One Word Sunday: Urban

Debbie’s theme for her ‘One Word Sunday’ is Urban and what could be more urban than Manhattan? This photo was taken through the window our son’s office, high above the most densely populated and yet the smallest in land area of the five boroughs of New York City. Due to COVID-19, our son is still working from his home in the suburbs but will soon be required to return to the hustle and bustle of the city. We have planned a visit to see him and our grandchildren in July, and will most probably take a ride into the city for the first time in almost two years. The thought is both exciting and intimidating, as living here in Florida, we’re no longer used to being amongst crowds of people. We have decided to fly up, so it will be our first time in an airport and on a plane since the virus struck. It will certainly make for a change of environment.

Wishing you all a very good week.

To join in ‘Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Urban’, just click the link.

One Word Sunday: Mobile

‘Debbie’s One Word Sunday’ is ‘Mobile’. I remember as a child that my dad would often tell us that we’d have to use ‘Shanks’s Pony’ to get from one place to another. This term which meant using one’s own legs, seems to derive from the Scottish ‘Shanks’ Nag’ mentioned in one of Robert Fergusson’s poems written in the late 18th Century.

In the 1950’s, being mobile meant that we walked to school, walked to the shops and walked to church. My mom and dad both walked to work even after dad got his first car, a tiny Austin A30. Since that time as various forms of transport have become commonplace, everyone just rides from place to place and consequently our legs get much less exercise. We are more mobile, but less active.

My photos for Debbie’s theme ‘Mobile’ were taken in Morocco, where donkeys are the most common form of transportation. These animals not only transport people,

but are also often loaded up to their ears with goods destined for the market, where they and their owners navigate the narrow streets of the souks which are often crowded with tourists. These four-legged taxis and haulage animals are born to work and have a really hard life as an integral part of Moroccan daily life.

Wishing you a relaxing Sunday and hoping we can all become more mobile soon as travel restrictions are gradually lifted.

One Word Sunday: Time

Debbie’s ‘One Word Sunday-Time’ brought to mind this joyous photo taken almost ten years ago in Florence. A smiling young man being carried by friends through the streets on the way to his wedding. I think it could be captioned ‘A Time To Celebrate’. I hope that as time has gone by, he and his wife are still happily married and looking forward to celebrating their tenth anniversary in October. How time flies!

To join in Debbie’s ‘One Word Sunday’, just click the link.