Friday My Town Shoot Out - Under Construction

What do we have to do to construct a fabulous 2010 for all of us?

Take a fist full of resolutions......

Construction is such a male word, don't you think?  And, to me, it has a hard work sound to it.

But we women know how to construct too, you know.  And it's not always easy either.

My daughter's hand sometimes aches when she spends hours squeezing that icing thingy as she constructs a cake. 

My back aches if I spend too long sitting at the sewing machine when I construct a bag.  And then my head can ache as I try to decide if it looks best with or without the trim:

with

or without

Watch out when my daughter-in-law Heather and her girls decide to get creative and construct a costume:

I like to use what I can find around the farm or at the beach in my outdoor creations. 

It's amazing what some people can construct using old fence wire:

Compared with that, road construction (call me sexist but that is definitely a male thing) is dull and boring:

whether it be in the country

or in the city.

I have no idea what this is going to become but it looks boring to me.

But add a tree and a bit of water and there is some promise of interest.

Thanks, Gordon, for the topic "under construction".  It was a lot more fun than I expected it to be.  Click here to see what was under construction for the rest of the Friday Shoot out team. 

Friday My Town Shoot Out - Faces and Smiles

I'm so proud of my faces this week. I'm sure I have simply the Best faces for you.

Who else has two Bulgarians? Anyone? Thought not! Bulgarians have to be the Beautiful People of 2009 I think. I work with one and couldn't believe it when I asked a stranger permission to photograph him and discovered he was another.

So here's my first Bulgarian, Dancho. Isn't that a wonderful face?

This is Vasi. I only had one opportunity to take a photo of her and mucked it up but I think you can still see what a great face she has:

You, too, could look at happy as Lynda if you had a PA like me! And yes, she is as smart as she is beautiful!

I like faces that have weathered the test of time, that reflect a life well lived:

Thank you, Sarah from Idaho for this week's theme. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of wonderful faces and smiles. You can, too, by following the link under My Favourites on the side bar.

Friday My Town Shoot Out - Places of Worship

Friday again. And this week the theme is Places of Worship - formal and informal - chosen by Rebecca. I've already seen Rebecca's shots and, as always, she has some amazing photos.

My little local village of Maungakaramea has three small churches to serve the spiritual needs of its few hundred souls. I love these humble little churches, they are to be found everywhere in small rural communities. I posted a shot of the Anglican Church last week but here it is from another angle:

The Catholic Church is further on up the road:

And the Interdenominational Church is around the corner:

In Whangarei, our nearest regional centre, the Anglican Church is a lot more grand. Of all the churches in the town I chose this one because of those beautiful windows that reflect the glory of trees:

This is another Anglican Church on the outskirts of Whangarei. It's one of my favourites.

In a back corner of grounds of this church I found this:

There was no plaque or any explanation of why it was there.....I wonder...

Some choose a less conventional God and make their own little altars:

The flock gathers:

And, hold on a minute, do I see a cow praying in that paddock?

In an earlier life I worshipped the sun - on a beach such as this:

This is where I go these days to give thanks - for my life, my family, where I live (and the little girl who is usually with me when I go here):

Friday My Town Shoot Out - Skylines

Kate from Kansas has chosen the theme for this week's Friday My Town Shoot out - Skylines. Kate takes wonderful photos so make sure you have a look at her skylines.

Earlier in the week I had no enthusiasm for this topic, I associated skylines with cities, cathedrals, bridges, etc. Then, on my drive home from work I looked at what I see on the skyline each and every day and realized there are many who would envy me these views.

So, I'm going to take you along as a passenger on my drive home from work.

A few minutes out of town, heading south, is a picnic area with a view down the Whangarei Harbour and out towards Whangarei Heads. We'll pull over here for our first photo.

It's a shame the tide is out! You can just make out the stacks at Marsden Point Oil Refinery.

After we turn off SH 1, the traffic thins and we have an easy drive, up and down hills and around lots of corners but always with the same mountain range on our skyline.

I love the uppity downity mountains, they always look so cheerful!


Soon the village of Maungakaramea comes into view, nestled at the foot of the mountains.

Closer still and the tower on that highest peak comes clearer. That is our most prominent landmark. As you can see the road has many twists, so the skyline is constantly changing. See that white building on the left hand side of the road, on the edge of the village?

That is the church in the next photo. No grand cathedrals but a simple, honest, place of worship for the local folk, built by the local folk of days gone by.

As we draw closer to home the countryside becomes more rural, one minute there are cattle on the skyline:

The next minute it is sheep:

Ahh, yes, home now, there is the tower:

and here is the skyline from my front deck:

I think this skyline is imprinted on my heart.

And there is another skyline I'd like to share, one from my childhood.

As children in Australia we travelled up this valley at school holiday time towards my grandparents farm. Our excitement grew as we sighted Mt Castle and Mt Mistake.
I can close my eyes and see that skyline, still fresh in my memory.

I'm looking forward to visiting and seeing the special skylines of my blogging friends.

Friday My Town Shoot Out - Park Landscapes

This week's subject for the Friday My Town Shoot-out was chosen by JarieLyn from Nevada. Pay her a visit to see her park landscapes.

I've chosen to focus on two sports parks and a park in the middle of Whangarei.

This is Kensignton Park, on the north side of Whangarei, the hub of winter sports in the region. My granddaughters play netball on the courts in the foreground, while other youngsters play hockey and football in the background.

On the south side of the city Okara Park is the home of rugby union and cricket. The rugby grounds are undergoing a major revamp and there was no way the construction workers were going to allow a lady in heels to wander around their site taking photos. So I went to the cricket club instead. I thought my heels would be just as unwelcome if I wandered past this sign on to the grounds.

Especially when a group of official looking men strode out to inspect the pitch.

I've never before actually noticed the cricket pavilion and how very colonial it looks - especially when I remember this area was a carpark in my younger days.

One day during the week when I had more sensible footwear in the car I visited Mair Park after work.

The weather was cold and windy with scattered showers (I sound like a weather report!) which was fine by me because I like to have places to myself. But the playground looked a bit forlorn.

Just across the grassed area is the entrance to a lovely, tree lined bush walk.

And right next door to Mair Park is another sort of park, for holiday makers.

I wanted to include this park because last year, during a winter storm, here on the farm we were without power for six days. My biggest problem was where to have my daily shower and the lovely lady who runs this park said I was welcome to use their facilities for $2 a day. So, if ever you find yourself in the north of New Zealand looking for a place to clean up, I can highly recommend this park.

Friday My Town Shoot Out - Doors and Windows

Thanks to Kerri for this week's theme, "Doors and Windows". I took literally dozens of photos but now it's time to post them, none of them measure up somehow.

So I've decided to only post the ones that evoke a feeling for me.

The most important feeling for a door must be the feeling of "welcome". Although I only housesat here for a few weeks I always felt like I was being welcomed home when I approached this door.

This window in the door to a backyard sauna says, "Come on in! Relax!"

The door to the smallest building at a cow dairy. A welcome sight at times I'm sure.

On a warm, sunny day the wide open double doors to the small book shop where I work - a sight that evoked the happiest of feelings for me.

No grand cathedrals or churches around here but beyond these humble doors and windows the same faith is found.

But the old country church
Still has its share of charm

Once families came on Sunday
from the nearby country farms!
Marilyn Lott