Amelia's photos

Saturday Self Challenge: Photograph an ordinary household appliance or tool in such a way that makes it look like art. The original is in the PiP

Minerva Statue in Front of Glamorgan Building in Cardiff, Wales The county of Glamorgan was a significant producer of coal plus copper, limestone and iron from the mid-18th century until the mid-20th century This statue by Albert Hodge is one of two in front of the Glamorgan Building. It is an allegory for the importance of mining to the region. The figure on the left is Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, trade and commerce.

Symbolising the importance of navigation to the local economy, this group stands outside the Glamorgan building which was once Glamorgan County Hall and is now part of Cardiff University. Serving as reminders of Glamorgan's source of wealth, are two groups of statues by Albert Hodge (1875–1918), one representing navigation and the other coal mining.

Sculpture entitled Three Obliques in bronze by Dame Barbara Hepworth (1968). Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth DBE (10 January 1903 – 20 May 1975) was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. She was one of the few female artists of her generation to achieve international prominence. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a leading figure in the colony of artists who resided in St Ives during the Second World War. Andy Fairweather-Low - Wide Eyed and Legless

Foliose lichens are some of the largest and perhaps most complex lichens. The thallus generally forms flat, leaf-like lobes. The first PiP shows a Crustose lichen, possibly Lecanora muralis, growing on a sandstone wall. The thallus forms a crust over the substrate and is firmly attached to it. Consequently, the lichen normally cannot be collected intact without collecting a portion of the substrate along with it. The second PiP shows a Fruticose lichen, possibly Usnea subfloridana growing an a larch tree. The thallus is extended up into a tufted or pendant branched structure and is attached to the bark by a basal holdfast.

The Sunday Challenge: Take a photograph of an everyday object and turn it into an abstract image. I cropped part of the image and used the 'filters' section in Photoshop to stylize the image

Saturday Self Challenge: Take a photo of a subject or place that reminds you of good memories, be it a souvenir, place where you took a vacation or memento of a special family event. 10 years ago I visited a Glassblåseri in Stavanger with a group of women from the Petroleum Wives Club. We watched this actual glass being blown. 2 days later, after the glass had cooled, I collected the piece which has the signature of the glassblower on the base. It was fascinating to watch the skills involved in the shaping, colouring and final cutting of the glass. This glass is now a cherished item, rarely used, but kept in a glass fronted cupboard in the kitchen.

The finished product:

A couple of runners and some spectators are caught on camera during the Cardiff fun run.

RMS Queen Mary 2 (also referred to as the QM2) is a transatlantic ocean liner. She is the largest and only major ocean liner built for the British Cunard Line since Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1969, the vessel she succeeded as flagship of the Cunard Line. She was named Queen Mary 2 by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004. Designed in 2003 by a team of British naval architects led by Stephen Payne, she was constructed in France by Chantiers de l'Atlantique. At the time of her construction, Queen Mary 2 held the distinctions of being the longest, at 1,131.99 ft (345.03 m), and largest, with a gross tonnage of 148,528 GT, passenger ship ever built. Some of Queen Mary 2's facilities include fifteen restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theatre, and the first planetarium at sea.

Blue Moon - Chris Isaak Ella Fitzgerald - Blue Moon. Super blue blood moon reminds us that despite chaos on Earth, the heavens are still operating like clockwork.

The Welsh National War Memorial is situated in Alexandra Gardens, Cathays Park, Cardiff. It is constructe of Portland Stone. The memorial was designed by Sir Ninian Comper and sculptured by Henry Alfred Pegram, was unveiled on 12 June 1928 by the Prince of Wales. The memorial commemorates the servicemen who died during the First World War and has a commemorative plaque for those who died during the Second World War, added in 1949. Atop the central column stands a bronze nude winged Archangel Michael, representing victory. Around the base of the plinth are 4 bronze figures,each representing the army, navy and air force;. On the Inner frieze are the words Remember here in peace those who, in tumult of war by sea, on land, in air, for us and for the victory, endureth unto death. The outer frieze has the quotation in Welsh: I feibon Cymru a roddes eu bywyd dros ei gwlad yn rhyfel. MCMXIV – MCMXVIII (“To the sons of Wales who gave their lives for their country in the war of 1914-1918”).

Queen Victoria. Half Penny - 1889. Reign 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901 Edward VII. One Florin - 1908. Reign 22 January 1901 – 6 May 1910 George VI. One Shilling - 1939. Reign 11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952 Elizbaeth II. Sixpence. 1953, Reign 6 February 1952 – present Since the time of Charles II, the direction in which the monarch's head faces on coins has changed with every succeeding monarch with the exception that the heads on the coins of successive monarchs George V, Edward VIII, and George VI all face to the left. Edward the VIII's were not formally issued - though some did get into circulation. The same does not apply to stamps - the monarch always faces left.

Saturday Self Challenge: Keys A variety of clock keys. The large one is the key for a grandfather clock.

Montgomery Castle is a stone masonry castle looking over the town of Montgomery in Powys, mid Wales. It is one of many Norman castles on the border between Wales and England. The original motte and bailey is now known as Hen Domen and was built at the order of Roger de Montgomery, earl of Shrewsbury some time between 1071 and 1074. The rebuilding of Montgomery Castle in stone was commenced in the late summer of 1223 on the sixteenth birthday of Henry III of England, a mile to the south-east of the original site. After 1295 and the final Welsh War of the thirteenth century the castle became more of a military backwater and prison than a front line fortress. Peace reduced Montgomery's strategic importance, and by 1343 parts of the castle were already in disrepair. It was refurbished by Roger Mortimer, second earl of March, after 1359, and again under Henry VIII during the 1530s and 1540s. It last saw action under the Herberts during the English Civil War, when it surrendered to the Parliamentarians in 1644; and in 1649 it was demolished.