Some South Island scenes I haven’t posted yet … or may have forgotten if I already did. Sharing them now before the year closes, for Tina’s Lens Artist Photo Challenge with the theme “Last Chance”. A last glimpse of autumn purple at NZ Alpine Lavender Farm. The South Island skies is always dramatic, vast, and…
Category: Travels
Seated teddies hoping you’ll say hi
Three cute bears in the Shinsekai district of Osaka. For Xingfumama’s Pull Up a Seat Challenge and Debbie’s Six Word Saturday
Travel Diary Azubadai Hills – Day 5
TRAVEL DIARY: DAY 5 AZUBADAI HILLS Our main itinerary for today was to visit TeamLab Borderless, since we had a free day on our tour. So we took our time exploring the area before heading in on our designated entry time of 12 noon. Azabudai Hills is a modern shopping centre with a sleek architecture…
The Space Between
The space in between isn’t empty. It’s what gives everything else its shape. This week’s Monochrome Madness Challenge is hosted by Stupidity Hole, having the theme, THE SPACE BETWEEN. There’s something quietly powerful about the space in between. Between land and water, shadow and light, buildings and sky. It’s the gap where the canal meets the…
Travel Diary First Day of Tour – Day 4
TRAVEL DIARY: DAY 4 MEIJI SHRINE, HARAJUKU So today, our tour officially began. We finally met our tour mates, and they all seemed like such a happy, easygoing bunch. It already feels like the start of a fun trip. First stop is the Meiji Shrine. I walked into Meiji Shrine through its huge wooden gate,…
A little Ornament
Every year when I take this out of the box, I’m instantly brought back to that Christmas market in the UK where I found it. The handwritten names, Mum, Dad, Tim, and Pat … make it feel even more special. It’s one of those little ornaments that carries a whole story with it. I am…
Asakusa & its Doors
As I wandered through Asakusa, I found myself slowing down for something most people probably walk past without a second thought—the doors. Unlike the ornate temples or the colourful bustle of shopping Streets, the doors here are simple, clean, and almost understated. Some are plain wooden panels softened by age, others are neatly painted with…
Travel Diary in Asakusa – Day 3
TRAVEL DIARY: DAY 3 ASAKUSA It was our third day in Tokyo, and we took the train around 9am. Since it was a public holiday, I wasn’t too worried about it being crowded. We took 2 trains and a bit of walking to reach Nakamise Street. Walking through Nakamise Street felt like stepping into a…
Travel Diary in Shibuya & Shinjuku – Day 2
TRAVEL DIARY: DAY 2 SHIBUYA & SHINJUKU Right after breakfast on Day 2 in Tokyo, we were off again, heading straight for Shibuya. It is busy, loud, and buzzing with its own kind of magic. And just outside Shibuya Station, we found the famous Hachikō statue. I’ve seen it in photos countless times, but standing…
Doors from Ginza to Shibuya
We went from Ginza to Shibuya by train, and of course I was busy taking photos of the doors and every quirky little detail. Japan does this to you haha I am linking this to Dan’s Thursday Door Challenge. And of course Jack had to go through the doors of the famous Tower Records to…
Travel Diary in Ginza – Day 1
TRAVEL DIARY: DAY 1 GINZA Well, it’s our first full day here in Tokyo and so far, things are off to a great start. Flight Centre booked us at Hotel Monday Premium Toyosu, and because we added three extra nights before our tour, we got to settle in properly. Best decision ever. The hotel turned…
Mysterious
This week’s challenge is from Patti with the theme of Mysterious. Mysterious: A mood or moment in a place that feels quietly powerful, subtly beautiful, or filled with secrets you can’t quite name. Mysterious is how this church in Porto rises against the night or a lone bird flying above a cathedral. It can be…
Balcony shadows shaping the morning light
During one of our walking tours in Kyoto, i saw this apartment building with its beautiful, symmetrical balcony shadows. For Becky’s November Shadows and for Debbie’s Six Word Saturday
Floral Friday – 19
It’s been a bit since my last post for Floral Friday, so here’s something simple and sweet—pink blooms on a quiet Miyama road.
Sheds, Doors & Shadows
In the South Island even the simplest things like an old shed, a half-open door, the play of shadows, feel poetic. New Zealand really knows how to make the ordinary beautiful. I am linking this to Becky’s November Shadows and for Dan’s Thursday Doors Challenge
On the Move
Something about being on the move (and stuck in a plane seat) convinces me that sky photography is my calling. Clouds, sunsets, random blue patches, I snap them all. Don’t judge me haha. I am linking this to Johnbo’s Lens Artist Photo Challenge with the theme “On the Move” Sunrise on board Singapore Airlines from…
Proof we were here…
Proof we were here… courtesy of our shadows. On our last full day in Osaka… at the Osaka Castle grounds. This is for Becky’s November Squares.
Me & My Shadow
Show me wings on a wall and I’m instantly in photo mode. Luckily, Jack’s always exactly the right height to wear them. … but for me? The wings always land on my head instead haha. But what I loved most this time wasn’t the wings, but our shadows on the wall. Taken outside the Cacao…
Tree Shadows
The eye is always caught by light, but shadows have more to say. – Gregory Maguire Caught this shadow of a tree while walking with my tour group in Kyoto. I am linking this to Becky’s November Shadows.
Miyama’s Timeless Landscape
Nestled in the mountains of Kyoto Prefecture, Miyama feels like a step back in time. The thatched-roof farmhouses, mist-covered hills, and quiet fields create a landscape that seems untouched by the rush of modern life. It’s a scene where tradition and nature blend seamlessly — a perfect moment for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, hosted…
A celebration with flowers
This challenge is called #1Day4Cee and it is a tribute to Cee plus a joint birthday celebration of Dan and of Marsha. Here are some flowers and Autumn foliage taken in Kawaguchiko, as our tour passed by this beautiful lake.
Sunset over Mt Fuji
Watching the sunset from our hotel window. This is Mt Fuji in the distance, bathed in golden light and growing shadows. My entry for Becky’s November Square with the theme, Shadows.
Sunrise in Tokyo
For Tina’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, the theme Ephemeral feels just right. This morning, I watched the sunrise from my hotel window in Tokyo. The sky slowly shifted from soft grey to pink, then to gold as the sun appeared over the city skyline. For a few quiet minutes, everything felt calm … no trains yet,…
What my heart is telling me right now
There are days when you find yourself torn between staying home and setting out to travel. Staying home brings a sense of peace … the comfort of familiar walls, a warm cup of coffee while still in your pyjamas, and the gentle rhythm of daily life. It’s where you can rest, reflect, and feel grounded….
Lugano 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. Lugano is a charming city set beside the shimmering Lake Lugano and surrounded by mountains, located in the Swiss region of Ticino, right near the border with Italy. The market in Lugano is a delight…
Autumn
This week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, hosted by Johnbo, invites us to celebrate the beauty of Autumn. No matter where you are in the world, there’s something truly magical about autumn. It’s my favourite season — and I bet I’m not alone in thinking that. In Victoria, Australia, the countryside glows in rich shades of amber,…
Everyone should see this…
Living in Australia, I’ve always been aware of how far away we are from the rest of the world. It often feels like only the truly determined travellers make their way down here. But just beyond our shores lies another country, equally distant yet full of wonder—New Zealand. I recently journeyed through the South Island,…
Wordless Wednesday – 44
BURGOS, SPAIN
Mt Titlis 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. Ascending Mt. Titlis, the world transforms. The funicular lifts you above the valley, and the cable car carries you closer to the peaks, where snow and rock merge in stark contrast. In monochrome, the ridges…
Symmetry in Monochrome
Symmetry in monochrome photography reveals itself everywhere—sometimes in magnificent architecture, sometimes in the smallest details. It may be the grand domes of churches, the pillars of castles, the rows of windows, or the quiet pull of an alleyway. In Melbourne, it appears in the architecture—in the arches, the bridges, and the geometry of the city…