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When we were driving to Isandlwana Lodge in Zululand, we came across this huge Brahman bull standing on the side of the road to the Lodge. It didn't take any notice of us as we drove past, but I am not sure I would like to be walking on the road as some people were.
We have had so much rain here since we arrived and there has been lots of localised flooding. The road to the hospital was blocked this morning, but one lane was open this afternoon, so we were able to visit my brother. He is a lot happier as he has been given pain killers again and has been moved into a room with a TV, so he has something to occupy his mind instead of staring at the walls.
The House in the Clouds is a water tower at Thorpeness, Suffolk, UK. It was built in 1923 to receive water pumped from Thorpeness Windmill and was designed to improve the looks of the water tower, disguising its tank with the appearance of a weatherboarded building more in keeping with Thorpeness's mock-Tudor and Jacobean style, except seeming to float above the trees. The original capacity of the water tank was 50,000 imperial gallons (230,000 l) but during the Second World War, the House in the Clouds was hit by gunfire from anti-aircraft guns based at Thorpeness. The water tank was repaired using its own steel, which resulted in a reduced capacity of 30,000 imperial gallons (140,000 l). In 1977 the water tower was made redundant by a mains water supply to the village, and additional living space was created. In 1979 the main water tank was removed to fully convert the building into a house. The building currently has five bedrooms and three bathrooms; it contains a total of 68 steps from top to bottom and is around 70 ft high.
It has been a Grade II Listed Building since 1995.
I have another Poppy flower in my garden. I wasn't sure if it would open before we flew out for the UK, but when I went into the garden yesterday, there it was. Isn't it beautiful?? 2.5 days now and we will be on our way - packing is almost done and my camera bag has been ready for a few days now.
My daughter is going to come in every few days to water the garden for me, so hopefully my new plants will survive while we are gone.
This is my photo for the group 52 in 2014 - #28. Golden. Peter took our antique clock up to a friend who is a watchmaker to see if he could work out why it was striking odd times during the night - all fixed now. While we were there I noticed this clock on the bench. I have been told it is a Gimbal World clock.
We are making a flying visit to Hervey Bay to see Peter's son who has been having a few problems and is missing everyone. I will also get to see my son and his family which is always a bonus. We expect to be gone about two weeks and I will touch base when I can.
I have decided to join Nina on her challenge to take a flower photo a day for 365 days.
www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/
A bit soft, but I love it anyway.
Mont Saint-Michel (pronounced: [mɔ̃ sɛ̃ mi.ʃɛl]; English: Saint Michael's Mount) is an island commune in Normandy, France. It is located approximately one kilometre (0.6 miles) off the country's northwestern coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches. 247 acres (100 ha) in size, the island has a population of 44 (2009).
The island has held strategic fortifications since ancient times, and since the eighth century AD has been the seat of the monastery from which it draws its name. The structural composition of the town exemplifies the feudal society that constructed it. On top God, the abbey and monastery, below this the Great halls, then stores and housing, and at the bottom, outside the walls, fishermen and farmers' housing.
One of France's most recognisable landmarks, Mont Saint-Michel and its bay are part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites and more than 3 million people visit it each year.
We spotted this waterbuck standing on the side of the road. I love these animals - they look like they have a white target on their behind.
We spotted quite a few giraffe during our time in Kruger which was always exciting. We sat for quite a while and watched this giraffe try and reach the leaves at the top. While we were waiting the other giraffe came over and he had scars all over his body. I thought it may have been from an attack by a lion or leopard, but someone said it looked more like some type of cancer - maybe someone might be able to help.
It is another beautiful Autumn day here in Sydney today - the sun is shining and it is cool, but not too cool. This is another photo from our drive to Mt. Wilson a week or so back.
I have decided to join Nina on her challenge to add a flower photo a day for 365 days.
www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/
Nina is still in Alaska and last night saw the Nothern lights - I am so jealous. When we were in Norway at the North Cape I was hoping to see them, but the night we were there it was so foggy that we couldn't see two feet in front of us, so we missed out.
We were driving along one of the dirt roads in Kruger when we came across many cars parked all over the road. We stopped and looked at where people were pointing, but could see nothing. We were told that there were lions laying in the long grass and as we were watching, this lion stood up, turned around and then laid back down again.
I spotted this beautiful bird when we were in Addo Elephant Park. I think it is a type of Weaver.
The house we are staying in has no internet (not even a TV or radio). Idon't mind no TV, I like having backround noise so a radio would be nice. We are sitting at the local restaurant that has internet, but it is a bit erratic. I have been told it is a spectacled weaver.
We stayed the night in Stranraer in Scotland before catching the ferry over to Northern Ireland. In the afternoon we went for a drive around the local area and ended up in Portpatrick - a lovely harbourside village.
Driving through the Yorkshire Moors it is wonderful to see all the free roaming sheep on the side of the road. Normally when we stopped the car, they would just stand and stare at us, but occasionally they would trot away (like this one).
I have decided to join Nina (www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/) on her challenge of taking a flower photo a day for 365 days.
After we followed the Wildebeest down the road (see yesterday's photo), we came around the bend to see this huge male elephant walking down the road towards the dam. There was a car coming up the other way and it stopped. The elephant kept going towards the car and the driver of the car kept reversing. In the end he had no where else to go and we began to think it was getting a bit tricky. Then another elephant came out from the bushes and began walking towards the car and now there were two. The second elephant then walked off into the bushes on the left hand side and started walking up the hill. After a few minutes of deliberating, the big elephant followed the other one up the hill. When the driver of the car stopped next to us, Peter said "that was a bit tricky" and the driver said "yes, I didn't really trust him".
We called into a hide in Pilanesberg and as we were walking, I noticed this crocodile just laying in the water. As we were sitting watching some water birds Peter said that he thought it was going to try and catch a large type of catfish so I went over and waited for the strike. It struck and missed and when we saw the size of the crocodile we were amazed - so big. I tried to take photos but had the 100-400 lens on and it was too close. It then started slowly swimming to a branch in the water where there were a few water birds sitting. It made a strike at a low branch, but also missed.
Peter spotted this baby Preying Mantis on my Geranium plant yesterday. I had the grandkids over and they were oohing and aahing over it. The youngest one put it on her finger and was very brave until it started running up her arm. I love watching them watching us. They seem so inquisitive when they move their heads side to side checking us out.
A pretty little antelope that I spotted in the bushes as we were driving around Kruger. Peter says that it is a Steenbuck, but maybe some of my South African friends can confirm.
One of black faced sheep spotted grazing on the side of the road in Scotland, not far from Fort William.
I have decided to join Nina on her challenge to add a flower photo a day for 365 days.
www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/
There are still a few lone insects around and still a few flowers.
I have decided to join Nina on her challenge to add a flower photo a day for 365 days.
www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/
A Blue Banded bee with a Red Star Cluster flower - two of my favourite subjects.
Honestly, I love the Sound of Music and I have seen it so many times I have lost count.
But, give me mountain scenery and "Climb every Mountain", is the first thing that pops into this overactive brain of mine.
This photo is my particular favourite, okay, okay, all the photos I took on this trip are my faves!
I just like the between seasons look. The deep, rich colours of Autumn and the stark mono's of Winter.
About half a mile away was another lake which has given me some lovely reflection shots and it was ice free. This lake was rapidly icing over and before my eyes as well so the surface looked like a cracked mirror.
I think its the first time I have been on a road trip where every twist and turn of the road has provided an entirely different scene.
We are going over again next month, may as well take advantage of the incredibly cheap Winter deals that the ferries are offering!
EXPLORE NO. 4 28TH NOVEMBER 2013
What I really like about photography, is that we have endless moments in time which are lost forever (particularly when our memories grow dimmer with age), but if we have a camera we capture that moment forever.
I particularly like this moment in time as its a lot gentler than my other images.
The Loch was so beautiful and calm and it reflected perfectly all the curves of the shore and the mountain.
The fog disguised the fact that the mountains in the distance needed a ten week Bear Grylls Survival Course and that was just to suss the map out!!!
It wasn't until I started processing the image that I had realised that I had taken Lonely Little Tree's twin.
I wonder if they have survived the hurricane strength winds that battered the UK yesterday!
When we were driving around Kruger National Park we saw so many rhinos - many more than on our previous visits.
I thought I was going to miss out taking a photo of a squirrel on our last trip, but we called in to Dorking and I went to the church ground where I saw some in 2013. Whilst there were not as many around, I did manage to spot a couple with their prizes.
I have decided to join Nina on her challenge to add a flower photo a day for 365 days.
www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/
We fly out tomorrow for Paris.
I have decided to join Nina on her challenge to add a flower photo a day for 365 days.
www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/
A Matchstick Bromeliad growing in my neighbour's garden. It is still raining here and tomorrow is supposed to be torrential with gale force winds. The rain is supposed to last until Wednesday and then showers until next weekend.
Winter has now arrived in Australia and the insects have packed their bags and headed north for the Winter. These are some of the last bees that I saw in the garden.
I have not been commenting as much on Flickr as I am still having so much trouble with my hands. I am finding it difficult to do anything, let alone pick up the camera and as it is only 6 weeks until we go to Africa, I am beginning to despair. The tests showed no Carpal Tunnel, but the doctor now wants me to go back to see the surgeon who may suggest some more cortisone injections which will hopefully relieve the pain. I am sorry I can't leave personal comments, but typing is really impossible at the moment.
#335 on Explore on 6th June, 2012.
I have decided to join Nina on her challenge to take a flower photo a day for 365 days.
www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/
I ran an action called Spring Wildflowers on the original photo. I am computer illiterate LOL, so this action I just have to hit the "go" button and it is done for me.
I have been looking through the photos from our last trip to Kruger and came across this shot. We were so lucky on our last trip and saw so many animals up close - hope we are as lucky this time.
This is my photo for the 52 in 2015 Challenge - #9 Bell(s). I was looking for something in my jewellery box and came across some gold charms and amongst them was this lovely bell. They had belonged to my late Aunt and she had collected them during her travels.
One I found in the archives yesterday. African Daisies are such interesting photo subjects - each phase of the flower is unique.
I have decided to join Nina on her challenge to take a flower photo a day for 365 days.
www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/
A beautiful pansy that I spied during a visit to Franschhoek in South Africa
One of my passions (amongst many - and not a peep out of you Mr.Killen), is Castles.
Living in Northern Ireland, regularly visiting the Republic of Ireland and trotting over to Scotland I have more than enough castles to keep me amused.
So looking through my photos from the past nearly 5 years of living here, I have managed to upload the grand total of three Castles.
Going to have to address that little discrepancy !
So first on my list is the gorgeous, very photogenic Eilean Donan Castle which is on the way to the Isle of Skye.
I always thought the film Entrapment with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones was filmed here, in fact I would have bet money on it. Wrong!!!
The first Highlander film was filmed here and I must have got it into my head that most films were filmed here. The owners of the castle would have loved every film to be made here!!
What totally took me by surprise is that it is incredibly close to the road. Yes it is on its own little island, but that too is incredibly close to the road!!! I had this romantic notion that the island was in the middle of the Loch and only accessible by boat.
As usual with most castles, especially in this area of Scotland, it has had a very checkered past.
It downfall came in 1719 when its owners were discovered to be part of the Jacobean Cause to bring Bonnie Prince Charlie back from exile and plonk him on the throne.
For this little indiscretion the castle was blown to bits and lay in ruins for 200 years.
Fast forward to 1911 and Lieutenant Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap bought the ruins and spent the next 20 years making it into his home. No doubt many locals (and believe me its not the most inhabited of places) thought he was totally bonkers.
But, bless him he did it and even reduced his carbon footprint by using most of the stone left behind.
We arrived here quite early as we were heading to the Isle of Skye for the day and despite the awful weather, the place was heaving with tourists, one of my pet dislikes.
As we weren't actually going into the castle, I got away from the throng of people in the carpark and discovered a little place where I could get a decent shot with minimal people.
I must have a sign with neon lights over my head because from nowhere I had a van load of very rude tourists trying to push me out of the way.
Once those hiking boots get embedded into the mud, there is NO moving me and I must admit the urge to shove them into the Loch was very, very strong.
Truly I am a nice person!!
Summer days are salad days - these are some tiny tomatoes growing in our garden. Today is the last day of Summer here in Australia, and it is raining. I am sure we will still have some hot days as the hot weather can last well into March/April, but I am really enjoying the cooler day today.
I was taking photos of this pretty little vine in my neighbour's garden when I spotted the little spider hiding on one of the flowers. I think that the vine is a type of Bleeding Heart. I googled and came up with Rose of Montana which does look the same.
During the week we visited one of Peter's friends. I asked how his pet Yellow Crested Cockatoo was going as I couldn't see him wandering around and his wife told me it had died early this year. I took this photo in 2012 when he would have been 56 years old. He reached the grand old age of 59 years and her husband had him all of his 59 years.
I have decided to join Nina on her challenge to add a flower photo a day for 365 days.
www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/
We are now home from our trip to Hervey Bay. We decided to come home a couple of days early as it was raining in Inverell where we were staying with friends and they were worried that the access road to their farm would be cut off unless you have a 4 wheel drive (we don't).
During our stay in Hervey Bay, I caught up with tassiesim (www.flickr.com/photos/tassiesim/) and she took me to a special place where these beautiful butterflies were flitting around - so many in the same place.
This is another huge Giraffe that we saw as we were driving around Kruger National Park. When you see them in zoos, they look big, but when you actually see them in the wild they are much bigger than you imagined.
This is my entry for the 52 in 2015 challenge - #18 Something Sweet. As it is Easter later this week, I also thought it would be an appropriate photo for the challenge. These are some of the treats that my grandchildren will be receiving.
There are still a few bees around even though the weather has been rather cold lately. Last week we even had snow in the Blue Mountains which is only around 1.5 hours drive from here.
We were surprised by the amount of South African people who didn't know that the Wildebeest was also known as a Gnu. This one was grazing close to the road and seemed interested in what we were doing.
My brother is suffering from Pneumonia and being treated with IV antibiotics. I keep stressing that we are worried about the number of falls he is having and they say they will look into it. The said this when he was in hospital for 7 weeks with his broken leg, so I am not holding out much hope that they will.
The picturesque Arlington Row cottages were built in 1380 as a monastic wool store. This was converted into a row of weavers' cottages in the 17th century. The cloth produced there was sent to Arlington Mill on the other side of Rack Isle. The cloth was then hung on wooden timber frames on Rack Isle after being degreased at Arlington Mill.
Arlington Row is probably one of the most photographed Cotswold
scenes.
We are spending the night in Inverness and tomorrow we head for Fort William for two nights.
When I was at Bristol Zoo, I went to the Butterfly enclosure and I was standing looking at the butterfly on the bottom of the photo and this other butterfly came down and began flying around.
I haven't been spending much time on Flickr as we are staying with some friends - having a wonderful time. I will catch up with everyone soon.