5 in 5 - December 2018 - The Giant's House, New Zealand

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th of 

each month I post 5 photos that I have 
taken in 5 minutes.

I would have chosen a seasonal theme for this months photos but as I have just returned from travelling around New Zealand I have not had time yet to decorate my home.  

I was away for over four weeks and I have photos a plenty from my trip (around 7,000 to be exact!) so it is not difficult to make another choice.  Especially, as I visited an amazing garden with tiers of mosaic sculptures and landscaping, and I had under half an hour in which to see them all!

That's because we didn't appreciate the scale of this project and rather than prioritise this visit we had lingered over lunch and spent time around the museum in Akaroa. This sea side town has an interesting history, so it was a good way of finding out more information. But we were leaving next morning before the garden opened, so we decided that a quick visit was better than none - after all, we might never have the chance again! And to fully appreciate all that I saw, I dashed around, camera poised, and my breath held at all the amazing scenes that were in front of me.  If ever I return to Akaroa, The Giants House will be first on my list to revisit. 

And so... imagine a steep climb up the drive to an entrance that immediately hints at what might be the other side of the gate. And then step through with me into this wonderland...

I decided to add a sixth photo just to show the steepness of steps and the garden. From each tier you look across the landscape to more glimpses of artwork, discovered by hidden, winding, mosaic paths and steps. It was amazing and I only wished we had more time to absorb and appreciate what we saw.  But that said, I did manage to get round the whole garden and I was so glad that we'd come. 

International artist, Josie Martin, started this artwork after finding lots of broken china in her garden when she moved in to her new home. She has been working on the sculptures for over 15 years and the colour and whimsical work were great fun and surprise.

A big thank you to everyone who has visited this neme over the past year, and especially to those who have contributed and taken part. Some of you will remember my friend Melanie, who lives in Australia. I was lucky enough to meet up with her in New Zealand a couple of times and also enjoyed 5 days of travelling. We visited this garden together, so it is even more fitting that I choose these photos this month.

As the final 5in5 for 2018, I take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy Christmas, and look forward to sharing more photos in the coming year.  I hope you will join me!

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 If you would like to take part in this month's challenge you have until 25th to take your photos and post a link to your blog. Here's how it works:

1.  Choose a location.

2.  Have your camera ready.

3.  Set a mobile timer for 5 minutes.

4.  Take as many photos you can until the time is up.

5.  Choose 5 photos to download and share by using the link tool 

   

You have until the 25th of the month to add your photos and if you want to know more about 5in5 there are details here.

And one more thing - when you use the link tool, please click on your post title.  This will show the web address. Please right click, copy and paste this as your link.  This will take readers directly to your '5 in 5' blog page and be easier for them to find.

5 in 5 - November 2018 - New Zealand Travel Journal

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th of 

each month I post 5 photos that I have 
taken in 5 minutes.

By the time you read this I will be the other side of the world. I am leaving my husband at home and travelling to New Zealand with a friend Jill, and to say I am excited is an understatement!  Not about leaving my husband behind, because I'd like him to come with me, but he doesn't have my travel bug and is happy for me to go off, so I consider myself blessed on many accounts.

One of the highlights of my trip will be meeting up with my friend Melanie who lives in Australia. By pure fluke (or incredible fortune) I was telling Melanie that I planned to go when she said  she'd sat down the night before and made plans herself. What's the chances of that happening, especially as neither of us have ever mentioned going to NZ.  And what's more it turned out she'll be there at the same time! So we are scheduled to meet up and we will have 5 days together. Melanie and I also plan to see a mutual friend who moved to New Zealand, and there might be lots of talk to catch up on as we've not been together for over 30 years. And while we are doing this Jill will have some special time with her daughter who lives in Christchurch. Her daughter will also accompany us on parts of the road trip, and so we have a full schedule and an exciting adventure ahead of us. 

And of course, one of the first things I did was to make a Travel Journal! It will come everywhere with me and I have packed some art materials and bits to decorate the pages; so this is what I am sharing this month:

There are two packets of papery bits to make my pages interesting and personal. The journal is A5 and has six signatures with lots of space for adding - I have no doubt this will be a hefty tone when I am finished!

 I also have a wallet for all my art materials. There are watercolour paints, brushes and a spritzer bottle for carrying water; assorted permanent pens and pencils, and my faithful Pritt Stick. Everything fits into this calico bag that I can carry over my shoulder. 

Inside the journal are pockets, envelopes and an assortment of patterned pages as well as plain. Just perfect for writing, adding  memorabilia, and recording details of my road trip.



We anticipate seeing lots of wildlife and are staying in locations where penguins roost for the night. I am looking forward to staying in a gypsy caravan that is almost on the beach and we were told we would sleep to the sound of waves and penguins. It sounded blissful until I checked out the noise they make on Youtube! So rather than blissful it could be a noisy but novel night or two and I am looking forward to it nonetheless. 

Melanie will be accompanied by her husband and the three of us have booked whale and dolphin watching trips, so I have made a list of some of the sightings I hope to see during my road trip and there's plenty of space to add more: 

These strange shapes are rock formations (boulders) at Moeraki and we will be stopping to see these along the east coast. My friend Susan, who lives in New Zealand, kindly sent me this postcard which  decorates the cover of a  handmade notebook which that she made for me.  I have sewn it inside my journal and it will provide more useful space. 

One of the other things I am excited about is visiting a traditional book binder, Michael O'Brien. He is quite a character and as well as enjoying his YouTube video (a bit dated but nonetheless interesting) I have had a series of email conversations with him over the past few months. I would love to stay on as his apprentice but my family might miss me too much! Have a good month and I apologise in advance if I don't respond to links straight away, I anticipate internet may be unpredictable.  

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Thank you for visiting!  If you would like to join in this month's challenge you have until 25th to take your photos and post a link to your blog. Here's how it works:

1.  Choose a location.

2.  Have your camera ready.

3.  Set a mobile timer for 5 minutes.

4.  Take as many photos you can until the time is up.

5.  Choose 5 photos to download and share by using the link tool 

   You have until the 25th of the month to add your photos and if you want to know more about 5in5 there are details here.

And one more thing - when you use the link tool, please click on your post title.  This will show the web address. Please right click, copy and paste this as your link.  This will take readers directly to your '5 in 5' blog page and be easier for them to find.

5 in 5 - October 2018 - The Sea Horse

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th of 

each month I post 5 photos that I have 
taken in 5 minutes.

All summer I have waited the opportunity to go to Wells Next the Sea as I'd heard about the towns Art Trail and one of the sculptures had caught my attention.  And so last weekend we finally packed the camper and headed to Norfolk.  I was not disappointed. There were four sculptures on the quayside, including rows of colourful oars. These represented all the local fisherman and sailors who braved the seas in small boats in bygone days. 

The backdrop to the quay is this beautiful granary, and there were lots of fishing boats alongside.

And the reason for my visit.... this beautiful sculpture of a horse, out on the marsh. The story behind this piece of art touched me, because I learnt that back in 1869 the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) first came to Wells. There were no fast launches in those days, these were wooden boats that had to be rowed by a team of brave men. And when the tide goes out along this coast the sea is far away. So a team of horses were stabled at nearby Mill farm and when the maroon rockets fired the horses would gallop to the gate and wait to be harnessed. Then five pairs of horses would pull the 33ft lifeboat, sometimes as far as 2.5 miles before they could finally launch into the sea. The horses would then be given a reward for their hard effort.  
In between times the same horses carried cargo from the ships at the quayside and along the railway. This beautiful sculpture stands at The Beacon in memory of the lifeboats, those brave men who went out to sea, and the horses.

 

Another sculpture that touched me was a pair of mortuary doors. This plaque speaks for itself.

It was a lovely weekend, even if it was a long way to go to see the art trail. But somethings leave an impression and I knew I might always regret not seeing the sea horse. It was due to be removed at the end of September and there are talks of it remaining in situ as a lasting memory and reminder. I hope so.

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Thank you for visiting!  If you would like to join in this month's challenge you have until 25th to take your photos and post a link to your blog. Here's how it works:

1.  Choose a location.

2.  Have your camera ready.

3.  Set a mobile timer for 5 minutes.

4.  Take as many photos you can until the time is up.

5.  Choose 5 photos to download and share by using the link tool 

   You have until the 25th of the month to add your photos and if you want to know more about 5in5 there are details here.

And one more thing - when you use the link tool, please click on your post title.  This will show the web address. Please right click, copy and paste this as your link.  This will take readers directly to your '5 in 5' blog page and be easier for them to find.

5 in 5 - September 2018 - The Victorian Orchard

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th of 

each month I post 5 photos that I have 
taken in 5 minutes.

I have just spent a week away with my daughter and 3 grand daughters. It is our annual re-treat and I found two beautiful locations - the first a log cabin on the rivers edge where we canoed and sat round a cosy log in the evening - more for atmosphere than to keep warm.

The next was total contrast, the top floor of a beautiful old Hall dating back to 1189, with extensive gardens and farmland surrounding it. Here, there was some lovely walled areas and a orchard planted in Victorian times. The trees were gnarled and twisted and still giving plentiful fruit, and the orchard offered a lovely photo opportunity. So here is this months 5 photos captured in 5 minutes:

It was lovely to enjoy this tranquil space and be invited to take home apples, cobnuts, and windfall walnuts. The walnuts will be made into ink as the bottle I made last year has proved especially successful and I don't want to run out or be sparing with it.

The passing of holidays and summer bring a lust for more, but it is good to remember that nothing lasts forever and each season brings new opportunity and gifts. 

   

Thank you for visiting!  If you would like to join in this month's challenge you have until 25th to take your photos and post a link to your blog. Here's how it works:

1.  Choose a location.

2.  Have your camera ready.

3.  Set a mobile timer for 5 minutes.

4.  Take as many photos you can until the time is up.

5.  Choose 5 photos to download and share by using the link tool 

   You have until the 25th of the month to add your photos and if you want to know more about 5in5 there are details here.

And one more thing - when you use the link tool, please click on your post title.  This will show the web address. Please right click, copy and paste this as your link.  This will take readers directly to your '5 in 5' blog page and be easier for them to find.