All the pretty things #7

Sometimes, you just have to wake up and smell the roses, particularly when the sun is shining and the skies are blue. So this week, I ditched the sewing machine and all other household activities in favour of a trip down to Sydney's botanic gardens, where the flowers are in full bloom.

We also spent a scorcher of a day on Sydney's Bondi beach, and clearly weren't the only ones enjoying the warmer temperatures... 

And we enjoyed an evening stroll past these other two famous Sydney icons, the harbour bridge and opera house...

All the pretty things #6

It is said that sulphur-crested cockatoos were one of the first things (well, birds...) that Captain Cook noticed about Australia, a little fact that, frankly, doesn't surprise me much. To the contrary, then - as now - it would have been practically impossible to miss the raucous little buggers. But while their frequent screeches are ear piercing (and apparently, one of the greatest causes of noise complaints in Sydney), cockatoos are also hugely entertaining to watch...

Meanwhile, with temperatures back in the mid 20s, we also spent some time on my favourite beach, Horderns beach in Bundeena, in the Royal National Park.

Watching the waves...

...and enjoying a cheeky glass of bubbles

Here's to more days like these...:)

All the pretty things #5

Think of Sydney and the harbour bridge and opera house will probably jump to mind. Certainly, for anyone in search of pretty things, there's no need to look much further. And while there's many places from which to admire this beautiful city, Taronga zoo has got to provide one of the best views...

You get to hang out with this little cutie too...

The view from the ferry isn’t too bad either...

You don't need a zoo to see this little guy though. The kookaburra, Australia's "laughing bird", is a familiar sight, though you'll probably hear him before you see him...

This time of the year, flowers are another familiar sight. How pretty are these violets...?

All the pretty things #4

This week, springtime arrived with a bang, sending temperatures soaring to 30 degrees Celsius, an exception even by Australian standards. As a result, we skipped the beach and stuck to shadier spots, where the following pretty things were spotted...



A little bird on a rock

A couple of ducks, admiring their reflections in the evening sun

The sun, setting behind some palm trees

 

Horses in Centennial park. A familiar view, and one that always reminds me of home...

And an orange jacaranda tree, proving that spring is truly here...

All the pretty things #3

Living in any city for a number of years, it's easy to think you've seen the best that place has to offer, so imagine my surprise when we discovered not one, but two new favourite spots this week.

Narrabeen lagoon is a gorgeous lake on Sydney's North shore, surrounded by a walkway that's stunning, pram friendly, and home to a barking owl. Yep you read that right. Here's a picture of the little fella and he does sound just like a dog.

Sunsets at the lagoon are pretty spectacular too...

Meanwhile in Sydney's South, we decided to pay Kamay Botany Bay National Park a visit. Again, a place I had not visited before (probably because it's surrounded by oil refineries and situated practically underneath the airport. It just did not sound that appealing, but how wrong I was...)

This is the location where Captain Cook first set foot on Australian shores, the place where an entire country's fate and history was changed. But aside from the great historic significance of this area, it is also absolutely stunning, with a great selection of easily accessible fire trail walks and educational board walks.

Here's the view from Yena Gap, accessible via the Yena and Muru fire trails...

And finally, closer to home, a familiar view of the sun sinking behind Centennial Park's duck pond...

Turning leaves to gold in the process...

Looking ahead to next week, I can only hope it will be as beautiful as this week, but with spring officially here there should be plenty of fun to be had!

xxx

All the pretty things # 2

So far, so good... One week into my beautiful images challenge, I'm not just looking at the world a little differently, but I'm also finding myself more actively looking for pretty things. That, in turn, is getting me out of the house more often, which can only be a good thing in a place as beautiful as Sydney... 

Here's what we encountered this week:

A practically abandoned Bondi Beach. An unusual sight, but then it was a pretty stormy winter's day...

A bunch of photogenic geese enjoying the evening sunshine in Centennial Park

A sailing boat, covering the shores of Botany Bay, where we spent a lazy Sunday (and got a little sunburnt... Take note of that, with summer on its way!)

Fishermen and some driftwood, also at Botany Bay

And finally, the Westpac helicopter, heading off on a rescue mission. A fascinating sight, albeit one I'd prefer not to encounter all too frequently...

xxx

All the pretty things #1

Life is beautiful and photographing pretty things makes me happy, so here's a little experiment that combines the two. Every week, I'll aim to take five photos that are picturesque, special or otherwise noteworthy and post them here — the idea being that far from being yet another task on my daily "to do" list, this challenge will actually focus my mind on what's beautiful in life and therefore make me even happier than I already am.

So here's what caught my eye this week...

Black swans on a sparkling winter's day

Flowers in the park. Because beauty is in small things...

 

A stingray, burrowing itself in the sand in Rushcutters bay.

 

A glass of wine with a fine view. Sorry, it just doesn’t happen very often (the wine that isJ)

  So here's to a new week of beautiful moments, I hope you enjoy them and if you have pretty pictures to share, I'd love to see them too,   xxx