View allAll Photos Tagged Contentment
con·tent·ment (kən tent′mənt). noun. the neuro-physiological experience of satisfaction and being at ease in one's situation.
Second shot from my very first attempt at studio photography (at Monday night's OffShoot session in Dalkey).
Model: Dave.
Lighting and assorted electronic wizardry: Steve.
Wealth lies not in the extent of possessions, but in the fewest of wants.
My cat "Tiamo" (Italian for "I love you") showing off her contentment.
May the rest of your Tuesday be filled with contentment!
I realised today that I don't have to be
a thousand miles away
to enjoy what surrounds me...
I am the fortunate one that can walk
my streets
and find brightness and hope...
Not Christmas in an envelope!
But here around me...if I only take
the time...
a paintbrush feathers me in...
and I am speechless, electrified...
sublime.
sylvia...sometimes...
It’s almost worth getting stuck in the rush hour madness that envelops you at the instant the westbound crossing of the second Severn Bridge comes to an end because it might just make you appreciate what’s to follow even more. As the sign that welcomes you to the Principality in two languages tells you that you’re now on Welsh soil, the traffic that flowed around you so freely before suddenly solidifies into a mass of heaving metallic shapes, crawling as one slowly towards Newport, with Cardiff and Swansea merely distant dreams for the weary commuters who just want to get home in time for tea. You see a sign that says Gwasanaethau and for a moment you wonder whether there’s a short cut, but then you remember that it means a service station is just ahead. You could grab a coffee, but you’ll only be prolonging the torpor. Half an hour later you’ll be back among the mechanised scrum again, very possibly with a protesting bladder. You might have been a few miles further on if you’d just kept going.
But eventually and joyfully that hideous stony brown megalith, the Celtic Manor Resort looms high over you above the right hand side of the motorway and announces that you’re on the cusp of freedom as you approach the eastern extremity of Newport. A freedom that beckons you northward as you negotiate the enormous roundabout that awaits you at the end of the slip road and carries you onto the A449 in the direction on Monmouth. The sense of release is as immediate as was the dismay upon arriving amid the inevitable web of chaos that greeted you as you arrived in Wales a while earlier. As the road rises, the views open to the west and you can't help but feel a sneaking satisfaction at the thought of the cavalcade of vehicles inching painfully in the direction of Cardiff in the valley below. You’ve escaped and the big country is just beyond the horizon. It’s waiting and you’ll be there before long.
A little later you’ll arrive in the pleasing market town of Abergavenny. An unexplained tradition means you’ll stop at the local Aldi just before the town centre for provisions, whether you need them or not. You have some hard walking in the mountains ahead of you. Better stock up on Haribo at least. You can’t do a ten mile ridge walk without a bag of Haribo in your pack – there’s probably a byelaw about that somewhere. There’s a good chippy in Abergavenny too. Better stop there too while you’re at it. There’s still the best part of an hour to go.
Now the mountains have begun to close in and tower over you as you head north towards Brecon. The fast roads are behind you and you’ll need most of Brenda’s six gears as the route winds, climbs and descends through the glorious landscape. You want to stare beyond the windscreen into the raw beauty that surrounds you but you’re driving. There’ll be time to fall in love with the place all over again later.
You’re almost there now. You’ve passed Crickhowell and the unpronounceable Blwch. They’re not overly free with the vowels around here. Before the town of Brecon arrives at your front bumper you leave the road with a left turn, along a series of ever narrowing lanes, up and up into the hills until the very last half mile of bracken flanked public road that’s not quite as wide as your campervan. It’s a good job you didn’t buy a brand new motorhome because you’d be stuck by now, waiting for a friendly farmer to scrape you out backwards with a row tope. You’d probably also be weeping while the value of your shiny new investment plummets as quickly as the remaining road ahead of you rises.
Finally you’re at the farm where the summer swallows swoop and dance their welcomes across the space as you pass through the yard and higher still along the rocky track, before arriving at the field beside which your spartan yet welcoming lodgings await you. You’ve arrived at a place as beautiful and unspoilt as you remembered it. The silent contentment. With a glass of malt whisky you’ll sit in your camping chair in this field, surrounded by the long grass full of the gentle hum of insects at work. You gaze northward, towards the Black Mountains that fill the border here between England and Wales as the colours intensify and then the shadows begin to lengthen and cover the land in darkness. All around you is nature’s unconditional perfection. You’ve arrived and the adventure awaits.
Me on Scarista Beach, looking towards the dark sky over Taransay and the North Harris Hills. I don't live on Harris but it feels 'right' when i'm there.
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea" Henry James.
What more could one ask for? Stunning view of the Jungfrau massif, including the Silberhorn and the Sphinx Observatory. VA12.
This juvenile New Zealand (Arctocephalus forsteri), aka Long-nosed fur seal, is resting on a sunny rock after having a feed from its mother. Seen at Cape de Couedic on Kangaroo Island, South Australia.
The little one is our Chihuahua Rosie. She's guarding her two buddies at the dog park against anyone who might interrupt their reverie. They're supposed to be romping and playing, getting lots of exercise, but somehow they didn't get the message.
Every year the Easter show is held at Homebush bay. It has been years since I've been, and with my cousin over from Macao, the family decided to take a trip down memory lane... I must admit, the animals were cute, and I felt like a little kid patting and petting the farm animals...
Taken and not edited for Smile on Saturday's #animalSOOC theme :-)
This challenge sounded tricky to me as my lens doesn't zoom quite as far as I need it to. But maybe others were less daunted, as there's a lot of beautiful SOOC animal images in the group today.
-SOOC-
thanks Dennis for the photowalk..kindly visit his awesome stream..
www.flickr.com/photos/denzl/4610171962/
“Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend. Non-being is the greatest joy.”
Lao Tzu
BB: "Hey, diz abbo iz bwogen!"
(he took a bite but it somehow didn't make it into his mouth and was left dangling)
Me at Cefn Ila this afternoon. I was only there for about an hour tops, just lying in the hammock chair in a copse of birch and cherry, sheltered from the wind.
Pure relaxation.
I can't help but think that you can see this harbor seal smiling. Taken at Point Lobos State Reserve near Monterey.
6x9 Negative Scan
Fuji GSW690 III Ilford XP2 Super 400
Image recorded in a farm field along the river near Canal Fulton, Ohio
Edited with Affinity Photo and Snapseed
A shot from the Miroir d'eau in Bordeaux in 2011, that resided untouched on my hard drive until yesterday.
Here's its companion shot.
"The Miroir d'eau (Water Mirror) in Bordeaux is the world's largest reflecting pool, covering 3,450 square metres. Located on the quay of the Garonne in front of the Place de la Bourse, it was built in 2006.
In the context of the quays embellishment operation (2000s), it was designed by landscape artist Michel Corajoud. Then it was built by the fountain-maker Jean-Max Llorca and the architect Pierre Gangnet, who reused a former underground warehouse to set the machinery and reservoir.
The reflecting pool is made of granite slabs covered by 2cm of water, and a system allows it to create mist every 15 minutes.
The Miroir d'eau works only from April to October."
found this little guy at the end of a little path in the Chinese Gardens, Darling Harbour.
he looks so relaxed :)
It’s 3 am. I just fed this dark tortie outdoor cat 🐈 ... Now it seems quite content to stretch out and relax👏🎶👏 During the day, it sleeps under a couch on the veranda.
Tigger sleeping on her favorite mat in the living room, enjoying the sunlight from our south-facing window, while Norio sleeps mostly under his bench (but still partially visible).
Thank you all for your comments and faves!
Blog: www.miksmedia.photography/
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The geese are running south, as if they were chased by a monster, the days are cold and we got some snow in northern part of the province.. It is getting closer and closer to winter so we try to go out and get some shots of the colorful world, before it is covered by white. It was a warm and beautiful day when we took a trip to Elk Island and spent a wonderful evening watching the sun go down, without having to wear gloves and hats yet ;D Let's hope it lasts just a bit longer!!!
This is the final photo I will put up from the wonderful proshoot we had with Wendy from Phase8 Photography (www.phase8photos.com)
We has so much fun and really enjoyed the whole experience. I hope you enjoyed the photos I have posted, I wanted to show something special and intimate without being tacky. Do you think I managed that?
Wishing all my friends and followers a healthy and happy 2015! Remember that life is for living and enjoying! xxx