Day Twenty three - 30th April - Sunflare

Day Twenty one - 28th April- Faceless self-portrait

Day nineteen - 26th April- Something Orange

Day eighteen - 25th April - Your shoes

Day eighteen - Your shoes

Day seventeen - 24th April - Technology

Day seventeen - Technology

Day Sixteen - 23rd April - Long Exposure

Today's challenge of LONG EXPOSURE was different from my normal style of photography (but that is why I am loving the 30 day challenge, it is challenging me to think outside of the box and do something new). 

 

I headed out to capture 'Wellington by night' at eleven o'clock tonight. Surprisingly for Wellington I had the perfect weather for today’s challenge; no wind or rain.  I cycled along Wellington's water looking for the perfect shot with lots of colour,  hardly meeting a sole. I love this time of night in any city, so peaceful and calm.

I have never created LONG EXPOSURE shots before, but I was defiantly up for the challenge and for once I was allowed to move my camera and it didn't matter! As that was the effect I wanted to create, amazing patterns formed from lights.

When taking tonight’s photograph I took over forty as it is hard to tell how they were going to turn out.  Here are a number of others I particularly liked. If your from Wellington (or have ever visited) can you tell what areas of the harbour they are?

 

I had a slight drama on the way home however. The wind suddenly picked up as I was cycling along and I blew side ways of my bike. Luckily I was not hit by a car and a taxi driver saw me and offered to take me home. Thank you Mr Taxi driver :) I am all fine and dandy now and live to tell the tale. 

See you tomorrow for technology. 

Katie.x x.

Day Fifteen - 22nd April - Silhouette

Day Twelve - 22nd April - Sunset

Day Twelve - Sunset. Taken at Lyall Bay, Wellington

A little bit late but I have not had the opportunity to go out this week and take a photograph of a sunset.  So I decided to save the challenge for today, my day off. woooo. It was also a great chance to capture today's photo of a silhouette. 

I checked the time the sun was going to set and headed of down to Evans Bay near my house around 5pm, a little early but I did not want to miss the sunset.  I spent a while around Evans Bay before heading over to Lyall bay were a friend of mine was surfing. The sunset as I was cycling over to Lyall bay was stunning and I began to panic thinking I was going to miss it completely. As I got to the Lyall Bay Beach I had about 5minutes of the sunset left and managed to capture this shot. After many failed attempts of me capturing the surfer falling into the sea.

I have never been to Lyall Bay before and for anyone in wellington it is a perfect place to go too watch the sunset and the surfers playing in the sea. 

It was great to get out and chase a sunset this evening I'm quite glad I saved it for tonight as it was a 
beautiful clear evening for such a task. I am still really enjoying the challenge so far, I should now be back on track with it)  The only downfall is it is truly making me see the limitations to my little compact and  is making me want to have a digital SLR even more than ever before. ( I had best get saving) 

Thanks for checking in on me and my challenge. :)

Katie x.x.

Here are a few more of the many photo's I took this evening, of the stunning Evans and Lyall Bay
in Wellington. 

 

 Evans Bay

 Lyall Bay

Day 14 - 20th April - Eyes

Day Thirteen - 19th April - Yourself with 13 things

Day Thirteen -  Yourself with 13 things

1. Passport, 2. Kindle. 3. Sketchbook . 4. postcard New Zealand. 5. Where's Wally 6. Sony Walkman MP3 7. Hiking boots. 8. sketching pencils and brushes. 9. Chanel, chance. 10. Cup of tea. 11. Scarf. 12. Christmas decoration 13. woops forgot the 13th. :)

R.M.S “Titanic.” The Last Dinner 14th April 1912 - Wellesley Boutique Hotel

Hey everyone, 

I hope you have all been enjoying my photo challenge. Sorry for not posting the last couple of days I have been busy at work and have not had the chance to complete the daily tasks.

On Sunday the 14th April we had a dinner at work to commemorate the sinking of the SS Titanic 100 years ago.

The dinner involved four canapé courses, with two sparkling wines. Followed by seven courses upstairs in the Grand Dining room, with four different wines. This was the largest dinner I have ever had to run and it went amazingly well. 

The Wellesley Boutique Hotel Grand Dining room

I have always been fascinated by the tragic story of the Titanic and because of the dinner happening and the Titanic movie being re released the Titanic has been on my mind a lot lately. It is horrible to think of all those people who tragically lost there lives. 

The Titanic was completed in April 1912 in Belfast Northern Ireland. It was then the largest moving object ever built. It was 1/6th mile long, 165ft high over 11 decks. 

The three engines generated some 60,000 hp and powered three giant propellers. It had a maximum speed in excess of 23 knots and weighed 46,000 tonnes.

The Titanic was a small city with capacity of 3500 passengers and crew. 2200 on it's maiden voyage. It housed a squash court, swimming pool and gymnasium.  

RMS Titanic

The Titanic set sail from Southampton at 12 noon on the 10th April 1912 bound for New York.  

Despite the Titanic being a British ship foods served in first class had more of a continental flavour as was the fashion for food at the time. The Dinner menu was a splendid 11 course affair including oysters, sirloin of beef, peaches with chartreuse jelly and chocolate and vanilla desserts.  The head chef at the Wellesley recreated this menu for the evening adapting the menu slightly here and there. 

The Menu for the evening at the Wellesley:
Menu

On arrival a selection of canapés representing courses presented on the evening

Canapés à l’ Amiral
Shrimp butter and cream cheese on baguette crostini
Oysters à la Russe
Oyster in shell with vodka relish
Filets mignons Lili
Rare beef on artichokes, potato wafer and truffle

Scented jus with foie gras
Duck liver foie gras with fresh celery and flat toast

Canapés served individually with methode
traditionelle

_________
Seated in the Grand Dining Room
Cream of Barley soup with whiskey

_________
Poached salmon with Mousseline sauce

_________
Slow roasted shoulder of lamb with mint sauce
served with Parmentier potatoes, minted green pea
timbale and creamed carrots

_________

Punch Romaine - Crushed ice with champagne and orange juice

_________
Roasted quail on wilted cress with walnut oil and Madeira sauce

_________
Bean salad with champagne saffron vinaigrette

_________
Waldorf pudding
Peaches with chartreuse jelly
Chocolate painted éclairs with vanilla cream
French Vanilla ice cream
Coffee and Tea

The Last Dinner at the Wellesley Boutique Hotel was about the food, a chance to relive the grandeur of the ‘Last Dinner’ enjoyed by those in First Class on that fateful night. However we still had to create a create a great atmosphere and provide amazing service and that is where I came in.  

First class, Dining room.

On the Titanic the first class dining room was located in the centre of the ship for maximum comfort. It was opulent, filled with palms and flowers and at each dinner service live music. The Wellesley Hotel was built in the same era as the titanic and was able to create a great setting for this dinner. We had a string quartet and once the tables were laid with cutlery for seven courses and the candles were lit the room looked stunning. An amazing atmosphere had truly been created. 

  

Wellesley staff.

Throughout the day on Sunday, particularly during the set-up many staff commented on the fact that if we had been stewards on the Titanic that night we would have been dead by morning. A grim thought but very true. 

With dinner over that fateful night and most guests in bed, with the odd straggler enjoying that last glass of port in the lounges and salons. The Titanic struck ice at 11.40pm on the 14th April , tearing a 200ft gash in the side. it took a further 2 1/2 hours to sink and at 2.20am on 15th April 1912 Titanic slipped beneath the surface with the loss of 1517 lives. Only 700 making it to lifeboats.

Only three 1st class dining staff survived. The chefs secretary made it to a lifeboat by jumping. the chef, too big and too fat refused to make the jump and went down with the ship. Another crew bust fetching furniture from the bar lounge to throw overboard to act as flotation devices took a swig of whisky at each trip. He survived the freezing waters with a good amount of antifreeze in the system.  One of only seven people to be pulled from those waters that night.

The last dinner on Sunday was hard work a 14 1/2 shift in total, but it truly made me think of the people who lost there lives that night. As much as it made us think about the night, we as a team did an amazing job and had few laughs along the way with many (awful) versions of my heart will go on sung throughout the evening.

Silver coffee pots are VERY, VERY heavy....

...but don't they look so preaty.

All the waiting staff and a couple of the kitchen team.

Hope you enjoyed reading and seeing photos from the Titanic last dinner.

Thanks for reading.

Katie .x.x

Lollies

There have been many differences I have noticed between New Zealand and England since I have been away and one of these is New Zealands choice of name for sweets. 

For me a lolly is......

In New Zealand lollies are...

It seems as if any candy is a lolly in this country. Even after six months here I am still not used to it and expect people to offer me a lolly on a stick.

Katie.x.

Day Eleven - 14th April - Something Blue

Day Eleven - Something Blue. Proud to be British.

Day Ten- 13th April. A childhood memory.

I had so many childhood memories I could have used for this one. However on Thursday evening whilst at work David (the sweetest, nicest piano man in the whole world), started to play Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins. As soon as he began playing I was singing along.  Memories came flooding back of being cuddled up on the sofa with my mum, or watching it at my Grandma's farm house. The perfect rainy day movie. 

What an amazing film, a film that captures the imagination of any child. A film that can be linked too so many happy memories from my childhood.

Hope your all enjoying looking at my photo's. I am really enjoying this 30 day challenge, it's giving me a great chance to be creative. 

Have a great weekend.

Katie.x.

Day Nine- 12th April. Someone you love

Day Eight- 11th April. A Bad Habit

Day Seven- 10th April. Fruit

Day Six- 9th April. From a low angle

Day five- 8th April. From a high angle

Wellington from Mount Victoria

 

Day four- 7th April. Something green

 

The Sea

Kiwi fruit