A thankful return

 I really have missed catching up with my fellow bloggers from around the world these past few months - it is my prayer that none of you have been personally impacted (health-wise) by Covid 19 or its variants.

After crossing the Victorian-South Australian border with 3 hours to spare before the border closed again, I am very thankful indeed to have recently returned safely from a 6-week house & cat-sit in the beautiful Victorian region of Gippsland.  It was a very different experience from that of 5 years ago when the same family invited me to care for their cat and home!  Although my exploratory travels were somewhat curtailed by almost 3 weeks of lockdown, when free to do so, my Nikon and I set off to further experience this stunning, green land.  

It must be said, however, that whilst in lockdown, at least the lovely green surrounding countryside was a soothing environment in which to be "incarcerated"!

The following selection was taken in Mt Worth State Park mid-July.

I did not encounter a soul on this hour long walk and the weather was invigorating!
However, the delightful and unexpected appearance of a wallaby just a few metres ahead of me on the edge of the path "made my heart sing" (to borrow the words of a good friend and fellow photographer)!

I am keen to reconnect with my village "family" and friends upon coming out of home quarantine next Sunday :-) . 

More next week . . . .  take care everyone.

Linking up with the dedicated team at Our World Tuesday

More island delights

Soaking up the rainforest environment was a constant during my stay - sometimes in a more literal than metaphoric sense! 

 

I really appreciated the diversity of plants and growth, textures and colours as I walked the trails, together with a myriad of reflection opportunities.

This rather grand-looking motor home was one of two parked in the Elk River Falls car park.

 

and this was the gorgeous view that greeted me most days as I drove into Comox and beyond

 

A small jetty adjacent to one of several walking trails through wooded areas abutting the water in Comox

 

On my second morning in residence I was amazed and delighted to be greeted by a deer and stag on the front lawn (not so appreciated by permanent residents though, due to their destructive behaviour with plants!)

 

At Williams Beach these two retrievers were having a whale of a time in the water

 

and more peaceful local scenery

Looking across the Comox Dyke towards the Comox Glacier (again a daily vista)

a fishing trawler heading for home

Time to link up with Our World Tuesday

and grateful thanks once again to the team who provide us with this opportunity to share images from around the world.

Tantalising Tasmania

Several years ago, a good friend and I spent a week holidaying in Tasmania - WHAT a fabulous place to visit. The scenery is fantastic and there's so much to see and experience. We couldn't do it justice in that short time-frame, but got a taste by flying into Hobart in the south, hiring a car and driving up the middle of the island to Launceston in the north where we spent a few days exploring. Then drove along the east coast aways before returning to Hobart for the remainder of our stay.

The following images were taken in the Russell Falls region of the Mt Field National Park, north-west from Hobart:

I am hopeful of making another trip to "Tassie" sometime in the future to absorb more of the island's delights.

Contributing to http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com.au/