It is officially winter here (!) so the sight of any flowers are welcome. Aloe Vera plants all have their flowers out although they do seem a little reluctant to open up just yet. 

Flock of birds in the energy of a windy day! 

Some radiant heat today ... 

When it's a foggy morning I hunt around outdoors for any spider webs. The tiny droplets from the fog form the most amazing jewels on the webs and one day I just know I am going to find one that is just perfect!

Today I went for a long walk and am still totally mesmerized by the stunning colours of autumn! I just can't help to try and capture them in the sunshine.  Each time I see a tree in all its autumn glory its like I am marveling at autumn leaves for the very first time.  I don't ever tire of seeing them!

I tried to take on the hints from today in relation to creating depth and interest.  Some things I think I achieved and some needed more work. It definitely does reflect and represent my love of travel.

My morning run gave me this shot.  It was such a stunning morning - foggy when I started but by the end a brilliantly sunny, if not a bit chilly, winter day.  I sort of wanted it to look like I had caught or was cradling the sun but I could figure out how to position my hand, and I was aware that I was supposed to be running!

How funny - my photo for yesterday totally fit today's prompt!  Still totally in awe of the colour spectacle (which I am so aware will disappear soon!), I took a little detour to some gardens in between meetings today because I absolutely knew there would be something beautiful to photograph there, and I was open to simply receiving whatever that might be.

A day spent travelling so this was what greeted me at the end of my travels today - a very happy puppy!

This cat (not mine) can't decide if he wants to be my friend or not. Because I love to give him big cuddles when I see hin, I am sure he would prefer to be invisible when I am around!

One of my most favourite colours, I love the calmness of the range of shades of green.

We took a walk today in the bush and came across this tiny orange fungi which really stood out in the darkness of the forest.  I needed to have taken a little more time to get my focus right, but it symbolises my creative dreams of being able to capture the stunning beauty inherent in those tiny things which surround us.

I enlisted the help of little hands for this! Little hands which don't like to stay still for very long, so am very grateful he was happy to stay put for a couple of seconds for this shot!

Yellow against black ... I had been eyeing up these pretty daisies on the corner for a while now so the yellow prompt was just perfect!

Inside out or outside in ... it was chilly this morning so the outside was on the inside of this window.

The prompt for today was to photograph a vegetable! I did take a back up shot of peaches (not a vegetable I know, but they were yellow!) on my morning muesli in case nothing else came up today, but this is the shot I chose to share.  A lunch time spent on the waterfront in Wellington on a crisp but brilliantly fine winters day.  The yellow splash of colour and inquisitive gull made for some nice lines for the eye to follow.

The prompt today was 'Just a Hint'.  Today was one of those days where I got to the evening and thought 'I haven't done my photo!'.  Luckily there was a painting in my hotel room which had some wonderful textures and colours and some nice leading lines for the eye ... just a hint of the bigger picture I guess ....

A cold winters night! I certainly felt very cloaked and swaddled in my hat and jacket!  I am not a fan of my own 'selfies' (both because I don't really know how to take them, and I don't particularly find photos of me flattering), so this is somewhat of an achievement to both take and post! 

Today's photo is another off prompt.  It was taken at a bus station where I was waiting for a bus to get me from Wellington to Palmerston North.  Unfortunately, big storms had closed all roads out, so this was a bus that would never arrive! So I got a bit stranded for another night.  The dull colour and forlorn feel of the man who walked through my shot conveys my mood.  Having said that, my inconvenience was nothing compared to the many families whose houses were flooded and damaged - so really I was very lucky.

So this is how  I ended up getting home (or to Palmerston North which was where I was staying).  Ironically, although a lot of the roads below were closed, up here it was a stunning day!  If you look carefully you can see the snow-capped peak of Mt Taranaki peeping through the clouds.  Due to flights being booked out, getting to where I wanted to go involved flying to the top, past where I wanted to go, and then getting on another flight and flying back to my destination.  But, as I said yesterday, while inconvenient for me, it was nothing compared to people who lost so much in floods.

Back on prompt today - photograph perspective.  Photographing from different or unusual angles is something I try to do.  I looked around indoors today and found this shell mobile and its shadows on the wall.  In taking this shot from below I tried to convey a sense of suspension and movement.  Didn't get the angle quite right but at least its more interesting than straight on :-)

Not sure if this pretty girl really likes having her photo taken but she is very obliging and always tries her best!

The view from high up near the ceiling ...

A long road trip home today ... a quick shot taken while stopped at road works!

Important in many traditions, stacked stones reflect for me a great sense of balance. Light, shadows, curving green leaves all help to convey a message of simplicity and contentment in what is.

This cute little fellow crossed my path today and I thought he deserved to take the photo of day spot!

One of the best things about winter is the glow of embers in the fire!

I really did start off with pondering the 'dark room' prompt, but then somehow on my travels I found this little flower in my winter garden and then got a bit captivated by the pretty shimmery petals - figured they fit the 'up close' part of the prompt!