There’s something calming about reflections. It lets us see the world from another angle. On my travels, I’ve come across many beautiful moments where water turned into a mirror—showing not just what was there, but something more quiet and poetic. Here, I’m sharing some of my favourite places where reflections made me pause, look twice,…
Category: challenges
Floral Friday – 5
I’m no expert in flowers—what I share in my posts simply reflects what I was feeling at the moment I took the photo. So here I am posting photos every Friday for Floral Friday and for FOTD. A peach rose in my backyard, its petals soft and glowing. After the rain, tiny drops clung to…
Day Trip to Arrowtown
TRAVEL DIARY: DAY 9 DAYTRIP TO ARROWTOWN Arrowtown is a small town near Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island. It began as a gold mining town, and you can still see that history in its old cottages and stone buildings. Many of the houses were built in the 1860s, when Chinese miners and European settlers…
Wordless Wednesday – 38
GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM, BILBAO
Hong Kong in Monochrome
There’s no set theme for this week’s Monochrome Madness Challenge, so I’ve decided to feature monochrome shots from my travels. This week I turn my lens toward Hong Kong—a city that’s always moving, always changing, and striking even without colour. This was 2012 when I went to HK with Jack, my sister and my niece…
Tuesday Streetart: Bronik – 91
I first discovered Bronik’s work on the streets of Barcelona in 2023 and was immediately captivated by her bold, vibrant style. Since then, I’ve been on the lookout for her murals closer to home—I’ve seen several in St Kilda, though I’ve yet to explore Elwood, where many more of her works light up the streets….
Windows in Porto
This beautiful building, with its white-paned windows and ornate details, is a striking example of old-world charm in Porto. The curved balconies and decorative columns add elegance, while the rows of matching white windows bring symmetry and grace to the facade. Looking closer is a whimsical mural just above the ground floor—and a sculpted face….
Stormy times
I’m originally from the Philippines, a tropical country where storms are a regular part of life. Growing up, I was used to them—when a storm rolled in, we stayed home. Schools would close, sometimes offices would shut down as well, and everything came to a standstill. These storms weren’t gentle either—they were strong, often followed…
Floral Friday – 4
TE ANAU, NEW ZEALAND I’m no expert in flowers—what I share in my posts simply reflects what I was feeling at the moment I took the photo. So here I am posting photos every Friday for Floral Friday and for FOTD. This is a Garden Dahlia which I saw in the Te Anau Garden. This…
The Giant’s House
In the charming town of Akaroa, New Zealand, artist Josie Martin has turned an old 1880s villa, known as The Giant’s House, into a colourful and imaginative sanctuary. It is said the be the “Happiest Garden on Earth.” The Giants House has become a part of Akaroa’s folklore, earning its name when a small child,…
Naturally Monochrome
For Elke’s Monochrome Madness Challenge with the theme of Naturally Monochrome. These photos were taken in colour, but at first glance, you might not think so. There’s something about the soft light, the shadows, and the muted tones that give them a monochrome feel. It wasn’t planned that way – just one of those happy…
Tuesday Streetart: Antarctic Gateway City – 90
RIVERSIDE MARKET, CHRISTCHURCH This awesome mural was created to celebrate Christchurch’s special role as a gateway to Antarctica. You’ll find it just outside Riverside Market, right on the corner of Cashel Street and Oxford Terrace. This is the third week in a row I’ve featured street artist Dcypher—clearly a favourite! This piece was a team…
Windows in an Arrowtown church
This is the charming St John’s Presbyterian Church in Arrowtown, New Zealand. It’s a small stone church with a peaceful presence, quietly nestled among trees and layers of history. Above its entrance is a beautifully shaped stained glass window that immediately caught my eye. I felt drawn to it, so I wandered down to the…
Queenstown
TRAVEL DIARY: DAY 8 QUEENSTOWN Walking through town from our hotel, it was easy to see why Queenstown calls itself the adventure capital. There are so many thrill-seeking activities—skydiving, jet boating, bungy jumping, you name it! Well not for me thank you very much Sometimes it’s best to just wander around Queenstown. This wharf’s a…
Mellow Moments
For this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Sofia leads us with the gentle and reflective theme of Mellow. Mellow is a soft, quiet kind of feeling. It’s like warm sunlight in the late afternoon. Or it can be the gentle colours of autumn leaves — not too bright, not too loud, just calm and easy. There’s…
Floral Friday – 3
I’m no expert in flowers—what I share in my posts simply reflects what I was feeling at the moment I took the photo. So here I am posting photos every Friday for Floral Friday and for FOTD. Here are sunflowers which I saw at the Veg OutCommunity Gardens in St Kilda last February.
Day trip to Glenorchy
TRAVEL DIARY: DAY 7 DAYTRIP TO GLENORCHY We set off bright and early from our place on Gorge Street in Queenstown, excited for the day ahead. First stop is the Wilson Bay Reserve. Wilson Bay is a nice little lookout on the road between Queenstown and Glenorchy. Still on the winding road to Glenorchy. Jack…
Wordless Wednesday – 37
AKAROA, NEW ZEALAND
Books at Livraria Lello
Books open doors to new worlds, ideas, and emotions. They let us travel through time, explore different lives, and understand others better. One of the most beautiful places to enjoy books is Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal. Opened in 1906, this historic bookstore is famous for its stunning staircase, stained glass ceiling, and magical atmosphere….
Floribunda at Bunjil Place
The title, Floribunda, Latin for many-flowering is a hybrid of ‘flower’ and ‘abundance’. The exhibition Floribunda, a major partnership between the National Gallery of Victoria and Bunjil Place, is an intoxicating larger-than-life mashup of floral imagery, design and motif drawn exclusively from the NGV Collection. Through its ‘Wunderkammer’ style of display, Floribundacelebrates and reimagines the nature and…
Floral Friday – 2
I’m no expert in flowers—what I share in my posts simply reflects what I was feeling at the moment I took the photo. So here I am posting photos every Friday for Floral Friday. This was a photo that I took when I went to Churchill Island, Victoria with hubby… when my Brother in Law…
From Lake Tekapo to Queenstown
TRAVEL DIARY: DAY 6 ON THE ROAD FROM LAKE TEKAPO TO QUEENSTOWN We loved our stay at the AirBnb but we had to move on. It was a bit overcast when we left for our day. Driving through Lindi’s Pass felt like stepping into another world — endless golden hills, quiet roads, and that feeling…
Into the Woods
Into the quiet woods, where shadows speak in black and white. We don’t have wild woods in Melbourne, but the forested hills of the Dandenong Ranges come close — a peaceful escape into nature’s quiet. I am linking this to Leanne’s Monochrome Madness Challenge
Tuesday Streetart: Dcypher – 88
CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND Spotted another epic Dcypher piece on Colombo Street! This one’s a collab with the Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival and features Athena and Minerva in this wild, cosmic scene. I’m not sure what the exact story is, but the colours and details totally pulled me in—feels ancient, futuristic, and kind of magical…
Playful Windows
For Monday Window Challenge Photo taken at The Giants House in Akaroa, New Zealand.
Colourful Benches
I don’t know about you, but there’s something about colourful chairs and benches that I find so irresistible. Maybe I’m just a vibrant kind of gal—drawn to bold murals, splashes of public art, and anything that brightens up a space. Haha! Here are benches for Jude’s Bench Anniversary Challenge which I found on our trip…
The Mirror Lakes
The Mirror Lakes are small lakes in Fiordland National Park on New Zealand’s South Island. When the weather is calm, the water is very still, and it works like a mirror. You can see the Earl Mountains clearly reflected on the surface. I am sure that this Iphone photo really suits the Reflection challenge. I…
Floral Friday – 1
The Orange Day-Lily blooms from summer through to late autumn—just like now. I took this photo when Jack and I took my brother-in-law for a walk through Cloudehill Gardens in Olinda, Victoria.
A stroll in Northcote
Pat just moved into her new place—still renting, but no more share house for her! She was super excited to show us around her neighbourhood so we could pick a spot to eat next time we visited. We wandered through a few nearby streets, and I noticed some cool front doors, mosaic public art, and…
Wordless Wednesday – 35
HIGHLANDS, SCOTLAND