On Top of a Donkey!

Canon 7D, 10-22mm Lens

This is the last image I took before the donkey decided to buck me off.  I was resting my injured foot rather than walking down from the Acropolis of Lindos in Rhodes.   I thought I was doing my foot a favour, but in the end, I did myself a disfavour.  I will never ride another donkey anywhere ever!  Beautiful place though - loved Rhodes and Lindos.

Autumn Leaf

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Canon 7D, 100mm Macro Lens

Late afternoon, autumn, and the sun was shining through the left enhancing every line and texture giving a detailed glimpse into death by season!

The Decumanus Maximus at Volubilis

Canon 7D, 10-22mm Lens

On the main road in Volubilis looking back to the Triumphal Arch (In the distance).  This is at sunset and the light was amazing.  I was surprised how large the site was.  Sent shivers down my spine knowing that so many generations before us, this was a city that lived and breathed life, and now it's in ruins.  Will our cities we live in now go the same way in a thousand years?

The Odd-Eyed Cat of Rhodes, Greece

Nikon D50, at 55mm.

This is an image my daughter took in Rhodes, the Greek Islands of a white cat with two different coloured eyes. The condition most commonly affects white-colored cats, but may be found in a cat of any color, provided that it possesses the white spotting gene. There is a common misconception that all odd-eyed cats are born deaf in one ear. This is not true, as about 60%–70% of odd-eyed cats can hear. White cats with one or two blue eyes do, however, have a higher incidence of genetic deafness.

This cat was hiding under a car but I completely missed seeing it because I was busy photographing something else. By the time my daughter pointed it out to me, it had shied away and I couldn't get a decent shot of it. However, she took a brilliant one as you can see, photographer extraordinaire as she is (even though she has a Nikon!!)

Dreaming of Sunny Days

Canon 7D, 10-22mm Lens

It's raining today, so I wanted to post this up to remind me that somewhere else it will be sunny and even if I can't be there, it's what I'm dreaming of. Snoozing for a week on these chairs is just what the doctor ordered!  I took this image in Santorini.  It's what we did on day two of our trip after tearing round the island on quadbikes the day before!

Blue Door in the Kasbah, Rabat, Morocco

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Canon 7D, 10-22mm Lens

Beautiful blue door in the Kasbah in Rabat, Morocco.  Everything in the walled city was blue and white, which was absolutely gorgeous.  But this was the best door in there.  Would love to go back and explore some more.

Hopscotch Days

Canon 7D, 10-22mm Lens

Remember these days?  Carefree days where you didn't worry about a thing and there was no internet. We were outside playing hopscotch for hours.  I found a chalked hopscotch outside a museum and it brought back memories of sunny carefree days with friends.

Temple Athena, Acropolis of Lindos, Rhodes

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Canon 7D, 10-22mm Lens

This was an amazing place.  I had to sit and wait for all the tourists to disappear to be able to get the shot.  I hung around for ages until the right moment!  I think there is one person behind one of the pillars!  Lots of memories here, as this is where I fell off the donkey after I had visited here.  Stunning place to explore.

Steam Train Carriage

Canon 7D, 18-55mm Lens

Old carriage attached to a vintage steam train at Shantytown on the West Coast of New Zealand, near Greymouth.  I waited until everyone had got off then sneaked back in for the photo!

Red Beach, Santorini

Canon 7D, 10-22mm Lens
Red beach in the Akrotiri area on Santorini. Stunningly beautiful and well known for the unique colour of the sand and the hill behind it. Soaring red lava cliffs which drop right to the sandy shore and into the clear blue sea, makes for a majestic setting. The beach can be reached either by boat (there are several connecting Red Beach with Perissa and Akrotiri or by foot. This is as close as I got because of my injured foot.

High Country Horses

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Canon 7D, 10-22mm Lens

This image was taken up in high country on the Molesworth Station, New Zealand's largest working faarm.  The horses are used for mustering, but when not in use are free to roam where they like.  We happened to come across them and they were very curious.  To get this photo, I'm on the road, then there's a bit of a bank and they are on top of that, hence the perspective of me looking up.  In front of them are the Blue Borage flowers that are everywhere, in fact the fields just looked like a sea of blue/purple in some place.  The bees make great honey from it.

Oranga Tonutanga

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Canon 7D, 100mm Lens

This image is made up of a composite of two images. The first a macro of a Flax leaf, and the second a macro image of a greenstone carving of a Koru. The name Oranga Tonutanga means Eternal Health, as the Flax is known to have healing properties, and the Koru is means growth and new beginnings which I like to think is for eternity. The images received honours in the national photographic competion - the North Shore Salon of Photography of 2012.

Oia, Santorini

 

These two images were taken in Oia, Santorini by my daughter. They are two of my favourite images of this beautiful Greek Island and I wanted to show off my daughters talent of photography! Both images taken on a Panasonic FS30.

Santorini Alley

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Canon 7D, 10-22mm Lens

Taken in Santorini, the most beautiful Greek Island in the village of Pyrgos.  White washed alleyways with blue windows and doors and a gorgeous friendly dog.

Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo

Canon 7D, 10-22mm Lens

Taken on a quick trip around the South Island last year.  The Lupins were still out but not at their best. This is the Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekpo.

Volubilis at Sunset, Morocco

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Canon 7D, 10-22mm Lens

Volubilis, ancient roman ruins near Meknes. Partly excavated Roman city built in a very fertile agricultural area, it was developed from the 3rd century BC onwards as a Phoenician/Carthegenian settlement. It grew rapidly under Roman rule from the 1st century AD onwards and expanded to cover an area of about 40 hectares (99 acres) with a 2.6 km (1.6 mi) circuit of walls. The city gained a number of major public buildings in the 2nd century, including a basilica, temple and triumphal arch. Its prosperity, which was derived principally from olive growing, prompted the construction of many fine town-houses with large mosaic  floors.

The town fell to local tribesmen around 285 but was never retaken by Rome due to its remoteness and indefensibility on the south-western border of the Roman Empire. It continued to be inhabited for at least another 700 years.  By the 11th century Volubilis had been abandoned with the seat of power relocated to Fes and much of the local population had been traRnsferred to the new town of Moulay Idriss about 5km away.

The ruins of Volubilis remained substantially intact until they were devastated by an earthquake in the mid-18th century.  Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed for being "an exceptionally well preserved example of a large Roman colonial town on the fringes of the Empire".

A Venetian Canal

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Canon 7D, 10-22m Lens

Beautiful canal in early morning.  The more I look at this the more things I see - the beautiful colour of the water, the rubbish bag on the door, the washing hanging out, the numbers on the wall, the overhead wires, the beautiful green trees and the reflections of the boat.  I loved Venice, beautiful city and loved the alleyways and canals.

Spring Poppy

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Canon 7D, 100mm Macro Lens

Taken in a beautiful garden in Marlborough last week on a gorgeous spring day.  The poppies were taller than me so it was actually easy for a change to get them on a different perspective.

Mt Robert View

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Canon 7D, 18-55mm Lens at 25mm

View from Mt Robert overlooking Lake Rotoiti at the Nelson Lakes.  Another stunning day in the Nelson Marlborough area with those bright blue skies.  Looking eastward towards Blenheim.

Clematis Flower

Canon 7D, 100mm Macro Lens

Taken on the Hunters Garden Tour 2010.  Clematis flower with a textured overlay.  The variety of flowers and gardens you see on these tours are incredible and I fully recommend them.