photo challenge

Window gazing in Kraków
Irresistible stained glass angels

Irresistible stained glass angels

I’m quite partial to a spot of window gazing and there can be few better places than Kraków to indulge. Beneath the cloisters of the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) all kinds of temptation beckon.  I really couldn’t remain outside the shop with the stained glass angels, but my timing was bad. The gentleman behind the counter politely informed me that he was closing for lunch and gave me his card.  So my Polish money stayed in my pocket a while longer!

Click on the gallery below to shop with me

Doesn’t it look inviting?
A terrible shot, but you can see why I had to go in
All was peaceful next door at the lace shop
But this one had a bike waiting outside. A swift getaway?
So many lovelies, that gazing was a pleasure

Inside the Sukiennice stalls offer up every kind of indulgence, but no windows, so I contented myself with a stroll around the rather damp Rynek.  There’s a swish cafe above the Sukiennice, with a terrace open to beguiling views of the Rynek Główny, Europe’s largest Market Square.  I didn’t linger long as it started to drizzle.

Lots of windows but not many customers fro the coaches

Lots of windows, but not many customers for the coaches

A good place to escape the rain?
Or this colourful shop?
Next door to my cosy cafe

I actually spent a very interesting couple of hours in the museum beneath the Rynek, Podziemia, which kept me out of the rain very effectively, but more of that another time.  One last shot caught my eye before I headed for home.

But this one, complete with view of the Rynek, may have been my favourite

A fashion window, with a lovely view of the Rynek

I’ve been promising to return to Dawn’s Windows challenge for the longest time.  This month’s windows are so ‘pretty in pink’.  I do hope that you can join me there.

Panorama

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Just yesterday I looked at Paula’s Scheduled Challenges and thought, ‘I don’t have anything panoramic’.  Funny how life sometimes supplies what you need without even being asked.

The day dawned bright, beautiful and empty of plans.  A phone call later and I had walking company.  The coastline north of me is rugged, former mining territory.  The magnesium limestone rocks are steadily eroding and at low tide you can enter the resulting caves.  The shore is littered with reminders of the past, washed and washed beyond recognition.

Washed clear to the horizon

Washed clear to the horizon

Save for a gentleman and his dog

Save for a gentleman and his dog

From the confines of the caves

From within the confines of the caves

The rich colours of the stones beckon

The richly coloured stones beckon

Strewing the beach as far as the eye can see

Strewing the beach as far as the eye can see

Rough and ready jewels

Rough and ready jewels

Rinsed by the sea

Rinsed clean by the sea

It seems I had a ready made panorama all along!  Perhaps I’ll take you inside the caves next time. Now to see what kind of Panorama Paula has in store.  Whatever it is, I know it will be beautiful.

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Reflections

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Reflections for me almost always mean water.  I have lots of examples, but I don’t like to be too predictable.  This week the opportunity came along to play with a different kind of reflection.

On Saturday mornings I usually go to zumba.  I arrived this week to find the floor littered with feathers.  The cause? A Burlesque Night in aid of our local Macmillan nurses.  Jaki, our teacher, regularly fund raises for the hospice and has completed the Great North Run marathon on their behalf for the past several years.  She has an enormous sense of fun and, in the corners of the room, distortion mirrors beamed back at us.  It was quite hard to focus on zumba!

A mirror and a boa, and the reflected blinds

A mirror, a feather boa, and the reflected blinds

Of course, I have to protect the innocent so my shots can’t be too revealing.

Unlike some, Sadie, Jaki’s beloved poodle, doesn’t have any problems being caught on camera.

Putting on the style!

Putting on the style!

Isn’t she a scene stealer?  You can say hi to Jaki and the girls on Centre Yoga’s Facebook page.

Now it’s time for me to go and see what’s special with Paula this Thursday.  The theme is Reflection if you want to join in.  Paula’s duck looks very pensive.

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Multitude

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It seems to me that nature has a host of them up her sleeve.  Let’s tumble in, shall we?

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Get creative Paula said.  I wasn’t very creative.  I just surrounded myself with a Multitude of flowers.  How will you express “multitude”?

If you’re looking for something Special, just click on the icon below.

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A bench for all seasons
Trainspotting, anyone?

Trainspotting, anyone?

There's one!

There’s one!

Such a blue sky! Yes, it is England.

Blue skies! It’s an English Summer.

Delving deep into my archives, I’ve concluded that I don’t take many photos of benches.

But I do like to get out into the countryside

But I do like to get out into the countryside

And find quirky benches
Like these

Coastal footpaths are great places for a bench or two.

Especially if you have to climb up there

Especially if you have to climb up there

Ahhh, that's better!

Ahhh, that’s better!

In Giverny, at the Monet Garden, I tried to capture a very cute butterfly and her sister.

Got the bench, but not the butterfly!

Got the bench, but the butterfly nearly got away!

It was such a lovely place! Spot the bench?

It was such a lovely place, with just an occasional free bench

Wasn't it Patrick's Day this week?

It’s not every day you find a bench for St Patrick’s!

Spring has been quite unpredictable too this year.  Walking has brought a few surprises.

No sitting on this one!

No sitting on this one!

Or this!

Or this!

I can’t wait for those sunny days to get here so I can begin hunting for benches in earnest.  Have you joined Jude’s Bench Challenge yet?  Come with me!  You don’t want to miss it.

Explore the Elements

I’ve left it ‘oh, so late’ to enter the Explore the Elements competition hosted by Thomas Cook. I was tagged just a couple of days ago by Becky at Hidden Delights of Olhao.  The prizes are so nice, but looking at the entries I already know I stand no chance!  What finally decided me to enter was this shot, which I took yesterday.

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WATER

I wasn’t thinking about the competition, but was drawn to the water, as I always am, even on a dull day beside the River Tees. Formless.  Emotional.  Magnetic.  Water holds me in its spell.

FIRE

FIRE

In complete contrast, this blaze in the dark of a Paris night seemed to me to have all the crackle and energy of fire. Shooting upwards it brought a glow of admiration to my face.

AIR

AIR

A wind farm off the north east coast of England stirs the air with vigour.  You can climb the Vertical Pier at Redcar to be a little closer to the elements and the swirling motion of the clouds.

Beneath the towering giants

EARTH

Gravity defying, the red cliffs of the Algarve stubbornly persist, despite the insidious forces of erosion.  The earth here awes and yet is the same substance that binds us all together.

These are my impressions of the elements.  In order to enter the competition I have to nominate 5 bloggers.  At this late stage it is of no benefit to them, but had it been possible I would have loved to see the impressions of Rommel at Sophomore Slump, Debbie at Travel with Intent, Lucile de Godoy, Sylvia at Another Day in Paradise and Sherri Matthews.  Sorry guys- I guess the prizes have gone!

 

 

 

Black and White 5 day Challenge- Day 5
Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia, in black and white

Here I am at Day 5 of the Black and White 5 day Challenge and it’s the ‘big reveal’, though I gave the game away yesterday with my Day 4 photo.  You knew all along it was Barcelona, didn’t you?

And now, with the help of a little WordPress magic, you can see both colour and black and white versions of my photographs.  Which would you choose?  Colour, or black and white?

Day 1

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Day 2

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Day 3

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Day 4

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In spite of myself I did enjoy the challenge, and have to thank Pommepal and Wilbur’s Travels for nominating me. They would love a visit from you.

There are only two rules for this challenge:

1. On 5 consecutive days, create a post using either a past or recent photo in B&W.
2. Each day invite another blog friend to join in the fun.

My last nomination is Elaine at I used to be Indecisive.  We meet every week on Six word Saturday and share our love of Snoopy.  I have a great collection of Charlie Brown cartoons which I’ve acquired from her blog. (thanks, Elaine!)  I look forward to seeing her take on the challenge.

I’m going to finish with Sagrada Familia, in colour, of course.

Too glorious for words, isn't it?

Too glorious for words, isn’t it?

Hopefully see you tomorrow.  Don’t forget to bring your walking shoes.

Six word Saturday

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Black and White 5 day Challenge

I’m not one for photo processing, tending to prefer a natural look in my photos.  I know they could all be greatly enhanced, but normally what I ‘see’ is what you get.  This week I succumbed and have been taking part in the Black and White 5 day Challenge, and I quite like some of the results.  My photo for Day 3 seemed to develop a life that it didn’t previously have when I converted it to black and white.

Faces on a roof

This is my entry for Day 4 and I like the bold lines of this composition in black and white.  All week I’ve been having fun with the question ‘Have you guessed where it is yet?’  I’m pretty sure this one gives it away.

I need to say thank you to Pommepal for suggesting that I might enjoy myself once I started to play.  She was right!  And thanks also to Wilbur’s Travels for nominating me.  If you don’t know these blogs, you’ll surely enjoy a visit.

There are only two rules for this challenge:

1. On 5 consecutive days, create a post using either a past or recent photo in B&W.
2. Each day invite another blog friend to join in the fun.

Today I’m inviting Yvette from Priorhouse Blog.  She’s only just back from visiting family and will be in a whirl ‘catching up’ around the blogs, but she’s a whizz at challenges and can turn her hand to anything.

I’ll be doing a round up of the challenge tomorrow, with my final photo for Day 5.  Thanks for tolerating this ‘intrusion’, Six Word-ers.  I hope you have a happy weekend, whatever the colour. As always, I’m off to visit Cate at Show My Face with my ‘six words’.

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Black and White 5 day Challenge- Day 3

I’m quite beginning to enjoy myself with this challenge!  Pauline told me I would.  When my husband saw my Day 2 photo yesterday he guessed Seville.  Honestly, you’d think we took separate holidays! (well, we do occasionally, but that’s a different story).  His excuse was, he spends his time looking out for bollards and potential hazards in my path.  He has a point!

Bubbles

I promised an easier clue today, and I’m not sure that this fits the bill but, when I converted it from colour it developed a charm all of its own.  I’ve tried to use photos that you’ve never seen before.  Tomorrow’s will give the game away for sure.  Any idea where it is yet?

My nominations for the challenge came from Pommepal and Wilbur’s Travels, so I owe thanks to them.  Please visit and say ‘hi’.

There are only two rules for this challenge:

1. On 5 consecutive days, create a post using either a past or recent photo in B&W.
2. Each day invite another blog friend to join in the fun.

Next the tricky part.  So many people have already taken this challenge.  I’m going to nominate Kannika at Kan Walk Will Travel.  You may know that she runs a lovely challenge called ‘Joy is’ and the link will take you to an explanation of her unusual name.

Black and White 5 day Challenge- Day 2

They tell me these challenges are addictive.  Are you hooked yet?  Yesterday I published Day 1 of the Black and White 5 day Challenge and asked if anyone knew where it was.  Turns out not even my husband recognised it, and he was there at the time!  So, here’s another clue for you today.

Hacienda

This one has a distinctive feel to it, doesn’t it, and yet there are a few places it could be.  It won’t help you to know that I like this better in black and white than my original, but there’ll be a better clue coming up tomorrow.

I have to thank Pommepal and Wilbur’s Travels for nominating me for this challenge.  Both of them did a great job, with vastly differing styles.

There are only two rules for this challenge:

1. On 5 consecutive days, create a post using either a past or recent photo in B&W.
2. Each day invite another blog friend to join in the fun.

Today I’m inviting Debbie at Travel with Intent.  She’s a seriously busy lady so she might not have the time but she’s an ace at black and white.  I think she may know where my photo was taken too.  No obligation to join in, of course.