My husband and I love to mindfully look at clouds. We study them regularly and usually can agree on a title for the cloud formation. This photo taken outside Taupo, New Zealand was one we found very interesting however, we weren’t able to agree on a title. Personally, to me it was a Bunny Cloud and to my husband an Evil Cloud.
What do you see? Let me know in the comments as I am sure there are many other ideas hiding in this special group of clouds.
I came across these amazing driftwood sculptures while driving through the countryside in North Island New Zealand. The artist appeared to work from his home which was surrounded by these beautiful creations. I remember feeling creative just looking at them.
Some of the many and varied amazing landscapes of New Zealand’s North Island.
Tell us about the top five places you’ve always wanted to visit.
When planning my holidays I like to divide my time between Australia as well as international travel. For this reason I am going to write a buckets list for each.
Australia
International
Starting with the South Island of New Zealand early next year these places are the basis of our next 10 year travel plan. I love the planning and discovery stage of new adventures as I gather the information and start to think about what I will see when my day finally comes and I’m off to great places.
Photo Credit: Google
Oprah arrives in Australia today so I thought it might be fun to take some of her sage advice and make it this weeks Wisdom Wednesday’s quote.
Oprah’s quote is very powerful and one I agree with. Sometimes despite the grass seeming to be greener on the other side making a decision to cross or remove any option of crossing in the future is difficult. Sometimes you  have to get advice from the experts, weigh up the pros and cons and then take a leap of faith. Either way it’s not simple. But to move forward you have to make a choice—one way or the other.
We had a great afternoon  with the motion of the waves sailing on Lake Taupo New Zealand. The snow-covered peaks in the background, the rain that created a beautiful rainbow and ending with sunshine it was a memorable journey.
Write about anything you’d like, but make sure that all seven colors of the rainbow — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet — make an appearance in the post, either through word or image.
In New Zealand I found some bright and surprising sights that covered all the colours of the rainbow. They all brought a smile to my face.
#A-Z Challenge
Beach, mountain, forest, or somewhere else entirely?
To me connecting with nature is healing. I attempt to do it everyday even if only for 5 minutes. It clears my head. Any form of nature will do—smelling a flower on a short walk or a day trip to the beach or mountains. I love them all. As a child I spent many hours at the beach as well as walking in the bush so both have pleasant memories attach.
The higher my intensity of stress the more I will ensure that I take time out of my day to walk barefoot on the grass for 5 minutes. My other easy to go to places  are the river, Sydney harbour, local parks or wetlands—all are close to my work or home.  Half an hour in the silence does the trick of dealing with my stress nicely.
Last Christmas we wanted to experience nature in a different way and left sunny Australia for the cold winters of Canada. While we enjoyed our time there, it was only our last week that allowed us to experience the force of nature in this way—snow and ice. The first 5 weeks were above average temperatures and it was the first green Christmas in over a quarter century. Our proof that mother nature is to be enjoyed not controlled—she will always win.
New Zealand is a beautiful country, full of the most amazing landscapes. We visited the North Island—seeing many of the film locations of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. It was a spectacular holiday that I would recommend if the opportunity comes your way.
Capture a moment, big or small, and pay attention to the lines and curves produced by nature.
Walking beside the mighty Tongariro River, Turangi, New Zealand. It was my first true connection with New Zealand and I fell in love instantly. The caolours and fly fisherman were like pictures from a travel journal—albeit I may not have done them justice.
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_assignment/photography-101-natural-world/