TRAVEL, TRAVEL!

 

Carmi's Challenge this week is TRAVEL TRAVEL – and there should be some interesting photographs over at this link.

 

I felt that the means of travel should be obvious, otherwise it will just be a succession on my holiday photos!

The mean of travel here is almost obscenely obvious!   There are actually two of these huge liners in the same harbour, overshadowing the really lovely town of Stavanger, Norway.   And yes, I know we were on that one, but it was far too big for me!

However, it did take us right up to the Arctic, which was spectacular, and quite the most beautiful place I have ever been to!    But we were so big that these smaller ships had to wait until we had gone before they could get in.   The bigger ship on the left is one of the  Hurtigruten line, who go round the coast of Norway, in and out of the smaller ports, taking people, parcels, good and anything, really!

 

A popular viewpoint from the head of the Geiranger Fjord actually shows three big liners there.   The crowds are remarkably thin here, other places you had to fight to get a view!   With over 6,000 tourists descending on the village, you can imagine that the coach companies were driving off in droves!

 

I thought I’d end with with one of my favourites – we  approached Cadiz, in Spain, just as dawn was breaking, and by the light of the full moon.   Magic!

DRINK UP!

 

Carmi's Challenge this week is DRINK UP!    So I prowled round the house with my camera, and came up with some green bottles (sorry, only 4 of them!) and some fruit juices waiting for the summer!

 

 

Now for a nice cup of tea………..

AUTUMN (or Fall, if you prefer!)

 

Carmi's Photographic Challenge this week is Fall – or as I know it, Autumn!   Its a wee bit early for Autumn colours here, but I went out with my camera very early, while the sun was still low, and found what I could in the Park.

I did think there were already a lot of leaves fallen – mostly brown and crispy.   I wonder if the trees have suffered from our exceedingly wet summer?

 

There was a heavy dew and the grass and leaves were soaking wet.

But it didn’t stop them looking attractive!

 

Early sun on a sycamore

 

The Horse Chestnut has dropped a large part of its leaves already

 

And the Beech is only just starting to turn colour

 

Looking up through the branches of the Chinese Rowan tree in our garden.   The leaves turn dark pink/red on top, and yellow underneath

SHINY

 

Carmi's challenge this week is SHINY – follow this link to see all things Shiny from other Photographic Bloggers!

 

My favourite ‘shiny’ is this gorgeous dog, sitting on guard outside the Cathedral in Gran Canaria.   The Canary Islands are named after the Latin word for dog, and there are four beautiful dogs in the square.   I don’t know what they are sculpted from, but it is a glorious dark green, and very shiny, stone.

 

I think my next favourite is this lovely glass bowl.    It is very heavy, and I was hoping it was Mdina glass when I found it in an antique market.   Unfortunately there is no mark, but it is so thick and heavy, with greeny-bluey colours spun in the glass that I think it might be.

 

Nice shiny pepper and tomatoes are just making me hungry!

 

These Rosehips are hanging from a big bush in our front garden.   The bush is covered with them and they look very pretty.   As do the young leaves in Spring, which are pink/red, and the flowers are traditional pale pink single roses.   Altogether a very useful bush!

I’ve added this photo of all four dogs in Gran Canaria so you can see the scale and how beautiful they are!   “My” dog is on the left.