January

My challenge for the year is to post a photo for each day of the year.  

We went home to New Zealand for our end of year holiday.  It is always wonderful to go home and have a taste of New Zealand.  We hired an Escape Rental (Batmobile) and travelled up from Christchurch to have a few days with Lloyd and Anna.  

Day 1 - We went off the beaten track a little and found this gorgeous beach. Gore Bay!  It was a little off the track but worth the drive.  New Zealand has some amazing scenery.

Day 2 - We stopped off at a seal colony near Kaikoura and I was lucky enough to snap this train as it finished coming out of the tunnel. 

Day 3 - Bumble Bees amaze me that they can fly.  They look such such cumbersome creatures but they certainly have a place in the world.  Clover is one of their favourite flowers. 

Day 4 - The koru is a symbol of New Zealand, meaning new life! As i child we use to call them monkey tails. I have  been looking for a great photo of this and after many attempts believe that I finally found it. 

Day 5 - Cabbage Trees are another iconic treasure of New Zealand and this year they were brilliant in flower.  There was such a sweet smell in the air and thousands of bees on the plant.  All along the coast up from Christchurch they were everywhere.  Ever so pretty. 

Day 6 - While in Rotorua we took time to walk in the Redwoods.  We really enjoy our walks here and see something different each time.  The view looking up through the ferns in impressive. 

Day 7 - Another koru, another fern and also in Rotorua.  We spent Christmas with Wayne's brothers.  We stayed with David and this fern was hiding in his garden. 

Day 8 - Back in KL and the view from our balcony always stuns us.  The sunsets are amazing.   

Day 9 - One night a moth came to visit and we couldn't resist taking a photo of it.  We watched it for a while and then encouraged it to go outside.  It is as big as Wayne's hand. 

Day 10 - Taman Rekreasi Lembah Kiara Park is one of our favourite places to walk.  In this park we find all sorts of creatures to photograph and dragonflies are one our favourite subjects.

. Day 11 - Capturing fungi on my camera another one of my favourite subjects.  This time it was white. 

Day 12 - Just hanging from a tree.  I have often seen these and wanted to photograph them but they are often elusive till this one.  using manual focus I was able to capture it. 

Day 13 - Walking and finding amazing flowers.  The trumpet is so long and deep. 

Day 14 - Another dragonfly.  This one looks like he has been taped with a bandaid.  I only hope his tail doesn't fall off. 

Day 15 - The trunk of a palm tree.  The reds and greens make this look so beautiful, especially after rain. 

Day 16 - Chinese New Year was early this year.  We were hoping to see a Dragon Dance at Centrepoint but unfortunately for us they started their dance early. 

Day 16 - Walkabout in KL city centre and I wondered why it was so hot! 

Day 17 - An unexpected but wonderful reason to go back home.  Our oldest son and his fiancé had brought their NZ wedding forward  so I was back in NZ for a week.  But as you can see KL is never far way.   

Day 18 - I was thrilled that my sister could join me in Wellington and we shared a coffee and a hot chocolate  at Smiths in the old BNZ. 

Day 19 - Who in NZ has never had a Buzzy Bee?...I remember our boys having one and the noise it made.  This one was on top of a pole near the Wellington train station. 

Day 20 - Not pohutakawa but it's cousin the rata.  So pretty and just down on Lampton Quay.

Day 21 -  Walking in Wellington with Beth one morning and wee came across the CBD buildings with all the clouds reflecting in them. 

Day 22 - Acutally it happened on 20th January - Bradley and his lovely wife Jingjing - and this was before the ceremony.

Day 23 - Seagulls are a menace but they are stunningly beautiful birds. 

Day 24 - I walked up to Bradley and Jingjings house for some of their yummy dumplings and then walked back to the hotel and spend some time playing with night settings at Welling Wharf.   

 Day 25 - Wandering around Wellington City Centre and there was this metal nikau palm.

 Day 26 - This lovely man was  catching fish and then feeding them to the seagull.

Day 27 - Pohutukawa usually blooms at Christmas time.  This one was just coming into bloom near the end of January. 

Day 28 - Flying back down to Christchurch to catch my flight back home to KL and the view out of the window of the coast was amazing. 

Day 29 - As we have a balcony we are always looking for new plants to fillit up.  We found this small plaited one in the grocery shop and couldn't resist it. 

 Day 30 - Looking down from our balcony on the terrace houses of BU6.  Such a lot of houses in such a small space.

Day 31 - I bought these stamp  for use at work thinking they would be a hit.  Bob the Builder is still a big hit with boys here.

Day 32 - Friendly Bears were outside the Pavilion Mall in KL city centre.  This is the New Zealand bear ready to hug everyone.

Day 33 - The back view of the bears was almost as good as the front view.

Day 34 - A sweet shop in 1Utama shopping mall.  Think it might be a cure all for anybody's' sweet tooth.

Day 35 - Chinese New Year and dragons were everywhere.  This one is in Pavilion Mall.

Day 36 - We had a weekend in Langkawi and hired a car to see more of the island.  We found a Lighthouse at Pantai Kok.

Day 37 - Same lighthouse but this time 2 Waynes....one is more than enough!

Day 38 - Dinner at a delightful Thai restaurant in the middle of rice fields.  Meal was absolutely lovely and the view was great.

Day 39 - We found a bird park where there were a number of different birds and plenty of opportunities for photos.

Day 40 - Nature has a wonderful way of putting a pretty picture together.  Shells on a Langkawi beach.

Day 41 - We had fish and chips at an English style shop on a beach front and then walked along the beach to find families flying kites of many different shapes and sizes.

Day 42 - A trip down to Melacca where you just have to photograph the trishaws decorated with plastic flowers and playing loud music.

Day 43 - Bougainvillea grows abundantly in Asia and it is always a brilliant colour.  They tend to grow it as a bush rather than a climber.

Day 44 - Visiting a pirate ship in Melacca and found these ropes.  I love the texture in the strands of rope.

Day 45 - Tree roots are fascinating and they make such amazing patterns.

Day 46 - Imperfections can be very beautiful.  A shell found on Langkawi beach.

Day 47 - Koru (symbolising the beginning of life) are found everywhere.

Day 48 - A love the spirals on this shell and the corresponding stripes.

Day 49 - Spiral staircases in Melacca....they look impressive and I often wonder what they would be like to use.