Monday, May 30, 2011

Well aged

This week Carmi has suggested "Well aged" as a photographic theme. 
I have recently had a wonderful three-week holiday in Italy, so here are some pics around this idea.

Please click on the photos to see more detail.

Firstly, a well-aged foot from the Vatican Museum in Rome:


I can't resist a shot of the Colosseum:


This mosaic is one of those recovered from Pompei. It is in the
Napoli (Naples)Museum.


Well-aged Parma hams from a family farm. Delicious!



I feel a little disrespectful posting these ones; I hope
no-one takes offence!  
They are mummies - one wrapped, one not - from the 
Egyptian Museum in Torino (Turin).



You can see more posts on this theme here.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Sunday Snapshot

We are having a long and unusually mild autumn.

I usually set Sunday mornings aside for schoolwork - marking, paperwork, preparing for the coming week. But this morning I could not resist the warm sunshine and clear blue skies, and decided to let the schoolwork wait. I checked the tide table and headed off for the estuary with Manu LeGrand.

Local trainers often bring their racehorses down there for a workout on the damp sand:


And Manu decided to give his coat a new look by rolling luxuriously in what the horses left behind!

We had a lovely morning.

"The more side roads you stop to explore, the less likely 
that life will pass you by." ~Robert Brault

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Thematic Photographic 147: Got the Blues

Carmi's new theme at Written Inc is 'Got the Blues'
I've been feeling pretty darned blue lately, so maybe some 
of these blue pics will remind me of happy places and times
Mt Taranaki, New Zealand

Summer Sky

Roof panels at the mall

Fencing in the sky

Park Guell, Barcelona

Corinth

Bells Beach near Melbourne, Australia

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Sunday Snapshot

Yes I know how predictable I'm being!
Everyone who goes to St Peter's in Rome takes a photo of the Swiss Guards. Why should I be any different?


They were rather gorgeous.

The Pontifical Swiss Guards are the official army of The Vatican City state. They must be Swiss citizens and Catholics. And male. They were formed in 1506 and their uniform is modelled on the Renaissance style. 

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Thematic Photographic 146: Aerial

This is probably the most testing theme I've seen since I started participating in Carmi's weekly photographic fun (for other posts see here)




I can't seem to come up with any lateral thinking idea, and I've no pics taken from a space shuttle or an aeroplane...






So herewith some shots taken from high(ish) places: please click to enlarge
An intersection in Barcelona, taken from the roof of Gaudi's "La Pedrera":


Monastery almost aerial, in Meteora, Greece:

o shots of the beautiful blue Mediterranean, from high up n the cliffs of Capri:


And Portofino, taken from the Castle at the top of the town:



Lastly and laterally, Ariel from A Midsummer Night's Dream



Full fathom five thy father lies;
of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange

A microcosm


Food for thought

This has been one of my favourites for a long time.
I'm so happy that they have made an updated version.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Sunday Snapshot



Two cherubs in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Their mother was taking a
picture of them, in front of the two marble cherubs.

I couldn't resist taking one too...

Just after this, one punched the other on the arm; tears ensued!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Thematic Photographic 145: Vehicular

Ok then. I've just got back from a three-week holiday in Italy, so I have to post pictures from a visit to the Ferrari museum near Parma :

1949

1951

1959



1966


And a representative example of that other Italian beauty, the Fiat:

You can find other vehicular posts here.