Friday Fences: Kangaroos

Much to my daughter amusement, I made a stop on the way home from swim training today to take some photos of the paddocks beside our suburb for Friday Fences. With all the rain we have had over the past week, the paddocks are slowing transforming into ponds! The happy croaking of all the excited frogs was almost deafening!

I was interrupted from my concentration by my daughter shouting and pointing, and there I saw a mob of kangaroos,  bounding, and bouncing down the hill.

Us Australian's think it's very funny that people from the Northern Hemiphere seem to believe that kangaroos just bound down the street in Australia!. Toady...it was almost true as our house is a mere few hundred meters from  this spot.

Remember...you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it.......

You can just see the kangaroos in the distance if you click on the picture...(I hadn't noticed them when  I took the picture)

There are two cheeky Kangaroos hiding in this picture...can you see them??

For more Friday fences, pop over to see Life According to Jan and Jer and immerse yourself in beautiful photos of fences from all around the world!

Friday Fences: Minnamurra Rainforest

One of our favorite things to so as a family is to go on bush walks. The combination of exercise, adventure, fresh air and beautiful scenery always lifts everyone's spirits

Before children, I loved the dirt wilderness tracks; obstacle courses of mud, rocks and logs. Walking (or running) the tracks would give me a real sence of nature, adventure and accomplishment.  In fact, I used to snob boadwalks with distain! Nowadays, particularly while the children a young, we have been activily seeking out Parks that have boardwalks and fences!...oh, the irony

The kids run off along the board walks with such joy and enthusiasm..... that is until they are completely exhausted! It just means that I have to carry the little one all the way back...at least there is a ice-cream treat waiting!

Now I appreciate the access that the boardwalks and fences provide and I have to admit, I'm glad the fences are there to keep everyone safe.  I can't wait until they get a little older though.......bush tracks, here we come!

I thought our trip to the Minnamurra rainforest in the Booderoo National park, near Wollongong NSW would be perfect to share the bush walk fences for Friday Fences.

For more Friday fences, pop over to see Life According to Jan and Jer and immerse yourself in beautiful photos of fences from all around the world!

Black Mountain Tower

Black Mountain Tower (or Telstra Tower) is much loved by my family.

When we return home from often long and ‘torturous’ road trips (think 3 kids squeezed in the back seat saying “…are we there yet?...” for 12 hours straight), Black Mountain tower is the first Canberra landmark they see. It is greeted with much anticipation and jubilation! The site of the tower signals that we are back home!

The tower is visible in many parts of Canberra and the children know that their dad’s work is located at the base of Black Mountain. Just about wherever they are in Canberra, they can look at he tower and know that their daddy is working right there!

For me, Black Mountain tower is a symbol of freedom, adventure and growing up. I moved to Canberra, far away from my Country NSW home to start at the Australian National University. It was here, under the shadow of the tower, that I began to discover who I was. I had the chance to experience that heady feeling of first-time freedom and independence. Of being surrounded by others who loved to learn and study, of finally finding my tribe.

Now my kids just love to climb up there and run around it…and they really think that they can see our house!  It's a good thing they have a fence up there!!

For Friday Fences, I'm linking with Life according to Jan and Jer. Click over and see some really interesting and creative photos from all over the world... though a fence!

Friday Fences: Closer to Home

For Friday Fences, I have shared photos of fences from some of my favorite places to visit here in Australia. Today I thought I would stay a little closer to home and show the fences of my own back garden.

If only those fences could talk...they would tell the story of my children growing up, playing in the back garden. learning to run,  jump and hide, learning how to build cubby houses and swing on an old tyre. Enjoying summer family BBQ's and learning how to garden from their father.

These fences change with the seasons...and change with time, just like my children.

Part of our fence with the beautiful Clematis in full bloom in the spring 

The  fish pond (there is also a lovely little Crimson Rosella and a very disinterested cat!)

My little boy, planting up the garden in Autumn with his dad 

The first tomatoes ripening this summer

These fences have seen a lot of action

I'm linking up with the wonderful Life According to Jan and Jer for Friday Fences. At his beautiful photography blog, you can find creative photographs of fences from all over the word!!

Friday Fences: Wattamolla

Last week's Friday Fences post was all about the fence...This week, it's more what you can see through the fence!

The Royal National Park in Southern Sydney is Australia's oldest National Park and the second oldest in the world (after Yellowstone in the USA). It is hard to believe that there is such a beautiful place right in Australia's biggest city! Wattamolla beach is one of our families favorite places. It is full of history too because GrumpyDaddy's family also visited there many times when he was growing up.

To get to the beach, there is a lovely walk along the edge of the lagoon.

There is the option of swimming in the lagoon, or braving the surf!!

The fence and warning signs are supposed to act as a deterrent to stop people from jumping into the lagoon from the top of the waterfall. If you look at the top right, you will see that these measures were not enough to deter everyone.

We  last visited Watamala after my kids first taste at' high patform ocean diving' at Watson's bay. As the bigger kids were jumping into the lagoon, I could see my children watching them; the wheels turning in their  little heads, begging the question...".maybe we could".....

........"not a chance!!".....

For Friday Fences I'm linking up to Life According to Jan and Jer for Friday Fences. Come accross and see some beautiful photography from all over the world!

Friday Fences: Old or New??

 Since starting blogging. something very strange has come over me....... Once I would happily go about my day without really a thought for fences. Now, fences suddenly catch my attention, and absorb me as I find myself wondering at their linear beauty, charm, detail, and purpose. 

This is entirely to do with the Friday Fences meme I have been participating in on the beautiful photography blog Life According to Jan and Jer. There is a wonderful and friendly community there who capture and share interesting and creative photographs from all over the world...of, or though a fence.

Life According to Jen and Jer

To demonstrate my new found affliction, this Australia Day, we took the kids out to a little cafe for an ice-cream treat. From the parking lot of the cafe, I could see this very interesting fence (you can see the fence as I did if you look closely at the first photograph), and couldn't help but go and inspect it!

 I love how old and rustic it looks and how it is made in the traditional style of  fitting the tapered end of the railings into the holes of the fence posts. I liked the rough texture of the wood and the way the railings are not straight but follow the curves of the original tree...... What has happened to me !!!!  :)

The fence is located in an historic part of Canberra known as Gold Creek or Ginninderra Village, close to the site of the original homesteads that pre-dated Canberra. Strangely, the building the fence is protecting seems relatively modern, yet they have been abandoned. 

The buildings and the grounds have fallen into disrepair, overgrown with grass weeds and rubbish. I am not sure if the fences were built at the same time as the buildings or if the fences remained  there from the original homestead....What do you think?

Either way, my children thought it was a  bit odd to be taking photographs of them!

Come and see some beautiful fence photography at life according to Jen and Jer! You too may discover and appreciate the beauty of something once taken for granted and largely ignored....  fences.

Friday Fences: The Bush Capital

Whilst we were on holiday, we took the kids  to see the mountains and rain forests of the Far North Coast of NSW. Now that we are back home in Canberra, we took them for a day trip to the Tidbinbilla/Brindabella ranges.

These mountains were  ravaged by a bush fire fire storm 9 years ago (to the day, coincidently) and the scares on the landscape are still very obvious. 

Up in the mountains there is a beautiful little waterfall called Gibraltar falls. In the rushing water, I just caught a glimpse of a rainbow.....

 There is an absolutely amazing contrast between the lush rainforests and the dry Australian bush of the National Capital, Canberra. Canberra was a planned city and sometimes I wish they had planned it to be near the beach…or not so cold…. and sometimes not so hot!

But in it’s own way, the country side around Canberra has it’s own beauty and charm. The sky seems to be painted with a lighter blue and the scenery is in shades of yellow, brown and dark green. It reminds me of Australian folklore, of bushrangers and brumbies.

I guess that’s why it’s known as the Bush Capital

It's Friday Fences day so I'm linking up with Life According to Jan and Jer, where you'll find lots of wonderful and creative photos...through a fence! 

Things I know: Goodbye Holidays!

I know that The Border Ranges is one of my favorite places. I am very thankful for the opportunity to take my children to see this amazing place. I’m also glad that I had the chance to share some of the pictures…to places all over the world…. on my blog. Thank you to everyone for your kind comments about my pictures, I appreciate them so much. Blogging truly is an amazing medium!

I know that I really enjoy photography and admiring others pictures. As my way of saying ‘good-bye’ to the holiday, I’m adding photos of ‘my’ Border Ranges and the Tweed Ranges taken from a distance and linking them to the fences meme on Life According to Jan and Jer. Pop over and see some of the talented and creative photography… through a fence.

I know that I had a fantastic holiday with family in beautiful locations. However, I also know that it takes me a little time to adjust to being back by myself in lonely old Canberra. But, Canberra is where GrumpyDaddy’s job is, where the children’s fantastic school is and where they have tremendous opportunities and facilities to pursue their sports. I know that at the moment, wherever GrunpyDaddy and my children are……that is my home.

I know that I am standing on the cusp of 2012, excited and enthusiastic about the opportunities and challenges this year will bring. The girls are excited about starting school at a new campus, although the adjustment may take a little time. Music lessons will begin, school work and home work will get more serious. Their sports will be fun, challenging and exhausting, but I’m excited about the many rewards it will bring. Buster will face a challenging year of speech therapy and pre-school.  I am apprehensive and worried for him but hoping he will be OK.

I know that I am excited about blogging. I am really enjoying sharing my stories and becoming part of a world-wide community. I know that I would really like to build a community on my blog to support, encourage and motivate parents and children to be  involved in youth sports and an active life-style.

Finally…I know that I am linking up this post with Kellie at the The Good, The Bad and The Unnecessary for the things I know blog hop. Come and have a read about the things that some other great bloggers know!