Finding joy in the everyday

The Countryside: Part 2 A few weeks ago I share some photos of the countryside in the state of South Australia ( LINK ). Here are a few more of my trip to rural South Australia, this time on a beautiful sunny day. We enjoyed a picnic beside this little lake and after our meal, went for a stroll to look at another dam (that wasn't quite so pretty).  Later in the day we went for a drive and another walk in the sunshine.  Enjoy. So glad I didn't bring my 3 cats or one dog!!

Art Friday: The South Australian country side One very wet afternoon a few weeks ago, my two brothers, their wives and myself hopped in the car and went for a lovely drive in the countryside. The hills were emerald green and everything very damp — but as you can see, it was the perfect time for photography. Australia has the image of being hot, dry and brown — but as you can see from these photos, after a good winter, the hills are just beautiful.  What a view Once used in the manufacturing of hops These flowers are commonly known as Red Hot Pokers Grape vines covering the hills This building is for storing fruit - the area we were visiting is known for its apples, stone fruits etc

Ballooning Last week it was ballooning in the air — today its balloons on the ground about to take off. I found it all very exciting, watching balloons being unrolled, inflated and taking off. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. Here is some trivia about ballooning! * A rooster, a duck and a sheep were the first hot air balloon passengers:   In 1783, the first hot a ir balloon was set to fly over the heads of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the French court in Versailles. Like monkeys in space, this odd assortment of animals was chosen to test the effects of flight. Sheep, thought to be similar to people, would show the effects of altitude on a land dweller, while ducks and roosters, which could already fly (albeit at different heights), would act as controls in the experiment. The balloon flew on a tether for 8 minutes, rising 1500 feet into the air and traveling 2 miles before being brought safely to the ground. The animals were unharm...

Ballooning I have always wanted to get up early to see this spectacular display of balloons, but  as I'm not overly keen about getting up early on weekends I have always missed it in the past. However these days it is a little different. I take my son to work on weekends and need to be on the road by 6:30am. A few minutes from where he works is this gorgeous lake so finally I was able to watch this beautiful event.  There is something wonderful about watching a sun rise whilst balloons drift silently across the sky. All photos have been taken on a smart phone — sadly I left my Canon at home which would have taken much clearer photos, but my phone didn't let me down.  The temperature inside a hot air balloon is usually kept below 120 degrees Celsius (248 Fahrenheit). Hot air balloons can fly to amazing heights, the world record is over 21,000 metres! (68,900 feet). It’s tough to breathe up there so oxygen is needed from around 5,000 metres (...