Friday, September 7, 2018

Road Trip lV.. Northam, York et fini..



I know right! It's just a swan.. a white swan! A mute swan to be exact.. a male if that large knob on it's head is anything to go by 😇 White swans are not an Australian bird, you can read here how this small colony of white swans came to be residing and breeding in Northam. I did a comparison collage and although it's not clear here, the mute swan is bigger than our black swans but the black swans have a longer neck. Both beautiful creatures but the black swan looks more elegant and mysterious don't you think, and apparently not as aggressive as the white swan. 100km is a long way to come and see them though :)


On to York where we had planned to have lunch not realizing that the York Cycling Festival was being held and the oldest inland town on the Avon River was awash with visitors for this event. We were just minutes too late to see the penny farthings above come in but right on time to see the last of the 'Little Critters'.. a 15 minute ride for children 15 years and under on any bike, below with dad running along beside, to a huge well done cheer from the crowd as she crossed the finish line.. too cuuuute!


Then it was time for the serious riders in the 'Terry Driessen Memorial' Men’s A Grade race to set off, as did we, there wasn't a seat free in the cafes/pubs to be had, which was an excellent result for this gorgeous country town.We did stop along the way for lunch and coffee, arriving home after the 360km round trip thoroughly 'countried' out.. until the next time 💙 Hope you enjoyed the trip, happy Friday, take care and stay safe..


26 comments:

  1. The swans are real beauties- and they know it!

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  2. Lovely visit!

    That black swan’s beak is gorgeous! Nature is quite something!

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  3. Both swans are beautiful but the black ones seem very exotic to me as we have the white ones here, Grace!

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  4. Nice shots Grace!!
    Wonderful all these swans.
    And funny shot of the special bikes on shot 4.

    Best regards,
    Marco

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  5. The black swan's neck seem to be much longer than the white. You timed it well to see the cycle race. Smiling at the race for the young ones.

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  6. I love the close up of the beak of the black swan, very pretty. Those vintage bikes are pretty unique, don't think I would want to try one, the seat is way too high. Nice photos, Grace.

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  7. Interesting to see the black swans.

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  8. With black and white swans I can just about hear the music from Swan Lake. Good bicycle shots. The Penny Farthing bikes are always fun to see, and the little girl is really cute.

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  9. ...riding a high wheel sure looks spooky.

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  10. Love the swans Grace … beautiful :)

    All the best Jan

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  11. The swans are beautiful and the close-up is terrific! The vintage bike would require more agility than i could produce for an enjoyable and successful ride.

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  12. Oh, LOL, that white swan gives me the creeps, Grace!
    We were kids and my cousin got bitten bad by one. We all screamed, it was chaos!

    I - with a lot of respect and distance - prefer the black ones ;-)

    WOW, I could never ever drive a bike like that!

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  13. How cute, that little one reaching the finish on her "bike"!

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  14. I do prefer the black swans :)
    Well timed trip for the bike races. Have a lovely weekend.

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  15. The black makes their bills stand out better. I guess I would not have noticed this but for you lovely shots.

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  16. I enjoyed the trip very much! I haven't been on a road trip in a while and you've nudged that wanderlust need in me. I need to figure out where to go. Oh by the way, I love those swan photos. I didn't know that white swans were not found in Australia. Swans are such graceful looking birds. I love seeing them.

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  17. Lovely photos as always Grace. I don't believe I have ever seen a black swan in person.

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  18. Awe, never just a white swan, in fact all swans are precious to me. Your header photo (although I always seem to study your city scene every single time I open your post) so much lovely going on in it, these flowers before the city also lovely. Enjoy your weekend as you are there already!

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  19. Beautiful photos, I especially loved the photos of the swans.
    Have a nice weekend
    Maria
    Divagar Sobre Tudo um Pouco

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  20. Gostei deste festival do ciclismo e daquelas bicicletas antigas.
    Um abraço e bom fim-de-semana.

    Andarilhar
    Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
    Livros-Autografados

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  21. Black and White SWANS!!!
    You did good works!
    Yes, both are beautiful. :)

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  22. A cycling festival sounds like my kind of fun.

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