Fremantle

A leisurely day spent in the sun in Fremantle. I can't believe I ever thought Perth winters were cold.

Bush fire

Deb and I had a lovely leisurely walk around the Swan River this Sunday morning. There was a bush fire somewhere near Gidgeganup and the smoke was covering the city in a foggy haze. As we walked along the river we were joined by two dolphins which we took for an metaphor/omen/talisman of some sort but couldn't be bothered fleshing it out any further than that.

Girls' night

Girls' night out at the Royal in East Perth

This is my friend Deb. We have been friends for more than 20 years. It seems like not that long at all.

Family

A fun filled third day of the year was had today. AJ and I went into Fremantle to wander around aimlessly and then went to terrorise her gran on the way home. Sonny was the recipient of a much needed but not appreciated bath...

Good friends

Today I went to visit two of my bridesmaids. I only ever see these girls for a cup of tea maybe once every two years, but the friendship never lessens and my love and respect for them only ever grows.

A new year's day walk

Thus starts another year. I wonder if I will do better with my photos this year than last. I am finding it hard to take photos because I have hit the wall of my current ability and I won't get better without effort. Now is the rub - do I have the perseverance to improve?

2014 started off with a walk/run from where I am staying in Jane Brook to Guildford where the car was left last night during new year's revelry - 9 km and 28 degrees. To make things fun I decided to run a song and then walk a song. During the walking phase I had to find something to take a photo of with my phone. In this way I was starting off two NY resolutions in one hit - exercise more and take more photos.

Australian white cockatoos

I'm in Perth again for the holidays. I went for a lovely morning walk around the Canning River and found these Cockatoos playing in a puddle.

South Perth foreshore

My last image from Perth. I caught up with my friend Judy for coffee at the Boatshed on the South Perth Foreshore. The view was amazing. I was very lucky that Perth put on such great weather while I was there.

Deborah's Chair

One of the best things about coming back to Perth is catching up with Deb. We went for our Sunday walk around the bridges. We had planned to take this photo at Christmas but were talking too much that we missed the chair. So here it is now.

Artist

On a lovely warm ANZAC day, this gentleman was relaxing and painting the city of Perth across the Canning River.

Tree

I always like the look of this tree when I ride past it. So what did I do today ... Did my usual bike ride and exercises and run. Then took mum to the shops as she asked me to teach her how to cook with her slow cooker. So we bought a cookbook, ingredients, and came home and made a spicy red lentil soup. Then I braved the peak hour traffic jams to meet a friend for coffee. We hadn't seen each other in about a decade so there was lots of catching up to do. It is amazing listening to people's life stories, and a privilege.

Canning River

Another day in Perth. I was a good girl and rode around the river, did my exercises, ran for 5 minutes and then went to Yoga at the end of the day with Deb. My physiotherapist will be pleased.

Exercise

As is always the case, I woke up early because of the time difference. So I took the opportunity to greet the sun on a bike ride around the river. The golden glow started my ride ...

Then bathed the world in such a glorious light. It's a wonderful way to start the day. Makes you feel like everything is going to be an adventure.

Arriving

I landed at Perth airport and started thinking about clouds. Perth clouds are different to Dunedin clouds. They are big and fluffy and float in the air like they have nothing better to do. They have no where to go and feel like friendly creatures who are laying about watching the humans for fun. In contrast Dunedin clouds are all go. They are on a mission. They are thin and wispy and rush across the sky in a hurry (might be why they are thin and wispy). They don't have time to take notice of what the humans are doing, they have their own business going on.

Fremantle

We had a lovely time wandering around Fremantle today. I chose this image because I love the way the old couple seem to be watching the young man as he walks away from them, the whole scene seemed to have a 3D quality (which is a little lost when the image is small).

Back in Perth

I'm back in Perth for the holidays. This is a view of the city from the Mount Henry Bridge. I went for a lovely long ride on my mum's bike this morning before the onslaught of last minute shopping for Christmas day. 

Friends

Hanging out with a friend at the beach in Perth was my favourite thing to do.

Ruin by the sea

The boys went for a camping trip to climb Bluff Knoll down near Albany. B took my camera and captured this image of the old light house keepers house.

Perth Train Station

We caught the train into town today. This is the Perth Train Station. I can remember when it didn't have a roof when I was a child and now it has this amazing roof keeping out the sun which looks rather stunning. Things are continuing to change though, the train station is going to be sunk underground and the current station will become an open space linking Perth to Northbridge. I wonder what they will do with the current amazing building?

Adventure World

I took the two girls to Adventure World today. This was my view for most of the day before they dragged me on a couple of the rides.