Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #188: A Special Place

I have been a regular follower of the Lens-Artists since Patti, Tina, Amy, and Ann-Christine started their weekly challenge and it is a real honour being asked to host one of their weekly challenges.

The theme of this week’s challenge is “A Special Place“. Many of us have a special place; maybe it is a place you like to escape to when you need a break from the ups and downs of the everyday; or it may be just a place you enjoy spending time. Your special place may be a certain room in your house, it may be a place you like to visit, or it may be a building such as a library, museum, or church.

There are many reasons too why a place may be special. It might be a memory that it holds, or the way the light plays in that space, it may be something to do with the way the place feels or smells. It would be wonderful if you could show us the places that are or were special to you and if you can tell us why. I live in the west of Ireland and am lucky to be surrounded by many beautiful places.

In general, though, I am a home bird, so for me my garden is a truly special place. It is somewhere to sit and enjoy, somewhere to garden and find release from the stresses of work.

If I go anywhere, I just love going to the coast. Growing up, I spent many happy summer days with my family, by the ocean on the north-west coast of County Mayo, so maybe it is this that connects me to the sea. Or it might be just the smell of the salt, the feel of the wind in my hair. It is a place where I can always find peace, no matter what the season.

Many thanks to Anne Sandler for her Water challenge. It was so lovely to enjoy all the beautiful photographs and posts.

We hope you will join us this week. We look forward to seeing what makes a place special for you. Please link to my post here and use the Lens-Artists tag to help us find you.

Next week, Tina will lead LAPC #189. Her subject is Odds and Ends.

Lens-Artists Challenge #187 – Water

Here in Ireland, we have no shortage of water. It regularly falls from the sky, often creating vast puddles.

Puddle

But the birds enjoy these natural baths.

Natural starling bath / shower

Many thanks to Anne at Slow Shutter Speed for hosting this week’s challenge. Look out for this coming week’s Lens-artist challenge, which I have been asked to host. I am very honoured to do so and I hope you will join in.

Wildlife Wednesday

Common Frog

Silent Sunday – 20th February 2022

Starling on snowy roof

Six on Saturday – 19th February 2022

Seeing other Six on Saturday participants popping into my reader box, I feel the urge to get gardening, except it is very , very, wet and for the last few days stormy too! But then this morning we had SNOW! There was only a little and it quickly started to melt, but it makes the garden look pretty even if underneath everything is sodden. Many thanks for our host “The Propagator” for hosting Six on Saturday. Check out the participation guide.

First this week a friendly garden robin (my daughter calls him Timmy), puffed up against the cold.

Robin

Next, daffodils, tete-a-tete, copying with a dusting on snow.

mini daffodils

Third, frog spawn in garden pond – also trying to cope with slushy snow. Frogs arrived, like last year, in time for Valentines day. So far numbers are low, thirty at most, but hopefully more will come after this cold spell.

frog spawn

Fourth, hazel catkins with melting snow.

Hazel catkins

Fifth, willow catkins. The last few years these seem to acome earlier and earlier. There are even some green leaves on this Salix rubra.

Willow

And finally this week – snowdrops in snow.

Snowdrops

Low light

Winter in Ireland can bring low light challenges and even though there is what we Irish like to call “a stretch in the evenings”, the grey, windy weather this week has given me plenty low light opportunities.

The first image is from near Doohooma on the west coast of Ireland, as hail showers made their way rapidly from the Atlantic.

Doohooma

Back at home the frogs have returned to the garden pond and as Storm Dudley calmed for a couple of hours this afternoon it was dry enough to get out and get some photos.

Common frog

And then this evening a beautiful moon. Thankfully my camera has a good IAuto function which sometimes works for me in these very low light conditions – needless to say there were some blurred images as well.

Moon

Many thanks to Sofia of Photographias for providing inspiration on this week’s Lens-artist challenge – Low Light.

Silent Sunday – 13th February

Mullet Peninsula, Co Mayo

Changing Nature

Nature changes all the time. From a beautiful flower in all its glory……….

Bumblebee on dandelion

to a seed head bursting with new life..

Dandelion seed head

Or scented apple blossom

Apple blossom

to apples you can eat.

Apple tree

Change in our lives can be tough sometimes, but changes in nature can be fascinating and extraordinary. As John Steiner says change is inevitable, so maybe it is time to embrace it.

Silent Sunday – 6th February

peek-a-boo, male siskin

Lens-Artists Challenge #184: Travel has taught me

Travel has taught me that I am a home-bird! I love new places and exploring but I don’t enjoy the getting there. Mostly I have travelled to study or to start a new job, but since I settled back home I am content to stay put. When we lived in the UK I did spend a couple of long weekends in Devon/Cornwall area.

When I did travel I found that no matter where you went nature’s beauty was everywhere.

Sardinian flower

In recent years we have travelled frequently to Wales to see my husband’s family. These trips are always made by ferry.

Crossing the Irish sea

And there is always so much to do and see in Wales; from historical castles to learn about…………………

And gardens to find inspiration.