AnnaLois
LightNews LightNews
banner
annalois36.bsky.social
AnnaLois
@annalois36.bsky.social
2.4K followers 860 following 3.9K posts
Creative, quirky, bookworm. World embracer. House renovator. Mermaid. Dressmaker. Gardener. Partner and mum. Thirst for knowledge. Not an ostrich. Excited by everyday wonders and surface pattern. Photographs taken by me. No AI. No DMs.
Posts Replies Media Videos
annalois36.bsky.social
"It's always quiet in the days before Christmas" is the festive myth that is busted year after year. Good job I like a challenge. Time for wine and a kitchen disco 🍷.
#crawlingtoChristmas #bittired #kitchendisco
December 15, 2025 at 7:25 PM
annalois36.bsky.social
Flower of Seven
for #MacroMonday and #ColorADay #PinkMon

#EastCoastKin #photography #pink #flower #primula #gardening #wintercolour #BloomSky #bloomscrolling #macro #macrophotography
(Android phone camera)
Photograph taken using a macro setting. Pale pink primula with seven large petals, each pale pink at the edge deepening to a rich burgundy until it reaches a bright yellow centre. The burgundy leaks out up the capillaries into the paler pink petals.
December 15, 2025 at 6:10 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Fancy sewing cupboard 😍. The 'sort my life out' declutter continues!
#SewSky #declutter #fabric #sewing #streamlining
Photograph of part of my sewing cupboard. Not a fancy cupboard (IKEA Billy) but it works! 20% of my fabric stash going to new homes. Pulling all my patterns into one place. Sewing machine storage at the bottom. Four bin bags of crap gone including sewing projects I will never finish nor wear if I did. Lots more to do but am amazing myself that my determination to shed at least 1/5 of my stuff from the past almost 50 years continues. Bedding cupboard sorted too. Friends are suspicious! Been listening to 'The Declutter Hub' podcast which has been really rather good, particularly at smashing up the guilt and emotional attachment to ridiculous things 😂.
December 14, 2025 at 7:21 PM
annalois36.bsky.social
Really hope they're onto something here. Can’t begin to explain how draining tinnitus is, particularly when silence was once so golden!
December 14, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Reposted by AnnaLois
rikebnw.bsky.social
Silence, gateway to creativity 🖤 #shotoniphone #mobilephotography #classicmono
December 14, 2025 at 10:05 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Inflatable Christmas characters. Glad my kid is a teenager because I don't fancy reassuring them that Father Christmas isn't pancake-flat, face down on the lawn because he is no more, but that he will freakily leap back to rotund life once it does dark, on repeat, every day.
#Christmas #inflatables
December 14, 2025 at 8:03 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Moment in Time
for #Stunday

#EastCoastKin #photography #sunrise #silhouette #horse
#Pennines #getoutside
(iPhone camera)
Photograph taken on a Christmas Day wander last year up on the hills. Image shows the silhouette of a horse in a field with a dramatic strip of sunrise and dark blue-grey clouds above. Deep olive and brown fields below. Love being up on the hills. Best way to get rid of some cobwebs 😊
December 14, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Reposted by AnnaLois
maireadd100.bsky.social
#Photography
#EastCoastKin
#ColorADay
#GreenSat
#Macro
#Raindrops
Raindrops decorate the slender green needles of a pine tree.
December 13, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Reposted by AnnaLois
alan678.bsky.social
Rob @robcrank68.bsky.social has decided that today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #DucksOnOneLeg and the Alternative is #Finches. I’m going with Finches as I really love Goldfinches. Here’s one giving me a healthy dose of side eye. #birds #photography #EastCoastKin
A European goldfinch with a bright red face, black-and-white head, and warm brown body perches on a thin twig against a dark, softly blurred background.
December 13, 2025 at 10:42 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Green Oasis
for #ColorADay theme of #GreenSat

#photography #hothouse #plants #gardening #lookup #LymePark #Cheshire #nature
(iPhone camera)
Photograph taken looking up at the roof of the Orangery at Lyme Park, Cheshire from underneath a canopy of huge Chinese Rice Paper plant leaves. Love being inside a hot house full of plants.
December 13, 2025 at 10:02 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Here Are a Few of My Favourite Things...
(Unexpected Part 3. Blame Alan @alan678.bsky.social)

for #BlueSkyArtShow theme #FavouriteThings

#EastCoastKin #photography #hobbies #interests #songlyrics #possessions #collage
(Not including loved ones or photography which is a given)
Unexpected Part 3 - collage of photos (taken by me except one screenshot) of some of my favourite things. 1. J-Lo hoops! How could I forget! 2. Cookery...plus cookery books and books in general. Yes, they are kept in rainbow order - why on earth not? 3. Chinese and South Korean subtitled dramas, particularly ones with martial arts and historical settings (screenshot from a google search). 4. Northern Ireland - Giant's Causeway on the photo but whole place in general - people, food, museums, scenery, history... 5. Drifting. My environmental failing but I do love it. Highly skilled, adrenaline fuelled and that's just as a spectator! No desire to be a driver or passenger. 6. Obsidian-coloured, angry looking birds in general. Ravens are my favourite. Something majestic about them. Really think that's it now, unless Alan reminds me of more things I've forgotten 😂
December 13, 2025 at 9:17 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Here Are a Few of My Favourite Things...
(Part 2 of 2)

for #BlueSkyArtShow theme #FavouriteThings

#EastCoastKin #photography #hobbies #interests #songlyrics #possessions #collage
(Not including loved ones or photography which is a given)
Part 2 - collage of photos (all taken by me) of some of my favourite things. 1. My ring, chosen by me but bought by my Dad for my 13th birthday. I still adore it and it's the only ring I wear. 2. Cornwall. Best place in the whole world. 3. Nature, particularly first thing in the morning when it's quiet. 4. Sewing and textiles. Love visiting historical textiles and also making stuff myself. This was a pair of summer jamas I made this summer. Excuse the scraggy hair! 5. Words. In book, spoken or unwritten form. 6. Gardening. Particularly turning an unloved outdoor space into somewhere to relax in and for nature to thrive in. Also visiting a lovely garden too! There's also been a hidden 'favourite' in both posts - old movies. Spot the Sound of Music title?
December 13, 2025 at 8:23 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Here Are a Few of My Favourite Things...
(Part 1 of 2)

for #BlueSkyArtShow theme #FavouriteThings

#EastCoastKin #photography #hobbies #interests #songlyrics #possessions #collage
(Not including loved ones or photography which is a given)
Part I - collage of six photos (five taken by me) of some of my favourite things. 1. Travel - view from an aeroplane window. 2. House renovation - yes, I took that ceiling down. 3. History - beautiful Tudor house, Speke Hall, Liverpool. 4. Old Rabbit - 49 years old, made by my Mum, recovered numerous times but now threadbare. Was pink and white fur! 5. Art - particularly Leighton, Mondrian and graffiti. 6. A long walk in the hills. Up on the Pennines in this photo.
December 13, 2025 at 8:12 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Ballintoy Beauty
for #Scape #Seascape

#EastCoastKin #photography #Ballintoy #NorthernIreland #sea #coast #waves #bluesky
(iPhone camera)
Photograph taken at Ballintoy in Northern Ireland. One of my favourite coastal spots - rugged and wild. Scene of a rocky coastal area with a small stone building on an outcrop of rock, some small waves and a dramatic blue sky with clouds overhead. Apparently Games of Thrones did some filming there but I've never seen it so who knows! Beautiful little place, whatever the weather is lobbing at you.
December 12, 2025 at 7:04 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Christmas Runway
for #PalacesAndGardens theme of #FestiveLights

Also ticks the themes of #HumansOfBluesky and #AlphabetChallenge theme #WeekXforXmas too!

#EastCoastKin #photography #Glow #DunhamMassey #lights #people #Cheshire #Christmas
(Android phone camera)
Photograph taken at Dunham Massey in Cheshire looking at a dirt pathway lined with amber glowing lanterns. Tree trunks uplit so they look like red rhubarb. Visitors are kept separate by an ornamental metal fence. Deep midnight blue sky above. Family festive wander on a very cold night round the grounds of this huge country house. Great fun! Mortgage required if you want a hot chocolate 😂
December 11, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Reposted by AnnaLois
lbflyawayhome.bsky.social
Pudding basin hair-cut and
snake belt.
‘Peter’, 1974
Artist: Harry Wingfield
An illustration of the 1970s version of the character Peter from the ‘Key words to Reading scheme’ wearing a striped T-shirt, jeans and, unlike his cricket-favouring predecessor, holding a football
December 11, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by AnnaLois
jpwarchaeology.bsky.social
The algorithms are making it a lot harder to spread the word about these online talks. Although numbers are still reasonable, it would be a great help if folk were able to give the 30 December event a quick share 🙂

Booking available here:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/buildings-...
December 11, 2025 at 8:03 PM
annalois36.bsky.social
The sky is looking pretty fantastic this morning for those just waking up!

#Bluesky #sunrise #getoutside
(iPhone camera)
Photograph taken outside before the sun has risen. Stars were in the sky in one direction, the moon brightly above and this before me. It was actually much darker than this image suggests. Silhouette of wintery trees with a deep lavender sky behind broken by a streak of pale blue at the bottom and a flash of coral-pink just above that.
December 11, 2025 at 7:18 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Warmth and Weaponry
for #PalacesAndGardens theme of #FestiveLights

Pushing the boundaries of the theme but imagine holly on the lights!

#EastCoastKin #photography #chandelier #halberd #tudor #SpekeHall #weaponry #Liverpool #illuminate #GreatHall #lookup #windows
(iPhone camera)
Photograph taken inside the Great Hall at Tudor wonder, Speke Hall in Liverpool. This is really pushing the boundaries of the 'festive lights' theme but it gives a lovely warm glow and in you imagine holly somewhere... Image captured looking up at the large chandelier with candle bulbs and the leaded glass windows beyond in the beautiful wood panelled, double-height room. The chandelier's light reflects as an amber glow on the replica pole axe (halberd) blades of the weaponry displayed over the mantlepiece. Love Speke Hall. Went to a Christmas event there as a child. Distinctly remember the Tudor-costumed people wandering about with trays of mince pies, imparting their historical knowledge, the live Tudor music in the Great Hall and devouring rum and raisin fudge from a stall in the grounds.
December 11, 2025 at 6:53 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Tunnel of Illumination
for #PalacesAndGardens theme of #FestiveLights

Also ticks the themes of #HumansOfBluesky and #AlphabetChallenge theme #WeekXforXmas too!

#EastCoastKin #photography #Glow #DunhamMassey #lights #people #Cheshire #Christmas
(Android phone camera)
Photograph taken in the grounds of the fabulous Dunham Massey in Cheshire at their 'Glow' event a few years ago. This was the entrance to the illuminated adventure and the look of wonder on people's faces was fascinating in itself and distracted from the bitterly cold temperatures. Pointed arch tunnel of warm-white lights under which people are gathered taking photos, looking around and generally huddled together in outdoor winter attire. The background is pitch black. Had such a good evening there with extended family, getting lost in the beauty of the multitude of different ways to light up the extensive gardens of the huge property run by The National Trust.
December 11, 2025 at 6:38 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Nature's Christmas

for #RedWed and #AlphabetChallenges theme #WeekXforXmas

#EastCoastKin #photography #red #berries #holly #garden #plants #winter
(Android phone camera)
Photograph taken using a macro setting of a cluster of shiny red berries on a holly bush. The leaves surrounding the berries are dark green except the new leaf shoots above. Holly really is nature's Christmas! Feast for the birds and a joy to see.
December 10, 2025 at 7:34 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Nine days to the new series of Emily in Paris 🤩.

I love it for the celebration of badass attitude queen Sylvie, the couture and the travel scenery. Am totally ready to see some fancy continental cafe culture. Storyline...whatevs [French shrug].
#EmilyinParis #travel
a woman in a white coat stands in front of a sign that says m2
ALT: a woman in a white coat stands in front of a sign that says m2
media.tenor.com
December 9, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Reposted by AnnaLois
womensartbluesky.bsky.social
In #winter 2018, Icelandic photographer Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir wanted to show her partner, who was away in the capital, how much it had snowed overnight at their home and posted a photo of herself on FB #womensart
Photograph of a white woman putting clothes out to dry on a washing line in her garden in shoulder height snow so only her head and shoulders are visible
December 9, 2025 at 9:49 AM
annalois36.bsky.social
Tern Away
for #BirdOfTheDay theme of #TurningAway

#EastCoastKin #photography #IncaTern #birds #nature #birdphotography #zoo #naturephotography
(Android phone camera)
Photograph taken inside the bird aviary at a zoo, looking up at an Inca Tern sitting on a greening piece of timber. Its body is deep grey with vibrant orange feet and beak. Beyond the bird is the protective wire roof covering. I find zoos fascinating but sometimes a bit uncomfortable. I would love all animals to be free and safe in their natural habitats, but appreciate for a wide variety of reasons that isn't always possible.
December 9, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted by AnnaLois
sabineshutterbug.bsky.social
Today I start on a serious note: pets are not Christmas gifts - they are lives, not toys. Don’t give an animal only to abandon it when the sparkle fades. Choose compassion: give love that lasts, not heartbreak wrapped in ribbon.
See ALT text! #AnimalArtTuesday #animalrescue #animalprotection
Impulsive animal gifts at Christmas trigger worldwide heartbreak, filling shelters with terrified pets discarded like wrapping paper. From US facilities overflowing with 245,000 extra dogs and cats, to Germany’s adoption bans amid 40-50% January returns, Europe’s chaos in Austria and France sees capacities double. Australia’s RSPCA faces year-long surrender waits, while Asia’s Hong Kong and Singapore report surging abandonments. These living beings endure infinite suffering: separation trauma, overcrowding stress, and euthanasia risks in strained systems. Puppies bought for holiday joy face lonely crates by New Year’s, their trust shattered forever. Choose ethics over impulse—adopt responsibly, never gift lives. Compassion prevents this global cycle of pain.
December 9, 2025 at 6:46 AM