smell the flowers

"You are only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry and be sure to smell the flowers along the way" - Walter Hagen 

Good advice for people and dogs.

 

Noticing

On my walks with Max around the neighbourhood I am constantly on the lookout for beauty in the ordinary and here a splash of orange and yellow can make all the difference. 

 

noticing

One thing I love about photography is that it helps me to focus on the present, to notice things and to stop.  On my walk the other day I  noticed this bedraggled pelican cleaning himself and drying out. Spending time in nature can be so grounding. 

 

The little things

 It's the little things in life that make you happy. Walking in the park with my dog Max (seen here in the photo). He potters along and I look at the water and the sunshine and feel content. 

cosy and content

Hygge is a feeling of cosiness and contentment - a state of being that many people would aspire to. This morning's version  of hygge is coffee at a van, situated in nature opposite a section of the national park. I went for a walk with a new friend and we had coffee afterwards. 

A lovely way to spend the morning.

 

A bit of hygge

 It is still very cold here in London and I like to dash into my local coffee shop and order a flat white and wait for my glasses to un fog after stepping in from the cold into the warmth.

lemon

Sliced lemon in some iced water, the perfect summer drink.

 

Winter colour

I seem to be always searching for colour in these winter months and luckily blood orange season here which does the trick perfectly.

Peek a boo

 A photo from a month or two ago- loving the trees and the shadows and the giraffe having a rest.

 There is something magical about the English countryside in the winter light at the moment. It's very cold but the light coming through the trees is wonderful. 

a bird's nest

I was hoping to post a new year photo with beautiful sunshine because it's summer in Australia and the weather initially had gotten off to a great start for 2025... most mornings we have been walking and swimming early at the beach. But the last few days it's been quite cool, windy and rainy. We woke up this morning to this bird's nest that was blown out of a tree. I'm pretty sure it belonged to a magpie family that moved on months ago but I'm always struck by the beauty and intricacy of a woven bird's nest. 

 

Happy New Year!

 January in London is looking like this, beautiful frost and snow predicted for tomorrow night