New blog

http://beesgratitudeblog2011.blogspot.com/Now that I have completed a whole year of photos I am starting a new blog called my Gratitude Blog. This year I'm going to focus on something for which I am grateful every day. You will find a link to my 2011 blog on the right of this blog.

Friday 31 December 2010 - Endings and new beginnings

I started this blog on 1 January 2010 with a photo of my husband lying in this hammock. Today I end the challenge with a photo of our grandson, Nicholas enjoying the same comfortable hammock. Nicholas was born on 27 January this year and he is a major blessing. It's been a wonderful year with many exciting events - our trip to East Africa, our eldest daughter's visit in November and visits with our children and two grandsons being other highlights. I have learned a little bit about photography, I've realized what a wonderful Creator we have, I've learned to appreciate nature in a new way through the lens of my camera. It's been an awesome year and I thank my friends on Facebook for their encouragement and guidance as we've completed this challenge together. Wow! What a year. I wish all my family and friends blessings upon blessings in 2011. This will be the last entry into this blog as I'll have to start a new one for 2011.

Thursday 30 December 2010 - Deadlines

  Today I was quite late getting my picture. I went outside after 6pm searching for a subject. I was standing in front of the Abelia bush when I spied this frantic little bee searching for nectar so late in the day - he also had to make the deadline. Together we met the deadline. 

Wednesday 29 December 2010 - Raindrops

I love these blue agapanthus flowers. We have a few in bloom at the moment. Today has been drizzling with rain all day. I took this photo of some of the raindrops on the flowers.

Tuesday 28 December 2010 - Finished!

Here is the completed jigsaw. Mark and I finished it today. Very satisfying....

Monday 27 December 2010 - Final Day

Our last day at Doodsklip. This by the way is the rock from which the place gets its name. I played with the camera whilst Mark was tying everything back onto the roof of the Jeep for the trip home....

Sunday 26 December 2010 - Mountain Biking

Today was bike riding. The rain let up enough for us to get out onto the road. This is a view from the top of a long hill that we pushed the bikes up. You can see the road snaking away in the distance round the mountain. Of course it was great fun free wheeling down the other side...

Scenery in Baviaanskloof is breathtaking and of course it's unspoiled. There is so much variety. The reserve has seven of South Africa's nine biomes. A truly beautiful place.

Saturday 25 December 2010 - Christmas Lunch

We had a very simple Christmas lunch in our "dining room" under a huge fig reminiscent of the Magic Faraway Tree. It rained all day but thanks to Mark's great tarpaulin skillfully hung from the tree we were able to remain warm and dry. We spent most of the day reading and chatting. We had the whole campsite to ourselves so it was truly "peace on Earth".

Friday 24 December 2010 - Baviaanskloof

We are spending the Christmas weekend at a campsite in the Baviaanskloof wilderness area - far from the madding crowd. Mark and I had the campsite to ourselves. This is a view of the mountains from the plateau on the way to our site. The flowers in the foreground are pincushion proteas.

Thursday 23 December 2010 - Jigsaw Puzzle

Holidays mean time to do jigsaw puzzles. This is the one on the go at the moment - very difficult but absorbing. We are getting help from a couple of nieces.

Wednesday 22 December 2010 - Storm Lily

This is a storm lily. There are many of them popping up in my garden. I really hope we will have a storm - and lots of rain!

Tuesday 21 December 2010 - Leaf me

A macro of a leaf today.  I held the leaf against the sun. I love the ragged outline of the leaf against the sunlight behind it.

Monday 20 December 2010 - Dandelion

A photo of a dandelion growing in a hidden corner of the garden. Life is fragile - just like the dandelion - and so we need to handle it with care and prayer.

Sunday 19 December 2010 - Gazania

I love gazanias. I particularly like these bright orange ones that are flowering in my garden at that moment. I sat around for ages hoping an insect would visit these blooms but no luck today.

Saturday 18 December 2010 - Butterfly

This is one of the few photos of butterflies I have been able to take. This one settled on the lavender bush and stayed there long enough for me to take a photo. He was enjoying a spot of aromatherapy early in the morning.

Friday 17 December 2010 - Two Electric Blue Insects

You'd think that with all those daisies on the bush he'd find his own flower to land on.....

Thursday 16 December 2010 - Temptation

This morning we went to the shops early to stock up with anything we might need until the Christmas rush is over. We bought a couple of packets of festive chocolates at the same time. Of course as soon as we came home these chocolates started calling us from the cupboard. Save us from temptation.....

Wednesday 15 December 2010 - Electric blue bug

It was quite late when I went out into the garden yesterday and at first I battled to find a subject to photograph. I found this beautiful electric blue insect on the daisy bush. I struggled to get the light right - I had to change the ISO to 800. I'm still struggling with getting the settings right on my camera.

Tuesday 14 December 2010 - Puzzle

Today Mark had to leave me at the cottage whilst he went off to a site meeting about two hours away. The weather was rainy all day so I had the luxury of staying warm and cosy in the cottage and enjoying the absolute peace. Mark has been working on this puzzle and I spent most of the day adding to it. Sadly we had to break it up later in the day before we left for home but it was fun whilst it lasted.

Monday 13 December 2010 - Hoggies Cottage

We visited this site in an area called the Edge at Hogsback. Beyond this Labyrinth there is a cliff which drops to the plain below - hence the name, the Edge. This Labyrinth is designed along the lines of the famous labyrinth at Chartres in France. It's similar to the one at Botha's Hill in KwaZulu Natal. I prayer walked this labyrinth today. A total of 1.4km to walk to the centre and out again.