What's for supper?

These are just a few of my favourite things. Cooking is one of my least favourite things..... Sometimes I get home in the afternoon and have no idea what to prepare. When in doubt make a salad and add something else later. LOL. I could just eat salad like this. Yummy!

Winter Warmth

Our house is over 80 years old and this is the original fireplace - note the bricks are breaking up. Although it's been a beautiful clear day today it has turned really chilly now that the sun has gone down. Mark decided to build a fire to cheer things up so here we are, sitting front of the fire watching the end of Comrades Marathon.

Well done to all those who even started let alone finished. What a wonderful achievement.

Where's my mommy?

Early this morning we found this dove chick sitting on our garden table. He had obviously lost his way whilst trying to learn to fly. He looked a bit cold but wasn't too perturbed by the lady with the camera taking photos of him. We left him on the table whilst we went out to do the shopping and when we came home he was gone. We didn't see any evidence of feathers lying around to suggest that one of the dogs got hold of him so hopefully his mom came to encourage him to fly back to the nest. It was lovely to have the privilege of meeting the cute little chap and hopefully his story has a happy ending.

Reflected Light - 28 May 2010

This is yesterday's photo. Late in the afternoon I was still trying to decide what to photograph when I walked past the entrance hall and saw the sun had come out and was reflected in the sideboard mirrors. It had been a dull and drizzly day seeing the sun for the first time was quite a surprise and seeing it reflected was an added bonus. Of course with this type of photo one has to use manual setting to avoid getting the reflected flash in the mirror.

Elusive Moth

I spied this beautiful little moth yesterday evening but it was too high for me to photograph. I kept going to check on it and I finally managed to get this macro shot this evening. My photo friends are very into photos of insects, especially butterflies, and I've been feeling rather left out because we just don't have the variety of insects in our area. When I saw this little beauty I was determined to use him as my subject of the day. Handsome little chap.

Lavender's blue....

Today was another of those days when I wandered around in search of a subject for my photo of the day. I had walked around the garden and nothing caught my attention.

Then I was standing in the kitchen idly looking at the pot of dill growing on the window sill. I remembered the lavender I had seen in the garden and the little nursery rhyme came into my mind - with modifications: Lavender's blue, dilly dilly.....

Summer Fruits in May

Today I went to buy some bananas and discovered they were all green. So what fruit should I have? These hot house strawberries caught my eye. They are out of season so they were expensive but I really wanted to try using them in my daily photo. All I need now is some cream.......

Picking Priorities - I'd rather take photos

I am enjoying this challenge so much and I look forward to coming home in the afternoons to find a photo topic and to check on what my friends have photographed for the day.

Today when I arrived home I started on my regular chores but my mind was on my photo and thinking about what I could take. It's a dull and overcast day outside - no chance of butterflies and such things.

Then I remembered the old Brownie box camera that sits on a shelf in our living room and decided that would make a great fun photo. Well here it is.

Late Afternoon Landscape

Today I had a trip into the country when I went to see my Dad at an Alzheimer's facility about an hour's drive from home. After the visit I drove back to the main road. I then spotted this lovely sight of a cultivated field of squash against the blue hills in the distance. The photo doesn't do the colours justice but I really enjoyed it.

Nineteen days to kick off

This is another shot of Shark Rock Pier in Port Elizabeth. In honour of the 32 nations taking part in the Fifa Soccer World Cup, the municipality has put up a flag for each country interspersed with some banners.

I had noticed the flag poles had been put up last time I was down there and today I wanted to go and see them finished. Well here they are - minus two which have already been "liberated".  It was great to walk along the pier and look at all the colourful flags fluttering in the gentle breeze.

Donkey Cart

Today I decided to get out of the house and garden to find my photo. I was actually on my way down to the beachfront to find a photo of the day. On the way I passed this cart heading for home. The people were very happy to be photographed (for a small consideration). Unfortunately I didn't get a great shot - the reflection off the wall behind is annoying. But it's all about the subject. :-)

Moth in Tweed

This morning my husband pointed out this beautiful little moth as a possible macro shot. The moth was on the bath mat which created a lovely textured background to the moth.
It was only when I had taken the photo and looked at it on the laptop that I saw the beautiful tweed-like texture of the moth. This photo challenge has opened my eyes to so many beauties of nature that I just didn't notice before. What a blessing!

Dietes in the light

I did post a photo of a dietes a month ago but this one looked particularly beautiful in the garden this afternoon. I love the way it glows in the light. The colours are clear and almost translucent. Truly a beautiful creation - and they're indigenous.

Butterfly

I have been frustrated in this challenge by my inability to capture a butterfly photo. The butterflies in my area are not easy to photograph. Those that I do see keep flitting around and don't settle long enough for me to photograph them.

My photo friends, Maggie and Jill however manage to find  of butterfly subjects. Jill particularly attracts these beautiful creatures.

Well today I went into a local craft/ novelty shop. Whilst there I saw these lovely paper specimens. So today's photo is a bit of a tongue in cheek. My answer to the dearth of real specimens. :-)

Garden at Twilight

Today has been a warm day - perhaps one of the last days of summer-type weather. This evening was still very warm and I sat outside with a glass of wine watching the beautiful clouds in the sky change to the most glorious colours. That's what I love about this photo challenge. It makes me take time to "smell the roses". I spend time in my garden just enjoying the sights, sounds and smells. This evening there was barely a sound in spite of being so close to a main road. The birds had left, the sun had set and the stillness and peace just settled into my soul. Thank you Lord for Photo Challenge and gardens and creatures and flowers and trees and clouds.... and of course my photo friends.

Charlotte's Web

At last I managed to get a great shot of a spider. Mark and I visited the Addo Elephant Park today. Whilst he went to pay at the office I was watching butterflies and other insects flitting around. I then spied this beautiful spider in a spekboom tree and I was able to take a close up shot.

There were thousands and thousands of white butterflies in the Park but I didn't manage to get a close up shot of any of them.

Hockey Tournament

Today I was facilitating a course in ThinkQuest Projects at a school in PE. The high school which is right next door were having a hockey tournament. This was the view from the window of our computer lab. The school buildings are so beautiful and gracious and the fields looked such a brilliant green - even if the one in the foreground is astro turf. Judging by the cheers coming from the fields it was an exciting and successful day. Our training indoors was also great fun and a success.

Colours of Autumn

I love to see the leaves turn in Autumn. It's getting pretty chilly here - especially when the sun sets. The leaves on this creeper are a reminder that Autumn is upon us. I don't mind the winter. I'm not very happy in the heat of summer. I prefer to warm up than try to cool down.

The colours of the leaves are delicately mixed on God's palette and they add richness and variety to the world.

The Bird

This is one of my favourite South African flowers. I really love the contrast between the orange and blue. The whole flower reminds me of a beautiful bird. I came across a glass jar with three of these beautiful blooms at the pool this afternoon. Thanks to whoever has an eye for the beautiful.

New Life unfurls...

This large bird's nest fern is growing in a corner of our garden. We are in the grip of a serious drought and a few weeks ago is was looking very stressed. Then we had a good shower of rain followed by more showers over the past couple of weeks. The fern is beginning to perk up and enjoy life again. Today I couldn't resist taking my photo of this beautiful new leaf unfurling. We haven't had enough rain in our catchment areas to break the drought but things are improving in our garden - especially with the two rain tanks overflowing. God is good!

Winter Sky - 11 May 2010

Late afternoon and there was a chilly wind blowing. I had wandered around the garden searching for a subject to photograph without much luck. I have a hard act to follow with my friends Maggie and Jill with their gorgeous macro shots of insects. It was just before sunset and I saw this amazing cloud behind the pin oak which has lose most of its leaves. A lone dove sitting on one of the upper branches was looking very cold - poor thing.

Historic Cottages

These quaint but sadly neglected cottages in Donkin Street are part of Port Elizabeth's history. When we were in San Francisco last year I saw many rows of well kept cottages like this and wished that ours could be restored to their former glory. Well it appears that there is a move afoot to do something about them - let's hope it happens before they fall down completely. :-(  They could become a great tourist attraction.

Beautiful Begonia

I believe this plant is a member of the begonia family. We saw it growing on a fence today. It's a creeper with large leaves and these beautiful flowers were blooming. It's so unusual I just had to take a photo. I love the beautiful markings. Another example of God's creativity. Lovely!

Bush Violets - 8 May

These beautiful little flowers are blossoming all over our garden at the moment giving a splash of colour all over the garden giving a welcome splash of colour. I don't know where they go to after flowering but they appear to die off and the next year in autumn the non-descript foliage grows back. The joy comes when the flowers burst into bloom again.  The photo just can't do justice to the lovely colour of the little flowers.

Watch out, Bafana!

Future Bafana team? These cute little guys were so proud to be wearing their supporters' shirts this morning. I couldn't resist taking a photo of them. "Football Friday" has become a national initiative to boost support for our national team ahead of the Soccer World Cup. So here they are.... all dressed up and ready for action!

Blue Reflections

When I went to the heated indoor pool to exercise this afternoon I was struck by the clarity of the water and the light and reflection. The pool was looking crystal clear and very inviting. It's a heated pool (32 - 34 °C) so I use it all year round. Today it was a bit on the cooler side but I had a great workout.

Quirky Qwerty

Today I almost did food again - fresh baked scones with home made plum jam but decided that we couldn't have food two days in a row. So this is it.

My Macbook Pro is one of my favourite toys and tools for this project. I won it last year and I've enjoyed it so much. It makes uploading, editing and posting my daily photos so simple. Pity it can't take great photos for me....... LOL

Fresh Figs

These very special fresh figs were given to me by a friend today. I love figs and these are just perfect for eating. For a while I thought I might make some jam but hey, there's nothing like fresh - so here goes. Anyone want to join me?

The photo isn't a great one. I'm still playing around with my manual focus. I do like the glistening juice on the cut figs. 

National Pride

This beautiful specimen is of the Protea flower - not yet open but such a perfect, healthy bud I couldn't resist photographing it. There are about ten buds on this bush in the school grounds and I'm looking forward to them opening.

The Protea is our national flower and our cricket team is named for them. There is quite a variety of them and this is one of the biggest. They are often found growing wild in the Cape, especially from here to Cape Town. They are truly magnificent flowers and definitely one to be proud of.

R5 Please

This afternoon I took a walk on the beach to clear a headache. Whilst walking on the pier I looked down on this sand artist drawing characters in the sand. He was also a clever political commentator as he drew. In this shot he is drawing a R5 coin - his expected tip for his efforts. He had drawn Julius Malema, Nelson Mandela, Robert Mugabe and Jacob Zuma.

Perfect Bloom

This one is worth recording. On Thursday my husband came home with a big bunch of yellow flowers "just because". I didn't notice this lily at the time because it was just a tight bud. Today it has burst forth in all its glory. I just love the contrast of the bright yellow and the brown stamens.
Thank you Mark for loving and caring.