Happy New Year

A whole year past and gone,

The play is over, the curtain is drawn,

Is there an applause, a thundering ovation?

Or the terrible hiss of deprecation?

But above and beyond all that I've done,

The good deeds, the white lies, and bad sticky buns,

There are many things to be grateful for,

The many blessings I cannot ignore.

So although the past year has not been the best,

And still many regrets I cannot lay to rest,

I'm thankful for everything that has come my way,

And with this in mind, tomorrow will be a better day...

The morning sun shining down on Piazza Castello in Torino. It's warm rays are so welcoming and happy. So, Happy New Year...and have a great year ahead!

Keeping Warm Together

I was taking a walk in Parco Valentino two days before Christmas. Snow was still on the ground then...(it's all nearly gone now)... and it was very chilly. These ducks and mallards had all gathered together at the artificial pond. When it's warmer, there would never be so many just sitting still by the pond. I guessed they wanted some warm company :D

Have a Blessed Christmas

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas :D

Christmas Approaches...

A few days ago I took this shot of some Christmas deco down a walkway and I posted it up on Soaring Through the World in Pictures.  Since I loved it so much I played around with its blending modes and came up with different looks. I thought I'd post up these for fun...
Click on images to enlarge

 

 

It's been very very cold for me... and I really don't want to go out, even though the snow has just fallen and everything is so pretty. However, I have some Christmas shopping to finish up. So that will force me out of the house. Hopefully, I can get some good photos. Anyway, here's one from my balcony.

I love the snow on the trees...but I just don't know how to get the white trees to stand out. I wish I could really capture the beauty I see with my camera...for memory's sake...but oh well.

Sky Watch Friday N°2

A soft sunset. This photo was taken quite a while back...along with the other three. I had posted the other three up before here. But I just love them so much and since these were all taken at the same time, I thought I would include them again with this first photo which I had left out previously. The first photo was actually taken after the other three...when the land spout had left the sky.

Visit Sky Watch Friday for more amazing skywatch photos.

La Fontana Angelica

Today the sun was shining. I just had to go out. Besides, I still needed to buy a few Christmas presents. But really, I went out to snap photographs. I had not taken any in a few days. Gloomy skies and freezing cold keep me home under the sheets most of the days.

Today's photos are of the Angelic Fountain found at Piazza Solferino. Each group of statues, four in total represent a different season.  I can't tell which is which though. Hope you like them.

The Slice of Polenta

Polenta is a paste or dough made from cornmeal, which is boiled and then typically fried or baked. In Italy it's usually served in thin (about 1cm) slices. In this case, have a look...

Do click on images to enlarge.

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Found in downtown Turin :)

Inside St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

The artwork is amazing. Click on images to enlarge.

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Sorry about the noise and the blurry images.
The camera I was using doesn't perform so well in low light. Plus I had no tripod. I used my sister's Sony camera to take these shots. My Nikon Coolpix was totally hopeless. All the images came out blurry to the max. Sigh...

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A light in the darkness...

Photos taken inside the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Moncalieri

Sky Watch Friday

More photos from the Vatican.
Do click on the images to enlarge.

Visit Sky Watch Friday for more amazing skywatch photos.

Kick-Ass Blog

I just received this Kick-Ass blog award. This is my second award for this blog ^^

A big Thank You to sushigirl4996. Do check out her blog: Emily the Strange

I now have to pass on this award to five deserving blogs, so here goes...

I would like to pass this award to:

iLikeToWrite at iLikeToWrite's Photography And Life
For his awesome photographs and stories

Gozer and friends at Naked Rome
For their truly beautiful and stunning photography

Dan at Wood And Pixels Narratives
For his bright and colourful transformed photos and interesting narratives

Julia at The World is My Oyster
For her witty posts that are always fun to read

Kiki at Awake with Charm and Spirit
For her amazing photos and the gentle and charming phrases that accompany them

Cheers!

Gearing up for Christmas with the right Arsenal...

I took this photo because I liked the street sign (its fancy borders are not typical in Turin), and the large display window. I also found the combination of Via Arsenale and Chanel's N°5 perfume amusing :D

St. Peter's Square

Some photos taken at St. Peter's Square, Vatican City.
Click on images to enlarge.

The little boy in orange is my brother :D

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