Spring celandine…
Celandine in my Cyprus garden, Happy Days…
Wordless Wednesday
Travel theme : Flutter
Fluttering down to land, at Al Wathba wetlands reserve, Abu Dhabi.
Travel theme: Flutter organised by Ailsa at http://wheresmybackpack.com.
Almond blossom…
Spring is marked in Cyprus by the blossoming of Almond trees. Clouds of ethereal white and pink blossom appear, scattered over the hillsides, clear blue skies overhead. Continue reading
Weekly Photo Challenge: Life imitates Art #2
Memories of Monet… Waterlilies in Tao Dan park, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam…
Memories of Monet… Waterlilies in Tao Dan park, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam…
Weekly Photo challenge: Life Imitates Art
My take on this week’s theme. In Siem Reap, a little pyjama clad girl resting in front of a random pair of wings made a perfect angel, the security guard, deep in thought…one of those chance moments in life where the picture was perfect… The modern day angel reminded me of Raphael’s cherubim putti angels of the Sistine Madonna.
Monday window: #4 Panayia Chryseleoussis, Emba, Cyprus
The old church in Emba village…
Small barred windows at the ancient Byzantine church of Panayia Chryseleoussis, small circular windows in the dome too.
Skywatch Friday: Dark skies in Dubai
A rare sight in this part of the world, dark and looming storm clouds, it brought welcome rain for the region….
Linking with Skywatch Friday
Tackling the trash: Ocean waste, a perennial problem.
Attending the Open day at the Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG), located beyond Jebel Ali, our host, Major Ali, the lynchpin of this non-governmental organization introduced us to the stalwart work carried out by this non-profit group. Continue reading
Thursday Doors: Fishing port, Dubai.
When I spotted this corridor of doors and not having seen any of the “No photography” signs, I spent some time snapping, then, on turning around, a security guard is standing right behind me …politely, “Ma’am, no photos please here”… Oops, profuse apologies, but I wasn’t snapping the super yachts moored behind me, just this lovely view down a corridor of doors ….
Wordless Wednesday
Petra tou Romiou, Cyprus…
Kalimera!
Pacing the Palm Jumeirah….
Weekends in Dubai are my time to explore the city. Even though views from my flat are of the Palm Jumeirah (just) and it seems a stone’s through away, getting there is another matter. You really have to plan your journey in this city, no random heading off in “that” direction, the road network is superb, but requires advance planning otherwise you can be many miles from your chosen destination, spoken from experience! Continue reading
Weekly Photo Challenge: Time #3
Garden Challenge : February: Monochrome
Ethereal in the sunlight
A feathery weed in sunlight, monochrome highlights the structure and formation of each frond.
Monday Window #3 : in Bristol, UK.
It’s a Banksy window.
In June 2006, Banksy created an image of a naked man hanging out of a bedroom window on a wall visible from Park Street in central Bristol. The image sparked “a heated debate”, with the Bristol City Council leaving it up to the public to decide whether it should stay or go.After an internet discussion in which 97% of the 500 people surveyed supported the stencil, the city council decided it would be left on the building.The mural was later defaced with blue paint. (Wikipedia)
( Photo Vicky, April 2015 on a Bristol city visit)
Weekly Travel Theme: Mask
Traditional Khmer costume and mask at Angkor Wat.
One is a mask as we know it, the other is a mask of makeup.
Travel theme: Mask organised by Ailsa at http://wheresmybackpack.com.
Weekly Photo challenge: Time #2
Weekly Photo Challenge: Time
A Borneo sunset…
Linking with Skywatch Friday
Prolific posting….
Having dived into a multitude of challenges with great enthusiasm, joining into this whole blogging concept, which is a wonderful way to view other folk’s experiences, I now find myself with a 5-day working week on WordPress! Continue reading
Thursday Doors
A typical Omani door in rural areas. This door leads directly into the house, sometimes the houses have a walled courtyard and larger doors or gates are the entry point, with no visibility of the house behind, for privacy purposes.The colour in this desert environment is a welcome sight and stands out from the muted surrounding sand tones.
Wordless Wednesday
Magnolia blossoms in Bath, Somerset, Uk, in April 2015. An image of Spring to add cheer to today…
Introducing my favourite place in Oman…. Masirah Island
I first visited Masirah in October 2013 and have been back many times, the island’s simplicity and beauty draw me like a magnet. It’s a complete contrast to anywhere in the UAE and I never fail to relax amidst its rural island atmosphere. Continue reading
Weekly Photo Challenge: Vibrant #3
Vibrant Red wedding sari, what a glamorous bridal outfit…
This outfit in a shop window in the Karama district of Dubai caught my eye, permission was granted for a photo, so much vibrant color here, the red and gold and all that opulent embroidery, wonderful…
Monday Window #2
Windows in an old Omani house in Mirbat, Southern Oman, still occupied.
Monthly Memories : January 2016
January always brings a sense of a new start. After the end of the year, it feels as if a cold shock is required to kickstart the new year. In northern climes, the cold shock is inevitable, in middle climes, it’s a beautiful time of year. Intense, exhausting summer heat several months ahead, but the temperate weather over the winter brings, for me, the advent of weekends travelling and exploring this beautiful region.
Christmas family celebration time fell during New Years week for me, work commitments required me to remain in Dubai, where this time of year isn’t flush with Bank holidays and mince pies. A 5 am New Years day start for the airport, through the city which never sleeps, the new year had commenced. My joy to go home. Cyprus, chilly nights, beautiful blue sky days, precious family time with the children. Perfect winter weather, central heating and thick boots, this was my coldish start to 2016.
Winter succulent…
Olive tree, starting it’s 2016 growth…
A Cyprus winter sunset…
Cypriot cyclamen…
Mandora, A Cyprus winter fruit…
Proof of the boots…
Back in the sand, the annual Gulf News fun drive, a weekend of dune bashing with 1000 others out in the Western Region, then a trip over to the Oman coast, walking along empty beaches, not many souls in sight, with only flocks of flamingos and herons for my company.
Catching squid…
Scaring the birds…
Crab en guarde…
Sand dollar exposed by the tide…
Whose footprints in the sand….
The Flamingo three…
Last weekend was a Dubai weekend, time to tidy up but do some in-town exploring but this past weekend was our cold shock. Weather warnings filled the papers, rough seas, rain and the temperatures forecast to descend below 20 degrees.
Clouds were in our normally sand filled blue skies, black over the desert threatening rain. In a country where rain is an infrequent pleasure, it was time to dig out something warm and head outside from the 35th floor flat and breathe in some fresh air.
Cityscape from the beach…
Dubai winter beach…
Kite surfing at the city beach…
Oh, yes and I started the diet this month too. 2016 is the fat-busting year.
Joining into https://thoughtsofasociallyanxiousextrovert.wordpress.com/my-monthly-memories-monthly-blogging-event/
Weekly Travel theme: Gloss
Somewhere near Hua Hin, Thailand, pootling around on the back roads on a scooter, I came across these statues at a hillside temple, so glossy in the sunlight, it hurt your eyes to look at them…
Joining Travel theme: Gloss organised by Ailsa at http://wheresmybackpack.com
Weekly Photo challenge: Vibrant #2
Weekly Photo Challenge: Vibrant
Admiring the Arabian oryx….
Driving in the desert in the Emirates, if you are lucky enough, there is the chance to come across the Arabian Oryx or white Oryx (Oryx leucoryx). Continue reading
Sunrise in the Western region, UAE.
Linking with Skywatch Friday
Travels in the Middle East and beyond 