Floriade 2012 - Canberra

Saturday, we took a drive south, to the National capital, Canberra for this years 'Tulip Time', Floriade...

The drive, in itself, is easy, just over 2.5 hours south along the Hume Highway (Freeway), which now bypasses great towns like Mittagong, Bowral, Goulburn and so on, along the edge of Lake George 25km-long, 10km-wide expanse of water which, when full, looks like a permanent fixture. But as locals know well, it's possible for Lake George to disappear entirely. The large body of water rises and falls seemingly mysteriously, and has done throughout its history.

But, once we arrived into Canberra, we quickly found a spot to park the car, and we entered into the colour that is, 'Floiade'...

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Hoo roo for now...

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Friday Fill-Ins

And...here we go

1. If I had won Powerball, Lotto or even the Lottery, I will payout the mortgage, stay at work, but organise a wonderful party for my friends! BUT, I also need to buy a ticket!!
2. When I worked in Local Government, I really enjoyed being a Curator of Turf Wickets for Cricket. It is almost Cricket season, and I am wanting to go to a One Day International this year!
3. Why are weekends so short, yet weekdays seem to drag out? I am SO looking forward to the weekend, yet, it is filled with lots of things to do, and certainly NOT enough time to do it all! 
4. Soon I will be travelling to Vietnam... Not sure yet what to expect, and I am sure it will be a good trip! BUT, before to long, it will be time to start planning the trip to Dublin in May, for the European Turf Society, and July to Beijing for the International Turf Society conferences! 
5. Wow! We are having some pretty wild weather around Sydney at the moment, Snow in Goulburn to the South (2 hours), Katoomba and Mount Tomah to the West (1.5 hours) and its forecasted for the Northern Tablelands today sometime! Photos are below...
6. You said that ".
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to once and for all, fixing technology issues on M's laptop, iPhone and contacts, as they are doubling up, tomorrow my plans include driving down to Canberra (2.5-3 hour drive) for Floriade; I just hope that the Tulip blooms are still good and Sunday, I want to finally go shopping for my new pillows!!! I am over these headaches I am getting, and I am putting them down to a bad sleep from incorrect sleeping posture, as I also have a sore neck and right arm!

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Here are some of the photos from Mount Tomah, these photos are not mine, but that of a colleague from work (M Murray)... I will add some more in later, but for now, here are some...

Blue Mountain Botanic Gardens Mount Tomah Blizzard

Blue Mountain Botanic Gardens Mount Tomah Blizzard

Blue Mountain Botanic Gardens Mount Tomah Blizzard

Hoo roo for now...

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Thursday Thirteen # 18 End of year rundown...

Thursday Thirteen 

Things to do, in whats left of this year!

1. Work, I am doing a report, OSCAR. This, basically, reports on the energy, water, gas and fuels (DSL and ULP) that we have used for the fiscal year; 1 Jul;y '11 - 30 June '12. Its kinda boring, but interesting, I just wish that when items are purchased, the purchaser doesn't list it as "DSL as per invoice", how am I suppose to know/get/report how many ltr's were used?
2. Three and a half weeks, I am off to Vietnam with J and M. I have said, it isn't necessarily a destination I had wanted to go to, neither was Bali, but when L & I went there, I loved it, and I suspect it will be the same. I am looking forward to it, don't get me wrong, its just a different destination I hadn't had on my list of places to go...
3. We don't do Halloween or Thanksgiving here in Australia. Sure, some people do, but in general, not a popular event! BUT, I am looking forward to seeing some of my distant friends outfits and how they celebrate!
4. Shopping, I have to do Christmas shopping! Don't know when/how/what, but it will get done soon... Maybe, some Vietnamese gifts?
5. Soon it will be the Events Season, so lots of FREE concerts. Jazz, Symphony & Opera in the Domain, Carols in the Domain, New Years Eve, Open Air Cinema just to name a few!!
6. Warmer weather, and hopefully dry as well, will mean time spent down the beach with Bronty...
7. Coming up, not sure about the date at this stage, is the Organ and Tissue Memorial Service, where last year, I spoke. It is put on by the Lions Eye Bank, after donating L's eyes.
8. December, is L's birthday, our wedding anniversary as well (within a week) and then there is Christmas as well!!! So a lot of things going 'on'!
9. By mid-late December, if I have timed it right, the Roses will be in full bloom. It will be a couple of weeks after, that they will be given a medium to heavy prune, a top-up fertiliser and then a good watering to bring on a second flush of blooms...
10. Saturday, I'm off to Floriade in Canberra... Hopefully, the Tulips will still be good and in full bloom. Whilst we've had some warmer days in Sydney, not to mention the winds (both of which destroy the Tulip blooms), Canberra is still a very balmy -1c overnight, and tops around the low-mid teens!
11. I have all my vaccinations for the Vietnam trip, all that remains is the Malaria tablets, which I will get just before going...
12. Bronty will be staying at the Vets, so I need to book her in, in the next couple of days...
13. SLEEP, I need to get some good SLEEP! I have been sleeping, but every morning is a bit of a struggle to get out of bed... I think it is just the change in the day, as last week, we sprung forward into daylight savings!

Start List Here

Hoo roo for now...

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Wordless Wednesday No. 63 - Such a Drag...

Such a Drag...

Hoo roo for now...

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Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill-Ins...

1. I said, I would fertilise the lawn (front) and weed the Rose Garden the other weeek... I did, and the lawn is greening up nicely and the Roses have lots of shoots.
2. Coffee is what I'm craving right now, so I may go over to the Pavillion for one!
3. I was thinking about what to do for dinner last night, I really wanted a marinated chicken, but there wasn't any, so I opted for a small Roast Pork - it was YUMM!!
4. I am now (publicly) announcing that I will be going on a diet, and using the the 'change' on saturday as the catlyst, will you?
5. We (Bronty) should have been finished her 'heat' by now, but she is still in season, but is keeping herself very clean, which is grateful indeed!
6. I will be washing Bronty this weekend, and cleaning the car, whether I want to or not!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to see the GP to pick up a script, then to the chemist to pick up the script beofre a fish 'n' chips dinner, tomorrow my plans include a 10.30 appointment at the GP for my vacinations for my upcoming trip to Vietnam, shopping for new pillows (and SO much more). It is also time to put the clocks FORWARD one hour, so HELLO Daylight Savings and Sunday, I want to sit and watch the V8's up at Bathurst, but there are more important things to do! BUT, Sunday night, Channel 10 is showing the movie about Julian Assange, and I'd like to watch that...

Hoo roo for now...

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Thursday Thirteen # 17 - Shiny

Thursday Thirteen - Shiny...

Federation Square (Fed Square) in Melbourne has all of these eclectic shaped buildings, and here is just one of them, with its shiny, yet oddly shaped, glass facade...

Fed Square - Melb 

This little Fokker, with the sun shining off the First Officer's Window, was my first time on this type of aircraft...

My Fokker Ride to AMS In Amsterdam, mainly around the airport to do some 'spotting' I hired this little, shiny new, Hyundai i10... Yes, it was LITTLE!

My Ride - AMS Hyundai i10 When I went to Floriade, Venlo The Netherlands, one of the displays was 'Dancing Tulips, which were glowing a shiny colour changing whilst they moved around.

Floriade 2012 Venlo, The Netherlands Back in 2004, we visited Coventry, and into the old, and new, Cathedral. Here though, the sun is shining through the stained glass window.

Coventry Cathedral These tea plates, all shiny and clean, were once blogged, many years ago before L died (she had a thing for eclectic cups & sauces...

Tea Plates I really love the way that the light is shining off the water droplets on this Lilly leaf...

Bali Botanic Garden Lilly Leaf

 I always like this shot - i just love the way the light shines off L's cup of tea...

Cuppa Eye

Sydney, really has some great architecture, and here it is at its best, at night, shining off Farm Cove (which is part of Sydney harbour).

Sydney CBD at Night

Macc, although not technically allowed, often came with me to the cemetery where L is buried. Here he is, reflection of the shiny clean glass, looking towards where she is buried...

Macc looking for mum

L'incontro is a little cafe/restaurant in Melbourne, and they have a cute, shiny, little logo on the wall outside. Its a little copper man running with a plate and cup!

L'incontro

In 2009, the ITRC (International Turf Research Congress) was held in Santiago, Chile. Here, at the Grand Hyatt, the light is shining through the rooftop glass into the foyer area.

Grand Hyatt Santiago

Doha, Qatar, has two very different sections to its city, the old and the new. Here, is the new, City Mall, and the sun is shining through the rooftop glass, across 5 levels of shopping floors and down onto the ice-skating rink below.

City Center Mall

Hoo roo for now...
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thursday thirteen

Wordless Wednesday No. 62 Melbourne and a Footy Grand Final

2012 AFL Grand FInal

2012 AFL Grand FInal

Movida Nextdoor (Hosier Lane)

Nuts and Bolts - Hosier Lane

Melb Flower Box

Melbourne Sporting Precinct

Hoo roo for now...

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My take on (Written Inc.: Thematic Photographic 215 - Shiny) Skydeck

This weeks TP, see carmi's link below, is 'Shiny'. I did have to think about what I could do for this, and I remembered that on this past weekend, whilst in Melbourne for the 2012 AFL Grand Final, we went to the top of the Eureka Skydeck, the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere! AND, I recalled taking a photo looking to the East of Melbourne of the War Memorial, and there was the reflection, shiny, of the glass (which is 24 carat Gold Plated as well, so its SHINY!!).

View of the War Memorial from the Eureka Skydeck

Written Inc.: Thematic Photographic 215 - Shiny

Hoo roo for now...

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2012 AFL Grand Final - Well Done Sydney Swans!!

This morning, I am a little 'horse', I have a headache, but I am glad to have both... Yesterday, the mighty Sydney Swans won the 2012 AFL Grand Final!! Final score was Sydney 14-7-91 to Hawthorn 11-15-81!!

The day started early, I went down to the MCG, a 10-15 walk from Richmond, to soak up the atmosphere. I arrived at my designated gate, No. 4!

I also caught up with some friends from Sydney, D&A were also down, (A being a tragic supporter as well!!!), and finally the gates opened!

The stadium filled quickly, all 99,683 of us, the entertainment was good, (The Temper Tramp & Paul Kelly) and then the AusKick kids came up, and stormy skies came over...

The game itself, was excellent, in that both teams had a mutual respect for each other, and the game changed so many times, especially in the final quarter!

Post match, they also had a concert, where at 6pm, the gates opened so as supporters who didnt get a ticket could come in...

What a fantastic day...

Hoo roo for now...

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Wordless Wednesday 61 - Holmenkollen Ski Jump

Holmenkollen Ski Jump - Oslo, Norway

Hoo roo for now...

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