Places Archives - INSPIRING MAX

Eat, Drink And Be Merry

June 7, 2015 inspiringmax

…for tomorrow we die. The world is ending tomorrow! Tell us about your last dinner — the food, your dining companions, the setting, the conversation.

If the world was ending tomorrow I would choose to go camping in the Australian bush with all my family. Not glamping—glamourous camping with all the modern conveniences. Camping à la natural. No electricity, no showers and dig your own toilets. I love getting out with nature, listening to the sounds of the bush and hopefully seeing a koala or possum in the trees. We have never had a problem with snakes as with over 20 people we make too much noise.

The food would be a bush BBQ that we begin preparing in the afternoon by collecting a massive amount of wood to keep us going all night—waiting for the world to end. Included on the menu is:

bacon
capsicum
corn
damper
green salad
mushrooms
potatoes
rissoles
rocket salad
sausages
steak

After dinner as we continued to chat and drink champagne and beer by the fire I would introduce S’mores to the family. I would get everyone to cook their marshmallows over the fire while I prepared their chocolate and biscuits. We don’t have graham crackers in Australia so I would use the best substitute I could find. Once the marshmallow is cooked I would join them all together and watch everyone’s enjoyment.

The spontaneity of sitting around a campfire is the best. Nothing is or can be planned yet the memories last forever.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/eat-drink-and-be-merry/

Weekly Photo Challenge:Enveloped

May 16, 2015May 16, 2015 inspiringmax

What does enveloped mean to you?

To me enveloped means surrounded by, wrapped in or enclosed.On my journeys I have found several examples of differing ways things this can happen. I think envelopment helps to balance a picture what are your thoughts?

Enveloped in the Australian bush

Old Silk Road traveling route China enveloped in glass for protection.

Many people would like to envelope themselves in this cosy Tiger onsie.

Beaver enveloped in their hutch enjoying a tree branch.

Street name enveloped in the footpath Moncton Canada.

Snow and Ice enveloping the St Lawrence River Montreal Canada.

Otter enveloping himself. He looked so cute and comfortable.

A volcanic eruption enveloped the whole area Buried Village New Zealand.

1000’s of statues are enveloped in their own caves Longman Grottos China.

Clouds envelope a beautiful sunset Zhenzhou China.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/enveloped/

Share Your World 2015 – Week 17

May 2, 2015May 2, 2015 inspiringmax

What is your most favorite smell/scent?

I don’t focus on smells I am more of a visual person. Although at the end of a long day at work, I love to walk into the house and smell that someone has cooked dinner—I don’t care what it is I love them for it. My favourite perfumes are Beautiful by Estee Lauder and Opium.

Do you prefer long hair or short hair for yourself?

I have never had long hair. My hair has always reached a certain point and grown out rather than down. It gets more puffy. Today, it is shoulder length as this seems to be the right length for me. If I want to put it up I can and it drapes well around my face to soften it.

Do you plan out things usually or do you do them more spontaneous (for example if you are visiting a big city you don’t know?)

I like a mixture of both. If I need to do something specific I plan it but I often just go exploring and see what gems I can discover as I go. My experience teaches me, the more I plan even a little the less time is wasted, but the less of the actual city I see as I am too focused on getting from A – B.

What is your favorite outdoor activity?

I love spending time with nature in any way. Different seasons different ways. Walking on the beach, skiing, bush walking, ice skating, swimming, sailing and cycling these are all fun activities I have enjoyed over recent times.

http://ceenphotography.com/2015/04/27/share-your-world-2015-week-17/

Weekly Photo Challenge: Intricate

May 2, 2015 inspiringmax

The Chen Clan Academy is the most intricate building I have seen. As the name suggests it was originally an academic Temple built with money donated the 72 Chen clan families for the accommodation during the their preparation for Imperial Examinations. The Temple was completed in 1894 during the Qing dynasty and is amazingly decorated with wood carvings, stone carvings, pottery, brick carvings, plaster and iron carvings.

Located in Guangzhou, China the Temple became the Guangdong Folk Art Museum in 1959. I think I found the outside of the building even more fascinating than the Chinese Folk Art inside.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/intricate/

V – Veiled Virgin # A – Z Challenge

April 27, 2015 inspiringmax

She is the most beautiful piece of art I have ever seen. The Veiled Virgin, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is crafted from Carrara marble by Giovanni Strazza. In 1856, she was brought to St John’s Newfoundland by Bishop Mullock—the then Bishop of Newfoundland. He described her as ” this perfect gem of art.” I had the pleasure of viewing her at the Presentation Motherhouse in St John’s where she has resided since 1862.

The Veiled Virgin can only be viewed by calling at the Motherhouse between certain hours and these change according to the season. To be able to see her, my husband and I needed to come back again as we were originally told the wrong day—disappointed we thought we should return but nearly didn’t, as we were not really sure what we were going to visit. We were well rewarded for our effort, seeking refuge from the snow spending half an hour in her company. Her thin veil of marble is exquisite, the detail in her crafting incredible and I was fascinated by the way it looked like her eyes follow me around. It was a humbling and inspirational experience to see the Veiled Virgin and learn about the history of the Motherhouse, from the Sister showing us through.

Q – Quebec City #A – Z Challenge

April 21, 2015 inspiringmax

Christmas Day last year my husband and I spent in Quebec City. According to Google—it was the 2nd most guaranteed place in the world for snow to fall on Christmas Day as well as be on the ground. We were excited. After more than half a century we were going to have our first white Christmas. Great in theory however the weather didn’t want to co-operate. For the first time in over 20 years Quebec City didn’t have a white Christmas. We had a great day wandering around exploring the Plains of Abraham, Chateau Frontenac and Old Quebec City. We were even lucky enough to experience a light dusting of snow as we were walking home from Christmas dinner—I was in my element.

018 - used and unused steps in Grande Allee

#A -Z Challenge

P – Pretty # A -Z Challenge

April 21, 2015April 21, 2015 inspiringmax

Write about anything you’d like, but make sure that all seven colors of the rainbow — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet — make an appearance in the post, either through word or image.

In New Zealand I found some bright and surprising sights that covered all the colours of the rainbow. They all brought a smile to my face.

#A-Z Challenge

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/roy-g-biv/

L – Lithgow Small Arms Factory

April 17, 2015 inspiringmax

Opened in 1912 the Lithgow Small Arms Factory was Australia’s first precision mass production factory. The Small Arms Factory was commissioned out of a need to make sure Australia was safe from invasion. Little did they know that world war would break out in two years creating a major demand for their product—Short Magazine Lee Enfield Rifles for the Australian military.

Building the Small Arms Factory at Lithgow changed the lives of the town and many people as it brought employment and housing to the area. I was excited to visit this factory as my father had only recently told me that my grandfather had found employment there when he was a boy. Despite the family connection, it was not until I spent a morning in their fascinating museum that I realised the true important of Lithgow’s Small Arms Factory on Australia’s history. The museum built on the site of the original factory is manned by very knowledgeable volunteers—many of whom had previously worked in the factory and had many interesting stories to tell. We got lucky because it was a quiet morning the volunteers were happy to chat for half an hour and I was grateful to get some insight into my grandfathers life.

Between the wars the Lithgow Small Arms Factory produced an incredible array of commercial products and in their spare time worked on inventing new technologies and devices.

I – Inukshuk #A – Z Challenge

April 13, 2015 inspiringmax

An inukshuk is a human-shaped man-made stone landmark built by the Inuit people of the Artic region. Traditionally they are built to assure the newcomer to the area that they are on the right path and point to good local hunting places or other food sources.

Inukshuks are made by using whatever rocks or stones are around and balancing them on top of each other in the traditional shape of a human with one arm longer and pointing in the direction needed.

All inukshuks are unique.

Last month my husband and I were surprised to find an inukshuk made in the creek at Minyon Falls. He was special and brought a smile to our faces as we remembered our recent trip to Canada.