A trip down memory lane

Today I put the final pages together for my brother’s 40th birthday photo book, it’s a little late but I’m sure he’ll love it, for all is ‘toughness’ he is really a big softy and extremely sentimental. My Mum rummaged through her suitcase of old photos and looking through them brought back some very funny (to me anyway) and heartwarming memories which I’d like to share with you.

The tent was a Christmas present and we decided to camp out in the backyard.

My muddy brother and I getting hosed off in the backyard, my Mum decided to photograph such a special moment and I was not happy.

My brother and a friend with their home made scarecrow, can’t remember whether it sat in the paddock or atop a bonfire.

My brother in Honolulu airport in 1992, we had to spend a few hours here waiting for a shuttle into the city.

My brother, cousin and I meeting a new foal for the first time.

My brother sleeping with Cecil the cat, Cecil loved making himself at home in our beds.

Scooter as a pup, he was the second dog we had as children.

Ready for school with my fluorescent pink bag.

My brother and I on the road from Christchurch to Wanaka

My brother and I in typical bad seventies fashion, I remember loving those boots.

Our old dog Missy having a bath in the wheelbarrow, she used to love rolling in stinky things.

With my cousins in the back of an old ute, cruising the family farm in New Zealand

Our pet cows: Caramel, Sweetie and Horrie

Enjoy your weekend

Rainforest Skywalk

Living in Queensland means that we have access to beautiful rainforests filled with some very unique flora and fauna, experiencing the rainforest on a sunny day is spectacular, the light filters through the canopy and adds a little warmth to both colour and temperature. Our time on Mt Tamborine yesterday, exploring the rainforest via The Skywalk was not quite so sunny, the air was cool and the sky cloudy but the day was pleasurable nonetheless. Being winter we spotted none of the colourful flowers, foliage or berries that summer brings, we also had no luck with seeing Koalas, the best we could do was discovering a small brown lizard  in the stump of a Red Cedar tree and a Kookaburra as he swooped on something tasty in the scrub.

Sadly there are no photos of the lizard or the Kookaburra, however I have put together a gallery of images taken during the walk as well as a few random shots taken at our lunch time destination D’Marge Cafe. Nelson the Golden Retriever makes all guests feel oved as he lies quietly under your table until your meal is served, then he makes use of beautiful, big brown eyes to bewitch you into sharing whatever it is you have ordered. The deck is surrounded by blooming Camellia trees, the flowers come in many shades of pink and white, their petals so pretty and delicate.

More than just a cardboard box

First year Bachelor of Digital Media students at Griffith University have created sculptures out of cardboard as part of their Visual Strategies course. The cardboard sculptures are scattered across the campus and reflect thoughts of consumerism, big business monopolies and our environment, each year this outdoor exhibition provides staff and students at the university with something new and fascinating to see.

I wish I could tell you more about each artwork and the brief that inspired each creation but I didn’t think that far ahead. Even without all the details, the thought and skill that goes into creating each artwork has to be admired, who would have thought that brown, corrugated cardboard could be so interesting.

In love with Orvieto

Reblogged from Two Black Dogs:

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Our last day in Orvieto and after stressing about money all afternoon because we couldn't withdraw cash from either of our accounts, we discovered that there was an actual limit of 250 euros on the bancomat machines in Orvieto. Problem solved, we'll pay our accommodation with Visa and withdraw more money when we get to our next destination. The fees St George Bank charge us are killers - about $75 AUD in conversion and foreign withdrawal fees to withdraw about $2000 over the past 5 weeks.

Read more… 799 more words

Today I'm feeling a little melancholy, the cooler weather and a few other things are really making me wish that I was back in Italy, in particular the hilltop town of Orvieto. Like Venice, Orvieto stole my heart and if I cannot click my heels together and find myself sitting at a bar in the piazza outside the duomo then I shall travel back in time and revisit Orvieto through my blog. Cheers Sam :-)

Travel theme: Paths

Today’s collection of images is motivated by the latest travel theme from Ailsa of Where’s My Backpack. Paths can take many shapes and forms: straight and narrow, long and winding, smooth or bumpy and it is the variety that makes life interesting although I notice most of my images of paths feature gardens and trees, wonder what that says about me

Eely Point Walk, a path that takes you around part of the scenic Lake Wanaka on the South Island of New Zealand

Autumn colour brightens the footpath in Wanaka, New Zealand

A few years before the earthquake that wreaked havoc in Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island, I walked through the lovely rose garden in the Botanic Gardens, Christchurch.

Sandy path over the dunes at Ruakaka Beach on New Zealand’s North Island

Rainforest walk at O’Reilly’s, Queensland

Take a relaxing stroll through the Botanic Gardens at Mt Tamborine in the hinterland of Queensland’s Gold Coast.

One of many paths between the beautiful gardens of Versaille and the elaborate palace.

View from above, Villa Monastero garden path, Varenna Lake Como

The path through the gardens of Villa Monastero on the edge of Lake Como, Varenna.

The Via dell’Amore as it winds its way between Riomaggiore and Manarola on the Cinque Terre

A walk through the park in San Gimignano, you can see two of the medieval towers in the background.

Umbrella Pines, Palatine Hill, Rome

Albert Park, Auckland

As the sun rises

“If I had to choose a religion, the sun as the universal giver of life would be my god.”  ~ Napoleon Bonaparte

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Signs

Cee’s latest Fun Foto Challenge is all about signs this week and when travelling it is easy to find a variety of styles from the very elaborate to the functional and instructional type. One of my favourites from our travels in Europe is the ‘Slow down your on vacation’ sign, we spotted it in Assisi and we had been on the road for about 6 weeks and were feeling a little tired.