A creative journey

 Back in July-August I was house & cat sitting in the lovely semi rural town of Warragul in the Gippsland region of Victoria. During that time the State went into several lockdowns and it was not permitted to travel more than 5kms from one's home, thus putting a damper on my usual exploratory adventures around the countryside with my camera.

This led to my reviving a hobby from childhood days - watercolour painting. Travels, life and photography had previously pushed this into the background and I barely pulled out the brushes and paints for decades. However, I've now taken to it with a passion, so thought I'd share a few of my efforts with you .....

Have to say I'm enjoying the experience immensely - can forget all about Covid and its ramifications for a while!  When I return home in Feb, am planning to join a local art class - currently am just learning from books and a few online tips.

Perhaps you, too, might be wondering how to invest your time during lockdown or other enforced isolation - why not grab a pad and colouring pencils or brushes and paints and give it a go?  It need not be an expensive hobby. 

A New Year

Wherever you are in our world, no doubt you are looking forward to a much brighter and healthier 2022 with fewer restrictions, especially travel!

Thank you for brightening my day with your wonderful contributions to this and other photo blog sites throughout the years.

Recently my photography friend and I headed off earlyish one morning to head down the South Australian coast to Port Noarlunga and weren't disappointed with its offerings....

. . . it has a glorious, expansive beach

and a long jetty at the end of which is a reef stretching left and right

These two pigeons weren't at all perturbed by the many visitors along the jetty

The area between the shore and the reef is regularly frequented by divers

Heading back towards the City (of Adelaide), we stopped off at Maslins Beach

 As Adelaide's Summer begins in earnest, views such as those above provide some relief from the high temperatures - if only visually!

Thank you Lady Fi and the rest of the wonderful team who enable us to share in views from around the world through this blog. 

I'm off to Victoria (Aust. State) house & cat-sitting until mid Feb, so will wish you all a very Happy New Year - until we meet again.

Our World Tuesday

Looking back - Monarto Safari Park

Looking back over 2021, one fascinating experience comes to mind that I'd like to share with you - in April, a dear friend said she'd always wanted to visit Monarto Safari Park (here in South Australia, about an hour's drive from Adelaide CBD), so following are some images from our day out there .....

Ahhh, the ever popular and entertaining Meerkats!

It seemed poor Mum was craving an afternoon nap, but Junior had other ideas!

Meanwhile, this relative was feeling the cooler temperatures that day and didn't seem too happy about it

Peek a boo - I see you!

Ahh, my favourite - the big cats 😍

 Sending warmest wishes to my fellow bloggers and, wherever you are, I pray you are safe and well as we lead up to Christmas and another year.  Thank you, once again, to the loyal team of people who oversee Our World Tuesday - Bravo!

Back in July-August, I undertook a house & cat "sit" in the Gippsland region of Victoria (my favourite Australian State!). Sadly, due to Covid-19, there were several lockdowns during those 6 weeks, meaning I could not get out and about with my camera, so I revived a hobby from my teen years - watercolour painting and discovered another relaxing way to express my creativity;  thinking I will continue along this path - here's a recent effort :

Fabulous Fleurieu

 This past week I've enjoyed two trips to my favourite part of South Australia - the Fleurieu Peninsula - and yesterday's weather was perfect for just such a journey. The ocean and beaches are a sight to behold. Following is a taste of this region's beauty.

Petrel Cove

... then further up the coast a little way is Waitpinga - but more on that next week!

With grateful thanks to the team of hosts for running with
Our World Tuesday