Early Morning Skies

 There is so much variety in the colours of an early morning sky. They change rapidly and can be quite amazing to watch and wonderful to photograph. These photos were taken early May 2017, such an amazing difference in the colours in such a short time. 

The soft and subtle blues to the bright and glorious fire colours with the morning sun still below the horizon are always different, then after sunrise the colours are amazing and every day there is something new to see, and even though these are photos from some years ago I'm still looking at them and seeing where I can edit them differently to improve the look of the finished product. 

 

6.31 AM

6.39 AM

 6.49 AM

Day 1 of my stay in the Mid-West

Some of the abundant wildflowers and orchids I found in the Mid-West ....... 

The lack of early rain has affected the Wildflowers and Orchids flowering, but there's still plenty to find when you look closely .......

Springtime in the Mid-West

Springtime 

Having been away in the Mid-West of Western Australia for a week I thought I'd better write about the fabulous open spaces of the Northern Wheat Belt. 

Grain crops abound in the region and are growing beautifully .......

These are the only crop photos I took as I was concentrating on the Wildflowers and Orchids which will be in another blog very soon!

Bush Treasures

I do love the Australian Bush and enjoy wandering in it whenever I can.

This week was a trip to some of the burned areas in the Stirling Ranges National Park.

I found orchid leaves which gave me high hopes for many beautiful flowers to come in the next few weeks and months

I saw other beautiful native flora including a rare Priority 4

What is my attitude?

It's your attitude, not your aptitude that determines your altitude.

Being happy in life is not about what you have or what you can get, but how you treat others and how you treat yourself.

The person with the right attitude is more adaptable and able to change the way they do life because they think of others and how the decisions they make will affect those around them.

As you continue to be consistent and keep your attitude right success will follow. Sometimes it takes longer than you anticipate but by moving forward you will succeed.

Be the best you and see the best in others.

Bluff Knoll ......

On 26th June 2020, I climbed to the top of Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges. I trained and was prepared for this, I have been eating well, exercising daily, doing Pilates and Yoga, and taking Young Living's Ningxia and recovery supplements every day. I've had very little stiffness and no sore areas in the few days following the climb.

The trail had been closed after a bushfire started by lightning on Boxing Day last year and has recently reopened.

It was very cold and windy as we approached the summit. I thought I was going to be blown over by the strong wind gusts. My hiking poles were put to good use and I was able to steady myself and kept my feet firmly on the ground.

A strong wind blew clouds up and over the summit and the outlook changed dramatically.

I was slow and steady, it took me 4 hours to get to the summit and 2 hours 50 minutes to return, which included about 20 minutes at the summit to have a rest and something to eat.

Having achieved this goal I am now thinking of my next challenge.

This is - The next time .....

After climbing down to the bottom and then back up these stairs a few days ago, I decided to do some of them twice.

This is the section I did twice. 

It's a long way down.

The Southern Ocean.

The area has beautiful Western Australian native flora. These Leek Orchids are very small and I needed to lay down on the Boardwalk to take the photos.  

After completing the stairs I walked west to the end of the Boardwalk. It was very refreshing, the next time I'll do even more of the stairs and walk east along the track and find more treasures of the bush.

The western end of the Boardwalk.

Once was enough .... until next time

Today I walked the stairs at Sandpatch, Albany, they go down to the waters edge at The Albany Wind Farm, are quite steep and there's 500 of them.

I chat to whoever's around when I go for a walk, and today I was encouraged by a gentleman several years older than me who's been walking these stairs 5 times down and up 'on the days he doesn't take a long ride of his bike' for several years. I thought I was doing well going down and up once, but after chatting with him next time I'm doing some of them twice! Not sure which bit but I'm going to do more!

The Southern Ocean is such an amazing colour and when I get up this close it's fabulous, and even if I only had my phone I'd take a photo. Today I had my Olympus TG5 and my phone so I was able to use both, these photos are taken with the Camera.

When it gets tough ....

When things get tough is not the time to give up. As we go through life there will be good and bad, it's how we move through these times that we grow and get stronger or stop and choose to not go on to the full potential of whatever it is that's before us.

Today I saw not one, but two snakes on the trail

Goals are for us to move toward, like in a football match the goalposts may seem small from the far end of the field, but, as you get closer they start to look bigger and you may think they're easy to kick a ball through; it's not usually easy to kick a goal from any angle, but, you have to try or you will never know if you can do it. 

This is where I'm going 

This is a far as I could get

 I got to the lower part of the rock face and couldn't get my legs in a position to scramble up, I had several goes, but after trying from different angles and not being able to pull myself up I had to decide to finish here. I rested for a short time and took some photos then started the long walk back.

It took me three hours and was fabulous. 

 Don't give up because something doesn't finish like you thought it would. Be the best you every day, continue to dream, and set goals. Challenge yourself in every aspect of your life, be a person with many interests. And, some unique achievements that even you didn't expect to have. 

Keep moving toward your goal ...

Today I had a very long walk along the beach and enjoyed every minute. I took 15,000 steps and walked 10km.

Keeping moving is important, it's good for the whole person. Open your senses to the world around you. Find a place where the peace of the natural world can invade your soul, be there, and soak it in.

Every day is an opportunity to give yourself the gift of living a life full of the joy of movement. It's not so important to get a gym membership or do online programs, simply get outside in the fresh air, walk in your garden, or walk to the next street, do something, and everyday build on it and you will start to look and feel better.

I find having a plan helps me to reach my goals and encourages me to keep moving toward that goal.

For me, this month's goal is climbing Bluff Knoll in The Stirling Ranges. It takes passion and dedication to get out there and do the preparation, but if I don't then I won't get the opportunity to succeed as I already know how difficult it is.

Every step I take is towards my goal of climbing to the top of Bluff Knoll in a few weeks' time.

Where I walked today!

My walk at Goode Beach

I didn't get very far before I was tempted to pull out the camera! I really can't resist taking photos, especially when the view is so gorgeous. It was a glorious day, and the clouds were amazing, as well as the colour of the water.

I did walk in the water and with bare feet.

The walk is a 6km return. There are very handy toilets at the other end which is rather important for an older lady like me.

I'll be doing this again soon, probably wearing sneakers, and walking on the edge not in the water. It is winter and the water is getting cold. 

Preparing to climb Bluff Knoll

In a few weeks I'm going to challenge myself to once again climb Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges. It's three years since the last time and I'm looking forward to those magnificent views on the way to the top and from the top. It will be very different as the bushfire last summer has changed the profile dramatically.

View from the top looking north-east 

Taken 2nd June 2017 

A few weeks ago from the bottom lookout, taken after the bushfire
but before the track was open to the public. 

Yesterday I did the stairs at The Windfarm in Albany, I was surprised I did it so well as it's quite some time since I've given myself even that challenge. Every day in the next few weeks I will also be doing Pilates and/or Yoga to help strengthen my joints and improve my balance, I've been doing both for some months and enjoy it immensely, so its no pain just a decision and the discipline to get it done every day.

These stairs are good for training, there's over 500 of them!

I have been bushwalking on the tracks that are near my home, and at times got up a bit of a faster gait, but alas, the orchids and wildflowers seem to attract me and I finish up mostly strolling along taking photos and checking out the Pelicans on the Jetty.

Now I'm off to walk very briskly along Goode Beach. Let's see how long I can go without a stop for photos?

Cruseo Beach

What a beautiful place just 40 minutes from home, it was so peaceful and lovely to walk along the edge of the water and enjoy the birdlife from different aspects. 

A day out .....

During these weeks of isolation and social distancing I've found the long walks in the bush and the beach very therapeutic and enjoyable.  In a few weeks when Bluff Knoll in The Stirling Ranges is open to hikers I'll be there to climb the mountain again.

I went out to check on the Ranges through the week and was delighted to see the amount of regrowth after the Boxing Day fire. The Australian bush is amazing and regenerates very quickly, the colours and textures are just as amazing as before the fire.

The shadows and contours on the ranges bare of the normal vegetation are wonderful and make a beautiful picture.

The unburnt area has some lovely wildflowers in bloom and amazing views of the burnt area of the ranges