Sunday Snaps 📸

Well, it's hard to believe that another week has passed by, and here we are with my Sunday Snaps feature once again. 

Last Monday, the sun shone brightly here in heavenly Devon, so a friend and I decided to take full advantage, and set off to Salcombe for a walk. Salcombe is such a pretty resort, about half an hour away. It's lovely at this time of the year, but, from Easter onwards, the narrow streets will be thronged with those lovely 😊 holidaymakers, who rush here to enjoy the beauty of the South Hams. 

 

 Salcombe is, in fact, Britain's most expensive seaside resort in which to buy a home. It also has the highest population of second-home owners.  For local people, especially the young people, this is very sad, because wealthy people from London and the Home Counties flock here to buy their second homes, and this pushes house prices well beyond the means of the locals. It also means, of course, that once thriving little communities now become ghost towns for many months of the year. It's quite a sore point here in Devon and Cornwall, but there's nothing much that can be done about it really. 

So now I will share some more photos of the picturesque area that I'm proud to call home. 

 

This is the view from a favourite place of mine to eat lunch, preferably accompanied by a chilled glass of Rosé!  

 

Not a sea view this time, but a photo of the beautiful Dartington Gardens. This is such an interesting place to visit, no matter what the Season. 

This is the Marina on Plymouth's historic Barbican. Ten minutes away from me, and a favourite place to sit and people watch. 

As you can see, we really ARE surrounded by water. This is a view looking across into Cornwall. 

Finally, I just couldn't resist this last one, which is of my two youngest grandchildren, enjoying a day at the beach. It was taken a couple of years ago, but I just love the simplicity of the shot. They're doing what young children have been doing for many, many years. 

 

I do hope you have enjoyed the selection today - have a good week, and look after yourselves ❤️

By the way, for anyone who is interested, there is a new Feature Post up now. Just click on the button at the top on the right hand sidebar. 

Garden Colours....

Here in heavenly Devon, Spring is springing up all over the place, and the gardens are suddenly bursting with colour. In my own garden, the very first tulips are appearing - one of my favourite flowers. Yes, it's lovely to receive a bouquet of flowers from time to time, but, if I'm honest, a bunch of tulips will do it for me every time!  Yes, I'm a cheap kind of gal! 

 

 

It's strange, but at this wonderful time of the year, with new life appearing all around me, I sometimes find  that I can feel a little, I don't quite know how to describe it, but a bit under par, I suppose. 

I have a birthday in just a few weeks, and I've noticed that I can feel like this each year,  round about this time.  I spoke to a couple of friends, and it was interesting to hear that they also feel the same way just before their birthdays.  Hopefully I will feel brighter again once the month tips over into my Star sign of Aries, which will occur on the 21st March. 

I know that in certain parts of the world, the clocks have already gone forward an hour, with the promise of lighter evenings. Over here in the U.K. the clocks won't alter until the  26th March, which will also be Mothering Sunday (Mothers Day). 

 

 

 

Photos taken today at Saltram House, a wonderful National Trust property nearby. 

I'll say cheerio again for now, but will see you again soon.  I'll leave you with this little quote, courtesy of Pinterest.com

 

Sunday Snaps - Edition Two...

Hello there and a happy and relaxed Sunday to you all. A few years ago on my Blog, I used to run a feature called Sunday Snaps (pretty snappy title, don't you think?! 😊). Anyway, I thought I would resurrect it and feature photos of heavenly Devon.  

The beach at South Sands, Salcombe. 

I am fortunate to have been born and bred in this heavenly County of Devon, which is right down in the South West of England. We are surrounded by the sea, with the most wonderful sandy beaches, and we have Dartmoor very close by, so we have the best of both worlds. 

 

Coastal path to Hope Cove, which is one of my favourite walks. 

Devon is known for its narrow lanes and very high hedges, so that you just can't see what is coming in the opposite direction. No good coming here if you're not very good at reversing!  It's quite funny watching the tourists sometimes .... or Emmits  or Grockles, as we call them (in an affectionate way, of course 😳).

 

Slapton Sands

 

Boats at Teignmouth

 

The beach at Inner Hope, Hope Cove

When I was a little girl, a favourite memory of mine was going out for a drive on a Sunday, picking primroses from the Devon banks, and bringing them home to put in a jam jar. Goodness me, life was so much simpler then. Mind you, I am talking about the early 1950's.  

 

Picture taken whilst out on a walk 

 

Pictures taken in my garden today 

I only found out a few days ago that the primrose is the County flower of Devon, so I found that very interesting. 

Well, I hope you've enjoyed the views I've picked for you today, and I shall post more in the weeks to come. As I mentioned, I consider myself blessed to be living in this beautiful little part of the world. 

Have a good week everyone. 

International Woman's Day

Today, on the 8th March, we once again celebrate International Women's Day. The theme for 2019 is #balanceforbetter, with the aim of making a global push for professional and social equality. This is being described as a "business issue", and the aim of the theme is to encourage gender balance in the Boardrooms (which is badly needed), in the media, and, also, in wealth, so that economies can thrive. 

 

I think it is important to talk about this event each year on my Blog, as we celebrate women everywhere, all over the world, and recognise the progress that has been achieved, and to give thanks for all the courageous women over many, many years, who have fought for women's rights. Rights that promote a position of legal and social equality of women with men. 

 

 Huge strides have been made over the years. Certainly since the 1960's when I was a young woman.  We didn't have a lot of the freedoms or rights that women have these days. Women certainly were not allowed to get credit under their own name. So a mortgage would be out of the question. Women at that time were very much looked on as mothers and homemakers.  Hard to believe, but right up until the late 60's, women were not allowed to wear trousers in the workplace. 

Of course, if modern mums want to still be stay at home mums and raise their children themselves, there is certainly nothing wrong with that. In fact, in my eyes, that is to be lauded. Many women these days, of course, HAVE to work, purely for financial reasons. 

I suppose my point is, that the younger women now have CHOICE, which was certainly not available before, and that, surely, has to be good for everyone. 

 

 

 

My wish is that my granddaughters will live in a world where they can be anything they want to be.  I also take this opportunity of celebrating all the women that follow my Blog. Remember, you are ALL special and you are ALL important. 

Celebration of Women...Part Two

I did mention in my last Post that I was going to talk about Maya Angelou today. However, after recently watching the film, Hidden Figures, I have changed my mind. Well, it's a woman's perogative, isn't it?!  If you haven't already seen this film, I would urge you to do so, as it features three amazing women who, behind the scenes, played a huge part in NASA's space race successes. 

 

I suppose that I really should now tell you the names of these three unsung heros ... Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan, all of whom were brilliant Afro-American mathematicians.  Really, it is shameful that their contribution has mainly been consigned to the history books. 

My goodness, these were brave young women. Bear in mind that we are talking here about the late 1950's/early 1960's, and these ladies were fighting on two fronts : a) they were women and b) they were black. With all the slights they had to put up with, it would have been all too easy for them to give up, but they kept on trying to break down all the barriers that stood before them. 

That's why I feel they are so deserving to be featured in my Posts, celebrating International Women's Day. 

 

Katherine Johnson. 

 

Mary Jackson 

 

Dorothy Vaughan 

Their meticulous calculations helped America to catch up in the space race that was going on at that time between Russia and the USA.  There is a scene in the film, whereby the Astronaut, John Glenn, insists that Katherine Johnson herself should be the one to check the complex trajectory calculations made by the computer. He refused to let the launch of Friendship 7 (in 1962) go ahead without those checks being done. That's how trusted Katherine's mind was. 

Dorothy Vaughan paved the way for minorities, as she finally became NASA's first ever Afro-American Manager. 

Mary Jackson, again after a long hard battle, became NASA's first black Engineer. The three of them worked closely together to support each other and to achieve their aims. 

I really do recommend that you see the film, which is, just like the women themselves, truly inspirational.  I am delighted that their stories have finally been told. 

As a footnote, NASA's new Computer Research Laboratory (opened just last year) has been named the Katherine G Johnson Computational Research Facility.  How wonderful that Katherine herself was able to attend the Opening, at the age of 97!  She had worked at the Langley Research Centre from 1953 - 1986, and even in her retirement, was a staunch advocate for science, technology, engineering and math education. 

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about these ladies, as much as I have enjoyed researching them. Enjoy the week ahead everyone. 

March - the time to celebrate womanhood....

I'm sure that many of you will know that on the 8th March each year, we celebrate International Women's Day.  This year the theme is #BeBoldForChange, where women are being called on to help forge a better working world....a more inclusive, gender equal world.  I was born in 1947, and my goodness, there have been so many changes involving women, but I honestly feel there is still a long way to go, which does rather sadden me somewhat.  Sometimes I think to myself, why are we having these same conversations, all these years down the line.  I suppose we just have to keep chipping away!  Apparently, the World Economic Forum is forecasting that the gender gap won't close entirely until 2186.  Now that really is quite a depressing thought. 

 

So, for the month of March, I thought I would devote some time to women that I admire,  for what they achieved during their lifetimes.  They are not in any particular order!

Mother Teresa was, without doubt, one of the most respected and influential women of the 20th Century.  She is, of course, remembered for her amazing charitable and missionary work, involving the sick and poorest in Society. She, herself, was not born into a poor family, and arrived in India from her home in Albania, when she was just 19 years old. Ever since her early childhood, she had always been fascinated by stories of Missionaries and their work in India.  She actually went to Ireland in 1928, to learn English, at aged 18, before moving to India.  After that, she never saw her mother or 

sisters again.  

 

It wasn't until 1946  that she said Jesus spoke to her and told her to abandon her teaching to go and work in the slums of Calcutta. 

There are many quotes by Mother Teresa that I am always inspired by, and here are just two of them ....

"Spread love everywhere you go.  Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."

"Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love."

I was going to introduce you to my next inspirational woman in this Post, but it's getting to be quite long, so next time I shall be honouring Maya Angelou. I do hope that you can join me again then.  Meanwhile, remember, every one of you reading this is special in your own unique way.