It´s time again for the wonderful challenge The Changing Seasons hosted by my dear friend Su from Zimmerbitch!
Since I´ve missed out on August I thought I´d start with a few pics that I made then from the flowers on my balcony which were in full bloom and regularly visited from all sorts of bees, feasting on the rich and no doubt yummy pollen.
I have to admit that I just love catching them mid-flight…
![DSC_0156](https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/dsc_0156.jpg?w=750)
And they look so lovely while doing a great job, don´t they?
![DSC_0157](https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/dsc_0157.jpg?w=750)
My “Lizzy” loves resting on my chair meanwhile I´m attending to the flowers…
![DSC_0184](https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/dsc_0184.jpg?w=750)
I´m not quite sure, but I think these belong to the Acanthaceae family of climbing plants…
![DSC_0195](https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/dsc_0195.jpg?w=750)
I have a little Pomegranate tree as well which brings continued joy to me as well as numerous insects. Sadly the fruits aren´t really edible that is to say you can eat them but they taste a bit bitter and sour, so they´re only good for decorational purposes.
![DSC_0229](https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/dsc_0229.jpg?w=750)
This particular bee kept coming back every day and could obviously never get enough of my pomegranate. I´m quite sure it was always the same one because it was unusually dark whereas the other ones were much lighter in color and there was always only this darker one to be seen around. I like to think that she kept this tree a secret from her fellow bees back at the beehive. 😉
![DSC_0255](https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/dsc_0255.jpg?w=750)
I really had the most of fun watching her and made dozens of pictures. The following being my very favorite one as she´s covered with tiny dots of yellow pollen and dropping out of the blossom in a drunkenly manner…
![DSC_0234](https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/dsc_0234.jpg?w=750)
In September I visited the zoo where there were bigger animals to catch – quite literally in this case:
![DSC_0305](https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/dsc_0305.jpg?w=750)
And catching really seems to be the theme of this post… look at this pelican cleverly catching his fish!
![DSC_0321](https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/dsc_0321.jpg?w=750)
And right after I made this shot, this little seal was catching a nap…
![DSC_0338](https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/dsc_0338.jpg?w=750)
And after all this hard work of catching animals, I thought a little snack was in order. 😉
![DSC_0401](https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/dsc_0401.jpg?w=750)
And here are the guidelines for The Changing Season if you’re interested in participating:
The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic):
- Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
- Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
- Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them
The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):
- Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
- Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
- Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them.
If you do a ping-back to Su´s original monthly post, she can update it with links to yours.
Lovely Sept recap, Sarah!
The bees and baby seal are my favourites … they are so adorable and well-captured by you!
And I really felt like we were sitting down to tea & croissant … yum!
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Thanks so much, Ju-Lyn! It was a lot of fun taking these pictures and will miss the bees busily working on my flowers, they always make me smile. 😊
Croissants are my weakness. 😉
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Have you ever tried French-toasting your leftover croissants? (I know that sounds ridiculous … who has leftover croissants, right?). One of my blogger friends posted a version she had at a cafe, and I tried it making it and it was very good! (although I must admit I like French-toasted everything!)
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Wow! That does sound rather scrumptious! Though I´m not sure I will ever have left over croissants! LOL! But maybe I should just buy one or two more next time, though I can´t guarantee that they will be around long enough to get French-toasted! 😉 Thanks for the tip, Ju-Lyn! 😀
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What a delightful set of photographs! 🙂
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Thank you, Inese! I had such fun taking them! 😀 xxxxxxxxx
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They are brilliant! xxxxxxxxxxx
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😄🙏 xxxxxxxxxxx
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Amazing photos!
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Thank you!! 😀 ❤
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You’re welcome!! 😀 ❤
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Brilliant captures of those bees Sarah.Very tricky! I love your flowers, must be so nice to see them grow on your balcony. I love hearing what you’ve been up to. Have a fab weekend 🙂 xx
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Thanks so much, Gill! 😀 It was really tricky, but fun too, though no one would have guessed hearing me swear all the time whenever I only caught a blur! 😂 Have a grand weekend, too! xx
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Nice set of images capturing these months Sarah. You’re quite the bee photographer. This could be a specialty. Have a great October. Cheers.
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Thank you so much, Chris! I really enjoy taking their picture but now that it’s getting colder I hardly get to see them anymore so I need to specialize on something else during the next months.
Have a wonderful October too! Cheers! 😊
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Lovely photos–captivating critters and alluring blooms! ❤ I'm like you when it comes to taking their photos…can't resist. Have a lovely weekend, Sarah! xo
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Thanks so much, Bette! Taking photos of them is quite addictive, isn´t it? 😉 Have a beautiful week ahead, dear friend! xoxo ❤
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All of your photos are stunning Sarah. Really like the lightheaded bee, the baboons and the seals. Lizzy is cute too. I must send you a pic of Veggie, my son’s lizard. May I ask when is your birthday? Have a fantastic and creative weekend. xoxo
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Thanks so much, Dominique! How lovely that your son has a lizard as a pet! My Lizzy, since she´s only made from cast-iron, is very easy to care for! 😉 Going to share my birthday in an email, okay?
Wish you a wonderful and creative week ahead! xoxoxo
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Thankfully, vegetarian lizards are pretty easy to care for. That is good because I’m the one who ends up doing it. Have a lovely week too mon amie! xoxo
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Hehe! I guessed as much, it’s always the mothers who end up caring for pets which might be why mine never allowed me one! 😂 xoxo
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Yep! Your mother is smart. 😍
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Wonderful, Sarah. Your bee photos are terrific!
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Thanks so much, Jennie! 😀
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You are welcome, Sarah! 🙂
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What beautiful pictures. How you ever got that bee in mid-flight, God’s hand without doubt.
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Thanks very much, Jacqui! 🙂
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Love your post Sarah and the photos are terrific 🙂
I like your new avatar pic!
Darren x
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Thanks so much, Darren!! 😀 Have a beautiful and creative weekend! xxx
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The pomegranate flowers are so purdy, Sarah.
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Aren’t they just? And obviously they’re yummy too. 😉
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They are. We’ve only managed to get one pomegranate off our 7 year old tree. So funny.
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Maybe I should send you my little bee, she´s really good at coaxing out fruits of my pomegranate! 😉
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🙂
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I was happily making wow faces at your bee photos, then I saw the baboons and went totally mooshy. All of your photos are lovely Sarah and I’m so glad you are getting such great use from your new camera.
I’ve never seen a pomegranate growing before; it’s very cool 🙂
Thank you for being part of The Changing Seasons 🙂 xxxxxx
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Aww – thank you so much! I know you can exactly imagine the fun I´m having with my new camera – it´s just amazing! And I only use the kit lens so far which as you know has its limitations. Have been heavily hinting to my mum that I would love to have a macro lens for my birthday(+christmas+easter). 😉 xxxxxxxxx
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That would be a fantastic gift. I know mine really changed the way I see the world. xxxx.
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Lovely pictures and wonderful reward at the end of the day too (yum)!
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Thank you! It was indeed very yummy! 😉 Have a lovely weekend!
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Oh gosh, Sarah…your photographs are amazing!
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Thanks so much, Jill! 😀 ❤
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Especially love the photo of the “Lightheaded Bee.” I’ve never witnessed such behavior.
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Thank you, Rosaliene! I also often witness this kind of behavior when they´re feasting on poppy flowers, which are like a special treat to them.
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your balcony looks wonderful I understand the bees must have been happy there … Have a great evening !!!
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Thank you so much! Yes, I think it is a happy place for bees, maybe even more for them than for me as there´s hardly any space left for myself with all those plants! 😀
Have a wonderful day!!!
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😀 you too !!
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Merci! 🙂 💕
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Your bumblebees captured in mid flight are fantastic shots. You must have a lot of patience. I know because I tried to capture them many times. Thanks for sharing! Peter
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Thank you very much, Peter! And yes, catching them did indeed take a lot of patience! 😀 I guess I spent several hours this summer photographing them on my balcony, my neighbors either must have thought I was crazy or trying to spy on them! 😉
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You make me want to learn photography, something I’ve been promising myself a long time. I really love the way you followed your lone bee, even noting her darker color. Your commentary pulls me along with the story, engaging me in your month and the lives of all your subjects. As for the young primates – kids will be kids even when they’re baboons. A completely enjoyable photo essay.
I don’t do photography,(yet) but maybe I’ll look into The Changing Seasons to see if poetry or articles meet the requirements. It would be fun to be part of a community.
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That´s wonderful, Sharon! And I´m sure you´re going to be a natural when it comes to photography! And I´m also sure you’d love joining The Changing Seasons, it´s such a lovely way to reflect over the past month and often makes me see things that I haven´t really noticed while I was doing them, if that makes any sense. And of course, seeing what the others were up to is even more lovely. 🙂
I find photography very stimulating and inspiring as I often paint after photos, like with the elephants, and it makes for a nice change at times to create a picture in under a second than say an hour! 😉
Have a wonderful and creative weekend!
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Sarah, these are all fantastic shots, especially the bee photos! There’s a sense of accomplishment when catching a bee in flight or even on a flower. Your flowers are gorgeous, too, and your snack break looks yummy! Wishing you a lovely weekend ahead, dear friend. Sending hugs and lots of love. ❤🌻🌺
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Thank you so much, Lauren! And you’re totally right about that sense of accomplishment when catching a good bee pic! 😉 If I wouldn’t want to risk getting a blurred pic I would actually do a little happy dance every time it works out! 😀
Have a lovely weekend ahead, too, dear friend! Hug&Love! xoxo ❤
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xoxoxo 🙂
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Great photographs of the bees in flight. I love watching them too. I’m surprised your lizard doesn’t scare them away. 🙂 I’m so ready for the next change of seasons. Sept/Oct. I love the cooler weather when we can finally get it but the bees are going inside the hives more now. Your pomegranate tree is very pretty. My son had some in his yard but the ants ate the fruit before anyone could get to them. No wonder they are so expensive. Baboons are fun to watch. Have a lovely weekend ahead.
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Thank you very much, Marlene! Yes, I’m very glad Lizzy doesn’t scare away the bees. 😉 And I can completely understand that you’re ready for the next change of season, this last summer was a very hot and dry one around here and I’m quite glad not to need to water my plants as much as I had to during the last months. But I know I’ll miss my bees! Ah, well, that’s what photos are for, right?
That was bad luck your son’s pomegranates were eaten by ants and I hope he’ll have more luck next year!
Have a beautiful weekend too!
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