CBBH Photo Challenge: KNOBS AND KNOCKERS

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!

Door knocker, Toledo, Spain

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

Hand of Fatima door knocker, Spain

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.

Door knob in Granada, Spain

Bread hanging from a doorknob in Torrox, Spain

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?   🙂

Door knocker, Cómpeta, Spain

toledo October 2012 226

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 Airesalong 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!

CBBH Blog Hop

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 importantlydon´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

La Herradura Bay, SpainThis 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!

At the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea

Entrance to the Mediterranean Sea

The Rock of Gibraltar, one of the Pillars of Hercules in Greek mythology, has a strategic location on the Strait of Gibraltar where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea, with Europe to the north and the continent of Africa to the south.

Standing at the top of the Rock of Gibraltar it’s magical to look across the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea towards Morocco in North Africa – only nine miles away!

I hope you´ve enjoyed this spectacular entrance, which is my contribution to this week´s Sunday Post.

Other posts you may be interested in:

CBBH Photo Challenge:  Multi-Coloured

Venturing further afield: San Sebastián in the heart of Basque country

The Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life

Wild Orchids

wild orchid

“When two friends understand each other totally, the words are soft and strong like an orchid’s perfume.” 
Martin Luther King Jr.

Just look at this stunning orchid growing wild in my garden.  It is so vibrant!  Isn’t nature wonderful?

You might also enjoy:

Flowering snapshot of a January day 

Travel Theme: Foliage

Cost of Living: East of Málaga

CBBH Photo Challenge: MULTI-COLOURED

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?

Rainbow on the road to Doubtful Sound, New ZealandWe 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!

Multi coloured wishesYou 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.

Cao Dai temple near Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamSixty 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.

Red Bridge, HanoiWe 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.

Flinders Street Station, MelbourneOn 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!

Umbrella of many coloursFinally, 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.


CBBH Blog Hop

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

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 importantlydon´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]

Related posts – WordPress Photo Challenge: Colour