5 in 5 - Melanie - March 2017

Melanie is my friend who lives in Australia and she loves photography.  Every month since the start of this challenge Melanie has taken part in this monthly meme and as she doesn't have her own blog I post here. I love that we have found a way for her to take part, so over to you Melanie:

March 5^th arrived and signalled that a sixth of the year has come and gone.  The reality of it now being March hits hard what happened to the first two months of 2017?  So many things I thought would get done in January and February still wait for my attention.  I have not neglected the 5 in 5 photos though finding it something that even if I am exhausted I can still fit in as indeed happened this month.  I had spent March 5^th listening to authors talk from 9am until 6pm and bombarding my head with so much conversation which definitely left me exhausted.  It was the annual Adelaide Writers’ Week an event I usually make sure I am around for and this year was no exception on each of the six days it runs you could find me amongst the crowd that flocks to hear authors speak.  March 5^th was day two and during the day I heard authors talk on subjects of crime, war, politics and history and about books of fiction and non-fiction.  When I got home I needed a photographic subject that required little effort from me and shells sprung to mind.  When I first moved to a home near the beach I was fascinated by the variety of shells to be found on the beach and rarely took a walk on the beach without bring home a few of them.  Soon a jar which used to hold spaghetti was full to the brim with small shells and shells lined my kitchen window sill.  Thankfully over the years my fascination with shells dwindled else  we might have had to build a new room on the house just for shells.  They I hope will proved an interesting subject for my March 5 in 5 using a few photos of those on the window sill and a picture of the jar with small shells.   Maybe one of these days I will look more into shells and their classification but in the meantime I will just enjoy their beauty.  One thing the photos of the shells on the window sill has shown me is that they have collected rather a lot of dust so I guess it is time I gave them a wash.

Thank you for sharing these photos, Melanie, and as always for taking part, especially as the busy Writers Week is a good distraction. I hope you enjoyed the event, I know how much it appeals with your love of books.

I am fascinated by shells too, they have such wonderful shapes and patterns. When ever I get the chance I love to visit shell grottos, often making detours or special journeys to do this. And I have shells dotted around my garden collected from different beaches around the country, they make memories of happy times and places. I am fascinated by the spirals and the way creatures make these their home.  Do you collect shells or have an interest in these, I wonder?

Hopefully Melanie will be back next month and I look forward to you joining us. Thank you for popping by, it is great to have your company.

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If this has inspired you to pick up your camera and join in please go to the original post where you will also find out how to link in.

And to find out more about this monthly photo challenge, and how this started, please go to this post.

5 in 5 - March 2017 - A day with Joy

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

each month I post 5 photos that I have

taken in 5 minutes.

The other week I was lucky enough to meet up with my blog friend, Joy. Her mother lives about an hours drive away and as she was staying with her for a few days Joy invited me to meet up. Of course I said yes!

We arranged to meet at Greensted Church, which is the oldest wooden church in the world. Excavations undertaken in  1960 revealed the two earlier timber structures dating from the 6th, and 7^th centuries and the church's history includes the work of Saxon, Norman, Tudor and Victorian builders.  As you can imagine, it is an interesting place to visit. Unfortunately we couldn't venture inside as the church was locked, but there was enough in the grounds to appreciate and photograph:

I was interested to find a 12th century Crusaders grave...

And a lepers hole...

 Can you see it in the wall here?

And finally, the wonderful craftsmanship.  I took lots of photos of the textures and grain of the wood.  I used to use textures as a layer beneath a photograph, to add detail and interest. Perhaps I will get round to doing this again one day.

But for now I am sneaking an extra photo in of Joy. We had a lovely day, visiting the steam railway and enjoying lunch in a pub that Joy used to know back in the days when she lived locally. Come back again soon Joy!

If you fancy picking up your camera to join in with 5in5 it could be lovely to have your company!   

Here's what you do and there are more details here. 

1.  Choose a location.

2.  Have your camera ready.

3.  Set a timer for 5 minutes (I use my mobile phone).

4.  Take as many photos you can (or wish to) until the time is up.

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

                              You have until the 25th of the month to add your photos.

I seem to have a bit of a history theme going on as my post last month was about my family tree. And I always look forward to seeing what others share, so thank you to Melanie, Paula, Mary-Lou, Melissa, Karen, Susan, Alexa and Borqna for joining in last month and linking up. I am often inspired by others ideas and photos, so please link below if you would like to take part. I'll be back next month - enjoy the weeks in between...