Jane at Levant: May 2013

Wednesday, 29 May 2013

Back to Blogland

Dear Diary - the last few months have slipped away and time and events seem to have interfered dramatically with any blogging attempts - methinks I will wander back into blogland today. A few weeks back we spent some time in Portmadoc -

- just after the big snow the countryside was good for pictures and of course -trains featured strongly in the scheme of things.-

The picture below is a favourite - we chugged up the line towards Blaenau Ffestiniog and through the woods and the shot below was as we entered the town

We wandered round Portmadoc at various times during the week - gazing in the shops - the odd icecream etc - even though it was perishing - mind you come to think of it - it was a lot warmer then than it is now !! - and all routes led to the station - see pics - I think these guys were planning the route

And away we went! We stayed close to Portmerion village - a fascinating place - it was where the fantasy series The Prisoner was filmed - apparently they have a re-enactment of the series each year which is a sell out. I have tried to capture the colour design an fascination of the place - Portmerion pottery and glassware is famous worldwide and dead expensive to buy - we rented a house for the week and everything right down to the eggcups was Portmerion - wow!!

My header pic was taken from the train as we pulled out of Carnarfon - it was an eventful week - and a good week -a special highlight was a purchase of a second hand 400D Canon EOS camera - of course it is a complete new ball game from our Sony Cybershots - that we both use - so far I haven't strayed to far off auto - and I am permanently glued to the instruction booklet. I want to buy a lens that will make it possible to zoom right in for some awesome closeups - anyone any ideas? The deal was done on the steam train from Portmadoc to Caernarfon on the West Highland Railway (third pic down)

FAIRY -LED

The fairy people flouted me,
Mocked me ,shouted me
They chased me down the dreamy hill and beat me with a wand
Within the wood they found me ,put spells on me and bound me
And left me at the edge of day in John the miller's pond
Beneath the eerie starlight;
Their hair shone curd -white
Their bodies were all twisted like a lichened apple tree
Feather -light and swift they moved,
And never one they loved,
For all were full of dreams and dark designs on me.

With noise of leafy singing
And white wands swinging
They marched away amid the grass that swayed to let them through.
Between the the yellow tansies
Their eyes,like purple pansies,
Peered back on me before they passed all trackless in the dew.

Mary Webb - from the Spring of Joy

Three softly curved white sepals veined with light,

Three green-lined petals,guarding frugal gold,

And all so strong to fold or to unfold!

Snow thunders from the bending pines.How slight

This frail,sheathed stem! Yet all unbent it springs,

So swift in stoopings and recoverings.

In the pale sunshine,with frail wings unfurled,

Comes to the bending snowdrop the first bee.

She gives her winter honey prudently;

And faint with travel in a bitter world,

The bee makes music, tentative and low,

And spring awakes and laughs across the snow.

Mary Webb

Found on the Web Part One

Short Jokes of the day

Dress Code.

It is advised that you come to work dressed according to your salary. If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise. If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.

Sick Days

We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Personal Days

Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturday & Sunday.

Found on the web !! Part 2

Toilet Use
Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offence, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the "Chronic Offenders category". Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sanctioned under the company's mental health policy.
Lunch Break
Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy. Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure. Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.
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