Beautiful places I like to walk ...............

 Today was another great walk on Middleton Beach, the water was beautiful, blue, and refreshing, and the sky was also blue with a few scattered fluffy white clouds. There were a number of people walking and a few enjoying a dip in the water. I enjoyed walking in bare feet on the firm sand with the waves lapping around my feet. 

I will take photographs and my footprints will be washed away by the waves.

Walking on Middleton Beach in Albany, Western Australia

 Middleton Beach in King George Sound is a fabulous place for a nice long walk, the beach is about 6km return from end to end.  It is a flat and even surface from beginning to end, which is great for walking.  

Today I walked a total of 5.5km in just under 1.5hrs, slow and steady is my motto as I get older, I don't push to huffing and puffing, but get my strides a bit longer and faster over short distances, and at the end, I feel invigorated and happy, not sweaty and exhausted. 

Very enjoyablale walking on the edge or in the shallow water as it laps on the beach.  A few groups of fellow walkers some with dogs took advantage of the mild weather; the middle part of this beach is allocated for "dogs". 

The views over the waters of The Sound are always different, today there was lots of movement, under a rather grey sky. The colour of the water is sometimes very pale green and sometimes bright blue, today it was a beautiful shade of green.

 

Hiking in Torndirrup National Park

I love it when I come to the end of the gravel road and see this sign.  This entry is just over 2km from my home and the beginning of some beautiful open trails through the Park. 

Today's hike to "Family Rocks" was nearly 6km return, it was great weather for hiking except for the very strong easterly wind,  it helped blow me up the hill, and I'm pleased the return journey was downhill most of the way. 

I don't go close to that edge, so I don't know what's past this, except water! This was taken with a telephoto lens from about 30m away. 

The land in the distance is West Cape Howe National Park, another fabulous place with fantastic rock cliffs, small beaches, and areas to explore and take photographs, all connected by 4x4 driving tracks.

I know I say "I love my life" and why not with such beautiful places to explore, find peace and solitude, and listen and watch the treasures of the Australian bush close up. 

 

The Jetty and the "locals"

 

Sometimes no Pelicans and sometimes many, but the Jetty is always there as a landing place in all weather. 

The waters of Princess Royal Harbour, the changing tides, the clouds, and the colours of the late afternoon are part of the beauty of this special place I call home. 

Been a while, but I'm back!

 I'm back and would like to remember what and how I do this, so please be patient with me!

The Albany Windfarm is a fabulous place for a walk amongst the coastal heath with beautiful views along the Southern Coast. 

The glorious colours of the Southern Ocean have a way of enticing me to take more photos every time I come here.

There are around 500 steps from the top to the bottom, I haven't gone to the bottom for some time, but I'm going to be doing it very soon. 

A day out and about seeking the best the bush has to offer ..........

A beautiful spring day, a packed lunch, a full tank of fuel, a map, off we go ........ oh mustn't forget, the mosquito spray, even though it's hardly worth it as they're in plague proportions where there are orchids. 

It is easy to spend time searching for the beautiful orchids of the Great-Southern and South Coastal region of Western Australia, drive and stop at any area of bush, usually those marked Nature Reserves are good, and if there are mozzies you can be assured there are orchids. At one of the places we stopped there were so many mozzies we had to be very quick or get carried away.

Silky Blue Orchid - Cyanicula sericea

Rattle Beak Orchid - Lyperanthus serratus

King Spider Orchid - Caladenia pectinata

Terterden Yellow  - Caladenia straminichila

Cowslip Orchid - Caladenia flava

Jug Orchid - Pterostylis recurva

Pink fairy - Caladenia latifolia

 Spider orchid - Caladenia ??

White Spider Orchid - Caladenia longicuada 

Dragon orchid - Caladenia barbarossa

Donkey Orchid - Diuris ? 

Blood Spider Orchid - Caladenia filifera

Spider Orchid - Caladenia ??

Rabbit Orchid - Leptoceras menziesii

Joseph's Spider Orchid - Caladenia polychroma

Spider orchid ??

I have named as many as I can, and hope they are correct, please contact me if you're able to id any, or if I have an incorrect id on any of them. 

These were all found on a days outing from my home in Albany. 

Reflections / Memories / Senses

Reflections are quite simply a picture in a picture, a mirror in a mirror, a memory in a memory........

Reflecting on the past brings it to today and my senses go to work. Which of the memories that I'm reflecting on is the strongest? what do I bring to mind? how far back can I go?  The smell of a bush barbecue, my mothers' perfume, a lover's aftershave, my newborn child when placed in my arms, scones fresh out of the oven on a Sunday afternoon, so many things to reflect on to bring the past into the present. I smell the fresh-picked apples in the orchard at my friend's place, the jarrah in my fathers' timber yard, the ocean when we went on summer holidays, the musk-sticks on the counter of the corner store. The sense of smell takes me to many happy places where I was nurtured and loved and where I was the nurturer and the lover. 

Using our five senses can bring memories to our minds and we will be there; what we do with these reflections of our past is our choice, always choose to find the best in times that have gone, you can't change it, but, you can have a good attitude in the present time, and choose to be the best person you can be today. 

Looking at my photos choose to see and smell the places where you were happy and contented with your life. Allow them to trigger memories of happy times and choose to treasure those times and remember the good you find. 

I encourage you to use all your senses ..... sight, sound, smell, touch, hearing ...... what can you reflect on, what do you need to take you forward?

Live the best life, not the mediocre life. Leave the past where it is and go forward with the memories you choose for a safe, happy, and blessed future.  

Have fun with my memories .....  what can you see, taste, smell, hear, and touch .....