Huisje van Uneken

The ´huisje van Uneken´ (Uneken's home) is an old farm house in which the Uneken family lived until 1967 and it has been left empty since. It is located in the nature reserve 'Bargerveen' in the south east of the province Drenthe. But instead of tearing it down, Staatsbosbeheer (a Dutch government organisation for forestry and the management of nature reserves) bought it and they transformed it into a giant 'insect hotel'! Window openings were closed with loam, and hundreds of holes were made into the walls for insects to enter. Small animals like mice and hedgehogs find a home here as well.

The house is closed for visitors, but it is possible to walk around it and there are footpaths and cycling routes nearby. A few weeks ago we made a nice walk in the Bargerveen area and we had a look here. It was lovely with all the flowers!

Honesty box

Picture yourself on your way towards the Aysgarth falls in Yorkshire, or different falls in another place in the world.. Just before you arrive you see this 'Access Fee Honesty Box'. There´s nobody around. What would you do?

Canon

Detail of a canon in the centre court of Powis castle, near Welshpool in Wales.

From the archives #34

Delphi, Greece (2010)

When we visited Athens in November 2010 we made a day-trip by bus to the archaeological site as well as the museum of Delphi. With a number of myths dating from the classical period of ancient Greece (510-323 BC), the site is probably best known for the oracle at the sanctuary that was dedicated to Apollo.
I made this picture just before we left for Athens again at the end of the afternoon, viewing the village of Delphi located on mount Parnassus.

Brighten up your bicycle

There's so much more to do with a bicycle than "just" cycling! We found this window display in York.

The Teddy Bear Tea Rooms

A nice and modest wall advertisement in York.

Lost and Found

The Station of Richmond, North Yorkshire, is ´a place permeated with stories and memories of departures and arrivals, travelling and homecoming´, as their website says. Once a train station, it has now a temporary café bar and restaurant, vintage lifestyle store, cinema, food shops, and an art gallery. So lots of things to do and see there. We enjoyed looking around, as it had a very friendly atmosphere. In one corner of the building (on the left side of the photo) was a small room with this LOST & FOUND -sign:

Linking to signs, signs.

That isn't me!

..the man assured me when I took this photo, pointing at the caricature on the sheet. And indeed it was somebody on the photo who got himself drawn. Maybe as a present?

Seen in the city of York, last month.

The Solognote sheep in Bourtange

Walking back to our car after our visit to the Autumn Fair in Bourtange, we saw a shepherd with his flock of sheep coming towards us.

Look how beautiful they are, I love their colour! These are Solognote sheep, a old breed originally from France. They are known as being nosy and intelligent. Here in Bourtange they graze on the steep dikes that you see on the first photo.
If you are interested to read more about the shepherd Wim Bannink, and his flock, click HERE (only in Dutch)

Autumn has arrived

At the Autumn Fair in Bourtange, this afternoon.

From the archives #33

Vancouver, Canada (2012)

A very 'tourist-thing' to do, but one you shouldn't miss when you are visiting Vancouver, is seeing the Gastown steamclock in action. The clock was built in 1977 to solve the issue of a steam vent in a popular sidewalk in the Gastown district. Years ago the city replaced part of the system with 3 electric motors after parts wore out, but the clock continues to use steam to announce the quarter hours with a whistle chime that plays the Westminster Quarters.
On the photo you can see the steam rising!

York time

A very decorative clock in the historic centre of York ..

..and seen from the front here.

Inside the Minster

Looking up inside the York Minster, in the city of York.

Before and after

In the city of York.. Up to you if you want to try their coffee or not! ;)

Linking to signs, signs.

Oops..

This is what happens when you are photographing an owl, and on the exact moment the camera says click, the owl decides to look away..  We really had to laugh when we saw what had become of this photo :)

Black and white murals

These 2 black and white murals were on the same wall. I found them just off the main shopping street in the centre of Leeuwarden.

Taking part in Monday Mural.

Special shaped teapots

If you like tea and you would be interested to hear about its history and see all kinds of things that have to do with tea, the current exhibition in the Keramiekmuseum (Ceramics Museum) Princessehof in Leeuwarden is something for you to visit. I went there yesterday and I just loved their collection of teapots! For this post I chose to show you the weirdest (a tank teapot) and the most stylish shape: the handbag teapot..

From the archives #32

Rome, Italy (2009)

As on many other street corners in the city of Rome, this man was roasting and selling chestnuts. I can remember the smell was wonderful.

Remembering Le Tour

As you may remember, this year´s edition of the Tour de France started in the U.K. On the first stage from Leeds to Harrogate, the cyclists passed the Yorkshire Dales National Park. And when we were there in August, the villages along the route were still proud to show it with bicycles on the walls of pubs, hotels, shops, etc. These pictures are from Hawes, a town in the Wensleydale.

Black Sheep Brewery

We brought home (or actually my husband did as I don't like to drink beer), a souvenir from the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham, Yorkshire. However I do like the reference there to All Creatures Great & Small with 'All Creatures Bright & Beautiful'! And what about the one on the right, with 'Monty Python's Holy (Gr)ail, Tempered over burning witches..'

Open

From the Oxford dictionary: Gate. Pronunciation: /ɡeɪt/  :
A hinged barrier used to close an opening in a wall, fence, or hedge.

Seen in the Elan Valley in Wales. I wondered then, and I still do now: why a gate when it is not be closed?

Linking to signs, signs.

Talyllyn Railway

We took a very nice ride on the Talyllyn Railway, a historic narrow-gauge steam railway. It is running from the village of Tywyn at the Cardigan Bay coast of Wales, through the Fathew Valley. The railway was built in the 19th century to carry slate. When the slate traffic ceased in the 1940's, the future for the railway looked bad. Fortunately the trains and the stations managed to survive. Nowadays everything is run by volunteers, which is quite amazing if you think of it.

On the Abergynolwyn station, about halfway, On the way back the train makes a refreshment stop here.

Even though the average speed of the train is about 9 miles per hour, on the photo it looks like we were speeding ! ;)

Wickedly wonderful..

One of the many, many displays of fudge that we came across during our holiday.. It's sweet, soft and rich, and far too delicious..  I searched for a translation in Dutch, but I'm not sure there is one. Maybe 'toffee' comes closest. Best is to try it :)

Powis Castle and gardens

A view up to medieval castle, fortress and grand country mansion Powis Castle, in mid-Wales near the town of Welshpool. It was originally built around 1200 as a fortress, and then remodelled and embellished over more than 400 years. It is now under the care of the National Trust.

The castle is famous for its extensive gardens, terraces, parkland, deerpark and landscaped estate. It was a real pleasure to wander around the gardens. The huge clipped conifers above, known as 'yews', are said to be 300 years old.

A view of a part of the gardens.

From the archives #31

Alberta, Canada (2012)

I am continuing my weekly theme 'From the archives' with a photo from Lake Louise, a huge ski resort. On our way to Banff we made a stop here, and watched a bride and groom -with guests- getting ready for a photo shoot. 

Craig Goch Dam

The Craig Goch Dam is one of four dams in the Elan Valley, in mid-Wales. The construction of the dam began in 1897, and was completed in 1904. The primary purpose of the dam, and the Elan Valley reservoirs, is to provide clean drinking water for the city of Birmingham.

Seen from the other side. Pictures we saw in the visitor centre all showed this dam with water running through the half-round openings to the other side, but as you can see there was not so much water when we were there.

The Craig Goch reservoir.

Aberystwyth seafront

We enjoyed a sunny afternoon at the seafront in Aberystwyth, in west Wales. Aberystwyth is a historic market town and holiday resort. Having a university college, it is a major Welsh educational centre as well.

The Royal Pier has a length of 242 meters (794 ft). The original pier dates from 1865 and was much longer, but severe storms damaged the construction many times. After World War 2 it was in such a poor state that it was closed. In the 1980's a lot of money was spent for improvements. Nowadays it's a pleasure pier, with a restaurant and gambling machines.

Break its neck Walk

(We went the other way)

This picture was taken in the Hafren Forest in mid-Wales. Note that almost any text you find anywhere in Wales is bilingual: in Welsh and English.

Linking to signs, signs.

Doorbell

Always on the lookout for details, I found this doorbell at the front of a house in the village of Richmond (Yorkshire)

Sheep country

The Yorkshire Dales are very much 'owned' by sheep. The public footpaths cross the green and (sometimes) steep pastures. This flock watched us warily when we passed.

Here we were approaching a farm. Both these pictures were taken in the Wensleydale. Years ago the episodes of  the television series "All Creatures Great and Small", about the life of country vet James Herriot, were filmed in this region. I have been a fan of the series as well as the books for many years, and I really loved it here.