Giving thanks for the most beautiful sunsets

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Marianne under Axarquía, Photo challenges, Slice of Life

I am always thankful for the most beautiful sunsets we have here, east of Málaga. They always seem particularly spectacular at this time of year, too. Doesn’t this one look pretty, reflected in the swimming pool?

As Oprah Winfrey once said, “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.
If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

This post is my response to the WordPress Photo Challenge: THANKFUL and this week´s Travel Theme: LIQUID

If you like photo challenges, you might like to look at these …..

When life gives you curves, flaunt them!

CBBH Photo Challenge: BLUE

Travel Theme: Texture

CBBH Photo Challenge: BLUE

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge, Photo challenges

This month´s CBBH Photo Challenge is leaving me feeling anything but BLUE – because I just love the colour!

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

Psychology of Color: Blue

Ask people their favorite color and a clear majority will say blue. Much of the world is blue (skies, seas). Seeing the color blue actually causes the body to produce chemicals that are calming; but that isn’t true of all shades of blue. Some shades (or too much blue) can send a cold and uncaring message. Many bedrooms are blue because it’s a calm, restful color. Over the ages blue has become associated with steadfastness, dependability, wisdom and loyalty (note how many uniforms are blue). People tend to be more productive in a blue room because they are calm and focused on the task at hand. Some studies are showing that weight lifters can lift more weight in a blue gym – in fact, nearly all sports are enhanced in blue surroundings.”

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. I certainly had some tilting to do, to capture not only the sails, but also the magnificent blue of the wide open sky.

This blue painted door can be found in The Lost Village of Acebuchal, situated in the heart of the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Almara Natural Park. The village, which sits on the traditional muleteers’ route between Granada and Malaga was abandoned and in ruins from 1949 to 1998, but has now been beautifully renovated, restoring the original style.

When I bought my new Canon Powershot SX220HS camera back in June, I was playing around with the low-light setting, and managed to capture the beautiful blue plumbago plant growing in my garden. It´s such a pretty colour.

A few weeks ago, I travelled to the village of Colmenar to meet up with another local blogger. Whilst I was waiting in the square opposite the Town Hall (Ayuntamiento) at the appointed time, I couldn´t help but notice this couple sitting on a nearby bench, deep in discussion. My eye was drawn to the colour of the woman´s clothing, which was the most amazing shade of blue.

This street-sign in the nearby white village of Torrox always makes me smile. Beso in Spanish means “kiss” – so this is Kiss Street!

My final image for this month´s Photo Challenge is from my home village of Cómpeta, and shows a pretty balcony, filled with flowers, against the deep blue painted windows as their background.

This month´s CBBH Featured Blogs:

** Alyson at the Algarve Blog is a very talented artist and, along with her hubby Dave (a peanut-butter-loving photographer), give regular glimpses into their expat life in southern Portugal.

I am particularly enjoying reading Aly´s 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 cares for in Portugal. This is a very easy blog to read, with many stunning photographs, which always makes me glad that Portugal is an easy drive from my home in southern Spain.

** Talking of a friendly blog with great photos leads me on to my next choice – the Lucid Gypsy. Gilly describes herself as “a middle aged techno hen with a passion for travel, writing, reading and well, life” – and is very busy working full time, studying and crafting pretty things in the beautiful south west of England.

Gilly loves taking part in Word and Photo Challenges and is always quick to leave an encouraging comment. Why not pop over and say HELLO to her?

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for November, 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.

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]

CBBH Photo Challenge: WINDOWS

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Marianne under Axarquía, CBBH Photo Challenge, Photo challenges

Whether your first thought is of panes of glass or Operating Systems

– the CBBH Photo Challenge theme for October is WINDOWS!

I found my first window as I wandered around the streets of the white village of Cómpeta. You´ve heard me mention this village many times before, because it is the closest to my home in the nearby countryside. Many of the very pretty village houses have plants outside their windows but inside the metal grills that are a common feature on houses in the area.

This beautiful stained glass window is in St George´s Church, the oldest Anglican church in mainland Spain. St George´s Church can be found within the grounds of the English Cemetery, about 300m east of the bullring in the city of Málaga.

Staying in the city of Málaga, here is another stained glass window, but this time it´s inside the Atarazanas Market. Offering fresh, local produce at fantastic prices the Mercado Central de Atarazanas is most definitely worth a visit if you happen to find yourself in the city. Joining the bustling crowds of discerning locals at the stalls offering an abundance of seafood, fruit, vegetables, meat, spices and dried fruits is a wonderful way to buy fresh, local produce.

Here are some of the ivy-clad windows and balconies of the Parador in Ronda, where we were fortunate enough to spend a few days last summer. Paradors are state-run hotels, often located in castles, palaces, monasteries and extraordinary Spanish national heritage buildings. The Parador of Ronda is a luxury hotel in the former town hall, which sits on the edge of a gorge.

Do you remember when I visited the derelict San Joaquín sugar mill, on the old N340 coast road between Nerja and Maro? Though the glass in this window is long gone, it was still interesting to peer through at the interior of the building, though unsafe to wander inside given the state of the roof.

The window of an aeroplane gives a unique look at the world from a totally different perspective. Whenever I fly, I always request of window seat because I love the spectacular views of the world from 35,000 feet! Here you can see the snowy mountains of northern Spain, as I am flying south, back home from a visit to England.

There is always a lovely display of flowers on this particular balcony in the nearby town of Nerja. I always think it must be delightful to look out of this window and see all the different shades of pink and purple of the many flowers. The patterned tiling underneath the balcony is very typical of the area, and I also like the way that the white building opposite and the deep blue sky is reflected in the panes of glass.

My final window might surprise you, as most people think that it´s always hot and sunny in Spain – all year round. This photograph was taken a couple of years ago over the Christmas holidays, whilst we were staying in one of the cave rooms at El Ventorro near to Alhama de Granada. Being only about 50 kms from the city of Granada with the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains and ski resort, we awoke one morning to find our car completely iced up. We didn´t have long to wait though, because by the time we had eaten breakfast, the sun had come up and all the ice had disappeared!

This month´s CBBH Featured Blogs:

** Sally at Deliberately Delicious describes herself as a “Collector of sand dollars. Adventurer. Writer. Weather girl. Back up singer in a little black dress. Dancer. Poet. Soccer mom. Bond girl. Teacher. Diva. Walker of beaches. Seeker of truth and all things delicious in life.”

I have so enjoyed reading about Sally´s adventures this summer, sailing with her friend, Dan, on the western coast of Canada, near to her home in Victoria, British Columbia. She writes with an easy-reading style, and has many stunning photographs on her blog. Deliberately Delicious has quickly become one of my favourite blogs to escape to.

** Whilst we are on the subject of delicious, Natalie at Cook Eat Live Vegetarian features amazing recipes and photographs that you just want to dive straight into!

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, though fortunately now fully recovered, Natalie attributes her swift recovery to a combination of conventional and alternative treatments and to her following a whole foods, mainly plant based diet.

She is a freelance food writer, photographer and stylist, specialising in delicious vegetarian and vegan cuisine that you wont be able to resist trying!

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

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

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

Don´t fret about the missing WPC: Two Photo Challenges in Two Days!

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge, Photo challenges

I wonder what happened to the WordPress Photo Challenge for this week?

If you like regular Photo Challenges and you´re tired of waiting, why not join in with TWO CBBH Monthly Photo Challenges in TWO days?

Today is the last day for entries in the CBBH September Challenge on REPETITION and, as tomorrow is the start of another month, October´s brand-new CBBH Photo Challenge will be posted first thing in the morning.

YOU´RE GOING TO LOVE IT – I PROMISE!

Find out how the CBBH Monthly Photo Challenge works here.

What are you waiting for?

Other photo challenges you might enjoy:

Travel theme: Curves

Sunday Post: From a Distance

Weekly Image of Life: Colours

CBBH Photo challenge: REPETITION

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge, Photo challenges

Repetition, repetition, repetition is the CBBH Photo Challenge theme for September!

In everyday life, repetition can often seem tedious. However, with creative use in photographs, repetition can give an image a real impact. Evidence of repetition can be found all around us, not only in nature, but more often in man-made objects too.

Take these candles lit as an offering of devotion, for example. Just an odd one here and there wouldn´t make nearly as much impression as all of them together. The pattern gives us a sense of order, making it clear to the viewer that the repeated object is the subject of the image.

The viewer is led through the image and can be forgiven for thinking that there are more candles than there actually were in reality. This impression is achieved by filling the frame with the repetitive pattern and letting some of the candles “fall out of” the bottom and top of the image.

I found a similar effect in these simple wooden crosses, with their Poppies of Remembrance attached to them, in The English Cemetery in Málaga (Cementerio Inglés de Málaga) during early December, last year. This time the repetition is more subtle as, even though the crosses in the top left of the frame are slightly out of focus and in deeper shadow, the effect of repetition is still apparent.

The repetitive lines of illuminated lights on the Big Wheel at Málaga Feria not only draw our eyes towards the centre of the wheel, but also express the action of movement within some of the blurred lines.

By contrast, in the photograph below there are many repetitive features leading the eye into the distance. This architectural sunshade can be found on the waterfront in the city of Málaga, adjacent to the Port. Not only are there the horizontal struts of the sunshade itself, but also the repetition of their shadows on the tiled floor; the concrete stanchions supporting the glass panels near to the water´s edge and the line of palm trees heading off into the distance.

My final image in the CBBH Photo Challenge for this month, returns you once again to the Noche del Vino (Night of Wine) held recently in the white, mountain village of Cómpeta. As you can see, my visit was during the daytime, but the rows of chairs are already in place in the main square for the evening entertainment.

I love the contrast of the rows of stark wooden chairs set against the startling white of the buildings and the impossibly blue sky.

This month´s Featured Blogs:

The Wanderlust Gene is written by a well travelled Australian who has been visiting and living on the island of Sri Lanka for the past twenty years. She was born with an “itch to wander” and offers stories of the adventurous and pioneering women whose genes she´s inherited; of travel adventures when the world was safer than it is today; of moments of epiphany, and utter despair; of beautiful things created by human hands, of awesome nature, and living things like elephants, and trees, and flowers; and of farms, farmers and fishermen.

One of her most recent posts is a delightful tale of the Kite Season in Sri Lanka. During “the inter-monsoon period when the winds high up in the troposphere are streaming across our island in a dependable, easterly flow – the time when little boys tear down dusty lanes outside their houses to launch their latest creation, and the sky comes alive with diving and dipping kites of all shapes and sizes.”

One visit and you´ll be hooked. Just as I was.

Dan Bohmer describes himself as “just another Soldier far away from home”, deployed in Afghanistan where the time (difference to his home) is Nine & a Half Hours Ahead.

He prefers to use this blog as an outlet to share his pictures rather than his thoughts and, despite the desolate landscape and the razor wire, gives us an insight into subjects we would normally never have access to. We see photos of off-duty Afghan soldiers (who love having their pictures taken) wearing baseball caps and proudly posing in their Commander´s sunflower garden.

Dan´s blog also serves as a timely reminder for us to show our gratitude for the devotion of those posted far away from their own families as they continue to defend our home lands – wherever they may be. Stay safe Dan and keep posting your great photos!