blogging, Mental Health, Photography, Travel

Friendly Friday Challenge – Quiet Places

Forestwood

The world can be a stressful place at times. Often there is a need to step back and re-energize our tolerance to stress, pressures and worries.

norge norway
Oslo

Certain places in the world can be restorative to our spirit. These places may be somewhere in your own region, in your own street or even in one’s own backyard or a quiet city street.

Such ‘Quiet Places,‘ may bring solace and a settling of the nerves.

norway
Dalen, Norway

In the year of Covid confusion, I re-visit quiet places in my dreams. Photo archives bring those memories to life again, if only for a transient moment, in the present time.

Like the time, I stayed up in the mountains of Norway..

Or on the banks of the Tauber River in Germany.

light

I am drawn to locations by the water, presumably due to the calming effect of the waves gently caressing the shoreline.

What about you?

Where is your ‘Quiet Place?’

Create a Friendly Friday Challenge ‘Quiet Places’ Post

To join the challenge, simply add a ping-back link and a Friendly Friday tag to a new post, then come back here to leave a comment with the published link, so visitors can find you and visit.

If this is your first challenge contribution, there is a full set of instructions on how to join the Friendly Friday Photo Challenge on my blog header.

Friendly Friday will at StPA, in two weeks time. In the meantime, next Friday, you can discover the next prompt at my Friendly Friday Challenge Co-host’s blog, The Sandy Chronicles.

Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

113 thoughts on “Friendly Friday Challenge – Quiet Places”

  2. Am so lucky . . .a quiet street to the front, a parkland if I do open the door towards the back . . . ! Appreciated since I like to make my own ‘noise’ if and when but not necessarily live with that of others I do not live close to water at the moment but you make me think . . . the Baltic seashore holding hands with Dad and hearing him teach . . . The Sognefjord north of Bergen on a small ferry boat with friends just made . . .. .Bodensee south of your Tauber when the Yanks and the French no longer bombed and strafed us in Germany . . . you are making me stop and think and smile . . . the seas tonight off Wollongong are yuck . . . nah: am happy here . . . . . . . . .

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Is it windy and rough down the “gong” way tonight, Eha?
      You are so right about the sognefjord and most fjords in Norway. What beautiful memories holding your Dad’s hand on the shores of the Baltic.
      Of course there are many quiet places in every continent. It is interesting how many of us seek them out as we get older. Perhaps we are growing tired of overstimulation?

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Pingback: Friendly Friday – Quiet Place – photographias
  5. Pingback: A place with a view – pictures imperfect blog

  7. I would love to be surrounded by hills or mountains. Sadly, I’m living the apartment life at the moment in Sydney so for the moment, I’m seeking the peace early in the morning. I would love to not hear passing cars, buses and neighbours!

    Liked by 3 people

  8. Your quiet places are lovely.

    We moved to the mountains six years ago. My main quiet place is the view from the bedroom window. Before that, it was taking a daily walk in the village beside the inlet. There are so many beautiful places on this earth!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I often reply quickly to your comment on my phone, Peggy, but the darn internet signal strength is so variable here it sucks up my reply into cyberspace. Twice I replied to this on my phone, but it has vanished. Now on my desktop, I hope it sticks.
      Walking the Schnauzer on the beach is the best thing to do – if you have a dog that likes the sand. One of mine does, the other hates it.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Keith! I see that you understand the power and peace that comes with a calming breath. I am so happy you might use this for a prompt for meditation.

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      1. Thanks. I have been doing yoga and other stretching of this old body every morning for about fifteen minutes. The breathing helps immensely. Keith

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Namaste! I am a bit of a fan of yoga too. I do about 10-15 minutes every morning and find it very beneficial.
        I have been doing it on and off for around 35 years. It is great.

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Pingback: Top of the Dune – Heavens Sunshine

    1. Just this morning? Gorgeous. You answered the brief well! It looks like a lovely day in South Africa. For how long with your road trip continue?

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      1. Thursday was the sunny day with 25 degrees, Friday was overcast and it drizzled from mid-day. We have a long weekend here, Thursday being a public holiday and many people taking Friday off, especially after covid to go camping. We are going home on Sunday.

        Liked by 1 person

  15. Pingback: Recurring quietness | Le Drake Noir
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    1. Water is known to have a calming and therapeutic effect for many, Graham. If I have a small cut on my hand or toe that looks a bit angry and possibly getting infected, I like to get it into the salt water and surf and it works miracles to fix it within around 24 hours after a swim. Getting dunked in the surf is also a great way to clean out one’s sinuses! Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Thanks for joining in. Great photo pick for the challenge.

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  19. Pingback: Friendly Friday Challenge – Quiet Places – Cee's Photo Challenges

  20. Great prompt. My quiet place is either in my room with lots of sensory equipment around me or in the sensory garden near the day center I attend. I took some pictures in the sensory garden last week, but already posted them on my blog, so not sure I can join in this challenge today.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Oh boy Amanda, your challenge sounded familiar … there’s a movie called “A Quiet Place.”
    I remembered the name but hadn’t watched it yet. When I looked up the trailer, I remember now why I hadn’t … I am such a chicken!

    Still, I’m looking forward to seeing everyone else’s posts on their Quiet Places.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Strangely enough very similar to when you jump in parachute. Not what people think about skydiving. What strikes you when diving is the silence. (But much shorter than the mountain)

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Skydiving is something I’ve always wanted to do since I was a teenager. Now I probably won’t ever do it. A video of a friend completing a tandem jump showed me how much your face is distorted at the beginning of the jump, from the wind. Not at all the peaceful quiet feeling I envisaged.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I did it in Africa, in my twenties. In that time you jumped alone, with an automatic opening of the chute. Much better. We jumped lower of course. And once the chute was open, you were on your own. In utter silence….

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      5. Of sorts. Though it is so brief, you don’t even have much time to meditate. need to plan your flight down, check wind and direction, where you will land. Avoid trees. Swamps. (We dived in Africa, between the sea and a swamp.)
        One more thing: time perception is demultplied. You can feel every second.

        Liked by 1 person

      7. In a way. On my 3rd or 4th jump, they gave me a better parachute. It was so “slow” in opening that i’d already crossed my arms to open the chute manually. Then it opened and all was ok. I told my instructor later on the ground. He looked at me with wide-open eyes and said: “this new ‘chute you had? The opening time is 3 seconds longer than the other one!”.
        I tell you, you can feel every second.
        (And the swamp? We lost a group there once for 4 hours. Dropping mistake. Jumped too early and fell into the swamp. We had to send 2 rescue parties. I was in the south party. We had no compass, nothing. Took a dog with us to find our way back…

        Liked by 1 person

      9. Large indeed. Our party walked, crawled to the centre and back in 2-3 hours? The other party went in form the North, found our guys safe and sound in the same time more or less. Couldn’t tell how large, a good many square miles. Lots of water snakes… Yuk.

        Liked by 1 person

      11. We all felt we had to go into the swamp. Two converging parties. What if one one them had broken something? It was a nice adventure. And everybody came out safe.

        Liked by 1 person

      12. Yes I understand and I am glad you were the one going in, not me. I would have been the one to volunteer manning the control centre/meeting point back on the shoreline! lol.

        Liked by 1 person

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  27. The view from your hotel is incredible. Great memories too!
    I really don’t get the chance to travel too much anymore but you don’t always have to travel too far to find a quiet spot. I’ve been down to our quiet place a couple of times this week due to some particularly good weather. Of course, my camera has been with me and, the images fit so well with your challenge. I feel lucky I can do this. I hope you find the images restful.
    https://jazzibeeblog.wordpress.com/2020/09/25/a-quiet-place/

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Pingback: Friendly Friday Challenge – Quiet Places | MythRider

      1. Any park will do. I like to go exploring.
        But this summer, I’ve walked a lot around the lake near and have enjoyed the year round changes.
        It’s made me more aware of the nature as I travel around the cities. There is a lot of native grass and flowers in around parking lots.

        Liked by 1 person

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  36. Lovely views! I too love the sea side and the calming effect of lapping water. Living to far from the sea, I often find myself in the Botanical garden for som quiet time among the flowers.

    Liked by 1 person

  37. Pingback: Friendly Friday: Quiet Places – The Sandy Chronicles
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    1. We all need grounding at times, don’t we SpiritualFantasia. Whether it is our imagination or ego driven wishes, coming back to what is essential and important, vital and natural is balancing and beneficial for any soul. Thanks for stopping by and your lovely comment.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yeah! Thank you, you described grounding so insightfully! Nature is a simple reminder to be present, to see the effortless beauty in life’s flow. We don’t need to worry, stress, or live in our heads!

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  41. Lovely collection of quiet places. I’m grateful to live just 5 minutes walk away from my quietest place.

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  42. Pingback: One Park at a Time: A Ray of Hope in Trouble Times | MythRider

  44. Oh my goodness I love this!! I have two days to figure out how to actually “do” the technology to “join” the challenge. 😂 I am BRAND new to all of this. I can’t wait to participate. 🌅 Thank you for this post!

    Liked by 1 person

  45. I did it! I joined the challenge! It was pure joy for me! I’m not sure I did the tagging and ping backing right but I’ll keep trying if I didn’t! I confess I am more than a tad challenged in the technology of the blogging world. Lol Thank you for this challenge! I LOVED IT! 🌅

    Liked by 1 person

  47. Pingback: Friendly Friday : Quiet Places – bitsandpieces

  48. What beautiful photos and lovely memories, Amanda. I am late but I just did not want to miss out. Here’s my link-https://acacophonouslife.wordpress.com/2020/10/01/friendly-friday-quiet-places/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I am happy that you join in, Moon. Whenever you can. I can’t wait to see your post. How are things over in your neck of the woods? Things appear quite tense from the reports?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Things are exactly that…tense. Lack of empathy and hatred and making everything political…it is just chaotic to say the least. I have been here for a little over a decade now and I have never seen this country or her people like this.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. So nice that you have a place near to home that you feel you can lose yourself in tranquility Naya! That is something to treasure.

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    1. Thank you for saying so. Mental refreshement is something most people need right now! And with regularity. I am pleased you got something from this post.

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  53. Hi, nice to meet you, and thank you for reading my post(s). My garden is an organic, wildlife paradise and you can see it in my post ‘Spring into Summer in my garden’.
    I also love books and will write about in my tomorrow’s post, I hope you can join me.

    Joanna

    Liked by 1 person

    1. How lovely of you to visit and leave a sweet comment, Joanna. Welcome to StPA. Your garden sounds divine and I will pop over to your blog to have a read soon.

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