My Photo a Day December 2014

My photo a day challenge for December 2014

Enjoy my take on December!

The prompt given is listed in red, the photo is my take on the prompt

and the caption is my description.

1

Fruit: 

Nothing like an orange studded in cloves to add to the Christmas atmosphere!

2

Grass:

Mum...my ball is in the grass...can you spot it?

3

Pop: 

Pop! Of Christmas colour in the beautiful town of Rothenburg, Germany.

4

Free:

Free to cross borders, discover countries and cultures. People and cuisine. 

Traditions and customs. Free to return home! Still call Australia home.

5

Me:

Here is 'me', 40 odd years ago. Nothing much has changed...still have a loyal dog by my side

and a camera in hand...and the same cheeky grin. Hopefully I have more fashion sense!

6

Joy is...

Catching bubbles!

7

Weekends are for....

Well weekends in Germany at Christmas...

it is all about visiting Christmas Markets!

8

Simple Pleasure:

Children enjoying the magic of Christmas

9

Decoration:

The Christmas markets in Germany have the most beautiful array of decorations. 

My little family buys a Christmas decoration from places we visit so decorating our 

tree is a trip down happy memory lane.

10

Closed Door:

The stories these doors could tell, of those who have stepped over the threshold.

Love the history of Germany.

11

Something Red:

Red is my favourite colour. This lamp is special, as it was a farewell gift from 

my girlfriends when we left Shanghai and reminds me of our time in such an amazing city.

12

Skyline:

My favourite skyline in the whole world. 

Cottesloe Beach, Indian Ocean, Perth Australia.

13

Much Loved:

Our forest, family time, daily dog walks, fresh air, watching the seasons change

before our eyes. So happy to have our much loved forest on our doorstep.

14

Drink:

A mug of hot Gluhwein, warms you hands and our heart as you soak up

the atmosphere of the Christmas Markets in Germany.

15

Super:

Thinking of the super efforts, emergency personnel in Sydney, Australia

are putting in right now. Sending light and peace across the miles and hoping for a positive outcome.

(The siege in Sydney was still in progress)

16

Beautiful:

Beautiful girl from the Miao minority in Guizhou, China,

going home after 'The Sister Festival'. 

Beautiful headdress, hand embroidered clothes, one of the most beautiful days of my life!

17

Sunshine:

More chance of snow than sunshine in my neck of the woods today!

Love the sun shining through the trees and onto the bluebells 

near Henley on Thames, May 2013.

18

Sign:

So many signs in life, I like this one today..Frankfurt Christmas Market, 

Gluhwein and Flamm-kuchen! Both were very good.

19

Something to be happy about:

Having visitors to take to the Christmas Markets and the pouring rain adding 

to the atmosphere and not dampening spirits!

20

Food:

Jelly beans are food right???

21

This is interesting:

A museum with a special entrance for mice, 

St Goar, Germany!

22

'Tis the season:

For Christmas Markets, Carols, spending time with family and friends.

Fairy lights and magic!

23

Tree:

Fairy Bread Christmas Tree... you can take the girl out of Australia, 

but you can't take Australia out of the girl!

24

Colour: 

Love the colours on the Wiesbaden  Ferris Wheel. The view was amazing too!

25

Celebration:

This little Robyn had a lovely day celebrating with family and friends, 

embracing old traditions and starting a few new ones.

26

Animal:

Everyone should be like a Panda and stamp out racism, 

they are black, white and asian...and everyone loves them!

27

I like...

Snow! This is the heaviest snow that I have ever seen.

My little Aussie family spent hours walking and playing in the snow!

28

Book:

After shovelling snow, removing fallen branches from the road in freezing -5C...

nice to relax inside with a good book....and occasionally look out at the amazing view!

The book is 'The light between oceans' by M.L. Stedman and fabulous!

29

I need less of this:

ICE...Snoe I like..the -5 temp and spending an hour to remove the snow that has turned to ice

from the car...not so much! Also need to teach the Aussie daughters to bring mittens inside, 

they will not dry under cover...just freeze!

30

Us:

Me and my Aussie snowman!

31

My best bit of 2014:

What a year it has been! We have spent 2014 settling in, learning a new culture and lifestyle. 

There have been ups and downs but we have made it! Our best bit was a two week holiday

in Croatia. relaxing and making family memories

As the sun sets on 2014, I share a photo from that holiday!

Winter Wonderland, a walk in my snow covered forest.

My little Aussie family was hoping for our first ever White Christmas,
a lovely sunny day dawned on Christmas Day but alas, no snow.
Two days later, we awoke to a dusting of snow and light snowflakes
sprinkling from the sky. As we pulled on boots, warm puffy jackets and our sled
the snow got heavier and tumbled over us as we headed for a walk in our forest.

Join us for a beautiful walk in the snow!

Forty Winks Friday - Wet Market nap

I am sure there were many 'food comas' yesterday after much Christmas Cheer. 

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day.

Forty Winks Friday. All you need is an overpass

On a sunny Shanghai day, if you need to take a break from the hustle and bustle,

get away from the crowds and the traffic, find yourself a

nice shady free way overpass, balance yourself and nap!

Frankfurt Christmas Market

One of the real joys of living in Germany is having the incredible

Christmas Markets on our doorstep. The is nothing as magical as 

wandering around the stalls, fairy lights twinkling, the smell of roasting chestnuts

and the spices of gluhwein filling the air. 

The atmosphere festive with laugher, people chatting and children playing.

The Frankfurt Weihnachtmarkt, one of Germany's oldest Christmas Markets,

opened on 26 November and runs until 22 December 2014.

There is evidence that Christmas markets were held in Frankfurt as far back as 1393, 

though in those days it was a simple affair for locals to stock up on essentials

 before the harsh winter set in.

Today the market is nestled in the heart of Frankfurt's historic centre,

half timbered buildings, the scenic surroundings together with the 

cute stalls, lights glistening with a huge, beautifully decorated Christmas Tree

dominating the spectacular marketplace.

With over 200 Stalls stretching from the Zeil shopping street down to the river, 

 selling anything from decorations, gingerbread, bratwurst,

roasted nuts and chocolate covered fruit.

You can find beautiful wooden Christmas scenes, woollen scarves and gloves. 

There is something for everyone, plenty of places to stop for a gluhwein or 

hot chocolate to warm up before going off to discover more.

The setting is spectacular!

Nothing like a twinkling carousel ride to

brighten the day of any child or child at heart.

The lights and decorations add to the atmosphere.

Stalls on cobblestoned streets, nestled alongside beautiful buildings.

Bare tree silhouettes add to the atmosphere. 

Beautiful decorations abound.

The gingerbread is colourful and tempting.

Was actually quite delicious!

The variety of foods on offer diverse. This salmon...divine!

You cannot go to a German Christmas market without having a mug of gluhwein or hot chocolate. 

You pay a deposit/Pfand for the mug. When you have finished your drink you can return the

mug and get your deposit back ...or you can keep it as a souvenir.

I 'may' have been to the Frankfurt Christmas Market three times since

it opened, every visit I discover more...and I look forward to exploring a few

more German Christmas Markets in the next few weeks.

Find the Frankfurt Christmas Market