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

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

Garden Belles

               These charming ladies were gracefully walking around the

grounds of Canberra's Floriade, bringing delight

to children and adults alike

Linking up with Our World Tuesday

(with grateful thanks to the hosts)

Afternoon delight

Returning from a day's outing to Strathalbyn with a good friend
we were delighted to come across this section of the Angus River on our way to Macclesfield.

The sky was blue, the sun shining, river running, birds singing in the trees
and the rich green pastures showing evidence of recent good rains. What a great start to the week!

Joining in with Our World Tuesday

Ducks'n'Geese'n'chicks better scurry!

During a visit to the Barossa Valley, we stopped by the charming

Stonewell Cottages B&B there and were greeted by some "locals"..

I happily recommend this spot if you're after some tranquility and a cozy environment;

surrounded by grapevines and a large lake with rowing boat,

not to mention the friendly feathered locals!

Past travels

Happy New Year to all.  Am starting off the year with collages comprising scenes of places I've travelled to over the years.

Above: clockwise from L-H corner - Bluebells in England; Dover Castle in England, Houses of Parliament & Big Ben in London and Versailles Palace in France

 Above: Hong Kong at night; Giant Panda in Hong Kong; Singapore (a mix of old buildings and new Casino in background); and Queenscliff in Victoria, Australia

Above: Austria (taken back in the 70's and recently posted here); Middleton surfing beach in South Australia; Ross Bridge in Tasmania and waterfalls in Tropical Far North Queensland, Australia.

Joining in with http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com.au/
and grateful thanks to our wonderful hostesses!

History's home

Pictured above are Levels 1 and 2 of the Mortlock Wing of the State Library of South Australia. These provide quiet study areas and internet access. The ground floor houses exhibition bays that open a window into the history and culture of South Australia, featuring the people, places, issues and events that have contributed to the State's development.

Mr John Andrew Tennant Mortlock (1894-1950) was the eldest son of William and Rosye Tennant Mortlock, a wealthy pastoralist family, whose residence at Mintaro near Clare was Martindale Hall, made famous through the movie Picnic at Hanging Rock.. He was educated at Glenelg Grammar School and St Peter's College in South Australia, and at Jesus College, Cambridge University.

In honour of a substantial bequest from him, the Libraries Board of South Australia (LBSA) resolved that a percentage of the South Australiana Collections would be housed in the wing and named the Mortlock Library of South Australiana. The Mortlock Library was opened in 1986.

Visit http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com.au/ for
 links to other scenes from around the world. (and many thanks to our lovely hostesses)

Bottoms up!

Observed in nearby wetlands and just couldn't resist that first shot

(oh no - is there a trace of paparazzi in me?!)

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

Chill out

Tomorrow the temperature here in Adelaide, South Australia, is expected to reach around 37 degrees C, so I thought this image of friends' pool and surroundings might help this lover of cooler climates to "chill out" ! (Hope you find it a relaxing scene too).

(It's now Tuesday and several regions of our State have been graded with "catastrophic potential" for bushfires due to the high, dry, northerly winds. Praying for all the residents in those areas as well as our brave Country Fire Servicemen & women and the Emergency Services teams and volunteers - may they all be spared facing any catastrophy.)

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

Reculver

Reculver is a village and coastal resort about 3 miles east of Herne Bay in south-east England, in the City of Canterbury district of Kent.

These twin towers are pretty much all that remains of the 12th Century Roman Saxon shore fort and Monastery there, the bulk of the site having been claimed by the sea.  It was the first of several forts built to protect the south-east coast of England.

 Approx. 2000 years ago a sea channel (the Wantsum) up to 3 miles wide cut off the isle of Thanet from the mainland and the Roman Fort of Reculver, set on a promontory at the north end of the channel where it joined the Thames Estuary.

Today the Wantsum has silted up and become dry land, but the towers continue to guide ships at sea.

(For additional background on Reculver, visit the English Heritage website)

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Looe in Cornwall, England

These quaint scenes were captured in the charming seaside town of Looe in Cornwall, England.  The name of this establishment certainly stirs one's imagination!

( especially when one reads that its origins date back to 1430 AD !!)

These invitations to partake of some local meals were very tempting, but we kept on walking, exploring and near the ocean's shoreline chose the produce of a local bakery (as  you do!)

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Let there be music!

Last week a lifelong friend and I treated ourselves to a concert at the Adelaide Town Hall to hear the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra perform Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 from the New World. It was a wonderful evening, the solo violinist was Nicola Benedetti and the Orchestra was led by London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's Permanent Guest Conductor, Garry Walker.

At the rear of the stage is the magnificent pipe organ pictured above.

The original organ was built in 1875 and served well for some 100 years before being replaced just 22 years ago with what you see here. It was built by J Walker & Sons in the UK and was the largest pipe organ built in the UK for 100 years.  It's installation coincided with some major Town Hall refurbishments and cost A$1.3m to build. It weighs in the vicinity of 25 tonnes and contains 4500 pipes ranging in length from a few millimetres to 5-6 metres, thus providing an enormous diversity of pitch and dynamic range.  Its components are made from either wood or metal and the pipes are handmade, using a technique that has not changed in 400 years.

[Courtesy ABC Radio's "Stateline" program]

p.s. We'll have to arrange another night out to hear it in action!

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Just "Ducky"...!

Out walking Jessie on a very pleasant Spring Sunday afternoon along Adelaide's Linear Park* we encountered the following :



Not so fast, junior!



Shouldn't have had so much to drink last night - my eyes are bloodshot!



 

Just a very small section of the river and its surroundings

A Pacific Black Duck

Amid the shrubbery, these bottlebrush splashed the surroundings with their vivid orange-red colour.

A section of the Linear Park walkway

... and another on the other side of the river.

* For those who may be interested, Linear Park is a paved walkway/cycle track running alongside the River Torrens from the beachside suburb of Henley Beach to the foothills region of Athelstone in the Mt Lofty Ranges - a distance of some 35 km.  It was completed in 1997 and is in regular use by walkers, joggers and cyclists throughout the week and at weekends. A delightful opportunity to change the pace of life and appreciate our glorious surroundings.



I get dizzy trying to keep up with you two!



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and Outdoor Wednesday at http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com.au/