‘Meeting at the pier’ for Jude’s Bench Series #24

I’ve been absent from the blogs for a few days, as we’re still away on holiday. Yesterday we arrived at my MiL’s house in England, and over the next week will be having family and friend reunions before returning to Florida on 4th July. My blog friend, author Dianne Gray commented “I was about to call the WordPress police to see if you were okay,” so I thought I’d check in with a contribution for Jude’s Bench series, which this month calls for edited photos of benches.

In Umhlanga Rocks we have a splendid pier which boasts many benches where one can sit and watch the waves and ships, or gaze across at the lighthouse. My attention was caught by the little gathering next to the steps. There’s a security guard, and a very colourful beach vendor wearing an assortment of sunhats and carrying buckets, spades and fishing nets, chatting with a couple of their friends.

I cropped the photo to focus on the group, and saturated the colours to make the scene look more jolly.

Here’s the original, complete with wonky horizon line. 😕

3 days…3 quotes challenge: Sushi and chocolate

Thanks to Aletta of ‘nowathome‘, for tagging me to do the 3 days, 3 quotes challenge. Today we leave Umhlanga, and will be driving up to Johannesburg to see our daughter and family before flying off to England on Tuesday.

Last night, hubby and I went out for sushi,

“Heaven has no taste.”
“Now-“
“And not one single sushi restaurant.”
A look of pain crossed the angel’s suddenly very serious face.”
― Terry Pratchett, Good Omens

and against our better judgement, we opted for dessert too. I stopped hubby after his first mouthful of ‘Mississippi Mud Pie’ to get a photo. (I hope there’s no penalty for posting an extra quote for the challenge.)  🙂

“Your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago, that as far as chocolate is concerned, there’s no need to involve your brain.” ~ Dave Barry

The rules of the challenge are:

1) Thank the person who nominated you.
2) Post a quote each day for 3 days.
3) Each day nominate 3 new bloggers to take part.

My 3 nominees for today are:

Kathy of https://kmsalvatore.wordpress.com/

Lynne of  ‘On the go with Lynne’

Drake of ‘Le Drake Noir’

(No problem if you don’t have the time or inclination to accept this challenge.)

I wish you all a very happy weekend.

3 days…3 quotes challenge: One happy fisherman

Thanks to Aletta of ‘nowathome‘, for tagging me to do the 3 days, 3 quotes challenge. For day two, I have another photo taken at our beach here in Umhlanga Rocks. Just as I was walking past this fisherman, he caught a good-sized fish and proudly held it up for me to photograph. My quote, is the caption underneath the photo.

“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” ~ Confucius

The rules of the challenge are:

1) Thank the person who nominated you.
2) Post a quote each day for 3 days.
3) Each day nominate 3 new bloggers to take part.

My 3 nominees for today are:

1) Lola of ‘Simply beautiful’

2) Lisa of ‘Light in Shadows’

3) Nancy of ‘Spirit Lights the Way’

(No problem if you don’t have the time or inclination to accept this challenge.)

3 days … 3 quotes challenge: Shine a light

Thanks to Aletta of ‘nowathome‘, for tagging me to do the 3 days, 3 quotes challenge. As some of you may know by now, I really love lighthouses, especially the red and white one here in Umhlanga. My quote for today is the caption beneath the photo.

“Many people spend too much time trying to be the captain of someone else’s boat. Learn to be a lighthouse and the boats will find their way.” ~ Anon

The rules of the challenge are:

1) Thank the person who nominated you.
2) Post a quote each day for 3 days.
3) Each day nominate 3 new bloggers to take part.

My 3 nominees for today are:

Marylou of ‘natuurfreak’

Geralyn of ‘Where my feet are’ 

Jude of ‘Travel Words’ 

(No problem if you don’t have the time or inclination to accept this challenge.)

Blue bench in colourful Tortuguero

Jude’s Bench Series for the month of June calls for a bench with ‘Art Effects’.

This photo was taken in the colourful village of Tortuguero in Costa Rica. I cropped the image slightly and accentuated the bright colours with a bit of tweaking on my iMac.

Here is the original. Which do you prefer?

See more June benches here.

My Silent Sunday Photo: Knees up at the beach

There’s nothing quite like a bit of a knees-up on a fine winter’s day in Umhlanga.

South African Best Surfers in Action

Last week the Quicksilver ‘Get Free’ surfing competition was held at Bronze Beach here in Umhlanga, and we just happened to be there to capture some of the action. These fantastic photos were taken by hubby, who unlike myself, is able to hold the camera as steady as a rock.

Umhlanga Rocks is well known for having some of the best waves for surfing in the country.

I marvel at how these guys manage to stay on their boards. Maybe they’re super-glued to their feet. 🙂

I was wondering how long ago it was since man discovered surfing as a sport, and was amazed to read that way back in 1779, after Captain James Cook had been killed by Hawaiians, Lt. James King who assumed command of his ship ‘The Discovery’, wrote two whole pages in Capt. Cook’s journal, describing surfboard riding as practised by by the locals at Kealakekua Bay on the Kona coast of the Big Island. Surfing was already an ancient Hawaiian tradition, and is thought to date back to the 4th century AD.

photo courtesy of Bishop Museum archive.

This post is linked to this week’s ‘Photo a Week’ challenge, which calls for action shots.

Wishing you all a great action-packed weekend.

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday: Paddle your own canoe

“Love many, trust a few, and always paddle your own canoe.”  ~ Anon

Bench Series June: Listen to the ocean

This month, Jude is looking for bench photos with some post-processing. Here’s a bench photo from Umhlanga Rocks. At the far end of the promenade, there’s a newly-built deck with four benches where one can sit and contemplate the restless, ever-moving ocean. I feel that the sepia processing gives timeless feel to this scene.

“Every time I stand before a beautiful beach, its waves seem to whisper to me:
If you choose the simple things and find joy in nature’s simple treasures,
life and living need not be so hard.”  ~ Psyche Roxas-Mendoza

See more bench photos for June when you click here.

My Sunday Photo: Just Married