6 by 6 tag game.

I've been tagged by the lovely Michelle who writes the photography tips for this blog: the tag is to take part in the 6 by 6 game. Rules: choose the sixth image out of your sixth picture folder from your computer and blog it. Then tag six more people to do the same.

I've decided instead of tagging six bloggers I would just pick 6 peoples items that relate to the 6th file, 6th picture to show you.

Well this is it, the 6th of the 6th photo. It's me hula hooping on the beach. The photo was taken last year by Jon. We were waiting for friends to join us and I was hooping so they would be able to find us easily when they got down past the dunes onto the sand. The people in the background are attempting to put up a beach tent shelter because as you can see by the state of my hair although it was very sunny and warm it was very, very windy. It was a fabulous day!

I found this print of an original pastel painting in Art by Joni shop. Isn't it beautiful! There is a path like this down to the beach I'm hooping on in the above photo. Check out the rest of Joni's work. Her shop is well worth a visit.

Blue Gorilla Gallery has this burlesque hooper doing her thing. This bright and vibrant original acrylic on canvas painting could be yours. I think it would make a great talking point when hung on the wall. I love it.

Andy Fee's small original watercolour is just so much fun. People on the sand playing in the sunshine. I love days like that. This image captures that so beautifully, yet simply. I can almost smell the seaside aroma.

I picked Zozo Cards little Koala to share because he looks like he is having lots of fun and to me that's what hula hooping is all about. This print would make a perfect gift for a hula hoop lover or a Koala lover.

Mountain Brook Store created this fabulous wooden silhouette of children building sandcastles on the beach. It brings to mind my childhood looking through rock pools for crabs and other sea creatures. The little shovels are just perfect.

Boolady's shop is full of vintage pictures and this one just makes me smile so much. This is a photo from way back when hula hooping was in it's infancy and Boolady looks like she's really hooping it up! I'm loving the TV in the background too.

So there are my six choices that relate to my 6th of the 6th. All of these items have triggered much loved memories for me, so thank you for tagging me Michelle.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

Beat me on the bottom with a rolled up newspaper!

Yes, I'm a slacker!!! I haven't made posts for days. I do have some reasons for not posting, other than just being a lazy bint... For the last week we have had a friend, Pete, from Oz staying with us as well as Jon's Dad and girlfriend and a few other passing friends popping in last weekend for a few days. Due to this we have been out and about showing people the joys of Wales, and to be honest writing a blog article was the last thing on my mind.

We've been all over the place. This is Henrhyd Falls. The little person on the rock behind the falls is my fabby sister Cath. There wasn't all that much water coming over the falls on the day we visited, but it was still fun rock hopping and walking behind the water. Later that day we went further up the valley and swam in the river. It was ice cold. Getting out of the water and standing in the wind, that before you got in felt cold, was like stepping into a pleasantly heated room on a cold day. The water was freezing and made you feel glad to be alive!

This was the day that we learned that you should not stand behind cows at the Dan-y-ogof caves. There was a sign just past this gate that told you lots of do's and don't as far as the animals were concerned... but nowhere did it say I couldn't put a emu into the boot of our car..... Oddly they had emus running around in the pen with the sheep, goats and cows. Who knew emus were native to Wales? hehehe.

On another day we took everyone on a bit of a hike around our village. Here is Jon stopping to pose for a photo on our walk up to the Elephant rock. He was practising just in case he gets called upon to stand in for a catalogue photo shoot, hehehe. It's a steep trek up to the stones so the break to laugh at him posing was most welcome.

This is me sitting on the Elephant Rock in the sunshine. We walked over to the river Tawe after we had admired the view and caught our breath at the top.

This is a photo of one of the small water falls on the river. It really is lovely by the river with the dappled light coming through the trees, and the sound of the water rushing by...

as this calmer stretch of the river shows. It's green and enclosed and away from the rest of the world. It's a place I love to be. It re-energizes me just being there. We are so lucky to have all of this on our doorstep.

As Pete had never really seen a Welsh castle before we combined going to visit the beach with a trip to Weobley Castle. The Castle is more like a show of money rather than a big kick ass castle that would keep out a marauding army. I should imagine it looked pretty impressive to the local people at the time, who were living in houses built of mud and sticks.

Being as Oxwich Bay is just around the coast of the Gower from Weobley, it would be rude not to go and wiggle our toes in the sand and climb the dunes, so we did.

Jon also decided he should try and hug my head off on the beach... I'm not sure why, but it was fun!

All in all it's been a fun, exciting and exhausting week. Yippee for antipodeans coming to stay and bringing lots of joy and laughter with them.
(most of the photos here were taken by Pete)