Botanical Gardens Sydeny - Fountain

What a wonderful Saturday afternoon for a walk in the park! The Domain in Sydney has a both beautiful rolling grassy hills and a fantastic botanical garden. On this particular Saturday, we walked through the gardens in the mid afternoon. The winter sun kept everything bathed in a warm light, and the perfectly clear blue sky made taking pictures an absolute treat.

This fountain is surrounded by four drinking fountains. To our amusement, one of the four has phenomenal water pressure - something we discovered as one of our company was bathed in a cool stream of water.

Taken July 2010 - Botanical Gardens, Sydney, NSW

Cape Enrage

One of the best Thanksgiving trips with the family started by travelling to Cape Enrage. We all piled in the van and drove down the 114, stopping every now and then to admire the changing leaves. When we arrived at Cape Enrage, we could not have chosen a better, more clear day to see the cliffs and the water of the Bay of Fundy.

I absolutely love Fundy and the tides that define it. Having grown up being able to see the Petticodiac and it's 13m tides from my house, the rhythm of the tides are just a part of my being. At Cape Enrage, not only do the cliffs make for dramatic waves, fantastical winds and breathtaking views, but they also make for some really incredible currents in the water as the tides ebb and flow.

There is also a romantic loneliness to this part of the county. It is just so far away from everything, so beautiful and untouched. The fog, the wind, the trees and the water... How I miss my home and native land.

Taken October 2003 - Cape Enrage, New Brunswick, Canada

Easter Flowers

So I've decided that from week to week I will take enough pictures to take care of my 5 picture-a-week quote. This means that the weekend pics will be a selection from my favourite pictures from 2009 and earlier. I might even try to do a 'on this day in history' theme... but I think that might be a little too much, even for me!

This picture is from Easter Saturday, April 2007. Micah and I were getting ready to go to the Cathedral in Ely for our confirmation. I decided to wear my Easter dress I had made for Easter 2006. This was the same dress that I wore at our first wedding in May 06. Let's just say I absolutely adore this dress.

In the mid-afternoon, I decided I wanted flowers for my hair. The above is the result of picking flowers from the bushes along the path leading to our maisonette. Not a bad take eh? Micah's sister helped with pinning in the flowers after I had braided my hair and pinned it up.

This picture was the start of an absolutely fantastic Easter celebration. I am so very blessed.


Taken April 2007 - outside our apartment, Cambridge, England

Seeing eye to eye with one on stilts

Quite possibly the bestest animal known to Micah-kind is the giraffe. I mean, which other creature understands the height and cadence of life better than this noble animal?

In late March, a couple of very good friends conspired with me to steal Micah away for the weekend. Our ultimate goal was to visit the Western Plains Zoo. They host a roar-n-snore there, which is basically an opportunity to camp at the zoo and go on a night tour of the grounds, then accompany the keepers for the morning round of feedings. So cool! We got to feed the giraffes! I haven't seen Micah's face light up with such glee since we first saw giraffes on our honeymoon.

This picture was taken while as we attended a giraffe snack time. Apparently, carrots are to giraffes what chocolate is to humans. Micah got to feed this particular lovely lady several carrots, and I think even got a little lick on his hand from her amazing blue tongue. I do hope we get to head out here again soon!

Taken March 2010 - Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo, NSW

Golden Wattle

It's the morning. A lovely winter sun is lighting everything with long shadows and a warm glow. There is a crispness in the air, the kind of crispness that one can smell and only comes when it's below 8c. The dew is thick on the grass making me move quickly to the path so to not get my shoes too wet. It's the kind of day that I'm are thankful that I reached for my scarf on the way out the door. Yes, the scarf is probably overkill, but the warmth around my neck give the morning walk a warm comfortable feeling.

As I turn the corner on the last block before I reach work, I inhale deeply. There's a delicious scent somewhere between baby powder and honey suckle lightly hanging on the air. The warmth of the sun makes me turn my head up and close my eyes. The lorikeets are playing in one of the tall gum trees... it must have been in bloom recently as the ground is covered with gum nuts.

Just a head of me is a bush that has tried desperately to grow across the sidewalk. Over the past few years, the offending branches have been broken or bent back but the bush is stubborn enough to continue trying. The result is a lovely canopy just barely above head height. To add to the perfection of this bush, it is in full bloom.

Wattle is a beautiful flower. The blossom looks like little pompoms creating a fuzzy cone of yellow at the end of every twig. Every time I walk by this bush while it is in bloom, I can't help myself - I must stop and enjoy.

The golden wattle is Australia's Floral Emblem. As soon as I can figure out how to insert a link, I will add it.

taken July 2010 - roadside, Macquarie Park, NSW