A Weekend in Melbourne.......

Recently my dear friend Merry and myself headed off to Melboure for a weekend of shopping, shooting photos and some general R & R. If one has an interest in historical archetecture then Melbourne is filled with wonderful old buildings to browze through.

We stayed at the Sebel opposite the beautiful old ANZ Bank and Banking Museum. The building was constructed in 1853 and has been lovingly restored to it's former glory. The cathedral ceiling have to be seen to be believed with their ornate decoration. The teller's boxes are the original ones built from mahognany and as I stood in the bank I felt that I had indeed, stepped back in time. The outside fascia is amazingly clean and each corner is decorated with human faces and ugly gargoyles. Now the gargoyle's grotesque form was said to scare off evil spirits so they were used for protection.

I was in awe of the amount of work involved in chiselling out such stonmasonary back in those days. You have to remember that there would have been no moulds back then. It was worth the trip just to visit this historical site.

While riding a tram around town Meryn and I met a couple from southern Victoria who were also visitng. The husband told us of a wonderful old hotel in Melbourne that we headed off to see. The foyer had a magnificent old stair case made from Rosewood. The winding stair and banister was breathtaking and reminded me of something in Gone With The Wind. The ornate cornices and rosettes on the ceilings were also beautifully maintained.

It is hard to believe that they have stood the test of time for over 150 years and now we were lucky enough to capture them on our cameras.

A Day at the Zoo.......

Last weekend my photography group visited Taronga Zoo. The idea of the day was to learn how to shoot moving objects using a variety of camera modes. With a day of beautiful weather and great company, I had a wonderful time seeing many of the animals through the lens of my camera in a way that I have not viewed them before. I remember when the children were little we had "Zoo Friend" passes so that we could visit as often as we wanted to. Since those days so much has changed at Taronga however, the views of Sydner Harbour remain as magnivicent as ever. As we strolled the paths amongst the animal enclosures I was continually amazed at the vantage points overlooking the harbour. We made our way down to the elephant enclosure to see little Miss Luk Chai, the baby elephant born only this year. Toronga is ageless and ever so relaxing to visit.

Time To Rest.....

Well hello everyone

It is hard to believe that two months have passed since I last visited here. Two months of being ever so busy at work and at home. Two months pf 12 hour work days and endless chores each weekend.

Mr J and I became caught up in the rut of driving up to Sydney and back, each weekend in an effort to prepare for moving house to the new place. We moved. We then became caught up in the rut of driving to Sydney each weekend to unpack boxes and organise the new house. It certainly has taken its toll I must say. By this weekend we were simply too tired to do anything accept sleep and relax.

Today has been a magnivicent day here at Jervis Bay. The sun is shining and the warmth seeps into your body and soul and before long one can feel the stress just melting away. For Mr J and myself we took pleasure in the restoring qualities of it.

I sometimes wonder if relaxation is simply a state which we humans have forgotten until times such as this. We made our way around to Husskinson to enjoy some brunch and wander around the wharf precinct. The peace and sunshine is almost too difficult to give proper credit to however,

I snapped a few photos to share with you. It is a tranquil and stress free lifestyle here; people do not hurry from place to place, nor do they try to cram in as much as is humanly possible, to each day. Instead they stop to smell the flowers and absorb the serenity of the bay. I definately needed this today lol.

The calm bay water is lapping at the shore, a beach goer wades into the glimmering surf carrying his fishing line (and this is the middle of winter), so much of this area remains relatively secluded and unspoiled. Even the sounds and noises of the birdlife seemed relaxed, I had almost forgotten how much I enjoyed them.

It won't be long until Spring now and with such a mild winter here on the south coast, I am truely looking forward to the coming months. I hope that you enjoy the pics.