I promised you something easier for Macro Monday this time, didn’t I? And I’m glad I did, because I stayed up till 3am watching the Superbowl last night so I’m not exactly firing on all cylinders myself!

So there it is. After that fiendishly difficult puzzle last week (the absinthe spoon, if you remember), I present you with a very ordinary, everyday object. One that you’ll find in most kitchens – at least in the UK, USA, and New Zealand. Never having travelled outside those areas myself, I cannot say for sure, but I suspect that this item is fairly widespread across the globe.

Instantly recognisable, seen as a whole, this may be too easy for you clever people, but I’m hoping it will be fun anyway!

As usual, check back tomorrow evening (UK time) for the answer. I’ll add a link to the big picture at the bottom of this post, and also the answer will turn up in the comments at some point. And thank you all for playing!

And here we are on Tuesday evening and I expect you’re all waiting for the answer, huh? Well, here you go! Congratulations (once again) to our champion guesser, Colleen! And to our joint winner Quilly – yes, you were right, too! Well done you two – the others were nowhere even close!

But I bet a lot of them will be kicking themselves! Tee hee.

Well, as you all know, I’m away on holiday right now, but I’ve brought a few pictures with me from the archives just so I can do an ABC Wednesday for you.  It won’t be like my usual posts, but hopefully you’ll all forgive me and just enjoy the pretty pictures.

This week is the letter ‘L’, and searching through the files, I found you some lovely ‘L’s from the city of Lincoln, which we visited earlier this year.   The sky was blue, the sun was bright, and it was a great day to take pictures of the buildings … and this decorative lamp-post, framed against that cerulean blue.

Or another, standing tall against an old stone building

Of course, there are other sorts of light – like these leaded lights, an old fashioned type of window, where the glass is made up of tiny panes joined together with lead strips.

There are more lamp-posts in there, too!

And these window frames are leaning rather prettily, aren’t they?   Especially pretty with the ledges full with boxes full of daffodils.  That should give you a clue about what time of year it was.

Looking up at the rooftops, I noticed something rather strange.

I took that picture for that lovely lamp, bracketed on the side of the building, but then I noticed the ladder, leading up to the chimney pots!

Lastly, here’s something unusual.  I bet not many of you have seen a level crossing which cuts across a town’s main street! In Lincoln, the shoppers have to regularly stop for trains.  No-one seems to think it odd, but it took me by surprise.

When the lights flash, the barriers come down and everyone has to wait.

Once the lights have stopped flashing, everyone can go about their business.

Thank you for reading this week’s contribution.  I hope I will get a decent connection sometime in the next few days, but I fear it’s unlikely.  So my apologies in advance for neglecting you this week. I will get around to you all again once we’re home, if not before!

I thought I should make the title quite clear for those who are arachnophobic and might not want to look.  After all, a spider is bad enough if you can’t bear them.  A Macro Monday spider might induce heart attack, and I wouldn’t want to be responsible for that!

This is a Common Cross Garden spider – Araneus diadematus.  As the name suggests, they are very common indeed here in England.  Quite harmless, beneficial insects, and also quite beautiful – at least, to me.  If you see one, leave it be, because this species takes larger insects, including wasps.

OH is arachnophobic, but he’s a lot better than he used to be. Living with me has helped, I think.  Instead of backing out of the garage, locking the door behind him, and vowing not to go back in until next year, he came to tell me I might want a picture of this one – and he was right!

Beautifully framed there against the window, and perfectly backlit, there she was.  And by the look of her, quite a new, young specimen.  She seems so sparkly and pristine!

Her web is a bit untidy, though, isn’t it?  Maybe she’s still learning to spin?

I thought I’d show you some pictures from my workspace this week.  I make jewellery – oh, nothing flashy, just beads and ready-made sterling or gold-plated findings, and sometimes cotton or leather thong, but I love to do it.  The beads and sequins and so on are so beautiful, and it’s a quiet and soothing thing to do.

It’s a great hobby for me, because there’s no pressure and I love handling all the components.  Even the cords have their fascination for me.

I’m not very tidy though.  I opened up a box today and pulled this out.  It’s a mix of purple leather thong and cotton cord.  Both are quite springy, so they coiled themselves up in a tangle and I thought they looked quite photogenic.

Lastly, I took a picture of some finished jewellery.  These are three pairs from a handful of greyhound earrings I’ve made, which I’ll probably donate to the next ‘Meet and Greet’ for a greyhound rehoming charity.  They won’t fetch much, but every little bit helps, doesn’t it?

So, that’s my contribution for this week’s Macro Monday!  I can’t wait to see what everyone else has come up with!