Coffee Catch-Up #23

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I finished my Christmas shopping last Tuesday. What a relief. And yesterday I  finished wrapping all of the presents, which I always get excited about. Unfortunately, this year we won’t have a big Christmas tree to put them under as we are currently between trees. The one from our old house is broken from too much loving and I don’t want to buy a new one until we extend next year.  So in the interium it will be back to the small fibre optic tree that changes colours.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about how much fun the family of magpies that has taken up residence in our garden are having playing under the water sprinkler when Rod puts it on to water my garden each evening. They run around under the water in an attempt to cool off and then enjoy looking for worms in the soil. They are too quick for us however, so every time we go to take a photo they run away and play somewhere else.

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If we were having coffee I would tell you that I really enjoyed flying into Sydney from Perth last week. As we flew overnight from the west coast to the east coast of Australia we saw a different flight path and to my surprise we also flew over our old suburb. I loved seeing the sunrise from the sky and an aerial view of what I think is the Parramatta River.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I made my own baked beans this week and was very pleased with how tasty they were. Motivated by having had some when we were in Perth, I was on a mission to give them a go. I have since found some other recipes so I think I might give them all a try and then rank my results. Do you have a favourite baked beans recipe you’d like to share?

If we were having coffee I would probably ask you if you want some Christmas bush. Our tree has once again produced a bumper crop and sharing it with family and friends makes it feel like an Aussie Christmas. We have 2 vases in our house, the one below in the entry to our house and one in the kitchen, the hub of the home.

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If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world? Let me know in the comments.


Weekly Photo Challenge: Serene

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This serene setting is literally the view from my girlfriends front door. We were sitting having coffee one morning, when I was so taken by the view that I quickly took these photos and added them to Facebook with the caption “it’s a tough life but someone’s got to do it.”

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/serene/


Weekly Photo Challenge: Unusual

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to explore the new University of Newcastle building at its community open day. The building was architecturally designed using square boxes to highlight several Newcastle icons. From the outside it may look unusual but it’s also practical and spectacular.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The unusual building was filled with unusual performers ensuring everyone felt welcomed.

From level 8  I saw many unusual views — an aerial view of Hunter Street, Newcastle’s main street,

over Civic Park,

Newcastle Harbour,

and out to Nobby’s Beach and lighthouse.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/unusual-ld/


A Room With Two Views

In my perfect world, I would have a room with two views. Then, I could mange any of my moods and more importantly, keep my favourite activities are close at hand. The view from my front room would be of my private, deserted beach. My back view is of snow-capped mountains.

My beach or private cove is approximately 1 kilometre in length with high cliffs on one side with a grassy bank and a fresh water stream running through it on the other side. The stream would start in the mountains and contain thousands of wild salmon that swim up stream, jumping between the pebbles. Owing to the amount of water in the area from the melting snow, the grass is emerald green and soft under my bare feet.

Grass tobogganing is my favourite activity during the summer, with the steep land between the beach and the mountains is perfect for this. I have even had a T-bar installed to make getting to the top easier.

The beach itself, is protected and while you can surf on the far corner, the main area has only small crashing waves. These make wind surfing, kayaking and well as snorkeling safe activities.

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My back view is of mountains overlooks a private ski field in winter with enough people to make it fun, but not overcrowded. In summer, hiking is a great way to keep fit and there are several huts scattered on  the mountain to provide overnight accommodation if hikers stay out late. As the mountain is relatively small, it is perfect for cross country skiing and snow shoeing. The water from the stream is pure and drinkable, with a naturally occurring spring half way down.

Each day, in my perfect world, I feel my life is complete. I enjoy my natural surrounding and de-stress with my vivid images—if only a place like this exists in my real world.

Day 2 Writing 101