WANDERING INTO A BETTER MOOD

EMBRACING THE GREY

 By Frances Harris

Taking in the sight of these new wattle flowers gave me an immediate boost.

If you’ve ever experienced a grey cloudy day and not been sure how you should handle it, I would like to offer my slant on the situation.  Perhaps you don’t want to sit on the couch and eat chips and dip, which is where I found myself this morning. I decided to get on my bike and ride for a couple of hours to find that something special to uplift my spirits. As I set out I had no idea what I was looking look for, but by the afternoon I found more than I hoped for, and felt wonderful afterwards. Sometimes the best experiences are right in front of our eyes and don’t cost a thing.



I watched the bird, and the bird was intrigued with me. I couldn’t help but notice his beautiful blue colours while the rest of the world was dull.

I always find that when I connect with another living thing, there is some kind of exchange of energies that makes me feel good. I can’t explain it, but maybe my inner cave woman is reaching out to them.

The ducks were just as active as they would be on a bright sunny day. They don’t seem to care about the weather.

When I first saw how bleak the water looked, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stop off there. But as I watched the ducks going about their lives without hesitation, just as they always have, I thought maybe I had conditioned myself to believe this is a grey day, instead of just a cloudy one.

A little straggle of wattle, made me feel I had found a treasure chest in the middle of a fairly ordinary landscape.

I was feeling a little more enthusiastic about what I would find next. There was no need to look far before I found beauty all around me. I couldn’t believe how much I had missed before I learned to appreciate what is here. I was always too busy to see it.

I found this delicate display hanging on a fence. It is the first time I noticed how the beautiful pink colours of the buds contrast with the white flowers on the vine.

My attitude was a lot more positive at this point and I had regained much of my lost energy from staying inside on this bleak day.

The trio of dandelions I found in the midst of a sea of green seemed to be saying, ‘look at me!’
I spent a moment to ask myself, how can the flowers look so bright when they are shorter than all the rest? Perhaps they don’t know.

On these bushes the flowers seem to meld into the leaves. It’s difficult to decide where the bush ends and the flowers start.

I was so focused on the natural world around me I had completely forgotten about the clouds above.

 

Like little balls of cotton, these flowers were very different to the others around them in the bush.

Even though these flowers are not, ‘in your face bright,’ they are an amazing feat of nature. I paid no attention to the low light around me; there was too much going on. On a very bright day I would have passed over these little gems for something brighter.

The intriguing shape of this dandelion is another feature I would ignore on a bright sunny day. I was amazed by its symmetry and felt sorry it had to be labelled a weed.

I had seen enough of the pale colours and decided to go in search of something brighter.

 

This simple display of daisies in a suburban garden is a charming relief from an otherwise green horizon.

After no longer noticing the greyness that had been around me, I also hadn’t noticed the growing tints of blue clearing above me.

 
Who could feel bleak after looking at a cheeky display of daisies like this one, hanging over a brick fence?

As I combed the streets, there were brighter and more stunning colours in front of me as I slowly peddled my bike around the area.

 The tree tulip is too beautiful for words to describe it. There is nothing I could write to live up to the image.

Again I move on. It only gets much better on every turn.



These little darlings made me realise – I am alive! The world is an amazing symphony of light and dark hues.

As the pedals of my bike rotate slowly, there are more treasures to find.

This is one of the more stunning camellias breaking out in bloom at this time of year.

When a lady who was tending her garden saw me admiring her camellias, she asked me to take a few. I decorated my bike to celebrate the day.

Smaller doesn’t always mean less impressive. This bloom was almost too good to be true.

The pink camellia was one of the last photos I took for the day. I felt the journey ended on a high note and would definitely do it again on a future grey day.

WANDERING AT COOLART WETLANDS (Australia)

WANDERING AT COOLART WETLANDS

(Somers, Victoria Australia)

By Frances Harris

I’ve been planning to visit this place for some time. Finally, today found this fascinating piece of history and wonderful walking tracks and delightful wetlands. Photos on the wall show that Coolart was a functioning farm estate occupied by a families. It must have been a wonderful place for children to grow up.

Just before the entrance, I said ‘hello,’ to these curious cows on the estate.

This is the welcome centre at the end of the car park. I was hoping to see some wattle trees in bloom, but looking around it didn’t seem likely. The weather was beautiful and surprisingly warm. Entry is free here.

The garden was like a page taken out of the 1800’s. There are plenty of places to sit and take in the scenery.

I was expecting to see a small cottage, so when I got my first glimpse of a manor house it took my breath away.

This is a closer view of the Coolart, mansion.

 The winter rose garden with pergola supports constructed of stones.

The front entrance.

This could be a sitting room. Only three rooms are open to the public. The building is still being renovated.

This room was so true to the late 1800’s, I felt the family had just stepped out for a while.

I love to look at antiques and found this one very interesting.

This was another example of a beautiful antique.

 I went out the back past the veranda and found this typical garden of little snow drops. It was just beautiful.

 I found the pathway to the horse stables.

These original stables are in good condition. They could be used today.

Further down the back I along a path to the wetlands.

Walking path to the wetlands

I took this photo from inside a bird hide of Ibis enjoying the sun.

Here is a line of dated horse drawn farm machinery. (The late 1800’s)

 This is the family orchard.

There are lots of wonderful little pathways.

 At the beginning of my walk I found another smaller wetland.

This is an example of one of the many walking tracks. There are markers in case people get lost.

I walked for quite a while, keeping my approximate position by following the sun.

 This stream was a nice surprise along the way. It was interesting that it smelt like salt water.

This pathway seemed to be covered with fine sand.

This was a wonderful surprise.

I took this path on the way back to the mansion.

On my way back I noticed the golden wattle had come out during the day.

My journey was finished, so it was time to move on.

I went past the veranda and back to the car. What a lovely experience.



ROAMING ON ST KILDA BEACH (Australia)

ROAMING ON ST KILDA BEACH

(Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

By Frances Harris

I woke up this morning and after peeping thought the curtains of my bedroom, I saw a wide expanse of blue sky, dotted with little white clouds here and there. Well, there was only one thing left for me to do and that was to jump out of bed, eat a hearty - break all the rules - breakfast, only just this once, then look for an enjoyable place to walk. Recently it’s been a long drizzly fortnight of chilly winds and bleak days.  My spirits could do with a boost of bright sunshine and lovely views. My favourite walks are sentimental ones, that include history and perhaps some enjoyable memories to call on.  

Thinking for a while, I realised there was one place that stood out above the rest. I decided to head for St Kilda Beach on Port Phillip Bay. So if you like, and you need a little pep in your step, you might like to join me and explore the sights.



Anyone would feel good after seeing this sunny face greeting them at the entrance of Luna Park, where generations of people remember taking their siblings, children or grandchildren for a day out. Others would have their own fond childhood memories of riding the scenic railway and other features. I recall being a hesitant child wondering why so many people were happy to be eaten up by this big scary monster, and nobody seemed too worried about it. I feared that once I went in there, I would never come out alive. It took some bribery and coaxing from my family before I would join the others and go in. I remember feeling like Alice in wonderland once I was inside.  

Luna Park has been around since the 1930’s. Over the years some rides have been removed and replaced by others. I stood on the corner across the road while taking photos, and enjoyed watching the excited expressions on the faces of children standing in line to go in, and their engaged parents.  

Then I walked up the hill, heading in the direction of The Esplanade on the beach. As I roamed I imagined earlier days, when crinoline ladies with parasols and top hatted gentlemen paraded stiffly up and down here in the late 1800’s, or relaxed on the benches.  In my thoughts I could almost hear the clip-clop of horses pulling heavy coaches, sulkies and buggies along the roads. I looked around and noticed a few interesting remnants of Australia’s colonial past scattered here and there.  

From an earlier patriarchal society, there are still statues and busts of wealthy citizens, but rarely is there one of a woman.  Looking up I saw the clock tower and at its base staring blankly into the distance, is the face of an important man of the day. Exactly why he was important, I’m not sure, except that he was – A good Public Servant.  On my way I wondered what those thousands of people back then would have been thinking as they looked up at the clock. Would their thoughts be very different to ours today?

This is the clock tower, standing large on the way to The Esplanade.

The Bust of Carlo Catani staring out from the base of the clock tower. He was said to be - A great Public Servant.

On the other side of the road I liked the look of this building.

How things have changed. For nearly a century or more, the Australian flag has proudly fluttered on the flag pole above this building, which was once the St Kilda salt water baths. Back then; it would have been counted as treachery to take it down. The flag you see here I think advertises a business in the building complex.

Sail boats at St Kilda beach.

View of the road under the bridge. In the distance is the clock tower from where I walked.

While looking out from the bridge at the beautiful scenery, I could feel the endorphins kicking in. I remember taking in a few breaths of clean beach air.

Waiting down below, on the lawn by the water, was someone I seem to have grown up with. Captain Cook was in every history book during my education years. He has gone out of favour a bit, since it was established his claim to have been the first captain to discover Australia was about five hundred to one thousand years too late. It seems the Dutch, Spanish and Chinese were way ahead of him.

If you look for a water fountain suitable for polite society in colonial days, this is what you’ll find. It even has a little Viking ship balanced on top.

Here is another reminder of finer days - The Royal Melbourne Yacht Club.

This photo is a closer look at St Kilda Pier. After strolling around for a while, enjoying every moment, I was ready to find a quiet place to reflect and have an iced chocolate, with the cream mound on top. Calories out - replaced by calories in; that’s the way I like it.