Café Chick's Project 365

Huka Falls

2012-01-05T10:19:00.000+13:00

Nature at its most beautiful (and powerful)

Sleeping lion cub

2012-01-04T14:02:00.000+13:00

Sleeping lion cub

Just five months old and already bigger and stronger than our little pussy cat will ever be! We were lucky enough to be able to pat one of the two lion cubs at Paradise Valley Springs, but this one decided he'd had enough and curled up on his own away from all his guests.

Tranquility

2012-01-03T16:50:00.003+13:00

Tranquility

Hamurana Springs

Farming Tirau style

2012-01-02T12:11:00.000+13:00

Sheep dog, shepherd and sheep

Rounding up the visitors in Tirau

Giant gingerbread house

2011-12-24T11:55:00.000+13:00

Giant gingerbread house

Makes for a huge feast!

Christmas treats

2011-12-21T20:03:00.000+13:00

Christmas treats

A yummy surprise from a friend

Pink rhododendrons

2011-11-28T14:20:00.001+13:00

Pink rhododendrons

Smiling in the sun

Christmas spirit

2011-11-27T14:07:00.000+13:00

Christmas spirit

Salvation Army brass band

Daisy bed

2011-10-14T14:05:00.002+13:00

Daisy bed

Taking a nap in the spring sunshine

Duckies' lunch

2011-10-10T13:09:00.000+13:00

Duckies' lunch

Enjoying a family picnic

Red flowers

2011-09-15T10:04:00.000+12:00

Red flowers

Enjoying the spring sunshine

Kereru

2011-09-14T20:40:00.000+12:00

Kereru

Waiting for her lunch

Coffee scrum

2011-09-11T14:20:00.000+12:00

Coffee scrum

Now, that's my kind of world cup!

No bull

2011-08-27T10:34:00.000+12:00

No bull

Taking pride of place in an unforget-a-bull town

Snowing in Petone

2011-08-16T17:05:00.000+12:00

Snowing in Petone

Just half a block from the beach!

Chocolate prize pack

2011-08-15T16:55:00.000+12:00

Chocolate prize pack

Great emerency supplies

Banana cinnamon bread

2011-08-14T10:07:00.000+12:00

Banana cinnamon bread

Fresh from my new breadmaker

Birthday flowers

2011-08-05T08:21:00.000+12:00

Birthday flowers

For the luckiest girl in town

Basket case

2011-07-23T20:28:00.000+12:00

Basket case

Cute and cosy

Sunset at Ruapehu

2011-07-16T16:16:00.000+12:00

Sunset at Ruapehu

View from Raetihi

Lunchtime walk

2011-01-14T16:26:00.000+13:00

Scenes I encountered on today's lunchtime walk.

Yesterday, this monkey was lying on the ground. Today he was hanging off a lamp post. I hope there is nothing sinister going on ...

Giant daisies - my favourite summer flower.

A splash of red peeping through.

A friendly creature on someone's garage wall.

Paddling their way through summer.

This pussy cat was more interested in rubbing up against me than being in a photo. No matter how quickly I moved, he still got to me before I could snap his picture!

Pickles

2011-01-10T08:39:00.000+13:00

Pickles

This is Pickles. He is a sulphur crested cockatoo and lives at the Angus Inn in Lower Hutt. Pickles is 27 years old and greeted me by saying, "Hello, Pickles!". He is absolutely beautiful! We know of another cockatoo called Pickles who is 26 and also lives in Lower Hutt but apparently it's just a pleasant coincidence.

Pohutukawa

2010-12-25T14:55:00.000+13:00

Pohutukawa

The New Zealand Christmas tree

Anniversary flowers

2010-12-23T15:12:00.001+13:00

Anniversary flowers

Found in the boot of my car this morning!

Happy anniversary (and thank you), sweetie. xxx ooo

Flower arrangement

2010-12-11T14:33:00.000+13:00

Flower arrangement

So simple and pretty

Duckies

2010-12-03T10:56:00.000+13:00

Baby ducklings a few weeks ago

The babies are now teenagers!

Flag at half mast

2010-12-02T16:52:00.000+13:00

Flag at half mast

A sign of respect for all those who died at the Pike River mine

Tulip Sunday

2010-10-03T21:59:00.000+13:00

Although Tulip Sunday has officially come and gone, along with a couple of storms in between, the tulips at the Botanic Garden were stunningly beautiful as they danced in the breeze on a sunny day today. The Wellington Spring Festival is still in gloriously full force.

Project 365: One year on

2010-06-01T21:22:00.001+12:00

It has been exactly one year since I began my Project 365, aiming to take a photograph a day and see my life in a whole new way. The title gives it away: there are 365 days in a regular year. As you will see from my the number on latest photo, I didn't quite make it, but here I am at the finish line exactly one year later. If there were 274 days in a year, I'd have passed with flying colours.

This project has had its ups and downs. I was hesitant to start as I wasn't sure if I could keep up such an ongoing commitment in addition to my regular blog, Tales from a Café Chick. I'm no more proficient in photography than when I started, and still feel quite reluctant to approach people to be in photos, so my project mostly featured objects, items, and scenery, just as I expected it would.

About four months into the project, the pressure to take a photograph and post it to my photo blog every single day began to get me down. That's when I decided that things would change. I'd not worry about the 'gaps' or missing days and just see what happened. I started taking photos almost every day but uploaded them in batches. This helped me manage things a bit better and feel a little less anxious. I also stopped worrying about how each photo would look to others; this was a personal project of images and scenes that I came across each day, and that helped, too. The result: 274 photos, or 75% success. A milestone of sorts, even if it's not the original goal I was aiming for. And that's just fine with me. :-D

So, where to next, now that I've officially reached the finish line? I'll keep up this photo blog if I see something interesting or photo-worthy. I can promise you that it won't be every day, but we'll see what happens from here on in. Thanks for joining me on my journey. My ClustrMap informs me that I've had 2500 visits this past year. Wow! (Sadly, the map will be archived tomorrow and all my pretty red dots will disappear, but that leaves it ready to populate again during the coming year.)

How's your Project 365 going?

Day 274 - Prize

2010-05-31T13:44:00.001+12:00

Prize!

Rolling Stones, Exile on Main St

The competition junkie strikes again. :-)

Day 273 - Clever cake

2010-05-30T14:38:00.000+12:00

Clever cake

Nothing quite like party guests eating the birthday boy

(baked by a very creative friend)

Day 272 - Motorway gridlock

2010-05-28T17:35:00.000+12:00

Motorway gridlock

Everybody going nowhere fast

Day 271 - Ugly on the outside

2010-05-27T14:31:00.001+12:00

Ugly on the outside?
It's what's inside that counts!

Day 270 - Whanau sculpture

2010-05-25T14:29:00.000+12:00

Whanau sculpture

A family immortalised

Day 269 - Fish sculpture

2010-05-23T12:25:00.000+12:00

Fish sculpture

Another fish out of water

Day 268 - Banoffee pizza

2010-05-22T20:23:00.000+12:00

Banoffee pizza

A tasty variation of a classic treat

Day 267 - Banana loaf

2010-05-21T17:20:00.000+12:00

Banana loaf

Tempting us with that fresh-baked scent

but not yet ready to devour

Day 266 - Sandy shore

2010-05-20T14:18:00.000+12:00

Sandy shore

A brief respite from the wintry weather

Day 265 - Stately door

2010-05-18T12:10:00.000+12:00

Stately door

Entrance to a grand old manor

Day 264 - Chandelier print

2010-05-16T12:07:00.000+12:00

Chandelier print

Elegant, classy, quaint

Day 263 - Wood shed

2010-05-15T13:59:00.000+12:00

Wood shed

Looks idyllic

Day 262 - Petone clock tower

2010-05-13T13:55:00.000+12:00

Petone clock tower

Keeping shoppers to time

Day 261 - Makara wind farm

2010-05-12T13:53:00.000+12:00

Makara wind farm

Trying to put Wellington's wind to good use

Day 260 - Finished product

2010-05-11T14:49:00.000+12:00

Finished product

We went from slip sliding away, to making some progress, and now we're finally finished. What a relief!

Day 259 - Flower teaset

2010-05-10T13:46:00.000+12:00

Flower teaset

Too pretty to use!

Day 258 - Kitchen makeover

2010-05-08T15:37:00.000+12:00

Before

After

The kitchen makeover is complete!

Day 257 - Park swings

2010-05-05T14:55:00.000+12:00

Park swings

Inviting and irresistible

Day 256 - Petone mosaic

2010-05-03T10:50:00.000+12:00

Petone mosaic

Made by local school and community members

Day 255 - Toi toi

2010-05-01T12:48:00.000+12:00

Toi toi

Gently swaying in the breeze

Day 254 - Salute

2010-04-30T14:44:00.001+12:00

Salute

Petone Foreshore

The inscription on the plaque reads:

"These oars salute those who have arrived and departed these shores, and those who will arrive and depart in the future."

Day 253 - Spell check required

2010-04-28T14:40:00.002+12:00

Spell check required

I couldn't believe this sign in a hospital elevator. Someone had already attacked two of the rogue apostrophes with a Twink pen, but somehow copy's remained. Seriously, how long would it have taken to ask someone to check the spelling and punctuation on this sign before it was produced? *shakes head in disbelief*

Day 252 - Good advice

2010-04-27T12:38:00.000+12:00

Good advice

"Don't use chopsticks while driving"

Day 251 - Secret admirer

2010-04-24T14:30:00.001+12:00

A secret admirer

A single red rose left at the door by an admirer, with an anonymous note constructed from letters cut out of a newspaper. (Its contents, although brief, prevent it from being a poison pen letter.) Unfortunately, the object of his affection had moved house several weeks earlier and never got to admire his handiwork. I guess it pays to always check your facts!

Day 250 - Rose tea set

2010-04-22T12:17:00.000+12:00

Rose tea set

Sipping elegance

Day 249 - Half-baked

2010-04-21T20:53:00.000+12:00

Half-baked

Banana loaf on its way

Day 248 - Piggy bank

2010-04-20T14:40:00.003+12:00

Piggy bank

This is my original piggy bank from when I was just a few years old. It has collected change for more than 30 years. A friend of Mum's gave it to me. It has a big cork on the bottom so it can be used over and over. The cork cost 2c - it's written on the bottom, and I've never forgotten it!

Day 247 - Masks

2010-04-19T12:09:00.000+12:00

Masks

Whispering their secrets

Day 246 - Seashore

2010-04-17T16:03:00.000+12:00

Seashore

Day 245 - Throw parties, not stones

2010-04-16T16:57:00.000+12:00

Throw parties, not stones

Sounds like a good idea to me!

Day 244 - Lady of the night

2010-04-15T17:50:00.001+12:00

Lady of the night

Always ready for action

Day 243 - Days Bay jetty

2010-04-14T14:27:00.000+12:00

Days Bay jetty

Day 242 - Extreme driftwood

2010-04-13T12:21:00.000+12:00

Extreme driftwood

At what point does driftwood become a log?

Day 241 - Number 13

2010-04-12T10:20:00.000+12:00

Number 13

An ornate welcome

Day 240 - Afternoon nap

2010-04-10T12:19:00.001+12:00

Afternoon nap

Seagulls taking some time out

Day 239 - Lunch for a bug

2010-04-08T16:12:00.000+12:00

Lunch for a bug

Or perhaps a whole bug family?

(Look closely - the holes in this plant's leaves would have taken some work!)

Day 238 - Peek-a-boo house

2010-04-07T15:13:00.002+12:00

Peek-a-boo house

Every time I walk down the street, I imagine that this house is crouched down, hiding behind its hedge, peeping cheekily over the top, and getting ready to jump up and shout "peek-a-boo" at passersby.

Day 237 - Star mosaic

2010-04-06T14:10:00.000+12:00

Star mosaic

Endlessly seeing stars

Day 236 - Bird sculpture

2010-04-05T17:17:00.000+12:00

Bird sculpture

Nga Manu Nature Reserve

Day 235 - Easter cupcakes

2010-04-04T16:28:00.000+12:00

Easter cupcakes

Chocolate overload!

Day 234 - A fish out of water

2010-03-31T12:55:00.000+13:00

A fish out of water

High in the sky on Petone Foreshore

Day 233 - Wooden candelabra

2010-03-30T14:55:00.000+13:00

Wooden candelabra

Points to note:

It is very well made and well turned.
The bottom part would make a great serving bowl.
I'm sure it really did look like a space shuttle to a high school boy when it was designed.
It now looks incredibly dodgy - sorry, sweetie!

Day 232 - Wellington from Petone

2010-03-29T13:01:00.004+13:00

View of Wellington from Petone foreshore

Day 231 - Coffee mugs

2010-03-28T13:54:00.000+13:00

Coffee mugs

I was in need of a coffee fix today but had run out of ground beans to make a brew in my stove top espresso. A couple of local cafés were overly crowded at lunchtime today; on my way to try a third place I came across a shop I hadn't seen before. Coffee Creation opened just yesterday on Jackson Street, Petone - it's so new that they haven't even got their sign up outside yet.

I am really thrilled to have come across a brand new shop which sells coffee beans of all types, coffee machines, crockery, gifts and novelties, as well as a range of tea-related products. There were lots of opening specials, so I bought 100g each of Java and Metropolitan beans to try, freshly ground for my stove top espresso. I'm sipping a Metropolitan now; it's full, rich, and strong - just how I like it. And, to top things off, they were giving away free chocolates to customers! I'm sold, and I think I'll quickly become a regular. :-)

Day 230 - Hair straighteners

2010-03-26T22:44:00.000+13:00

GHD hair straighteners

It's commonplace to come across the usual range of vending machines in the bathrooms of bars and restaurants, but this is the first time I have seen GHD hair straighteners available to rescue a bad hair moment!

Day 229 - Cupcake class

2010-03-24T22:02:00.000+13:00

Cupcake class

A chocolate feast

A friend was in need of a boost today and a change of scenery so we decided to have a cupcake class at my place. This was our combined result, a chocolate feast! They look (and tasted) fantastic for a first-timer!

Day 228 - Love u long time

2010-03-23T14:17:00.000+13:00

Love u long time

I still laugh every time I see the inscription on the steps leading up to Monsoon Poon.

Day 227 - Church activities

2010-03-22T12:12:00.003+13:00

'Church' activities

The future's looking bright!

I love this sign at Cafe Vanilla in Thorndon. Whoever said there's no hope for the future? ;-)

Day 226 - Candle holder

2010-03-21T12:09:00.000+13:00

Giant candle holder

A symphony of stained glass

Day 225 - Ukulele salute

2010-03-20T18:37:00.000+13:00

Ukulele salute

Show us your ukes!

Day 224 - Purple ukulele

2010-03-19T13:31:00.001+13:00

Purple ukulele

Resplendent on her first outing at the Wellington Ukulele Summer Fiesta

Day 223 - Silhouettes

2010-03-18T15:24:00.003+13:00

Giant silhouettes

Peeping around a busy street corner

Day 222 - Mirror balls

2010-03-16T13:20:00.000+13:00

Mirror balls

Rolling down the steps outside Te Papa

Day 221 - Crimson sunset

2010-03-14T21:17:00.000+13:00

Crimson sunset

Day 220 - 1952 Citroën L15

2010-03-13T14:12:00.006+13:00

1952 Citroën L15

in immaculate condition

Day 219 - Hippopotamus

2010-03-06T15:06:00.006+13:00

Hippopotamus

I love the way this giant hippo sculpture stands atop the Museum Hotel in Wellington, advertising a refined French restaurant inside, Hippopotamus.

Day 218 - Chandeliers

2010-03-05T13:02:00.000+13:00

Chandeliers

A touch of elegant on canvas

Day 217 - Clock tower

2010-03-03T17:58:00.000+13:00

Clock tower

Old Bank Arcade

Day 216 - Wai-titi landing

2010-03-01T15:47:00.001+13:00

Wai-titi landing monument

Thorndon

The plaque reads:

Wai-titi landing (place of shining waters)
This land was originally a beach and a 'tauranga' (resting place for waka) used by Te Atiawa/Taranaki whanau before 1840 and was a significant entry point to the Pipitea Kumutoto area. The land takes its name from a stream which ran between the two pa of Kumutoto and Pipitea.

The Pou Whenua (traditional tribal boundary markers) were gifted by the Wellington Tenths Trust, on behalf of the Te Atiawa/Taranaki whanau, to the City of Wellington to commemorate the significance of this area. The Pou Whenua are also an expression of the enduring Treaty Partnership between Te Atiawa/Taranaki whanau and the City of Wellington.

Dedicated by
The Prime Minister of New Zealand - The Right Honourable Helen Clark
and
Her Worship the Mayor of Wellington City - Kerry Prendergast
December 13th 2004

Pou Whenua sculptor
Ra Vincent

Day 215 - Ensuite

2010-02-26T20:36:00.003+13:00

Ensuite?

A room with a view?

Somehow we didn't expect to see this portaloo one storey above ground when we were out and about in town on Friday night. Also, if you zoom in (although it's not very clear as the photo was taken on my phone), you can see there is a sign saying "No parking. Unauthorised vehicles will be towed" - yet, there are cars parked directly beneath. I guess it's hard to take seriously a sign that is attached to a portaloo in the air.

Day 214 - Empty chairs at empty tables

2010-02-25T17:15:00.002+13:00

"Empty chairs at empty tables"

The end of another busy day at Old Bank Arcade

Day 213 - Old St Paul's

2010-02-24T11:11:00.000+13:00

Old St Paul's

Historical non-denominational church in Thorndon

Day 212 - St Paul's Cathedral

2010-02-23T14:33:00.002+13:00

St Paul's Cathedral

Thorndon

Day 211 - Farmyard folk

2010-02-20T15:05:00.000+13:00

Farmyard folk

I used to love the laughing clown exhibit at fairs and carnivals when I was a child - I was (almost) guaranteed a prize! These farmyard folk caught my eye at the Petone Fair today.

Day 210 - Chocolate walnut cupcakes

2010-02-19T17:56:00.000+13:00

Chocolate walnut cupcakes

with chocolate buttercream frosting

Day 209 - Hungarian Garden

2010-02-18T14:50:00.000+13:00

Hungarian Garden

This wooden archway is the entrance to a Hungarian Garden on the corner of Molesworth and Hawkestone Streets in Wellington. The ornately carved headline reads Magyar Millennium Project 1998-2003 - God bless the Hungarian ...! (I'm not sure what effect the ellipsis and exclamation mark adds, but it's there anyway.)

Day 208 - Spellcheck required

2010-02-17T17:42:00.000+13:00

Spellcheck required

I thought I was seeing things ... this note was printed on a digital photo frame box - on two sides! It's an easy enough error to make, but surely several people would need to check text before it goes into production twice!

Day 207 - Valentine's Day flowers

2010-02-14T16:09:00.000+13:00

Valentine's Day flowers

I'm a lucky gal!

Day 206 - Mickey Mouse cake

2010-02-13T20:05:00.000+13:00

Mickey Mouse cake

Made by my sister-in-law for my nephew's second birthday

Day 205 - Office bling

2010-02-12T15:59:00.001+13:00

Office bling

Put a bit of sparkle into your day!

Day 204 - Human iPods

2010-02-06T18:22:00.000+13:00

Human iPods

Providing the soundtrack for the sevens