June 2 — a moment
I have fully embraced the concept of afternoon tea since living in England, and I especially love the days when I’m caught up enough on my to-do list to enjoy my cuppa in the conservatory (sunroom). There is nothing better than sipping an afternoon blend, watching the fish swim nonchalantly around the pond, and admiring whatever new blossoms have appeared since I last had a moment to relax.
June Photo a Day hosted by Chantelle at Fat Mum Slim
Today marks the start of a month-long concentration on the photography side of my blog. When I set out my reasons for this blog back in January, honing my photography skills through daily photo walks was part of the plan. I have not stuck to that…it’s been too easy to go through my photo archives to find pictures that go with whatever I’ve chosen to write about for the day. So in June, I am putting writing on the back burner, and devoting the time I’d normally spend at the keyboard to getting out and about with my camera. I’ve decided to play along with the June schedule of prompts set out by Chantelle on her Fat Mum Slim blog and shown below. Today kicks off the challenge with four fresh new photos specifically taken with B is for… in mind. Enjoy!
Ailsa, at Where’s my backpack? has chosen Travel Theme: Pathways for this week. I’ve travelled down many paths in my time, but my favorites always seem to take me by the water. Here are a few from the past year….
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Posts I commented on today:
(In case you missed the reason for this, I participated in the A to Z Blogging Challenge in April, and though I posted every day, I was lousy at visiting and commenting on other participants’ blogs. So for each day in May, I’ve vowed to visit and comment on three posts from the various blogging communities whose members have supported my efforts. At least one post MUST be from a new blog I haven’t yet visited.)
The Bat & I (rarasaur)
New Best Friends (Northwest Photographer)
Friday Fictioneers (HEY BEERGUT!!) new blog of the day
When Ailsa at Where’s my backpack? asked for photos of the four elements in this week’s Travel Theme: The Four Elements challenge, I immediately thought of Hawaii. My experience on the big island, hiking across the lava fields of Mt. Kilauea to the coast, sticks in my mind as a time when the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water all came together. The bright orange fire of the lava oozed from the volcano until it encountered the cooling waters of the Pacific Ocean. When the two met, the water was vaporized, becoming air, while the fiery lava was cooled, becoming new earth.
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Posts I commented on today:
(In case you missed the reason for this, I participated in the A to Z Blogging Challenge in April, and though I posted every day, I was lousy at visiting and commenting on other blogs. So for each day in May, I’ve vowed to visit and comment on three posts, one of which MUST be from a new blog I haven’t yet visited.)
In Praise of Paper (Nouveau Scarecrow)
Travel Theme: Four Elements (Moments in Your Life) new blog of the day
Friday Fiction: Every Journey… (elmo writes)
Ailsa over at Where’s my backpack? is trying to get us all in the summer spirit with this week’s Travel Theme: Beaches. Although my weather has improved in the past three weeks, it is definitely not beach-worthy yet; however, I’m game for a little wishful thinking! I’ve included the obligatory sunset shot above, taken in Turtle Bay, Oahu, Hawaii (I like the contrast of the bright sun right next to the ferocious downpour).
As a child, I loved our infrequent trips to the beach because it meant family time…playing in the surf with my dad, running back to Mom with shells I’d found, burying my brother as deeply as possible in the sand. Now, as an adult, I value the beach for different reasons. The sound of the surf beats away stress and the salt air purifies both my body and spirit. I can walk for miles, my mind completely blank, because there is no room for thought with so much to take in around me. I spend a lot of time with my head down, searching for shells and sea glass and whatever other curiosities the relentless waves might have pushed ashore, but occasionally I look up long enough to spot something interesting nearby. In the gallery below I’ve chosen some of the people and things I’ve come across on different beaches around the world.
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Posts I commented on today:
Travel Theme Beaches (Being Mrs Carmichael) new blog of the day
Silent Sunday: Happy Alpacas (Cee’s Photography)
Storms (The Squirrel Nutwork)
Imperial Purple
Today’s photo is a response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: From Above on The Daily Post. The picture was taken at the Cumberland Pencil Museum in Keswick, Cumbria (in the Lake District of England).
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Posts I commented on today:
Interests first, readers second (Phelio a Random Post a Day) new blog of the day
Ruby Red Tuesday (Mama Bear Musings)
Noch Eine Liebster (helenjameson)
Fire Dance, Polynesian Cultural Center, Hawaii 
Highland Dance Competition, Scotland 
Morris Dancers, Stratford-upon-Avon, England 
Lion Dance Competition, Singapore 
Ladyboys take the stage, Bangkok, Thailand 
Traditional Thai Dance, Bangkok 
Traditional Korean Dance, Seoul 
Kecak Dance, Uluwatu Temple, Bali
Today’s post is my contribution to this week’s challenge, Travel Theme: Dance at Where’s my backpack?
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Posts I commented on today (well, actually on Friday, as I’m away from my computer cruising across a World Heritage aqueduct in Wales today):
A to Z Reflections (The Beveled Edge) new blog of the day
Floral Friday Fotos: Maarn Dahlia (Cee’s Photography)
A Deconstructed Ocean (Wiley’s Wisdom)
Things I See and Know 