Playing catchup before we set off on our next adventure.
Sharing a few pics from our meander around in Nelson, New Zealand in January. The crowds had disappeared prior to our late afternoon visit so we had a pleasant time exploring this historic seaside town. We especially enjoyed the heritage buildings along the foreshore and appreciated the opportunities for aquatic activities.
Over on Bluesky Sheena, a Glaswegian living in Northern Ireland, curates a weekly photographic challenge.
I have been participating in these challenges for a couple of months It gives me an opportunity to dig into my rather large snapshot archive and share a few images to the weekly theme related to a letter of the alphabet.
https://brizzymaysbooksandbruschettasite.wordpress.com/
https://earlieryears.blogspot.com/
https://ancestralresearchjournal.blogspot.com/
https://argonautsite.com/
https://anneyoungau.wordpress.com/
https://trackingdownthefamily.substack.com/
https://bysarahwhiley.wordpress.com/
As a family historian I enjoy reading genealogy blogs. I was pleased to see Kristin from https://findingeliza.com/ in the challenge again this year.
The other blogs I read from over the seas were on a mixture of topics of interest - art, books, history and travel. I learnt from each of these:
https://thisandthatablog.blogspot.com/
https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/
https://waffle-with-wendy.blogspot.com/
http://kajmeister.com/
https://karenjonesgowen.blogspot.com/
I gave up on a couple of blogs from people whose thoughts did not resonate. There was also one blogger who ditched the challenge very early. I found it more difficult to access and navigate the blogs using the Substack platform so I did not follow some there that I may have otherwise visited on Blogger, Wordpress or other friendly platforms.
As my prime purpose in participating was to record and preserve some of my adventures through my photographs it was a very successful venture. If my purpose had been to have others read and comment on my posts it would have been a disappointment. As a person who thrives on positive reinforcement I was thrilled to receive comments on my posts. I tried to respond to them all and apologise if I missed any.
I have taken part in several challenges over the years and will probably participate next year if I am not travelling. I already have a couple of ideas for a theme - one was suggested by a fellow participant.
Finally I thank those volunteers who curate the challenge. I am saddened to see that participation rates have declined over the years so I commend all those bloggers who supported this challenge.
I only managed to read seven books last month. One was a long tome that required a great deal of concentration. Not surprising I was otherwise involved in the April AtoZ Blogging Challenge that I managed to finish on time. Reading other entrants' blogs chewed up a lot of my reading time.
I'm quite pleased with my 2026 Report Card from Goodreads.
The good news was that I really enjoyed six of the seven books I read. Animal Farm didn't resonate.
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| QEII in a souvenir shop in Berlin in 2012 |
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| Victoria loved Osborn House on The Isle of Wight |
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| Exterior of Queen Victoria Building in Sydney |
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| Interior of Queen Victoria Building, Sydney |
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| Found in my handkerchief drawer |
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| Queen Victoria gets around. Here she is sitting above the door to the old GPO in Sydney |
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| A Plate fit for a Queen - Osborn House |
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| Queen Victoria in Belfast, Ireland |
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| Queen Victoria in Liverpool, England |
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| On my keyring - souvenir of QEII's Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace in 2013 |
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Entrance to Queen Street Mall - Brisbane, Australia |
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| Hats worn by Queens Margrethe and Ingrid on display at Amalienborg Palace in 2006 |
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| Paintings in The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London |
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My last Q post was a post-mortem image of Queen Victoria on her deathbed in Osborn House |
