Vanishing on the Horizon

This summer I travelled over the Indian Ocean for the first time. Yes, I understand that, for the most part, looking at an any ocean from the air is, well, similar. That said, I cannot even begin to tell you how excited this flight made me, and how much I enjoyed looking out over the water and at the clouds as we past by.

Next on my list of firsts was flying over the Middle East. None of the photos I took out the window did any justice to the landscape of this area. The unending beige sand raggedly cut with rivers that appear to be ink black. The dots on the landscape that could only be the most stubborn trees known on earth. It was captivating.

At one point, despite the haze I noticed there were no clouds. Again, the photo above does not do the scene justice. The clarity of the sky's blue was stunning. The beige of the sand below blended perfectly with the haze to create a smooth surface below, and the vanishing point on the horizon could not have been a more perfect white. The sense of distance, proportion and colour was stunning beyond belief.

I hope this image never leaves my mind. To have the perfect meld between land and sky; to have no lines, no definition... breathtaking and so very, very peaceful.

taken June 2010 - Emirates flight over Iraq

House Spider

May I introduce Hunter, our house spider.

I must admit, had you asked me three years ago about if I would like to have a spider of notable size living in my bedroom I would have answered a resounding no. It's amazing what the heat of the Australian summer can do to one's brain, eh?

All jokes aside, I was actually quite pleased to have Hunter move in with us. Huntsman spiders are known to be a very effective bug killing arachnid. They also do not really use webs and they pose no harm to humans. So really, these spiders are the ideal house guests. Our Hunter only showed his (or her) face on occasion, and really didn't grow to be that big. (Including leg-span, he was about the size of a 50c coin Australian, or a Canadian twoonie).

Sadly, we haven't seen Hunter since the end of May. I miss you my dear.

taken April 2010 - wall of our bedroom, Macquarie Park, NSW

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