December randomness

It's December and the summer heat has struck and it's beginning to look a little bit like Christmas is just around the corner.  How is your December going?  Today I am going to share a little December randomness from our corner of the world.

Below is the Candlestick Banksia (or slender banksia) - Banksia attenuata - which flowers from October to February in the south west of Western Australia. I always think the bright yellow candlestick shape flowers which grow up to 20-3-cm tall and 5cm across, are very appropriate for this time of year around Christmas. 
I blogged more about banksias here - Celebration of the Australian Banksias

Summer in my Garden

Hi everyone! Welcome to the first week of December! I don't know about you but I feel like the year has rushed by in a blur. I have been busy yes, but can it be December already? There is so much going on this time of year with school concerts, end of the school year, break-up parties for work places or groups that we belong to, Christmas shopping, Christmas festivities, get togethers with family and friends, perhaps preparing for a summer holiday (summer holidays here in Australia anyways). 

So amongst the rush towards the festive season, I thought I would bring you a few pics from my garden and share some quiet places with you. We need a quiet place to sit to prepare ourselves for the weeks ahead don't you think? 

I only have a relatively small suburban garden, but it always puts on a beautiful show in December, putting on its festive colours - yellows, reds, greens, purples -  though I must say the yellow daisies are flowering a little earlier than I would like. What a love about my front garden is that a lot of the plants here basically look after themselves, except for a little pruning and weeding from time to time. I don't like gardening in the heat of summer, so I am happy they are happy to do their own thing.

Biodiversity Hotspot - Fitzgerald River National Park, Western Australia

Looking back through my travel pics I discovered that it was October 2011 when we last visited the Fitzgerald River National Park on Western Australia's south coast, and I was very keen for a return visit so I could take photos of the iconic wildflowers of the region. So in late October we hitched up our caravan and took off for a week to explore.

In my blog a couple of weeks ago I showed you the Farm Gate Art Trail centred around Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun. You can click here if you missed it - Farm Gate Art Trail 

These two towns, and nearby Bremer Bay, are the gateway to the Fitzgerald River National Park, a world renowned global biodiversity hotspot, bordered by the Southern Ocean to the south and the wheatbelt to the north. 

Be still

Life seems to have gone a little mad the last few days, and doesn't look like slowing down, so I decided to give myself a break from blogging this week, and to try and take some time to..... be still.....
Do you sometimes feel that life is going way too fast, and you just want to stop, to sit, to treasure life, to just... be still....

 I do. I just want to let go, slow down and smell the flowers.

Farm Gate Art Trail & Wildflowers - Ravensthorpe, Western Australia

"What was that in the paddock back there?" I exclaimed, twisting my head out the window to look back the way we had come. My hubbie "threw out the anchors" (ie stopped the car), turned the car around, and headed back the way we had come. And there they were, Scarlet Banksias, standing tall and proud on the edge of the paddock. 

But they weren't the usual Scarlet Banksias - Banksia coccinea - that were on our list of wildflowers we hoped to see in the Fitzgerald River National Park. These were made of metal and what looked like street sweeper brushes. You can see a closer view of the art work (but of course I couldn't jump the fence) and the native flowers below. The artists had captured them beautifully. 

10 Things to do in Sydney, Australia

Hi everyone, welcome back. Last time I blogged about visiting two of the icons of Sydney - The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. If you missed it, please click here - Icons of Sydney

Today I'm going to tell you about some more of the fabulous things you can do in Sydney. A mixture of old and new, Sydney is a vibrant and fascinating place to visit, with something to attract almost everyone. 

My list of 10 thing to do in Sydney is far from a full list of everything there is on offer. Check out Destinations Sydney to find out more. 

I mentioned in my last blog that Sydney has a great transport system - trains, buses, ferries, and we found this the easiest way to get around. Services run very regularly so if you miss your train you won't need to wait long for the next one. You can find out more here - Getting Around Sydney 
And the best way to access this transport is by purchasing an Opal Card which you just swipe as you get on and off transport. You can also catch a taxi, but with the busy traffic in central Sydney it is not really economical. 
Walking in Sydney is also a great way to get around the city centre and you see more that way.  

Icons of Sydney, Australia

In February this year we enjoyed a holiday in Sydney in New South Wales, on the east coast of Australia. I have just realised that I haven't blogged about it yet - so here is Part 1 - better late than never as they say. 

Talk to someone who doesn't live in Australia and they probably have heard of Sydney. It is not our nation's capital, (Canberra is our capital city), but it certainly is a city that is recognised world-wide, particularly through its icons - Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. 

So for my blog today, I am going to take you for an exploration of the icons of Sydney.

I took this pic from the airplane as we were leaving - can you see all three icons?....

Wet weather street photography

It is spring in Australia, my favourite time of year especially when I can get out with my camera and go bush walking so I can take photos of wildflowers. But the sunny days are interspersed with rainy days, and the farmers certainly need the rain to finish off their summer grain crops. 

 When it is raining, don't think you have to hibernate inside. Think of it as a great opportunity to practice street photography. If the rain is just a drizzle, a city or town can be a great place to explore with your camera, especially if you can walk under over-hanging verandas. I find my small Canon G11, whilst it doesn't have all the latest features, is a great camera for street photography as it is unobtrusive, and I enjoy not having to carry around my heavy DSLR camera. But please remember to use a water proof camera bag and wipe down your camera with a cloth. 

Puzzle this! - Amaze'n, Margaret River, Western Australia

It's been school holidays here the last couple of weeks, and we have had a few sleep-overs and day stays with our grandsons - aged nearly 9 and nearly 11. Last week we took them to Amaze'n, which is just south of Margaret River in the south west of Western Australia. Amaze'n is a great place to spend the day with children and is great for adults too! There are several mazes, as well as a 18 hole mini-golf course, and other games to play, such as a giant chess game, and indoor puzzles. And beautiful gardens to stroll around. You can bring your lunch, cook your BBQ, and sit at the picnic tables in the shady gardens, or buy lunch at the Cafe. And so everyone can be included, all paths are pusher and wheelchair friendly.

The centre piece is the 3 metre high giant hedge Maze which was planted in 1994, spread over half a hectare and with 1.5 kilometres of paths. We let our grandsons take the lead. I had no idea where I was, so I am glad they were leading the way.

Camping at Potter's Gorge, Wellington Dam, Western Australia

In April this year we went camping for the first time at Potter's Gorge near Wellington Dam, west of Collie, in the south west of Western Australia.  Amazingly in all the 40 years we have lived here, we had never camped at Wellington Dam before. We had looked over the recently upgraded minimal cost camping ground during a day visit to the dam a month earlier, and decided we would go back with our caravan. Located only 45 minutes from home it was ideal for a mid week short break and we were set up in time for morning tea.