Spring and Autumn are obviously the best times of the year for seeing the outline of tree branches, when they are clad in little or no foliage.
Autumn leaves
The sculptor of this tree has definitely branched out on a new limb with his kitchen pots and pans
Of course tree branches can be put to all sorts of other uses
See more of Ailsa’s friends’ inspiring photos of branches here
Sugar or salt? Although I’m more of a salty person there are times when I can’t resist sugary things, or rather taking photos of sugary things.
chocolate goodies for sale in Bristol’s Southville market
the ultimate cake
a scrumptious piece of Sachertorte, consumed in the Hotel Sacher in Salzburg, Austria, birthplace of this sinfully delicious cake
my coffees never look this good
spice cakes on sale in Strasbourg Christmas market
natural sugar on a star fruit tree
dessert
“Sugar and spice and all things nice, that’s what little girls are made of. Slugs and snails and puppy dog’s tails, that’s what little boys are made of.” So ran a popular saying when I was a child.
Ailsa is to blame for making me post these!
Words come at us from all directions both audibly and visually. Here are some of my visual word photos.
some of the oldest words – Egyptian hieroglyphs
padlocks in Köln – a different way to express one’s love
the writing on the wall, Barcelona
a bit of Banksy
a beautiful piece of calligraphy
a bit of fun
Take a peek at what other words there are to be found around the world
I have been lucky enough to travel to lots of interesting places and have tasted some wonderful (and not so wonderful) food.
a roadside food vendor in India
food catering on an industrial scale for the many pilgrims visiting the golden temple of Amritsar
freshly squeezed orange juice on sale in India
snake gourds in Sri Lanka
my birthday cake, Thai style
the “strained through an old sock” method of making fresh coffee in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Get your taste buds salivating courtesy of Ailsa’s post on the subject of flavour
I love the serendipity of a found collage – images that have been created by random poster-stickers, graffiti artists, a scattering of pebbles in a pleasingly random way, a mosaic, bark peeling off the trunk of a tree, a whirl of fallen leaves or scattered flower petals.
These are some of the photos I’ve taken of posters in France
in response to the Daily Post
some of my paper-themed photos
a carrier bag made of recycled magazine pages in Thailand
paper parasols on sale at the Sule paya in Yangon, Myanmar
paper boats in a shop window in Zieriksee, Holland
paper heart decorations in a shop window in the UK
see more paper via Ailsa’s blog
I would like to wish all my readers a very Happy Christmas and I hope that 2017 will bring you health and happiness.
My wish for the world is that there be peace.
In case you hadn’t guessed, my challenger’s choice is “architecture”. The following 3 photos were taken with the iphone 6+ in camera app and were edited using various settings in the Enlight app. This app produces some great abstract effects.
Bellapais abbey, Northern Cyprus
Bath abbey, UK
a chapel in Clifton, Bristol, UK
take a peek at other challenger’s choices
photo composition by me
I have walked in sacred places
Seen colours never seen
Awake have dreamed of mysteries
Of things that ne’r have been
In trees heard music never writ
Of chords that are unknown
In those hidden sacred spaces
Where I journey all alone
Last night my life was woven
Within that sacred knot
Of ages past, forgotten mists
Of nature’s sacred lot
As the mysteries of life unfold
A tie that has no end
Enlightened by that mystic light
Of mysteries veil to rend
On darkest moor, high stones stand
My spirit is set free
As they speak to me of ages past
Touchstones of eternity
They rise upon those mystic lands
If only we might see
That in each secret stone is hid
A gift of nature’s memory.
To stand in dreams on hill top high
To soar above on eagle’s wings
Where visions are no longer hid
And spirits soar as nature sings
Above those lesser things of life
Above its woes and care
As dreams and visions are fulfilled
As we at one with nature share.
As lightning rends the sky at night
And thunder roars in angry swell
As nature groans in agony
Its song of loss – a tale to tell
Within such wondrous beauty there
Where stars are hidden from our sight
The seeds of dawn are gently sown
To bring new beauty with dawn’s light.
To gaze into life’s deep, dark wells
As though into the deepest grave
Of shadows cold – life’s blackest seam
Where hope seems lost – no hope to save
But from within those darkest deeps
New life springs forth in sweetest span
And flows to quench the longing thirst
That dwells within the soul of man.
Or stand beside a river clear
And gaze in wonder as it flows
A myriad of crystal lights
As to its journey’s end it goes
To hear in nature’s gentle breeze
As willows sing in harmony
As nature’s healing gently flows
If only we would hear and see.
Words by © Les Cruttenden, from Insights into Meditation
The question is not what you look at, but what you see - Thoreau 