It IS Easy Being Green :WPC

Lismore Castle

Springtime is THE best time of the year, no matter whether you are in the northern or southern hemisphere.  After the dullness of winter, it’s so nice to see the greenery emerging, and the flowers and trees showing their buds.

In our visit to Lismore Castle and Gardens last weekend, it was wonderful to see all the greenery and also the beautiful magnolias in full bloom, some even shedding their blossoms already on the green lawns.  Check out some of my favourites in the gallery below:

Green, white and pink

Very old magnolia tree

Sweet Magnolia blossoms

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Atop : The Daily Post

These are the views from atop the Main Tower in Frankfurt, the tallest building in Frankfurt at about 260 metres high, and 56 floors high.   Don’t worry though, you don’t have to climb up 56 floors, there are high speed lifts to get you to the top in no time at all.

You will see from the top picture the symmetry of the streets, all laid out in neat blocks, and with many trees and parks that make Frankfurt a very green and open air place, in spite of the skyscrapers in the business district.

And after all that sightseeing, when Nana treats you to a big Ice cream with lots of extras, you are on top of the world!

Yummy yummy!

WPC : Shadow

The weekly photo challenge has moved from Fridays to Wednesdays, so here goes for this week’s Shadow.

These photos were taken at sunset in the town of Mainz in Germany, the tower with scaffolding is the main cathedral, which is about 1200 years old, and still standing!

Sunset in Mainz, Germany

Daily Post Photo Challenge : Solitude

Shehy Mountains on a cloudy day

The mountains are a good place to be alone, in solitude, unless of course like me you are part of a 50 strong group on a cold wintry day, all huddled together for company from the biting wind!  There always a chance to stride out on your own though, and enjoy the scenery of the distant hills, and a few isolated cottages in the distance.

Snow on the distant hills.

And if you don’t want to go hiking, there’s always the call of the sea on a calm day.

Lone sail boat

 

Ambience: Weekly Photo Challenge

A Winter’s Tale

I took this photo last weekend while hiking in County Cork.   It’s a very typical outlook at this time of the year, when the fog and mist come down, and gives a winter ambience to the countryside.

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Weekly Photo Challenge : Tiny

For this week’s Photo Challenge, let’s go back to the Model Railway Village in Clonakilty, West Cork.   We had such an enjoyable day there in the summer, not only did we see and get a ride around the town on the old train, but we also got to see the models of the surrounding towns, showing life in the 1940s and 1950s  in Ireland.

Market day long ago

Above is a scene from an old market day, with produce, cattle, sheep and pigs on display to the highest bidder.

 

The model railway station shows commuters waiting for the train, as a goods train passes carrying new cars.

My ‘giant’ grandchildren!

Looking down on the tiny houses!

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H2o : Weekly Photo Challenge

London at night, looking at the City district

Tower Bridge and the River Thames taken from the Sky Garden, Fenchurch Street

My photos were taken recently in London, strolling along besides the River Thames, the longest river in England, which has many bridges spanning it, and lots of boats of all shapes and types, travelling on it daily.   Even at night, this body of H20 is never still or deserted, always moving and always carrying people and things along with it.

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Weekly Photo Challenge : Edge

My photo was taken yesterday, in lovely Glengarriff in West Cork, looking across at Garnish Island  (in the centre of the picture) which is a small island full of exotic plants and shrubs, warmed by the Gulf Stream which helps to create a micro climate for all these unusual plants.

Storm clouds over Garnish Island in Glengarriff

We had plans as we left Cork yesterday morning – stay in a nice B& B, which was fabulous, take a trip on the ferry to Garnish to explore the gardens and the newly restored house, and maybe fit in a round of golf!   Unfortunately, the weather was against us, and you can see from the photo, that we were just on the edge of a major downpour.   Back to the cosy Jim’s Coffee House for some more coffee and cake instead!    The day wasn’t entirely wasted!!

Coffee and Caramelised Apple Tart

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Weekly Photo Challenge : Curve

Coolmain Beach, near Kinsale

When the weather is foggy or misty, the landscape changes and becomes less harsh, more curved and gentle, as you can see in the photo above, taken on a beach near Kinsale on a foggy day.

Escalator in Vienna

This is one of my favourite photos, people on the curved escalator as it moves them up and down to their destination,

and the curving sails in the photo below, along with the rolling hills of Greece in the background, make this a very peaceful scene.

Sailing away

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Weekly Photo Challenge : Abstract

Looking down from above

We stayed on the 6th floor of a hotel in Prague, and this view of the chandeliers going all the way down to the ground floor, was a very intriguing design.  Lucian Freud said ‘The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and ironically, the more real’

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