Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Shopping, Part 2

In spite of my claim to hate shopping, I couldn't resist posting another group of pictures for this week's Thematic Photographic theme:

A juice stall on Capri. It was delicious!

Stunning food shop in Vernazza, in the Cinque Terre.

A nice relaxed return from getting essentials - Monterosso
 
Arcade in Rome

At the Mall, back home in New Zealand

Outdoor market in Wellington

Monday, August 29, 2011

Shopping in Turkey

This week's Thematic Photographic theme is 'Shopping'.
When I saw it I went, "Oh no!!" I hate shopping. Food - can't be bothered; 
clothes - ditto. Malls? Yikes!
Then I looked through the albums, and found lots of photos I could post. In fact, I'm going to have to post several batches ;).
Here's the first lot: shopping, Turkish style.

Bazaar in Bursa

I wish I'd bought one of his lovely carpets

In the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

At Perge

This made me laugh so much - fake watch sellers at Ephesus
(Click to embiggen)

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Sunday Snapshot

This coming Thursday is September the 1st, and that will officially be our first day of spring. 
I can't wait! For the last two weeks we've already been having very springlike weather, sunny, warm(ish) and calm.

For our walk today Manu LeGrand and I wandered around the old goldmine battery in the Karangahake Gorge. There are walkways and bike tracks, the skeletons of the old buildings, and rusty old machinery lying everywhere. Click to enlarge and get a better look!

Cyclists enjoying the warm sunshine
Manu found a friend to look at stuff with
Hmmm - wonder if Carmi's ever considered a 'rusty' theme?

I really hope none of you have been affected by Hurricane Irene - fingers crossed!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Not a hint of vibrancy...

Carmi's theme at Thematic Photographic this week is VIBRANT! Some stunning shots have been posted; check them out here.

I'm feeling anything but vibrant, and I've had no time to go looking for vibrant things to inspire me, so I'm hoping that posting some lovely flowers and fruit will improve my mood and make me feel a little bit less dull. Click to enlarge.


Spring tulips in Wellington:



Orchids at Singapore airport:



 Fruit market in Barcelona:


And some of last summer's flower tubs in my back yard:
 


 

Friday, August 19, 2011

Thematic Photographic 158: Made of Glass

This week's TP topic is "Made of Glass".  
I had nothing that I felt I wanted to post for this; other people's pics were so stunning that I felt intimidated. However it was a sunny Saturday morning so I gathered up some glass objects from around the house, and had fun playing with them. Here are my glass objects, complete with dust...

 
 This Chinese bottle has the design painted, by hand, on the INSIDE !


I collect eggs. I bought these little glass ones in Sorrento.

Hand-made dish from a local artisan.

Glass objects on a glass table....
I enjoyed seeing all the colours and the reflections, and ended up enjoying this theme after all:


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

A tribute


A State funeral was held in Auckland this morning for Bishop Sir Paul Reeves 
(December 1932 – August 2011)

Sir Paul was someone I have known about and admired for all of my adult life. He was the first person of Māori descent to be appointed Governor-General of New Zealand (the Governor-General represents the Queen and is our Head of State). Before that he was Bishop of Auckland, and later Archbishop of New Zealand. He also held a number of other diplomatic and advisory posts, including Anglican Observer at the United Nations, and Assistant Bishop of New York; he chaired the Nelson Mandela Trust. For the last 11 years he was the Chancellor of the Auckland University of Technology.  


Paul Reeves was a tall, good-looking man with considerable presence and dignity - what we in this country call "mana". He was also a great and good man, always humble; he was the first GG not to have come from a privileged background, being the son of a working class Wellington tram driver. Moreover, he was the first non-military and non-judicial holder of the office. In 2007, having received NZ’s highest possible honour, he summed up his life’s work as, “fundamentally, I’m a priest of the Anglican Church…I’ve helped good people do good things.”


I found it especially moving to learn that on his State coat-of-arms, his official motto was Whakarongo, which simply means "Listen'.

Kua hinga he totara i te wao nui a Tane*


*(a huge tree has fallen in the forest)

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Sunday Snapshot

Winter afternoon. 
It's cold but there are still kids playing on the shore, and people kayaking.


"I was just thinking, if it is really religion with these nudist colonies, 
they sure must turn atheists in the wintertime." 
~Will Rogers

Thursday, August 11, 2011

More rough stuff

Some more shots which fit the rough theme at Thematic Photographic. I took these late this afternoon while walking the dog in the area of native bush up at school; they're a few of the things I saw looking down at the forest floor:







Monday, August 8, 2011

It's Rough when....

.... the cliff's too rough to climb!
This seal looked as if he was contemplating how on earth he was going to get up the cliff. 
I took this several years ago on the rugged coast down south of New Zealand.


Posted for Thematic Photographic's "Rough" theme, over at Written Inc.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Sunday Snapshot

This man reads the paper near the Library in a small town neighbouring the one I live in. 
His dog waits patiently for his attention.

The sculpture has a lovely restful air. Many times I have seen people sitting close beside 
him to have a photo taken - he never seems to mind their presumption,
but continues to look calmly across the street.


Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Trawling for Red: Thematic Photographic 156

People have been posting some great RED shots in answer to this week's challenge over at Written Inc.

I don't have any fantastic red sunsets, but I found a few red pics in a quick sweep through my albums.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *
At the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara, Turkey, I took this lovely bronze artifact. It was used by Hittite priests and symbolises the universe, and it is dated from 2100 B.C.


 * ~ * ~ * ~
Four shots from this year's trip to Italy: 
poppies growing at an arborio rice farm


 a red lighthouse spotted from the ferry trip  along the Ligurian coast


and one of the beautiful beasts at the Ferrarri Museum at Parma


 This little red Fiat parked along the road from the Museum didn't match the Ferrarri, but
it's cute! One of these was my first car ever.


 * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Finally, back home in New Zealand: a beautiful  bloom from the native Pohutukawa tree, growing in my own backyard