Reflections

Thematic Photographic 410: Reflections

Carmi's prompt this week is one I can't resist! 

Reflections in the almost-dark:

And reflections at the beach at dawn:

Latin reflectere = to bend back

Wheels and Tyres

Puff puff - I'm late for TP again, but I couldn't resist posting this pic:

When we first got Manu, he was so little he could fit on my son's hand!

Here he is, sitting in a neighbour's tractor tyre.

Other Thematic Photographic postings for this theme are here.

Taking a Walk

Thematic Photographic 403

This post is a bit late, but I've been waiting through
three days of heavy rain for a chance to "take" a walk
 - or as we say in this part of the world, to go for a walk.

If I wait any longer I'll miss out on this theme 

completely, so here are some walking photos, 

mostly of family, from my archives. 

For other posts on this theme, go to Carmi's blog here.

First, one of my favourite shots of our son, taken in Bolivia. 

Sadly, I wasn't there to take it!

Here, he was briefly back home in New Zealand:

Our daughter and her husband, walking into their future 

after their beach wedding in Rarotonga. 

Can't believe it was 10 years ago!

Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from 
generation to generation. ~ Lois Wyse

Stepping out:

Maybe Grandad knows the way...

And of course, a walk's never a proper walk 

without Manu along!

I look my best when I'm totally free, on holiday, 

and I'm walking on the beach. ~ Rosamund Pike

A hat helps...

Thematic Photographic #399 - 'Hat Trick' See more here.

Hats are great (although I can never find one which I feel  

suits me).

Hats can help you concentrate

And sometimes they are absolutely necessary

The Duke of Wellington always wears his pointy hat in Glasgow

And some family history. 

My half-sister was one of the first 'stewardesses' to fly on the TEAL (the ancestor of Air New Zealand) flying boat service between New Zealand and Australia. 

Here, she is second from the back, in a very jaunty hat indeed.

THematic Photographic: Lightbulbs

I haven't taken part in Carmi's Thematic Photographic for some time. Must try harder!

The latest theme is Lightbulbs, so I found some bulbs to show you.

 

This bulb would light up quite a few homes at once:

Awhitu Lighthouse, New Zealand

Lots of little bulbs can be effective, too:

Westfield Mall, Shepherd's Bush, London

 

 

 

 

 

A fantastic lit-up slogan for a brilliant museum:

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

University students singing by the banks of the River Douro:

Porto, Portugal

And beautiful lightbulbs in Casablanca, Morocco:

Mosque of Hassan II

For some more lightbulbs, visit Written.Inc

Thematic Photographic 355 - Old

I chose one of my favourite old places for this Thematic Photographic, 

the Temple of Apollo on Mt Parnassus at Delphi in Greece. 

As I said in my comment on Fredaman's post, I love wandering around ruins, 

imagining what it was like for the people who lived there. 

How many people came to visit the Oracle, trying to find some 

answers to their questions?

See other posts at Written.Inc

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.

Spontaneous

 Thematic Photographic is here, and this week's topic is 'Spontaneous'.

England, in the grounds of Leeds Castle. 

I was just focusing the lens when s/he turned around to look at me. 

For once, I was quick enough!

Liquidity - Thematic Photographic 340

Here are some liquid-y pictures from my recent travels. Click to enlarge.

In Port Lligat, Spain, my son and I visited Salvador Dali's garden. 

The swimming-pool looked very tempting.

Swans on the canal in beautiful Bruges

Nazare, one of Portugal's superb beaches

In Scotland, the weather was like this - overcast, cool, often dampish - for nearly 3 weeks. 

It was perfect!

See other people's liquidity posts on Written.Inc

Please be seated - Thematic Photographic 331

This week Carmi is extending an invitation to us to take a chair. See other people's ideas here.

I found this rare bird sitting comfortably at the Auckland Botanical Gardens.

Sitting quietly, doing nothing,
Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.

~ Zenrin Kushu

Bodies of Water - TP 329

Serendipitous Thematic Photographic!

On Sunday and Monday the eastern coasts of New Zealand were visited by the remnants of tropical cyclone Pam, which earlier caused huge damage and a number of deaths in Vanuatu and nearby islands. (See here)

Where I live we had a lot of rain but luckily, not the damaging winds we had been promised.

This morning I got up and drove out to the beach before dawn, to see if I could get some shots of the sunrise, and of the big surf which is always a legacy of easterly storms. The surf doesn't look very big in these - the scale is deceptive.

Here are some of the photos I took:

 

 

See some other bodies of water at Written.Inc

Hit the Road: TP 328

I love a road trip, but I haven't taken many recently - sadly! Just one short one, 

which I've already posted a road pic from. 

Taken from the top of the Manukau Heads Lighthouse, it is evidence of our ongoing drought:

Here are some favourite road shots from the archives:

 On the road to Whanganui. It'll be at least another month before the leaves are this colour -

 

South Island road trip in 2013 -

This is the road I drive when I head west out of our town -

You won't get far on this road!

See how others are hitting the road over here, at Written.Inc


Hopeless Wanderer....