CBBH Photo Challenge: KNOBS AND KNOCKERS

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge

Forget bells and intercoms – this month’s CBBH Photo Challenge is all about decorative door furniture, to make an entrance look perfect.

Of course, the purpose of a door knocker is to let the householder know there is someone at the door, but at some point in history they took on shape and symbolic meaning. I’ve seen protective dogs and lions, honorary wreaths, severed hands, mythological references to Medusa and Cleopatra, as well as elegant and ornate displays of wealth in polished brass.

There are some really interesting knobs and knockers out there, just waiting to be discovered and photographed. CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOURS!

SPOILER: SCROLL DOWN FOR DETAILS OF HOW TO GET MY $25 THANK YOU GIFT – FOR EACH ONE OF YOU!

I photographed this beauty in the Spanish city of Toledo, at the end of last summer. Isn’t it amazing?!

Used frequently as door knockers, another vestige of the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula is the Hand of Fatima. Fatima Zahra was the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed, and the hand door knockers are talismans used to ward off the evil eye, and offer protection to the household.

This may not be a photo of a fancy door knob, but it is a significant one. Around many of the little villages in Andalucía there is often a morning bread delivery. The little van from the panaderia winds its way around the steep streets, leaving a loaf of bread tied to the doors of many of the houses, in much the same way that the milkman used to make his early morning deliveries to make sure you had your daily pint of milk, back in the UK. Does that still happen I wonder? 🙂

So, there you have them – some grand knockers on plain doors, some quite plain knobs and knockers on grand doors.

This month’s CBBH Featured Blogs:

** The Legion of Door Whores has a collaboration of contributors who post doors of many descriptions they have photographed. Considering the theme of this month’s challenge, l was delighted to find a particularly splendid pair of door knobs in Girona, Spain as well as these fine brass knobs in Buenos Aires, along with a host of other doors in all shapes, sizes and condition. If you are a bit of a Door Whore yourself, you will be amazed at some of the beautiful photographs posted onto this blog.

** Kiva is a non-profit organization close to my own heart, with a mission to connect people through lending, to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. Learn more about how it works.

Kiva gives you the chance to make small loans to borrowers working to start businesses and improve their lives. I’m already a Kiva lender and as a way of saying thank you for your support of my blog, I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER YOU A $25 FREE TRIAL.

To redeem your Free Trial all you have to do is CLICK THIS LINK and choose who to lend your money to – BUT HURRY – THERE IS A LIMITED NUMBER OF FREE TRIALS. IT WON’T COST YOU A PENNY – I PROMISE! Kiva will notify me if any of my readers take up a Free Trial, but I’d love you to still let me know in the Comment section, below.

TOGETHER, LET’S TRY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS MONTH!

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for MAY, everyone!

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, tag your entry ‘CBBH Photo Challenge’, link back to this blog and, most importantly, don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look. Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month´s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite! I´m looking forward to seeing your interpretations.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]

Last couple of days

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge

This is the lovely view across the bay at La Herradura (which is the Spanish word for horseshoe).

Don’t forget, there are only two days left to get your entries in for this month’s CBBH Photo Challenge: MULTI-COLOURED. New challenge starts on Wednesday!

CBBH Photo Challenge: MULTI-COLOURED

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge, Photo challenges

According to this website: “Colour is a meaningful constant for sighted people and it’s a powerful psychological tool. By using colour psychology, you can send a positive or negative message, encourage sales, calm a crowd, or make an athlete pump iron harder.”

Talking of sales, Henry Ford famously declared that the Model-T buyer could choose “any colour, so long as it’s black.” Thank goodness that these days, consumers are more discerning!

Green Black Red Orange Yellow Pink Blue Brown Purple

This month I’m going to take you on a multi-coloured journey around the world.

Ready?

We start off in Fiordland, on the South Island of New Zealand where we had an early start for our journey to Doubtful Sound. A storm had been lashing the area overnight and, as I am a strictly fair-weather sailor, I was feeling rather nervous at this point. However, my fears were soon calmed, because almost as soon as we were picked up from our hotel, the skies began to clear, the sun came out and we were rewarded with this most spectacular rainbow!

You can buy these multi-coloured ribbons in the main Prayer Hall at the Buddhist Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang, Malaysia. All you have to do is write your prayers onto the ribbon and hang it on the prayer tree.

Sixty miles northwest of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is the Great Temple, the centre of the intriguing Cao Dai sect. Cao Dai is a Vietnamese religious movement that incorporates aspect of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and even Catholicism. The three principal colours of Cao Dai are yellow (for Buddhism), blue (for Taoism), and red (for Christianity), and these were evident during the noon ceremony, which I was fortunate enough to witness – along with hundreds of tourists and worshippers alike.

We stayed in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam, close to Lake Hoan Kiem, where we visited the Temple of the Jade Mountain (Ngoc Son Temple) by walking over the wooden red-painted Huc Bridge with its colourful banners.

On White Night (Saturday 23rd February 2013) the entrance to Flinders Street Railway Station, Melbourne, Australia was transformed into a concert stage, with the whole facade of the building bathed in glorious multi-coloured light. It was magical!

Finally, back home to the Axarquía region of Spain, east of Málaga, and during our evening stroll along the promenade at Torre del Mar I spotted this delightful coloured sunshade.

This month´s CBBH Featured Blogs:

** I always enjoy visiting Madhu at The Urge to Wander because like me, she has a passion for travel. She posts the most exquisite photographs and tells us of places most of us can only dream about. Her recent posts, The Frozen Smile of the Bayon and The Captivating Children of Cambodia were particular favourites of mine because only twelve months ago, I had the opportunity to see those enigmatic, smiling faces for myself – both the stone ones at Bayon and the enchanting children, nearby. I’m sure you would enjoy reading all about her adventures.

** Cathy is A Nomad in the Land of Nizwa and describes herself as a pilgrim, a vagabond, and a wanderer who has discovered the art of living and working abroad, and is now hopelessly addicted. As well as teaching English at the University of Nizwa in Oman, she is a prolific blogger – outlining previous travels in China, Korea, Turkey and Egypt as well as many other places. I particularly enjoyed reading Cathy’s recent post about the tree-climbing goats she encountered on a walk she took with a friend. I’d love you to pop over and say hello.

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for APRIL, folks!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]

Related posts – WordPress Photo Challenge: Colour

CBBH Photo Challenge: FRAMED

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge

Many of us have photographs we have taken, displayed within frames, in our homes. They may be of people we love, or places we have visited, that we want to be reminded of.

One way of adding interest to a photograph is to use another object within the composition of a photograph to frame the main subject. This technique brings depth to the photograph by giving the illusion of more than two dimensions and also serves to focus the viewer’s attention on what the main subject is.

The “frame” might be a window, a bridge, an arch, an over-hanging tree or anything else you want it to be.

Go ahead – surprise me!

Just look at this magnificent orange tree, framed by the open window frame at one of the many churches in the city of Granada.

Here you can see a young monk pausing to rest from the heat of the mid-day sun, within the Angkor Wat temple complex at Siem Reap, Cambodia.

This is the Presa de las Bermejales, a large lake (and a man-made reservoir) situated in the west of Granada Province on the northern boundary of the Natural Park of Las Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama. This secluded spot, far from the usual tourist trail, is a haven of tranquility especially during the very busy month of August. It´s a beautiful place to spend a peaceful few hours or days, enjoying nature at it´s best.

Last year, we took a three month trip around south-east Asia, visiting Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Whilst visiting Ha Noi, the capital of Vietnam, we took an overnight cruise in Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. There were only six cabins on the boat, and I took this shot soon after morning light, with some of the islands framed by the wooden columns of the boat. I love how the reflections shine and reflect on the polished wood.

I was struck by the silhouettes of these people, looking out through the huge window near the entrance of the Te Papa National Museum in Wellington, New Zealand.

Here you can see the view towards the city of Málaga from the Jardín Concepción Botanical Gardens, framed by trees.

I took this photo from inside the cave at Cathedral Cove, Hahei, New Zealand. The tide had turned and was on the way out, meaning we had just time to run through the shallow water to spend a couple of hours in the beautiful bay beyond.

Some of the best examples of restored “Don Quixote” Spanish windmills can be found in Consuegra, not far from Toledo in central Spain, where several mills spike the hill just outside of town. My final image for this month’s challenge is of one of these windmills, taken from an adjacent one, through one of the tiny opening windows near to the roof.

This month´s CBBH Featured Blogs:

** Staying on the Iberian peninsula, you can find Julie Dawn Fox in Portugal, Spain’s next door neighbour, so to speak. Julie is a talented writer and gives regular updates about her life as an expat in Portugal.

I am a huge fan of Julie’s Personal A – Z of Portugal, where she takes each letter of the alphabet and writes a different post using the letter as the basis for a post, about things she feels strongly about in Portugal. This is a very easy blog to read, is very descriptive with many stunning photographs, which always makes me glad that Portugal is an easy drive from my home in southern Spain.

** Richard at The Last song I Heard was one of the first blogs I followed when I set up my East of Málaga blog. I stumbled across his site, where he writes for his son, James, about songs he remembers from his formative years, and it really struck a chord with me. He has a great choice of music and is at present writing a book called The Rivers of Belief.

I have enjoyed reading many of Richard’s posts because he talks about growing up in England, and many of the things he mentions are very familiar to me too. His post The Crunch – RAH Band is a particular favourite of mine. By his own admission, Richard seems to have lost his way a bit recently, and is thinking of taking a break from blogging for a few weeks, so I’m sure he would appreciate you HOPPING over to say HELLO. Make sure and tell him Marianne sent you 🙂

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for March, folks!

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, link back to this blog and, most importantly, don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look. Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month´s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]

CBBH Photo Challenge: VIEW FROM AN AIRCRAFT

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge, Photo challenges

As some of you already know, I am not at home in Spain right now but gadding off around the world, as I often do during our winter months. I was racking my brains to think of a photo challenge I haven’t seen anywhere else and, as I am always camera-ready-in-hand whenever I fly, I thought that VIEW FROM AN AIRCRAFT might produce some spectacular entries for this month’s CBBH PHOTO CHALLENGE.

Whenever I fly, I always request a window seat. I love the view through an aeroplane window – because it means I´m going somewhere! These often spectacular views give a unique look at the world from a totally different perspective, and which simply cannot be seen from the ground. Sometimes I will see countries that I will never set foot in, and even if there is nothing spectacular to see, just looking at cloud patterns or sunrises can be fascinating.

With tight security rules and ever busier airports continuing to change air travel, rediscovering the romance of the window seat may be the most practical way to make flying more enjoyable.

So, Señores Pasajeros (Ladies and Gentlemen) please ensure your seat-belt is securely fastened, your tray table is stowed and your seat-back is in the upright position, and join me in enjoying a smooth approach into Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates; Christchurch International Airport on the South Island of New Zealand and, of course, Malaga’s own Costa del Sol Airport on the south coast of Spain.

Abu Dhabi International (AUH) is one of the fastest growing airports in the world in terms of passenger numbers. I took this shot as we were coming in to land just after sunrise. You can see the first light shining off the houses on the left of the photograph. It’s quite amazing to see so many buildings in the middle of the desert!

Christchurch International Airport (CHC) provides not only the gateway to the South Island of New Zealand but also, with the development of many scientific expeditions, to Antarctica itself. The South Island is divided along its length by the Southern Alps, the highest peak of which is Aoraki/Mount Cook at 3754 metres (12,316 ft). As you can see, there was still plenty of snow on the Southern Alps when this photo was taken earlier this month, even though it is now summer in the southern hemisphere.

I couldn’t finish without a photograph taken on the approach to Malaga’s Costa del Sol airport (AGP). This sight is always good to see, because no matter how much I love travelling, it means I will soon be home – and that’s always a good feeling too, isn’t it?

This month´s CBBH Featured Blogs:

** Jo Bryant at Chronicles of Illusions is an Australian freelance writer now living with a demented fox terrier, two cats and a cockatiel in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Jo always has plenty to say about life and I have particularly enjoyed reading her “Small Stones” Mindful Writing Challenge during the past month. Why not pop over there right away and take a look at exactly what I mean?

Jo takes the most amazing photographs and has something new to post most days. I don’t know how she finds the time, but I’m hoping to find out quite soon, as Jo and I are planning on meeting up when I get to the Bay of Plenty!

** If you want real, authentic, Italian home-cooking, then you should hop straight over to see what John has on offer From the Bartolini Kitchens. His recipes are always easy to follow (often with step-by-step photographs) and I especially loved his recent post describing how to make his Mom’s broth – which is sure to see off even the most dastardly of flu viruses!

John is a passionate cook who shares not only family recipes handed down from generation to generation, but wonderful tales of his childhood and family. How blessed he is to have been born into such a loving and close Italian family. When you visit John’s pages, be sure to tell him that Marianne sent you 🙂

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for February, folks!

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, link back to this post and, most importantly, don´t forget to share links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look. Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month´s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]