Come away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o
Ailsa said ‘No matter where you go, there’s always something for sale somewhere. The items on display in local stores are often evocative of the flavours and aesthetics of the culture you’re in and make for really interesting photographs.’ The things I have photographed are not for sale but displayed in the Museum of Anatolian Civilisation in Ankara, I’m sure that still counts.
Would you like to join in? call in at Ailsa’s Place she would love to see you.
Ailsa has chosen texture this week. I like the different textures of and around this old sewing machine, wood that is decaying, metal that is rusting and stone that is crumbling. I also wonder what stories it could tell us, whose hand has turned the missing handle and how many garments it has helped to create. 
The photo was taken at Sultanhani Caravanserai on the road between Askaray and Konya, in Central Anatolia, Turkey.
I’m very much a morning person, a lark not an owl, up before six most days. But up doesn’t mean out even though I know its the best time of day for photography. So I have very few early morning photos. This one was taken at 6.02am of the Halic or Golden Horn. Istanbultrails.com says ‘The Golden Horn (Haliç) is an inlet of the Bosphorus with two rivers draining into it at the far end. It is considered to be the world’s largest natural harbor and separates the European shore of Istanbul into two.’ It’s a very beautiful place and I like the light, but my through the window shot doesn’t do it justice. 
I’ve posted this for Jakes Sunday Post: Morning so do go and visit!
This photo is very wonky because I took it hanging out of a hotel window!
Bursa is on the old silk route in north west Turkey and was once the capital of the Ottoman Empire. It is one the the largest cities in the country and very industrialised. At the same time it is a very green city with lots of parks and gardens. The surrounding area is forested and mountainous, the mountain in the background is Uludag, the ancient Mysian Olympus, about ten miles outside the city.
This is my entry to the challenge, if you would like to see some more visit http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/weekly-photo-challenge-urban/
The lovely Madhu over at http://theurgetowander.com/ chose me for the http://blog.hostelbookers.com/travel/7-super-shots/ and gosh was it difficult. I have 20-25 thousand photos to choose from, how do you decide which are good and which you just like? So mine are possibly a mix of both.
The first was in India a few years ago when I had a point and shoot, to date it is the only photo of mine I have framed. It takes me right back to how I felt that day. It was taken close to the top of Ratnagiri hill in Pushkar which has a temple to the goddess Savitri at the summit. We got up before dawn to climb up for the sunrise as suggested by our driver the venerable Magan Singh. What he didn’t know – until now maybe – was that we didn’t actually quite reach the top, but didn’t have the heart to tell him as he was so sure that we would love it! The problem was that we had been so ill for a few days before and were still incredibly weak. He was right, the view was beautiful. I remember every moment, every laboured step, and most of all, the tiny, bent old ladies climbing to the temple as they do each day for prayer. This one literally took my breath away, I couldn’t breathe as I struggled upwards!
Next, a little closer to home, this is close to the finishing line of last October’s Commando Challenge on Yettington common in East Devon. I love this photo because it shows the determination of these women to complete a really gruelling and hideously muddy course. They ran 10 kilometres through water and mud filled tunnels and tracks that is part of a marines endurance training course. This particular group were so supportive of each other, and it makes me think, isn’t it wonderful what can be achieved when you work together? 
Over in Malaysian Borneo this time, at Kota Kinabalu. There had to be at least one sunset! These are two of the islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman park taken from Jesselton Point. This the photo that makes me dream!
At the village of Baobeng-Fiema the story goes that the monkeys are considered special. The locals give them all names and they are buried in a graves when they die. It wasn’t the monkeys that I found special in this Ghanaian village, it was the children. This is the shot that makes me smile
This young woman’s backpack must have weighed as much as she did. I couldn’t help wondering where she was headed, I suspect a local youth hostel. More interesting still, where had she been? For me, this photo tells a story.
In Western Anatolia breakfast was early one day last June. We had a lot of miles to cover that day so we had to skip the hotel meal but were promised a treat instead. Delicious local yoghurt and honey, sprinkled with poppy seeds, it worked for me and made my mouth water, I’m not sure about the carnivores though. 
Now, I don’t know if anyone else will ‘get’ this photo, what I see in it. Again its a shot that conjures up atmosphere for me. I love the quality of light, I love the activity, the between time. It was taken in Marrakech from a rooftop cafe at a time when the work of the day was ending, and the evening’s entertainment and culinary delights had not yet begun. So this is my photo that I am most proud of , aka my worth of National Geographic shot. 
So there we are, all seven, I hope you like them. Is there one in particular that you think is good? or terrible?
As always there are rules! I have to nomnate five bloggers to take part, but only if you want to. My five are,
http://sophomorejinx.wordpress.com/
http://jobryantnz.wordpress.com/
http://catbirdinoman.wordpress.com/
http://adinparadise.wordpress.com/
http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/
Jakes theme this week is work and once again he has created a clever animation here http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/
Here are my work photos.
Rug making in Anatolia, a woman’s work.
Palm oil production in Ghana, the whole family share the work, even very small children.
Building repairs that seem to be shared work.
Rug uh – guarding? a man’s work!
I decided to enter several photos to the weekly photo challenge this week and I hope you enjoy!
I’ve added an extra photo because of the lovely Sandra’s http://sandraconner.wordpress.com/ comment. She’s right it’s the perfect chance to show off my beautiful grandson even if I have no make up on and I hate being on that side of the camera.
I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to post a picture from Cappadochia, so here we are, two fairy chimneys.
I’ve decided it’s time to post more about where I live, a really beautiful part of the world, so these are a few photos of the river that runs through my home town. It begins north of here in the depths of the countryside but I’m beginning just down the road and ending ten miles away at the estuary.
So first of all, Exeter’s historic quay
Trew’s weir, a mile down river
Of course there are always mute swans
Kriz’s photo here http://kardzbykris.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/leap-year-additional-february-day-21-2/ inspired this post, because it reminded me of one of my favourite paths, along the mill leat that begins just after the weir.
The leat rejoins the river
The old mill
Looking up river, with the canal on the left .
Another lovely path
Reed beds
The canal, one of the oldest in the country, begins at the quay and runs about five miles to the Turf lock and parallel to the river. This is about half way down.
Topsham quay, the river’s half way point between Exeter and Exmouth
Topsham, looking down river.
Lympstone, eight miles down and the river is quite wide
and finally, the estuary looking west towards Dawlish Warren.
I hope you enjoyed your brief meander down stream!
If your blog is about photography, videography, Graphic Artwork Or Writing – Join in the Sunday Competition:
Here’s how the weekly photo Competition works:
1. Each week, Jake will provide a theme for creative inspiration. Show the world based on your interpretation what you have in mind for the theme, and post them on your blog anytimebefore the following Sunday when the next photo theme will be announced.
2. Subscribe to jakesprinter so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS.
GET THE BADGE FOR YOUR IMAGE WIDGET….
Make sure to have the image link to http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/ so that others can learn about the challenge, too.
So here is my entry for the theme ‘Colourful’
Colourful traditional pottery in Turkey
Lucid Gypsy 