Photo of the Day Thursday 31 May
I am often surprised by people who have expensive cameras, but do not know how to use them. I see so many people trying to work out how to adjust the camera, and then after that making some really basic mistakes. Things like taking photos directly into the sun, or moving the camera about. Even worse are the people who buy a new camera immediately before a holiday, then have to find the instruction book before they can take a photo.
There is a saying, “You can make a foolproof camera, but not a camera that is proof against a fool’. How true.
Up north for today’s photo, to the Norwegian capital of Oslo. Taken earlier this month, Spring had only just started in Norway, even in the southern parts. Oslo lies at around 60 degrees north, so the summers here are short. In the photo you can see the Oslo city hall (the two brown towers on the left) and on the right, the Akershus Castle. About 600 000 people live in the city, which is growing fast.
Sadly Oslo is not so far from the Quality Spa Resort Hotel in Noresund.. I do not miss the managers there, and I do not miss the atmosphere there.
Photo of the Day Wed 30 May
Almost the end of the month, time goes too fast. Not enough hours in the day, and not enough days in the week. The photo today stays in Colombia and it is again from the town of Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast. The photo is of one of the many food sellers who line the seaside promenade at night. He was one of many sellers out that evening, with the local people out relaxing on the promenade, it was a nice way to end the day. Again not something that you would expect from South America. But Colombia is surprising, and in a good way too.
Happy not to be working at the Quality Spa Resort Hotel in Norefjell. Another photo tomorrow.
Photo of the Day Tuesday 29 May
Another photo from Colombia, although this time with much better light. Taken last year on the Caribbean coast of Colombia in the town of Santa Marta. Many of the locals go for a stroll along the seaside promenade at sunset, and it is quite a meeting place. Food sellers set up for the evening, and people sit by the sea to enjoy the breeze after the heat of the day. Something very good in this form of stress relief. Again, not quite what you might expect of Colombia.
Happy not to be working at the Quality Spa Resort Hotel, Norefjell. I do not miss the managers there at all.
Photo of the Day Monday 28 May
Today’s photo is not what you might expect from this country. I visited Colombia last year, and was surprised by how safe and friendly it was. No problems experienced at all with crime, and the friendliness of the people made it a great holiday. And with scenery like this, then probably not what most people would expect from Colombia. Unfortunately, the photo was taken in the middle of the day, hence the very strong light, making the colours far from ideal, but still a lovely beach shot. The beach is in the Tayrona National Park, although the coastline along here has many fine beaches. And after the beach, some fresh Colombian coffee !!
Happy not to be working at the Quality Spa Resort Hotel, Norefjell.
Photo of the Day Sunday 27 May
Today’s moan is about airline meals. I pay for an adult ticket, and yet some airlines are now serving child portions. The recent experiences with both Air New Zealand and KLM showed how bad things had become. The ‘meals’ (and that is a very generous way to describe the plastic offerings) have now got to an extremely small size. It is an insult even to be given these small portions. Far better to give a decent sized portion or else stop charging us for the plastic tray containing less and less food. The trays are smaller than they were before, but the actual dishes on the trays are also smaller. A joke to call it a meal. The sooner that more airlines go bankrupt, the better. Customer ‘service’ with some airlines is almost non-existent now. If they are going to serve a ‘meal’ then I want an adult portion !! And unlike Oliver Twist, I do not like asking for more. Even to get a refill of the minute-sized coffee cup is getting harder. Is it in the training that they should only half fill the minute-sized cup??? It is not like it is a free gift, I actually PAY for these things that they call meals. If they think that a 3cm square of sponge and jam is dessert then they are mistaken.
Todays photo comes from Oman. Taken near the main market in Muscat at sunset, a portrait photo. The evening light improved the colours a lot. And the background was just right for this shot. A good, neutral expression on his face too. Wonder what he was thinking…..
Happy not to be working any longer at the Quality Spa Resort Hotel in Norefjell. I do not miss the managers there !!
Photo of the Day Saturday 26 May
Twenty years ago, if the government had said that all citizens must carry a device which would show their position within 5 metres, then there would have been uproar. Even the mere suggestion of tagging citizens would have brought opposition. And if a government had said that it wanted this tagging device to be used all the time, day and night, at work and on holiday, then there would have been evern more opposition.
Fast forward 20 years. Now it has happened. People are voluntarily carrying a device that shows their position within a few metres. That device is a mobile phone. Something that would have been very hard to bring in as a law has happened. And happened voluntarily. And few people seem to worry. Same thing with Facebook. Twenty years ago, the idea of informing the government of who your friends are, where you have been, what music you are listening to and where you are eating would have brought a revolt. Not now. People are posting full details of their private lives, far more details than any government could have hoped for. Few people have resisted, and now it is assumed that everyone will put up details of their lifestyle, friends and travel on the net. In just a few more years then the government will have the ultimate information database of citizens. And most of the information will have been given voluntarily.
Today’s photo is another bird. This time it is the New Zealand Kea, or mountain parrot. Although mostly green, the underside of the wing is red, which is seen in flight. The bird is quite a problem if you are camping or eating out in the mountains, as it is both intelligent and daring, so will steal food and anything interesting. They have even been know to eat the rubber around car windscreens, using their sharp beaks. Camping in the same area as Keas is another challenge, even trekking boots are targets for the Keas.
Photo of the Day Friday 25 May PARADISE AGAIN
Time for another photo from New Zealand, and another lake shot. This photo comes from Glendu Bay near Wanaka, taken in great early autumn light. Black Peak is visible in the background, and beyond that the start of the Southern Alps. March and April are good months to visit New Zealand, the air becomes clearer and once the schools go back after their summer break, then things are much quieter. Not long though before the first snows come.
Even better to think that this is the other side of the world, and almost as far as I can get, from my old workplace, the Quality Spa Resort Hotel in Norefjell.
Photo of the Day Thursday 24 May
A black & white photo today for a change. Every two years in Wanaka there is a big airshow, with stars like this WW2 Spitfire. Such a great, classic aircraft, and it always turns heads. The sound of the Merlin engine is another thing that turns heads too.
Photo of the Day Wednesday 23 May
Another photo from the national day in Norway, on 17th May. Taken in Oslo during the big morning procession, this interesting character caught my eye. As usual, the secret was to take a lot of photos quickly, to get the one photo that really stands out. The face seems to tell a story.
Photo of the Day Tuesday 22 May
Today’s photo is a mystery. It is a mystery because I do not know what sort of bird it is. So if anyone knows, then the name of the bird would be greatly appreciated !!! Whatever it is, it is unusual bird !!
Something else worth having a look is a video that I put up on Youtube, showing a flight in a helicopter around the Matterhorn and Swiss Alps. Well worth watching in full HD as well, to get the best effect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR-ZwNWpKls
Switzerland is a good distance away from where I used to work in Norefjell, at the Quality Spa Resort Hotel. Switzerland is a wonderful country, I envy the people who live there.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Another photo from New Zealand. Out early with the camera one morning in March, just as the sun was coming over the horizon. Low tide and I saw this heron wading around. Got down low to get onto the same level as the bird, and caught it just right, nice early morning light on it and a calm sea in the estuary. The photo has been cropped a bit, as there was too much water around the bird. The camera is the Panasonic FZ 150. Nothing expensive, just a good plastic bridge camera. 
Far better in New Zealand than the Quality Spa Resort Norefjell where I was working before. Give me NZ anyday !!
Photo of the Day – SUNDAY
Today’s photo comes from the 2010 Stockholm Marathon. Normally it has about 15 000 runners and was won in 2010 by a Kenyan man in about 2 hours 12 minutes, FAST !!! Great even to watch as well. The photo was taken in the Gamla Stan (Old Town) near the bridge at Slussen. Good, even light and lots of colour make this an interesting photo. 
Lesson from this photo is that if you take a lot of photos, then you increase the chances of getting a good one. Watch for another photo of the day tomorrow….
Currently I am dealing with idiots. If you have tried to contact KLM Customer ‘service’ then you will know what I mean. I have been on at them since 24th January, but they still have not sorted the matter out. The good thing is that I fly a lot, and can choose the airline, so in the end, KLM/Air France will be the losers. Plenty of other airlines out there, and I am sure Lufthansa will be happy to have the extra trade. Not that LH are perfect, but at least when things go wrong (as they always will do in transport), then they do try and sort the problems out. Not so with KLM. A lost cause, so to be avoided in future.
Still happy not to be working at the Quality Spa Resort Hotel in Norefjell. I do not miss the managers there, but I guess that it is mutual. Bad managers at work can ruin the working environment.
Photo of the Day – SATURDAY
I really hate companies that send out emails with a ‘Do not reply’ email address. Airlines are especially bad at this. If they can send out emails then they should accept emails. Just plain annoying to receive an email, then have to go searching around on the net to find an email address that you CAN send an email to. Down with ‘Do Not Reply’ email addresses. And will these same companies (again often airlines) stop sending out replies saying that they will not accept emails. 
Todays photo comes from April of this year, and is of the islands west of Fiji’s main international airport. Great coral there for diving and snorkelling and water that is a perfect temperature. And Fijiian hospitality too. Only a short helicopter flight or boat ride from Nadi, lots of islands to explore and if you get the right time of year, some great sunsets. The stuff that holidays are made of.
www.qualitysparesort.com Quality Spa Resort Norefjell – happy not to be working there any longer.
Photo of the Day – Friday
If ever I am taken to court, then I just hope that it is not in front of Judge Judy. Some people you get on with immediately, others you do not. Some people seem to make arguments immediately, whereas others are the opposite. I have never understood why Judge Judge is so popular in New Zealand on prime time TV. But perhaps it is one step up from the Simpsons??? One place where they are probably not watching either Judge Judy or the Simpsons is in rural Ethiopia. The photo (from last year) is of a queue for a bus, not an unusual sight in Ethiopia. Long waits were common. These people had already waited about 2 hours, and still had another hour to wait. Another great travel photo, sort of National Geographic style again. Scenes like these make all the hours at airports and discomfort worthwhile. How long will it be before it all changes????
Do not forget www.qualitysparesort.com where I previously worked, Quality Spa Resort hotel.
Norway National Day – Another photo
One more photo from the parade today in Oslo, Norway. 
It was good to pick out one or two of the people in the parade and concentrate on them, but the problem was to find a good, uncluttered background. It seems to have worked in this photo though. The light had improved a bit too, which makes the colours much better.
Very happy not to be working at the Quality Spa Resort Hotel Norefjell, life is good again !!
Norway National Day 17 May 2012
The 17th May is the Norwegian national day, and here in Oslo there was a very large procession this morning. Thousands of Norwegian flags, and also lots of Norwegian traditional costumes, so it was quite a colourful morning. The few shops that did open today must have done very well, as most places are closed.
No prizes for guessing the colour of the Norwegian flag!!! It is not often that you see the Norwegian capital with so much life, and when the sun finally did come out, then it was almost pleasant.
Still happy not to be working at the Quality Spa Resort Hotel in Norefjell, only about 100km from where I am now.
Photo of the Day – THURSDAY
The Southern Alps of New Zealand this time. Taken from a light aircraft in superb weather, the 3033m Mount Aspiring. It is also known as the ‘Matterhorn of the South’, fairly obvious when you look at the shape from some sides !!! Great mouintain to climb, and also a wonderful national park surrounding it. This view is looking across the Bonar Glacier, which is the normal access route for climbers. Not a difficult climb, but lots of fun.
Not missing the old place of work, Quality Spa Resort in Norefjell, New Zealand is better !!!
Photo of the Day – Wednesday
A classic travel photo today…..makes me think of National Geographic. Remember that it was taken with a cheap camera, nothing fancy. It was taken in rural Ethiopia, and is one of several taken in this area near the Blue Nile Falls. It seems to sum up rural Ethiopia well.
More photos at www.qualitysparesort.com I am happy to be away from the Quality Spa Resort Hotel in Norefjell now, hope that I do not go back there again.
Hope that you like the photo, and that it inspires you to take more photos.
Thought for The Day……
I may be old fashioned, but some things still impress me. Recently for the first time in my life I sat almost 11 000 m up on an aircraft and sent emails and surfed the web. Wonderful. Fast internet that worked well. Why is it then that sometimes when I was working in Norway, at the Quality Spa Resort Hotel in Norefjell, that the internet had so many problems? I am writing this onboard a ferry heading south from Oslo, Norway. Again, it is wonderful to be able to use the internet even though I am not on land. And things like the incredible number of photos and videos that can be stored on a micro memory card still amaze me. That is a sign of my age…….
Paradise again and again
Again a photo from Wanaka in New Zealand, although the photo was taken about 11km from the town itself. Point the camera left or right and the results are the same, wonderful scenery. It is hard not to take too many photos here, clear air and fantastic scenery. Again with only a cheap camera, but with great light and a great background.
Much better than the Quality Spa Resort where I was working before. www.qualitysparesort.com
Photo of the Day TUESDAY
Another photo from the travels……this one taken at the bus station in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. Apparently, the woman comes from South Ethiopia, so the locals told me when they saw the photo. She was waiting for a bus, so the photo was very easy to get. Again, good even light made the photo better. She was totally unaware that she had been photographed.
More photos at www.qualitysparesort.com It is good to be away from Norefjell, and away from the Quality Spa Resort hotel there. I am sure that the managers there will not miss me !!
Paradise again……Wanaka, New Zealand
Another photo from Wanaka, New Zealand, and again from April this year. Interesting light at sunset to finish a wonderful day.
Good to know that this is the other side of the world from the Quality Spa Resort in Norefjell Norway. I know which I prefer !!!
keep taking photos
Paradise…….Wanaka, New Zealand
A beautiful day in April this year in Wanaka, New Zealand.
So easy to get good photos there, fantastic scenery and as they say, life the way it should be.
Life was not the way it should be when I worked at the Quality Spa Resort in Norefjell, but that is history now……..
keep taking photos !!!
ETHIOPIA face photo
Taken in rural Ethiopia in a village called Awra Amba, October last year……..a wonderfully neutral expression on her face……
This was taken on holiday from the hotel in Norway where I was working, the Quality Spa Resort Hotel in Norefjell. As usual, as soon as I was not working then I had to get away from the hotel, and usually, well away from it. A huge difference between Norway and Ethiopia !!!!
jeritilley 