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..

Road Trip lll.. On the way to Northam.

On the way to Northam the landscape was a patchwork of yellow canola and green wheat fields. Such a pretty time of the year for a country trip after the rains, everything is so lush.. new born lambs tottering around on their spindly legs while mum and dad are still in their winter clobber. It's just all so.. country! Did I mention the fresh air 😉 I didn't take any pics in Toodyay, you have seen it before but we did stop and have a hearty breakfast and more importantly.. coffee! It's all about the yellow, with flashes of red today :) Next stop Northam where I saw something that I've never seen before in WA, or anywhere else in Oz now that I think about it.. are you intrigued, show you tomorrow. Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..

 

Road Trip ll.. Pelham Reserve, Island in the Sky.

Second stop on our Sunday road trip was the lookout at Pelham Reserve. Oh la! This was a truly fantastical sight.. an island in the sky amidst the swirling clouds.. this made the early morning start so worth it 💙 Below if you look closely you can see the town of Toodyay snuggled in the early morning mist..

.. and then as fleetingly as it appeared it was swallowed up and disappeared once more into the clouds as if it had never been, thankfully not before I had time to click..would you have believed me if I said I had seen an island in the sky :) Onward to Toodyay and a hearty country breakfast! Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Road trip.. Noble Falls.

Heading out of the city around 6am on Sunday morning our first stop along the way was Noble Falls, so pretty at this time of the year. With all the rain we have had lately the water was flowing fast and furious. Masses of yellow wattle in bloom..

Heading on into the mist next stop Toodyay and breakfast, but not before taking some shots from the lookout, can't wait to show you those tomorrow! Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

'Check Mate'..

I searched for and was delighted to find the mural here by French Visual Artist Tankateo, see more of her incroyable art here. I fell in love with her work when I found 'Find Your Way to Fly High' here, you might remember it. The artist 'loves to create quirky portraits on a multitude of surfaces including paper, furniture and frames'. This mural found on the wall of modern/vintage shop Mercado 32 in Maylands. I was lucky enough to meet the artist and look...

  

... I now own a piece of Tankateo's work and I couldn't be more thrilled, j'adore! Remind you of anyone 😉 PDP went country over the weekend, expect many a misty morning image over the next few days :) Hope you had/are having a fab weekend, happy Monday take care and stay safe..

  Visit Sami to see more Monday Murals from around the world..

Working Dogs of Oz..

The theme for City Daily Photographers for September is 'teach'. A while back at a dog training event it was fascinating to watch as the trainer, to the right in these shots, barked out orders to the Blue Heeler herding dog rounding up a group of sheep. Obviously a small display but if you check out the video here, the first minute and the last minute are the best, but altogether it shows the amazing skills of a well trained herding dog to maneuver large flocks of sheep or cows into and out of the paddocks, making the farmers job so much easier. Happy Sunday, take care and stay safe..

To see how CDP'ers around the world have interpreted this theme click here..

What lies beneath..

Love the colours and reflections in the water created by the boats in Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour, more about them later. Btw the cormorant above had just swallowed a fish almost as big as itself.. euch! It was so quick I missed the click. Meanwhile looking closer check out the thousands of tiny stingers in the water, looks like an invasion of tiny space aliens :)

No Swimming! No worries.. could be an electrifying experience 😱 I think the cormorant had just swallowed the huge fish here :) Happy first day of September, the first day of spring here in Austalia, have a fab weekend, take care and stay safe..

Visit James to see more Weekend Reflections from around the world..