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Wild waves at Mandalay Beach Western Australia

I met my husband in Walpole many years ago and it is still one of my favourite places. A few weeks ago I drove down with my daughters and we took the scenic route (5 hours instead of 3). We stopped at Mandalay Beach in the D’Entrecasteaux National Park, a wild and glorious spot. The waves crashed and roared and a fine spray like a veil floated above them. We had the beach to ourselves, miles and…

Border check Newry and Dundalk. Photo courtesy of Sharron McQuaid

Friday night is pizza night in our house. I make the dough from scratch and my parents walk down to share dinner and a few drinks. Last night we got talking about our trip back to Ireland and politicians and what is happening at home. Somehow we ended up talking about smuggling.  My dad went to boarding school in Derry and recalled…

A Large Bump in the Road

Dad and I have trained for months, we’re awesome on the flat and we’ve been lucky enough to walk some beautiful trails in the Southwest of Western Australia. We’ve watched flocks of Red Tailed Black cockatoos fly overhead, their raucous noise filling the bush and we’ve been nearly cleaned up by a giant boomer bounding out of the bush in front of us. But all of this training was on the flat, not…

The beach in winter is beautiful. Waves crash on the shore and the air is fresh. I’d wandered along searching for whales, scouring the waves, but they were shy. Two ducks flew past me and landed in the sea. A decaying roo cast its smell into the breeze and I held my breath as I walked by.

I wasn’t the first person on the beach that morning. I followed footprints, human and dog. They were tiny…

I’ve walked around this inlet so many times, but every time I see something different. The beauty of sparkling sun on tiny waves, twinkling like treasure just out of reach. A dolphin popped up beside us one morning, oblivious to us standing watching in awe from the bank. We watched its graceful glide as it slowly meandered down the inlet. Further on, early morning breakfasters sat enjoying the…

Gnomesville a sprawling village of thousands of gnomes, is located about 30 minutes from Bunbury. The gnomes come from all over the world and have set up village here. The village is continually expanding and every time we visit we are amazed by how much it has grown.

Eddie the little gnome I took home

  Logging gnomes

  Girl Guide Gnomes

The Beginning

It’s Raining 

It rained once last month, the wettest April day on record. 

So today everyone was very excited when we heard the large drops on the tin roof. It’s lovely to watch the rain fall and see the earth soaking it up, plus it saves us watering the garden. Wonder how we’ll feel at the end of winter?

When swans meet a (rubber) duck

Rachel's Ramblings:

From my home town in Ireland. Great shot. That black swan is a long way from home!

Originally posted on Talk of the Town:

Check out this superb shot from local photographer Darran Rafferty in Dundalk yesterday.

In it he captures a black and white swan coming across a rubber duck at the North Marsh in Dundalk.

Fantastic stuff! Check out more of Darran’s work here.

View…

I must be one of the worst bloggers. This is my 200th post and I probably could have reached it last year if I was more  prolific. I’ve been busy, graduating again, starting my PhD, learning Spanish (thanks Dora the Explorer) revising my french and walking.

I leave with my parents on August 30 and arrive into Paris Sunday afternoon on the 31st. My mum will fly home to Ireland and no doubt drive…



Yesterday we had to make the heart breaking journey to the vet. Even though we knew it was time for Wes to go, it was still very traumatic. He had gone downhill in the last two weeks and although he still knew when it was dinner time nothing else seemed to work. Do dogs get dementia? I’d let him out for a wee and then he just wandered until one of us tapped him and guided him back inside. He…

Red Tailed Black Cockatoos at Jamarri Sanctuary

  Enjoying a biscuit

Screeeeech

Before Christmas a group of artists – writers, painters, photographers were invited to Helms Forest and Jamarri Cockatoo Sanctuary. The idea was to inspire creativity within the group and to hold an exhibition to bring awareness to the plight of the Black Cockatoos and their future if the intended logging at Helms…

We watched the sky change colour as the sun slowly sank into the Indian Ocean.

This little red bundle of joy is now halfway through his 16th year. His mother was a Doberman and his dad was a friend’s visiting dog. They were so embarrassed they didn’t tell us what had happened, although they did record the conception! We headed off on holiday, driving up the west coast of Australia. We didn’t have mobile phones and only found out when we rang our neighbour. He told us Sassy…

We have left beautiful Western Australia for Christmas with my husband’s family in tropical Queensland.

We’ve already sat through a tropical storm and been dragged around Dreamworld. I can no longer feel my feet.

We attempted, very badly to play mini golf today, the only stroke we got was heat stroke. It’s 33 degrees here, but very humid.

Tomorrow we head inland to Roma, and then we spend…

Where did the year go?

I saw a post on Facebook this morning, reminding me there are only THREE Fridays until Christmas. Someone must’ve had 2014 on fast forward. Tomorrow is the last day of the Australian spring. The sky is blue and cloudless and a slight breeze tickles the trees outside.

Soon the summer heat will burn shoulders and noses. The aroma of backyard barbecues will travel on the breeze and ceiling fans and…