create pieces of art inspired by the exotic destination of India, which will then be displayed in an exhibition at the <a href="http://www.rgs.org/HomePage.htm">Royal Geographical Society</a> in London on the 10th October this year. I've been doodling some ideas and am looking forward to getting stuck into the illustration properly - wish me luck!</div>
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Thank you for reading, hope to see you next time!</div>
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Emma xxx<br />
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P.S. If you would like to come along to the Inspiring India exhibition, you can purchase tickets for the event <a href="http://coxandkings.eventbrite.co.uk/%20and">here</a>. It's only £15.00 and includes a lecture by India expert Sir Mark Tully, an exhibition of Indian artefacts and of course, some amazing artwork! Hope to see you there!</div>
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Emma Cowleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052823405658990788noreply@blogger.com0