Adventures in Canada

Arrived home (Adelaide, South Australia) a few days ago, after another wonderful adventure on Vancouver Island, British Columbia in Canada - this time for an amazing 3 months.

Since it wasn't easy for me to post photos to my blog site, thought I would begin playing "catch up" now. 

It was Summer when I arrived in Comox - 26C 

 Sunset from Goose Spit a narrow waterfront park at one end of Comox Harbour

 Comox Lake and Glacier

 Entrance to nearby Lazo Marsh woods

 One of several trails through the woods

 Another section of the trail

 I continue to be fascinated by the erectness and height of the trees!

 Signage at the entrance

 A pair of Bald Eagles adjacent to Lazo Beach

 A pretty growth of Poppies on a property fronting the beach

I anticipate resuming regular blog posts again, so you too (hopefully) can share in the delights of Vancouver Island, BC

With appreciation to the faithful team who keep

Our World Tuesday

up and running !

Floating leaves

After an exhilarating (and first ever) 2 hour kayak outing (solo),

I spotted these leaves floating on the water above the boat ramp and simply enjoyed the splash of colour!

 

Joining in the fun at Weekend Reflection

- our fine host, James, consistently delights with the fabulous variety

of reflective images he discovers and creates.  Thank you James for providing

and maintaining this outlet for fellow photographers worldwide.

Wishing you and yours an especially joy-filled Christmas.

Autumn is here

Autumn seems to have been a long time coming to Adelaide, but I was delighted when my good photography friend invited me to join her yesterday for an outing in the Hills where the autumnal colours are beginning to emerge - albeit somewhat subtlely.

 

 

After the recent very hot weather, it was also a perfect day out with temperatures around 24C.

 

Joining in the fun at

James' Weekend Reflection

 

Contrasts

All around the world, Christmas is celebrated in different ways in different climates:

some have snow and ice, while others have scorching heat -

This image of leaves in Adelaide's Botanic Gardens taken at this time last year

reminded me of such contrasts.

Wherever you are, and however you celebrate, may you enjoy special times

of togetherness with those you love, creating a wealth of memory-making moments.

May it be a safe time and, my personal prayer for you is that, at some point during

the celebrations, the real reason for the season will touch your hearts & homes.

Thank you all for the pleasure you've brought to my days as I view the images

you've shared and I look forward to our mutual sharing throughout 2014.

Happy Christmas!

Linking up with http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com.au/

with grateful thanks to our hosts

A Winter's Walk

This was taken in the same area as that of my previous post

and the reflections show the clouds breaking up to reveal blue skies.

Linking up with James' Weekend Reflection and

Outdoor Wednesday

Hoping y'all have a marvellous weekend!

What lies beyond....?

A recent outing to Adelaide's foothills found us in some

delightful (and to me, previously unexplored) "territory".

The grey skies cleared up and the promised rain held back

as the charm of the area revealed itself . . . 

. . . another gum flower from the tree above rests on a leaf

of the nasturtium "carpet" below.

A picturesque pocket

North Adelaide is traditionally accepted as a desirable residential address, with its fascinating mix of history, architecture, wealth and "upper end" retail.

Out for a stroll with my fellow photography enthusiast friend, we soaked up the ambience of Stanley Street on a very pleasant afternoon.

In addition to a number of early 1800 "row houses", Stanley Street also showcases some more architecturally modern, gated-entry residences.

We completed our outing at a fascinating organic coffee establishment in Melbourne Street (the next street over), that is dominated by retail and corporate operations.

The inside wall of the cafe provided some unusual entertainment :

A Winter's Meandering

A winter creek's overflow near Mt Crawford in South Australia

Linking up with Outdoor Wednesday

Autumn spread

More captures from Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens

Joining up with Mandarin Orange Monday

and monday mellow yellows (thanks Gemma for taking on this meme)

Wrecks among beauty

What started out as a chilly Autumn morning, developed into a
warm and glorious day. 

 In contrast, today the (welcome) rain seems to be settling in for the duration.

 

These sad, abandoned vehicles on a property were in such contrast to the nearby beauty and I wondered what stories they could tell of past travels. 

Then I was curious about their makes - could this be a Morris 1100?

 Perhaps this is a Wolseley or an Austin (can't quite make out the badge)

Linking up with Shadow Shot Sunday

Happy weekend to all wherever you are.

Emerging . .

During a recent visit to Adelaide's Botanic Gardens, I was fascinated to see these fluffy "blooms" emerging from their casing in the trees above our heads. (apologies to those of you who are interested in more botanic details!)



Joining in with Macro Monday at  http://lisaschaos.com/  

Last Autumn

Now we are in the last week of our Winter and early Spring blossoms surround us, but while searching through images to contribute to Mellow Yellow Monday, I came across this shot taken last Autumn.

Do drop by http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com.au/ for more images.

Raindrops keep falling . . .

Joining in with http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/

Awaiting warmer days . .

Yesterday was a particularly wet, grey day here in Adelaide, but this outdoor setting in a friend's garden suggested brighter days are not far away. (Personally I enjoy the refreshing, invigorating coolness of Winter and the depth of colour it brings to nature)

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

I saw red !

  . . and white . .

. . green and gold (there's those Aussie colours again!) . .