Monday, October 26, 2015

Spring, so far...

In the Antipodes, a new season starts on the 1st of the relevant month, 
not the 21st as in the northern hemisphere. 

Therefore, in four days' time we shall be starting our 3rd month of spring. 

With luck, month 3 will be an improvement on September and October! 
We have had weeks and weeks of winds - cold, strong, nasty winds. And very little rain. 

You expect some windy days in spring, and also some gentle, life-giving rain. Hmmph!

There are a few small brave signs of the season, thankfully. Most of the earlier blossoms
and flowers were destroyed by the wind. Tattered freesias and ripped daffodils are not very attractive!








And to qualify for Carmi's Thematic Photographic 353, "Size Small",
here's a monarch from last summer.


Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Holiday Memories 2


    The last country I visited was Scotland, and the city I stayed in before flying home was Glasgow.

The weather was just as you'd expect - cold, windy, damp and/or raining for the 5 days I was there. 
It was mid-July. I did enjoy my time there - especially the people-watching!


Everyone has seen this picture - the Duke of Wellington with his orange road cone, 
outside the Gallery of Modern Art:





I loved the Princes Square shopping centre, so different from the usual plastic malls:






On a dull day, these planters provided lovely colour:






Lastly, a reminder of the Commonwealth Games held in the city last year:




"The Glasgow invention of square-toed shoes was to enable 
the Glasgow man to get closer to the bar."
 
~ Jack House

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Holiday Memories

Earlier this year, I spent nearly 3 months in Europe: my retirement present to myself.  

I have posted quite a lot of photos since I got back, but there are many more which I would like to have see the light of day, so I'm going to try to publish a few every day or two. 

Today's are from Barcelona. 

My son and his girlfriend have lived there for about seven years now, 
and I've been there before; it's one of my favourite cities, 
especially away from the crowded sightseeing spots.





This peaceful spot is the little plaça which my son's apartment overlooks. 
No cars are allowed, and the trees provide much-needed shade. 
The people of the neighbourhood meet for coffee and conversation while
the kids play, there is a community vegetable garden...









On one walk, we paid a visit to the enormous Cementiri de Montjuïc:




"In Spain, the dead are more alive than the dead of any other country in the world."

~ Federico Garcia Lorca