Illumination – Lucadendron Red Devil
Illumination
Nature outshines herself
Brilliant inner heart
Light is Life
.
To watch the plant light up, slowly tilt your screen away from you.
Put your coffee down first!
West Sands 1
This is the beach where the famous opening scene was filmed for the 1981 Chariots of Fire movie: West Sands in St Andrews, Scotland
There is still a plaque here, commemorating the film. West Sands was used to portray Broadstairs in Kent, where the runners actually ran.
West Sands 2 Plaque
It’s a lovely stretch of wild sandy beach and on the day we went, fairly deserted. It was late July and though not raining, there was a strong breeze, which I think there always is!
West Sands 3
There were many birds in this small river inlet to the sea; mostly seagulls, but also a few dark birds.
West Sands 4
It’s hard to see exactly what they are, but some of the dark birds had white on them.
As I’ve mentioned before, my little Canon camera really battles to take a clear picture in dim lighting; the photo is grainy and pixelated.
West Sands 5
And just to prove I was here; here I am – wind-swept and freezing!
.
Instead of the well-known opening clip from the Chariots of Fire movie, with the lads jogging along the beach (also looking wind-swept and freezing!) here’s the comedic genius of Rowan Atkinson showing them a thing or two at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.
.
After being blown to bits on the beach (which I find refreshing; plenty of oxygen!) we went for sustenance at a lovely little hidden away cafe and had the best scones ever!
Scones
There was a choice of the most delicious fillings such as fresh fruit, all with great names, like the Prince of Wales etc
I just had a plain one, with butter, jam and clotted cream, but it was scrumptious and basically, that was my lunch!
Stained Glass Window 1
Haiku 46
Sunlight filters through
Coloured chips of silica
Stained-glass perfection
.
Stained Glass Window 2
This beautiful stained glass window is one of many in St Salvator’s Chapel, St Andrews, Scotland.
St Salvator’s Chapel
The chapel was founded in 1450 and has Late Gothic architecture.
Stained Glass Window 3
There are many magnificent old buildings and churches all over the UK. This is just one small church in one small town.
Stained Glass Window 4
I like the first window the best, but have included all of the windows, because everyone has different tastes and maybe your favourite is one of these others.
Stained Glass Window 5
And below is a shot of the interior. You can see the organ pipes reaching high up into the roof.
St Salvator’s Chapel 2
What I love about a place such as this, apart from the glorious beauty, is the history. You are standing where others have stood, for nearly 570 years!
LM Twist 1
Come on Baby; Let’s do the Twist.
LM Twist 2
Come on Baby; and it goes like this.
LM Twist 3
I’ve noticed lately that Little Monkey likes to rush outside as soon as she’s had her supper and rub her face all over the grass, with her bum in the air.
LM Twist 4
I’m pretty supple myself, but LM takes it to a whole new level!
post script: You can listen here to Chubby Checker sing The Twist. How high are the girls’ pants in the clip??
Aldeburgh Beach 1
Aldeburgh Beach, Suffolk.
Not a beach to dig your toes in the sand.
Aldeburgh Beach 2
But interesting.
And it reminds me of the Neil Diamond song, Stones, which I love!
Well pretty much any song by Neil Diamond!
Kevin 1
There are Three Bridges that span the Firth of Forth in Scotland, connecting Edinburgh to Fife. These are The Forth Bridge, (a railway bridge built between 1883 and 1890), The Forth Road Bridge (for traffic and built between 1958 and 1964) and the newly built, Queensferry Crossing.
Kevin 2
The bridge in my photos is the Queensferry Crossing, which was officially opened a few days ago by the Queen. It is the longest three-tower cable-stayed bridge in the world.
And while its proper name might be the Queensferry Crossing, locally it has been nicknamed Kevin, which I much prefer!
Though I did not travel on that particular bridge, I got a good view of it as I crossed the Firth at sunset.
Kevin 3
My amazing photos were taken through the dirty train window and from the other side of the carriage! I had to edit out the men sitting at the table opposite; one who was working on his laptop; the other who was working his way through a six-pack of beer!
Firth of Forth
My train travelled across the Forth Bridge, which is a cantilever bridge. The only photos I managed to snap of this bridge were the view over the Firth of Forth and some of the overhead girders as our train sped along the track beneath.
Girders!
Whoo-hooo!
Freesia
Heaven Scent
Even the brightest Sunbeam
Needs a little rain
Sometimes
.
post script: The answer to last post’s movie trivia quiz, “Who said ‘Like molten steel’?” is Leslie Nielsen in the 1995 comedy “Rent a Kid”. He would compare the oddest things to molten steel. eg This glass is as clean as molten steel.
Points for effort go to Samanthamurdochblog and A Curious Introvert. Thanks for playing along.
