This cream filled, chocolaty pastry is a delicious treat for the taste buds, and a nice theme for this week’s photo challenge.
WPC: Treat
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In the grey
Image
Giant fingers
On my last visit through Trafalger Square in London I came across this curious sculpture. It automatically made me think of Michealangelo’s famous painting Creation of Adam but there was no information about who or what these fingers were meant to represent. I have since looked it up and discovered that this is a piece by Jose Rivelino, a Mexican artist and is meant to represent equality between people. I really like the idea and I think this is an interesting and thought provoking piece of work. What do you think?
Autumn has arrived
Summer has come to an end and Autumn has now arrived, here in England. Autumn is probably my favourite time of year, as the days are cool but still bright and there are less bugs around too which in my opinion is always good! The other things I love about Autumn are the beautiful displays of newly changed leaves, from luscious greens to fiery reds, yellows and oranges.
On one such bright a day, I decided to take a walk in one of the several parks near where I live. This particular park is lovely; it has a nice lake, a grand looking mansion with a pretty flower garden, and a boating and play area. Armed with my camera, I kept my eyes open for any new autumnal displays, and it wasn’t long before I came across lots.
The highlight of my walk was coming across some cute, late summer ducklings (I didn’t get too close in case their protective mother came after me) and several curious, cheeky squirrels who were very interested in my camera. I also loved seeing freshly fallen conkers reminding me of childhood fun-filled contests.
I really enjoyed my walk and as we go deeper into the season I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more interesting developments.
White gaura
These white gaura flowers are really pretty and elegant looking, and would be a nice addition to any flowerbed.
Italian gardens in London
Wondering around Hyde park earlier this year I came across the Italian Gardens. The Gardens have embellished statues, urns and large water fountains, all which create a really nice relaxing space.
The main water fountain leading to the top of the Serpentine lake was a combination of a group of boys holding a huge platter with a woman on either side holding an urn, all pouring water into the lake.
On the far side of the garden is a chapel with really pretty flowers planted on either side in neat geometric rows.
I thought the gardens were laid out nicely and kept in really good condition. I found them to be a calming space with the sound of rushing water from the fountains drowning out some of the background noise and pretty flowers soothing to the eyes. I’ll definitely look to visiting it again at some point.
Gift horse
Currently the fourth plinth in Trafalger Square is occupied by a skeletal figure of a gift horse with a ribbon around it’s leg displaying the London Stock Market. It replaces the giant blue chicken that was there previously. As artistic as the horse looks I think I miss the chicken. What do you think?
Delicate peony
This peony is really pretty with large, soft pink petals peeling back to expose the ruffled cream petals within. They look great in a vase and they smell nice too.
Southend escape
Summer in the UK this year hasn’t been too great, we had some hotter weather in July but since then its been cooler and wetter, so in light of this I wanted to make the most of any sunny days we did have and as I’ve been wanting to go to coast for a while, I picked the nearest, most easiest one to get to and went down for the day.
Southend on Sea isn’t one of the most prettiest beaches in the South East of England but it has lots of amusements and a long stretch of sand to enjoy. The view upon arriving was lovely; clear blue skies and a warm, bright day.
Southend has the longest pier in the world and I thought this would be a good place to start. The pier is 1.3 miles long and you can either walk down or take the tram that runs back and forth. I decided to walk and see if I needed a ride back if I was too tired. The view along the pier was beautiful, and I really enjoyed the walk, although it was a bit cooler with the sea breeze becoming stronger as I got further out. There were also lots of benches along the way in case you wanted to stop for a rest or just enjoy the lovely view.
On my walk up I saw several fishermen with their rods, I didn’t see any of them catch any fish but I’m sure they must have caught some later.
The ‘reward’ for getting to the end of the pier was a restaurant if you wanted a nice lunch and a refreshing drink, a viewing platform and the Lifeguard station.
After a taking in the view and visiting the gift shop I decided to walk back, I wasn’t tired and knew I would enjoy the walk over taking a tram ride. As I walked, I passed the fishermen still patiently waiting for a catch and watched as the coastline got closer and closer.
Once back on mainland I stopped for a quick lunch before heading down to the beach. As I walked along the sand I stopped to watch the waves and dip my toes in the too cold-for-a-swim water. There were other people out too but it wasn’t busy which was nice. The sand at Southend is a mixture of sand, pebbles and seashells. There were lots strewn along the water’s edge, washed up and left behind by the endless tides. I was chuffed to spot an unopened oyster shell which seemed to still have oyster inside.
Further up I spotted some colourful boats sitting on the deck in the bright sun.
In the late afternoon, I dusted off the sand from my jeans and out of my shoes and strolled back to the train station and home. I don’t have the opportunity to go the coast very often but I always find it so calming and relaxing. Being by the sea on a warm, sunny day with a cool breeze seems to give me peace of mind and the beautiful, sparkling water is the coolness my eyes long for and just what I need after a trying time in the city.
Eid-ul-Adha 2015/1436: Eid Mubarak
Eid Mubarak everyone. Taqabbal Allahu Minna Wa Minkum (May Allah accept it from you and us).
Happy Eid to all to Muslims around the world who are celebrating Eid-al-Adha. I pray that all muslims find some happiness and peace whether they are migrating from a war torn country in the Middle East or have struggles that are found in our daily lives. I hope that a blessed, calmer time is ahead for all of us.
everyphototunity 