Bev’s Colourful Friday - Lavendar

My friend, Bev at Kainga Happenings is hosting Colourful Friday this week, so I thought I would join her just this once.
 
So, literally, here is my lavendar when it’s fresh:


and when it’s past it’s best..  Same camera, different angle, maybe different time of day but what different colours!


I sometimes think things are pink or blue rather than lavendar but I’m sure there is a lavendar colour in here somewhere:

or in this one?


My blue hydrangea (a gift from Bev’s sister, Chris) looks lavendar when it first blooms:


I don’t know what these are.  They are in a garden not far from where I live:


These are in the same garden:


I’m not a crafty person like Bev but I did manage to find some lavendar tones in this hand knitted winter scarf. 

FSO - Over your Head

Friday again!  Where did that week go I wonder?  I spent a lot of it looking up but what we mostly see when we look up around here is just the sky and it hasn't been horribly interesting this week.

First thing that came to mind was the roof over my head, that's pretty important.  So to start, here's my son and his offisider making sure I have no leaks in that roof.

And then I was stumped.  I looked up a definition of over your head and confirmed 'if someone is in over their head, they are out of their depth in something they are involved in, and may end up in a mess. ' So, you've been warned.

Jami avoided being in over her head by remembering her water wings:

Wish to were so simple to keep me out of a mess sometimes!

On Wednesday I went looking for something constructive to look up at.  There are no high rises in Whangarei but a side gate to the new Events Centre was open when I went past so I snuck in to grab a shot.  It looked sort of weird without a soul in sight.  I could picture it packed with football fans, imagine the cheering; the silence was sort of eerie.  If there are any ghosts of sports fans lurking, they didn't show themselves. 

Rugby football fever generates a lot of hot air in this country.  I presume this is some sort of air extractor:

 

 Next door to the stadium are the cricket grounds.  As I was preparing for a photo, a groundsman came running up to warn me the water sprinklers were about to come on about a foot away from where I was standing.  Oh, oh, that would have been something I didn't want over my head!  So I moved to get my Romeo and Juliet shot.  I think they may have been a bit over their heads in love.  Darn, that was head over heels, wasn't it?  Never mind, there is a balcony!

 A short 4 km drive took me to A H Reed Park, then a quick walk along the canopy walkway provided me with something wonderful over my head.  This is a reasonably young kauri but still worth looking up at.  

Then I remembered this photo taken right on my doorstep of my grand-daughter looking up at another kauri in 'our' forest that I look out at daily:

This is another common sight - pampas grass growing on the banks along the side of our road:

Yesterday evening, desperately seeking inspiration, I wandered outside with my camera thinking perhaps I could get a shot looking up at the mountains, but they were shrouded in rain and mist.

That's it!  I give up!  I'm going to have to look up to higher power!

I wonder what is "over the heads' of the rest of the team.  Be assured there will be some terrifiic photography of the unexpected if you care to follow me here.

One of top three

On Friday I posted a photo of Ngunguru, which is about 30 minutes on the other side of Whangarei from where I live.  I have that photo on my desktop at work as it calms me when I get a bit stressed.

Today I learned that the Tutukaka Coast is one of the top three coastlines in the world, according to the prestigious National Georgraphic Traveller.   Ngunguru is on the Tutukaka Coast, the settlement before you go up over the hill to Tutukaka.  

The coastline was named equal second best with the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales and pipped for the top spot by the remote, austere Avalon coast on Canada's Newfoundland.

To be honest, it’s not my favourite part of the Northland’s coast but who am I to argue with National Geographic?  Maybe it’s not my favourite because I’ve never been satisfied with photos I’ve take there.  

Anyway, I thought I’d share a few with you.  If you heard that report, too, you will be able so say you know a little of what it looks like.  Only a little, mind!

Tutukaka

 

 Tutukaka

Tutukaka Marina

Ngunguru

GB about to climb through the gap that allowed access to lovely hidden bay.  I believe this access is now closed to the public for safety reasons.  I don’t think I’d be up to the climb around the rocky headland to reach this bay now so I’m glad I have these photos as a memory of it.

the hidden bay

 

And while I’m bragging about the beautiful place in which I live, did you read or hear that  New Zealand is the third-best country to live in the world, according to the latest United Nations index?  Norway first, Australia second, NZ third!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10685680

I am chuffed!

‘Chuffed’ doesn't appear in my Collins English Dictionary.  However, it does have:
1.‘chuff’ – puffing sound of or as if of a steam engine, and
2. Brit. slang to please or delight.

So take the second meaning and add an ed.  That’s me!  Pleased and delighted (and puffing about my own cleverness like a little steam engine.)

Why?  Oh well you may ask! Just try to stop me from telling you!

A while ago my son and daughter-in-law drew my attention to a photography competition being conducted by the school my grand-daughters attend.  They called for photos of the area and winning photos would appear in the school calendar for next year.  I acknowledge and appreciate the beauty of the area where I live, and almost daily take photos.   So I pondered for ages about which of my photos best reflect our piece of paradise and sent off four photos (one was my header photo).

Friday was Calf Club at the girls' school.  This is a special day around this time each year in rural schools around New Zealand, a day which encourages children to take an active interest in the welfare and presentation of an animal of their choice for a community day at their school.   When my children went to school it was all about calves and lambs and I remember very clearly the pride a child feels when their animal wins.  Prizes aren’t won just by selecting animals that are well bred.  They are also judged on the grooming of their pet and how it leads.  Winning a prize is invariably about the hours the child has put in feeding, caring for and training their animal. 

Today, with fewer children having access to ‘farm animals’ the day has become known by other names – Country, Pet, Livestock or Agriculture Day, with events for all classes of animals, pets and handcrafts.

So on Friday I made sure I got away from work on time so I could get to the school. for at least part of the Big Day.  This year, as part of Calf Club, was the announcing of the winners of the photography competition.  Just as I was about to leave town I got a text from my d-in-law saying three of my photos were in the calendar.  When I got there I spotted Georgia and her turtle (which won first prize in a section for ‘other pets’) but Heather found me pretty quickly and took me off to see the calendars.  I was soooo chuffed.  Then, flicking through the calendar, I spotted one of the photos that had my name on it was not mine.  I was saying to Heather, “That’s not mine!”  and a lady at the table must have overheard because she came up and said, “Are you Pauline?”  And went on to explain that my name on the photo that was not mine had been a mistake - I could have told her that –and they would get the name changed to the right name in the next printing run.  Sooo two photos in the calendar, I was still a happy girl.  The winners were called up in due course to receive our prizes.  We were presented with our developed photos and a certificate.  Look at the certificate!  Who wouldn’t be proud??  I hope everyone mistook my smile for happiness and not amusement!  Well, to be honest it was pride, happiness and amusement.  I won’t pretend I wasn’t thrilled.  

 

I have just one half decent photo of the calves and lambs, they were strung out like Browns Cows.  That's one of our neighbours, Archer in the red shirt with his be-ribboned lamb.

 

In other news this weekend, the family has a new pet.  A goregous little goat named Mini.  She's about five months old and has obviously been well looked after and happy around children. Isn't she lovely?

 None of the girls have spent time with me all weekend.  I can see why they are otherwise occupied!

FSO–the Letter N

Couldn’t decide whether to be naughty or nice.  And I’m too old to be bothered either way.

I had to go seriously looking for something for this topic.  Every second thing that took my eye was an M.
 
On Monday when out for a walk, Flint came right up to the fence and presented a nose opportunity:

But before I could take a back up shot he moved and what did I get…a nostril.  (Oh please!)

Thanks to the sharp eyes of my walking companion, next came a nest:

Unfortunately, the rest of the week was not so productive.  I had to resort to a commonplace sight along the road I travel daily, a narrow bridge, and a pretty ordinary one at that:

What else starts with the letter N?  A community noticeboard:

Nieces.  Well, a niece and a great-niece, one generation as lovely as the next.  And I admit I dug into my archives to retrieve this shot:

And while I was there I remembered this shot from last summer.  This is Ngunguru.  No, I haven't been drinking.  Try pronouncing that one!

I wonder what N things the rest of the team came up with?  I’m just going to hop over here to check them out.

Encouraged

I can’t see any future for a blogger who just posts photos of faces.  

For me, photos help to tell a story.  When the story is written on the face of those in the photos, a little too much is left to the imagination, I think.  Or maybe I underestimate my readers.

But Adrian is a brilliant photographer and he has left me encouraging comments about my portraits, so blame this on him.  

Here are a few more random shots of faces from Monday's fun day at work.  Some are taken from a distance, and the zoom on my camera isn't the best so are a bit hazy.

The first four are students who caught my eye:





Now some of the great team I work with:




and other staff who made the mistake of being where I was:



I’d really like to hear which shots you think work.  I love faces and want to get better at capturing them.

Another great face

I admit to self satisfaction when I capture a good scenic shot, or get a photo that speaks to me for the weekly Friday Shoot Out.  But I really do think I get the most satisfaction out of capturing great faces.  Not your regular pretty face, but a face which tells of the character of the person who wears it.

Today was No Smoking Day at work and the Health Centre arranged a fun lunch time for students while spreading the Quit message.

The highlight was a tug o war with student teams competing for an annual cup.  With exam time looming it was an opportunity for students to have a little time out, a bit of fun to alleviate the stress that comes at the end of their study year.

Watching the different heats I thought the finalists would be these two teams.  Either this team, who had obviously had a serious discussion about their technique:

or these guys with their youthful enthusiasm:

but then this face filled my view finder. In the beginning, the quiet focus:

The determined chin comes up as the referee counts down:

The battle commences:

and he gives it his all:

Oh yeah, I’d want to be on his team. 

And, yes, his team won the cup!