Confederation Basin Kingston Ontario

Wanderlust: Noun - a strong desire or urge to travel and explore the world.

I was talking to a friend at yoga yesterday, and she said that she thinks I have wanderlust. For the next half hour I heard all about her travels overseas, and the ones she has planned. What's that about everyone we meet is our mirror? Wanderlust is the word for the week. Here are some scenes from our recent travels in Sydney. After meeting some new Canadian friends in Sydney, we are now contemplating house sitting in Canada.

The view from where we stayed in Sydney. So many cruise ships visiting, a different one each day. They are so quiet entering and leaving the harbour. We were only aware of the ship's horn as she notified the harbour of her exit.

A Salvador Dali sculpture exhibit was on at The Rocks, but we'd seen it in Paris. Just thought I'd drop that in there.

We wandered around Sydney's foreshores, and then hoped on one ferry after the next. Thoroughly enjoyed walking around Watson's Bay.

The magnificent fig trees at Camp Cove

We had a great time in Sydney, meeting up with old friends and meeting new friends from Canada at Squires Landing at The Quay.

A little bit of synchronicity, on returning home. I found a sweet little watercolour at my local shop. We'd been chatting with new friends and sailors from around this area in Canada. I've never seen any artworks of Canada before in our small home town, in fact anywhere in Australia for that matter.

Confederation Basin Lake Ontario not sure of the artists name - G. Gage?

The Hawaiians have a saying, 'mea e kālele ana ma luna o kou kiʻi hou o' - 'what you focus on you get more of'. Perhaps it was after listening to stories of sailing on Lake Ontario, which brought my attention to the painting or synchronicity, who knows but it was fun to see. I hope you get to visit OZ again one day M & R - thanks again for a lovely evening at The Quay.

A little t-shirt wisdom I spotted at the Quay.

Fancy a water front camping site for a night or more? Check out Cockatoo Island, for basic stays to upmarket glamping.

We have seen more of Sydney now that we don't live there, as tourists, than we did in over 30 years as residents. What a beautiful Harbour we have. And, how great are our ferries and water ways to travel on. Can't wait for our next trip down there.

Before the drive home we had a lovely stop off at a favourite spot we discovered last year, while house sitting on Sydney Harbour. Flying Bear at Kirribilli - highly recommended.

The Mountain Is Calling

The mountain seemed to be calling and so we headed off to visit Mt Tambourine

A little bit of fun at a Japanese store

I really 'should' have asked for permission to photograph inside the store... it was so gorgeous, and I'd have loved one of the kiminos that were sold there. Only thing is, what to do with it, once I got it home.

Loved the sculpture at the lookout on top of Mt Tambourine.

Had to giggle at that chain and the sign together. AND not one padlock but two.

2019

Happy New Year... May 2019 bring many blessings, wonderful adventures and great companionship along the journey.

Swans on Lake Serenity.

Mele Kalikimaka

From our house to yours...

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays,
however you celebrate the season,
we hope it's full of love, friendship and joy.

One Day Drives... A Forest Walk

What a beautiful country we live in. How lucky are we to be able to visit so many amazing areas. We decided to visit an old favourite place for lunch, and discovered that it now has new owners and a new name.

Once called Blue Poles, now The Byabarra.
Still the same gorgeous view and lunch was lovely.

Time to walk after our lunch, and we decided seeing how we were where we were, that for a change we would visit the forest.

It had been about 15 years since we visited this forest. All those years ago, we walked with friends and made it all the way to Rawson Falls. We left our start a bit late to make it to the base of the forest, but had a lovely walk to the first lookout.

A dear little fairy wren greeted us when we first walked into the forest, and followed us all the way there and back.

It is about a 3 hour return walk, and very steep. If you happen to decide to visit, make sure you take good walking shoes, it can be a rough path in certain areas, and it's quite steep. However if you enjoy bush walking, I am sure that you will find it's worth the walk all the way to the falls.

Moments like that really make my day. Fairy wrens were my mother's favourite birds and it was a lovely thought that this one was guiding us through the forest.

I felt my mum's presence close to me that day, a beautiful gift from nature.

Images below from National Parks NSW Rawson Falls NSW... click here to find out how to get there

Fairy Wren Image: Birds In Backyards.net.

A New Chapter

We're beginning a NEW chapter in our lives, starting with a new home, in another state. We'll still be house sitting, but for now, we're busily planning and packing and sorting.

It's amazing how much stuff accumulates over the years. In addition to the items that seem to multiply in our house, after my mum passed away last year, I've also inherited quite a few of her things. Including her dog Emma. Emma has settled in nicely and is a lovely addition to our home.

I'm not sure what is happening with Emma and the visiting neighbourhood cat, Chairman Meow though. Chairman Meow sleeps on our deck in the winter, and I've taken pity on her and fixed her up a bed in one of our old dog boxes. It has a comfy pillow and covering so she can get warm and stay in out of the chill.

I strongly suspect that Chairman Meow gives Emma her psychic cat eye when I'm not looking. It's funny as a circus really, it looks as though the cat is ignoring the dog and poor old Emma runs quickly past her, or simply refuses to go out onto the deck.

So what do these pictures have to do with where we are moving to I hear you wonder? Well... we'd been trying to find a place to live in Lennox but no where has appeared, so we are heading past it to another destination.

I have to say though, I'll be looking forward to the not-so-distant weekend trips from our new home, to Lennox in the not-to-distant future. Who knows, maybe we can meet for coffee at The Point.

Our very favourite home we lived in for a time. Who knows maybe one day...

Crowdy Bay National Park - Diamond Head

A lazy Sunday morning having coffee and reading Danny Gregory's, Everyday Matters this morning. One chapter stood out to me, he had written about really 'seeing'...

When you look at something you are filing it into a category, "I'm in the park", "Here's Soho", "Light's green." It's easy it's fast it's the way to cope with NY. But when you just let yourself SEE, it's like opening a window on the first day of spring. Things flow in, sharp, differentiated. Instead of whipping past, you study things you didn't really know existed."

I've been studying and teaching mindfulness for some years now, and it is interesting, if you start to slow down... and take your time when looking, what you do see. I'd never seen rainbow surf till a couple of years ago, but now if the light is right, just on dusk, when the sun is low in the sky, you will see rainbows on wave crests. It still amazes me that it's taken me till my late 50's to see that, given that the beach is my happy place, my walking place and general go to place.

I've been wanting to head down to Diamond Head, and today seemed like a good day for a bush walk, so we packed up a picnic and headed off. With Danny Gregory's writing in my mind, I slowed down and attempted to move past looking and into seeing. Split Rock at Crowdy Head National Park pictured above.

The stones in this area are so interesting, and a range of basalt, granite and all sizes and shapes. Ideal for stacking, and it was a delight to see all the stone stacks that people had left behind. We both joined in and created one as well.

Dannys' words stayed with me this morning as I balanced on stones, steadying myself against the wind that was buffeting me, in order to take photos. On the way back I kept looking up at this stone formation, and as I slowed down stopped and looked, my eyes focused in on a giant stone heart. What a delight to see and a reminder to stop and really see.

It was a gorgeous wintry day to wander...

If you're ever in the vicinity, and like camping, there are spots for your van or tent, with lots of kangaroos and wallabies grazing, it would be a lovely place to spend a night or two. Or take some overseas tourists there, to see the wildlife close up.

And the locals seem pretty friendly - sadly no dogs allowed.

We did the shorter of the walks, from Diamond Head Campground to Mermaid Lookout, as the afternoon was closing in and the temperatures dropping. Next visit we will allow more time, and do the longer walk that takes in Natural Arch.

Who knows we may even spot a mermaid on Mermaid Reef.

More info on Diamond Head walks: click here