A diner with a difference ...

I have often passed this interesting diner in Staffordshire but have always been coming or going somewhere so have not had the time to stop & investigate it.

I grew up in South Africa with some interesting road houses so this looked like a good place to visit as it had a bit of character & character is always good!

While out this past week, we took the time to stop in & see what makes it stand out.

They had obviously gone to a lot of effort to make it look authentic & it was interesting to look at.

We don't generally do fast food but daughter pronounced her 'hot chocolate brownie sundae' to be very good ...

 The manager was tolerant of us taking photos & we enjoyed our visit - something a bit different ....

Do you do fast food & interesting places when out?

Thanks for stopping by, please leave your details so I can return the favour & visit your blog too!

Dee ~♥~

Catagena harbour in Spain

I love old towns with their interesting detail & history so while in Spain, we took time to visit some of the older parts.

Cartagena,_Spain  is one such place - a natural harbour that is also a Naval Station.

cartagena  has a long & interesting history, having been inhabited by several cultures & civilisations & this is reflected in its streets & development.

Roman influences are everywhere & we headed to the Amphitheatre. This is my panorama of the view.

It is always interesting, for me, to stand where people have stood for centuries - it makes one realise how insignificant we really are

We enjoyed a visit to the museum to see some of the old Roman remain & statues found there.

The guide on our bus told us that building facades are kept in place if Roman ruins are found & have to be investigated so we found some of these Hollywood-like facades in town near the Amphitheatre - most interesting.

 and some others ....

For a better view of the town & harbour, we decided to go up the look out tower - all 150 steps (or take the lift as we did) and the view was stunning of the town, the harbour & Roman ruins. There was also a very welcome breeze up there off the sea ...

Back in town to enjoy the beautiful buildings & architecture. I love the details on buildings - the balconies, metal work, friezes & tiles ...

 Cartagena has a natural harbour that has been used for centuries & on our visit a large cruise ship had docked & passengers were enjoying the views too.

The harbour has a submarine,the prototype of the submarine by the inventor from Cartagena, Isaac Pera, first conceived in 1884 ...

 Spanish towns also have many statues in their streets which adds interest to them - these are some we saw in Cartegena.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit & hope you enjoyed the story with me.

Look in again soon, always pleased to welcome comments & new visitors,
Dee ~♥~

A change of scenery in Spain ....

My friend's parents have long issued invites for us to join her at the family apartment in Spain & fortunately this year, we were able to take up this kind offer. It was a first visit for us as Spain has never been on our holiday list before but we were all looking forward to some hot weather & sunshine!

While my travelling companions had a nap, I took some photos as I didn't want to disturb them ....

A shopping trip was needed to stock up on essentials ♥

 Gorgeous cakes & baked items & sangria of course

I love fresh fruit so was in absolute heaven at the choice ...

Some of the food we enjoyed at the apartment & out

The lads animals getting up close to the pastries ...

I was really impressed with the variety of fresh fruit & vegetables on offer - particularly the sweet melons & watermelons which really quench the thirst in hot weather!

What is your favourite holiday destination?

Thanks for stopping by,
Dee ~♥~

Murcia - a beautiful Spanish town

While visiting Spain, we spent the day in Murcia which is a traditional Spanish town.
I love achitecture, people & new places & my idea of heaven is to head out with a camera to capture scenes of places I visit.

Heatwave warnings were issued the day before but since our arrangements were finalised, we stuck to our plan - enjoying the beautiful old bridge in the early morning.
Daughter has noticed a trend on flickr for photos of padlocks on bridges & fences & this is what we saw ... I am not sure of the significance, please let me know if you do ....



Murcia is famous for its tall cathedral & palace & they did not disappoint.

I absolutely love the distressed colour & details on the palace - the muted colours are the perfect foil for that gorgeous green. How would you describe that colour green? Verdigris? Seagreen?

I particularly loved all the details on buildings: the ornate rails, the lovely balconies, the interesting plaster work & shields, the lovely colours ...

The sun rose higher & higher in the clear sky till we noticed it as ...

We enjoyed a relaxed lunch on the cathedral square where we could see the beautiful cathedral & the palace as we sat in the shade - just lovely.

Our meal ended with a refreshing watermelon granita / iced drink that was so lovely - sweet & ice cold!



I really enjoyed looking at all the street art & Statues - beautiful ones that just made the streets look more interesting & made art more accessible!

I would love to spend more time in Murcia again, to just wonder the streets with a camera - savouring the sights, sounds & coffee shops at leisure ....

I hope you have enjoyed the sights of Murcia with me,
Thanks for stopping by, I always love your feedback
Dee ~♥~

Call it what you want ....

I was reading this article with interest tea-supper-dinner and wondering at the symantics & intricacies of the so called 'classness' of the terms ....

Growing up in South Africa, our evening meal was always supper - a proper meal cooked by Mom, with all of us sitting around the dining table (always set) sharing our days news; most definitely family time with exchanges of our days & anything else that had happened. Politics was often on the menu too ....

We all took turns to set the table at night - placemats, cutlery, plates (unless it was dished up in the kitchen), serviettes and condiments on the table,  This was our normal, everyday supper we had around 6.30 -7pm once we were all back home again from school, work & activities.
This was always at the dining table because the kitchen table was too small for all of us.

Occasionally the folks had friends for 'dinner' which did not always include us but that was more adult, more formal with 3 courses & more lively conversation & lots of lovely glassware & interesting puddings & pre & post drinks from Dad's well stocked drinks cabinet.

I had not really heard the term 'tea' referred to a meal until we came to live in England. For me, tea was a mug of hot tea (literally) with a slice of cake if people were invited so I had to learn the minefield of the symantics of 'tea / supper / dinner' .

For me, supper is a relaxed meal with family or friends. I love having friends over to share it at a set table - friends will often join me to finish preparing it in the kitchen before we all sit down together. Supper will include a pudding only  if friends are visiting; it is a relaxed time to just enjoy each others company & hopefully include a lively exchange of news & views.

Godsons will bear testament to the fact that whatever the meal, I do like to see good table manners - sitting till everyone is finished, passing condiments when asked, using cutlery properly, having a serviette, eating with  your mouth closed etc. For me, supper time is where social graces are gently reinforced so that children can go out into the world with social confidence because their table manners are second nature  ....

Supper includes meals eaten inside or outdoors - a family meal, family & friend time ....

As a family, we often do brunch on the weekend when we are all home - it bridges breakfast & lunch so there is no urgency to get up early; everyone at home joins in & helps to make something we all want to linger over ...

Brunch often included something warm - pancakes, fruit, eggs, toast etc

Occasionally, we do a more formal meal; this is usually a Thanksgiving I host for a friend with family in the USA - 12 ladies enjoying a proper table setting with 3 courses - that is dinner ... a more formal, 3 course meal with some structure ....

What do you call your evening meal & what are your traditions?

Thanks for stopping by, I always enjoy your feedback,
Dee ~♥~

Vintage browsing time ...

Vintage is very much in fashion again - even charity shops now have their 'vintage' sections but it is always more fun to browse vintage shops where you have row upon row, floor upon floor of treasures from the past.
I spent an interesting morning vintage browsing in the pretty south Shropshire town of Ludlow.



I am rather partial to hats & so looked through the selection with interest as I have a had festival next month & am still not inspired ....



Interesting views everywhere - reflected in the many lovely mirrors ...














So many lovely things to look at ...

I rather liked this trunk for daughter's bedroom ...

 My friend's son gamely doing hats for photos ...

 That looked like a crocodile skin handbag - really vintage hats too; I recall my grandmother wearing something similar ...

 Fox or mink stoles ...

loved the face on this one ...

Really lovely walls done with vintage magazines ...

 Not sure about any of these hats ...

or these hats but the lamp is rather nice ...

everything displayed really well ...

that is one use for antlers ...

or another ...

and yet some more ....

a bit too plain for my liking ...

 a gramaphone lamp? very interesting ...

 an interesting vintage boat ..

more hats, still not found one which suits me ...

 classic blazer / jacket ...

some vintage top hats ....

 and boaters ....

A very good time was had by all - so much to see, to reminisce over because we have all seen similar things in the homes of elderly relative or perhaps our childhoods ..

Do you have a favourite era or item? Are you inclined towards vintage pieces of homeware or clothing? Tell all ...

Thanks for stopping by, please leave your link so I can return the visit,
Dee ~♥~