Breakfast in Gingin..

How beautifully green the countryside is after the winter rains begin. The first early morning stop on our country road trip yesterday was Gingin, a small agricultural town 67 kilometres north of Perth. That's us arriving in Gingin above and that's as far as I got editing the many photos I took after we arrived home late in the afternoon, all that fresh country air is exhausting :) will carry on with our road trip tomorrow. Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..

Everything old is new again.. and again.

It has been a while since mon ami français Marie and I have had a rummage around the antique shops on James Street, aka the antique strip, in Guildford, we amended that situation before lunch on Monday. Although still in my minimalist period :) the lure of paraphernalia from times past is always present. The two rather splendid vases bottom row below held my attention for a dangerously long period of time before I snapped out of it.. the turkey plate made me smile, I'm pretty sure I had one at some point although I have never cooked a turkey in my life :) Not sure why but old typewriters hold a fascination also. I'm pretty sure that there would be something to tickle everyone's fancy in the shops along the strip. We are off into the country today for the first time since the virus, looking forward to it. Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Café Poste..

What better way to while away an hour or so on a weather-wise dull day than by exploring one of the most enchanting garden centre/cafes in Perth. You have seen Café Poste in Guildford, one of Perth's oldest suburbs before but it is definitely, as we were yesterday, a return visit if in the area kind of place. Apart from the charming array of moss covered, rusty garden ornaments that in your garden would instantly give that 'have been here forever' look :) the coffee and French pastries are divine.. 

I was intrigued by the group of old battered tin suitcases here and wondered if they had anything to do with the building back in the day when it was the actual post office.. mail coming in from outlying areas to be posted to loved ones overseas sort of thing.. what do you think? If so can you imagine the memories encased within these rusty old portmanteaus.. there might have been a lot of.. 'Help, it's so dreadfully hot, the spiders and snakes are big and horrible we want to come home!' 😉 Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

Tentacally 3D..

Spotted this fab mural as we were leaving Fremantle last week. Painted most appropriately on the wall of a fish and chip shop on South Terrace back in 2018 by renowned Perth multi-disciplinary artist Destroy. The octopus tentacles spill off the wall and onto the lane so that when you take the shot from the sweet spot, preferably with a wide angle lens, the art takes on a 3D effect. I'm not sure if I caught that so well above but check this pic.. super cool right! Hope you had/are still having a good weekend, happy Monday, take care and stay safe..

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

Which are you?

'An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day'.. Henry David Thoreau

 or 

'Early morning cheerfulness can be extremely obnoxious'.. William Feather

It all depends on the season :) I admit to finding it difficult getting up and out there on these cold winter mornings, whereas when the sun rises at 4.30am in summer it is a warm breeze. Above, sunup along Lake Gwelup if you do make the effort is well worth it 💛 One more week of behaving myself re shoulder injury before physio.. I can't believe how much I do with my left arm considering I am right handed! Happy Sunday, take care and stay safe..

When home really is your castle..

Is that a turret I see between the trees? Yes it is! It is the heritage listed Albany Bell Castle built in 1914 (see more images here) Have driven past this building so many times over the years without stopping so yesterday on the way to an appointment at the hospital a stone's throw away I got the perfect opportunity to take these shots and find out a bit more about this curious piece of architecture sitting on the extremely busy Guildford Road. Built originally as a cake and confectionery factory it has had changed occupancy several times since it was sold in 1928, from a chicken hatchery all the way through to the current boutique apartments, think they are having a few restorations right now.. brings new meaning to the expression 'your home is your castle':) Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

**As a side note if you were wondering why I was at the hospital it was to get a steroid injection in my shoulder, it has been agony for ages. It appears to be a case of over-use :) have some torn ligaments etc. got to stop moving mature trees around the garden and building wardrobes, I mean really.. how old do I think I am 😉 Strict advice from doc, DON'T do anything for the next few days! So I am going to do the right thing and lie around reading books for the next few days and I'll see you back here at the weekend 🌹

Super Nurse..

I'm sure this will be familiar to many of you. I found 'Super Nurse' on a wall in South Fremantle last week. It was created by Amsterdam based stencil/street artist Fake to 'raise awareness and as a thank you to all professional healthcare workers around the world working on the front line who risk their lives so that the rest of us can be safe, to encourage them in these challenging times, to lift their spirits and send them love and appreciation.' You have no doubt seen this stencil art somewhere in your city, it is appearing all over the world, interesting short video here (in Dutch with subtitles) of the artist explaining the piece and his surprise that it became so famous💙 Happy Monday, take care and stay safe.. P.s. interestingly many of the posters around the world, as this one, have graffiti on them.. 

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