A Grey Beach Day

There are grey days even at the beach hey?!

We've been beaching!

We've been at the beach...

A Watercolour Sky

This is going to be a degenerative post ;-) Hang on for the ride! It's about how I somehow managed to take some watercolour-type photos using my phone camera...

Beach Specimens

Hello hello! Found these shots of some beach specimens collected and photographed waaay back in March whilst on a beach holiday... seems about a decade ago~!

a road to somewhere

 This is a road we travelled last week....

Fields of cotton

Ever seen a field of cotton? We visited some last week and it was pretty cool!

Roos with views

Have you ever heard of a roo with a view? No, not a room, a kangaroo! Or in this case, many kangaroos gazing out across sensational coastal views!

Phew! What a view!

So, when you arrive at the coast what do you do??? We stopped to admire the view! As you do ;-)

Brisbane by river

Yesterday we were briefly in Brisbane... And our time was spent breakfasting and boating ;)

A boy & his board

Remember we recently went to the beach? Well, this is a special post about a boy and his board...

Rain on the pane

Like my shot of rain on the pane? This pane of glass just happens to be our windscreen... and no, I wasn't the driver!

This is where I want to be...

This is where I want to be...

Art from Alice (Springs)

Remember this little hint from last week...?

Getting wood ...in the Desert

It's Friday today isn't it? Yes, it is..  I just checked on the calender.

A French Find from Alice

Well hello! A few days ago I mentioned that I'd found a little french thing in Alice Springs..

A Quote from Life

Here's the quote for today. Thanks to the Adelaide Zoo, yet again. Last week's quote is here and the one prior to that here.

Uluru; australia's heart

Uluru. Here she is. The heart of Australia. 

It's hard to find the words to describe this place. Our trip to the centre really was a sojourn to Uluru. We went to many other fantastic places too along the way. But this was our focus. And certainly the small people were telling everyone who asked that we were going to Uluru. It wasn't a trip to the red centre, or to Northern Territory. It was a trip to Uluru. So we were hyped up about this red rock. Well, it certainly didn't disappoint!

Our campsite, at the Uluru Resort, was great. We were 5 steps from a walkway leading to this viewpoint... this is sunrise from just beyond our campsite (and yes, I got out of bed to take this shot, it was FREEZING!).

We were soaking up this site, or sight. But we wanted to touch it, to feel the rock and to be right there! So we drove to the national park, paid our park fees and found a carpark. Then we walked to the base of the rock. And looked up at her. It was steep! I had no idea... As an aussie kid I've had the image of Uluru imprinted in my mind ever since I can remember. But this was my first experience at the rock. And no-one could have convinced me that it was sooo steep. In this photo you can see the people in the first stages of climbing, note how small they are. Yet, still this photo doesn't really look steep. In reality the angle is probably 40 or 50 degrees. It's hard to get a photo showing the steepness, you'll just have to go and experience it for yourself!

The colours are unbelievable. We decided that the red of the rock makes the blue of the sky pop. Giving that contrast between the burnt red/oranges and the blue of the sky. We had gorgeous days while we were there. And we soaked it up. The aboriginals ask you to listen, to listen to the place. It's a lovely way to explain that you need to sit and experience the place. To soak it all up. There are these bench seats made of gnarled wood situated all around the rock. Just for people to sit and listen.

We walked, we looked up (you look upwards a lot at Uluru, there is a lot to look up at!) and we took photos. Sometimes we just stopped and sat. There are fantastic signs telling you the stories of the place... There are also signs asking you NOT to take photos. I hope you can read the text on this sign, it states that the rocks in that place are like the text in bible; sacred. And they tell a story which must be read in that location, in context, and not via a photo. It's all about respect. From us and to the place.

The light of Uluru is just as dramatic as the colours. So it's often difficult to take a photo which properly captures the image before you. As you walk around the base of the rock the shadows overpower the detail in the photos sometimes...

At other spots the shadow provides the drama.

We are genuinely privileged to have this rock as the heart of our country. You really feel the place when you are there. The rock almost seems alive; it's warm in the sunlight with the colours and light changes making it change a million times a day. I'm sure variations in the weather would also present the place in another way; I'd love to see it in the rain! We'll be back one day, to listen again. Do you listen? Do you have a place where you just sit and soak it up? I've a few other places to show you like this, I will be back tomorrow.

First, there was a jetty.

So, are you with me?Do you know where we are?

A small piece of Europe

Here we are in Adelaide. The 'most-european-like' city in Australia. In terms of buildings, parkland and colour. Well, I reckon anyway :-) We're staying in the middle of suburbia here, at a normal sort of caravan park. But there is a slightly different air to this spot. There something of Europe here. You see, a couple of years ago we got an amazing deal on flights and to Europe we did go. We hired a motorhome and travelled about the place. As you do ;-) What really struck me then, and is again striking me, was the 'green'. Everything seemed so green! In colour. Even in the cities there were patches of absolute green. And travelling with children meant we often sought out the local parks. Well this local park is in Adelaide but it reminds me of the parks we frequented in Europe. Tucked in beside the caravan park, alongside the river and across the road to a string of classic old federation homes. Many of these homes have gorgeous stonework and verandahs with the wrought iron fretwork. Just lovely. So I'm rather loving this spot! It's taking me back to Europe!

What's more, just a short stroll down the road is a fantastic bakery! We went there yesterday for morning tea, we thought about going back for lunch but instead we're heading back there this afternoon for afternoon tea. We might even have to sneak another visit in there after we leave the caravan park in the morning ;-)

So, this morning we walked in towards the city, along the river to the zoo. That's the other European thing about the place; there are walking paths tucked in nicely leading from suburbia into the city. There are people walking, jogging and cycling. All going about their daily lives. Love seeing little snippets of people and imagining what their lives are...

The zoo was great. The small people oohed and aahed at every animal! The new panda's were lovely. The weather was sunny and it was generally a good time for all. No-one even minded the stroll home along the river. In fact I think they were having running races while the littlest one and I were admiring the flowers!

Tomorrow we leave Adelaide. We pick up our camper trailer and head north, to a sleepy little spot on the water's edge. With a great jetty! Fingers crossed we get there in good light... with time for plenty of photos... will let you know. 

Go west; life is peaceful there!

They say that life is peaceful in the west! Well, we've gone west! It certainly wasn't peaceful getting on the road, that last minute preparation is rather ordinary to say the least. Well, we made it, everything just fitted into the car and the last door was shut. Driving was almost a relief! And then the colours of this sunset were a nice reward to close a long day, just lovely. A wide open sky and just enough clouds for interest...

Not so very long ago we used to live out west, not too far from this spot actually. Driving out here again had that familiar feeling of coming back to a place that you loved... We lived a glorious life out here! A simple but rich life. Maybe there is something in 'going west'... We were a slightly smaller family then, we had a little old round-down home that we renovated with our own hands, a garden we'd created ourselves and with good friends in a community full of spirit we just thrived! Our lives were as coloured as this sunset :-)

Back to travelling now; the next morning we crossed the Hay plains....

Ever been out past Hay on the way to Balranald? There is something amazing about those Hay plains. They are known as the Hay plains, because plain they are! Flat and with almost nothing to disturb the line of the horizon, yet there are many colours and textures to the landscape. We stopped for a brief moment for these shots so I could do a little more than point and shoot out the windscreen.

We've been away a few nights now. Yet there is still a loooonng way to go before we are in the centre of Australia. And the small people have already asked a thousand times "Are we there yet?". But we're enjoying the sensation of travelling, travelling across our great country.  It's kind of nice to be tourists in your own country! We're in Adelaide. I love Adelaide, it takes me back again to that time when we lived out west, even to life-before-children! Adelaide meant winegrape works trips... more about that tomorrow. And more about the little corners of Adelaide that we've found that seems somehow european... Or maybe it's just my rose-tinted glasses that make it look like Europe! The colours here are certainly different than out on the plains! We'll see what the photos look like hey? 'Til tomorrow.

Here's to going west, and having a peaceful life!!!