Country town of Yarragon

The Queen celebrated two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on 21 April and her official birthday on the second Saturday in June. But now, for the first time, we are celebrating the King’s Birthday Long Weekend which takes place from Saturday 10th June to Monday 12th June 2023. It is a public holiday today,…

Sunday walk under the blue skies

A leisurely walk at our local Wilson Botanic Gardens. The sun’s so beautiful today that I had to share this with all of you. Inspired by Hammad’s Weekend Sky But first coffee with some friendly people and pets. I thought I would not be able to post any walk for Jo’s Monday Walk but fortunately…

An afternoon in Tooradin

We strolled along the jetty and watched the sky as the sun sets. This was in Tooradin, a quaint fishing village in the bayside township, southeast of Melbourne. Inspired by Jo’s Monday Walk But first, I had an ice cream cone to quench my cravings. Sometimes there’s a scenic cruise operating here in the area….

A walk in Abbotsford Convent

After having a hearty lunch for Mother’s Day, fam and I went to the Abbotsford Convent to spend the rest of the day walking and talking about what has gone by during the past weeks that we didn’t see each other. With lush gardens, the Abbotsford Convent is a slice of the country, an art…

A Moody Walk

When I first saw the theme of the challenge for this week, I was confused as to what direction I was going to take. There were so many different ways of tackling the subject. But it was a Sunday and my hubby and I decided to go for a weekend walk to relax. So there…

Autumn in Emerald Lake

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”-ALBERT CAMUS Autumn … how lovely it is to sit under its lovely coloured foliage … from yellow to orange to red to maroon to amber and brown. I am sharing with you some lovely scenes of autumn in my part of the world. For…

Back in Ilocos Sur

(Road Trip Part 4) TRAVEL DIARY: VIGAN The last time we were here was in October of 2016. This is the UNESCO World Heritage City of Vigan, Established in the 16th century, this is the best-preserved Spanish colonial town in Asia. Calle Crisologo, the main street that is only open to pedestrians and horse drawn…

Last Day in Santiago

(Road Trip Part 3) TRAVEL DIARY: SANTIAGO 3 It is our last day in Santiago, Ilocos Sur so I wanted to have a time all to myself for a change. I wandered off around the grounds of Vitalis Villas before breakfast and savoured the sun, the wind and the sky. I didn’t realise it but…

Santorini of the North

(Road Trip part 1) TRAVEL DIARY: SANTIAGO 1 I haven’t been to Greece so when my sister and nephew suggested that we go for a few days in this place said to be the Santorini of the North, then I didn’t hesitate on agreeing to go. This is quite a new experience for all of…

BGC Mural Walk

TRAVEL DIARY: BGC Bonifacio Global City also known as BGC is known for its stunning skyscrapers, its many restaurants catering to all types if cuisines, its colourful surroundings, and now for its many instagrammable murals dotting the city. BGC is a financial district in Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is located 11 km south-east of…

Museum Street in Angono

TRAVEL DIARY: ANGONO 2 Our Art road trip to Angono continues to Doña Aurora Street in Barangay Poblacion Itaas. It is home to the late National Artist Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco.. As a tribute, murals made of cement were installed on the walls that lined the street. These concrete murals were based on the actual…

Road Trip to Angono

TRAVEL DIARY: ANGONO 1 Angono, Rizal is said to be the art capital of the Philippines. It is about an hours drive from Makati CBD (depending on the traffic… which I know is very unpredictable). The town traces its artistic roots to Angono Petroglyphs in Binangonan, the oldest rock art in the Philippines, with over…

Philippines Diary

And as a Filipino OPM (Original Pilipino Music) by Hotdog song goes: ManilaI keep coming back to ManilaSimply no place like ManilaManila I’m coming home TRAVEL DIARY: PHILIPPINES I should say that there are things that I don’t miss in the Philippines… the corrupt government is on top of my list. The sticky feeling that…

A walk at the Blue Lotus Water Garden

It was only 23 degrees but it was quite warm as it is summer. So a spray of mist at the start of our walk kept us going. This is called the Bridge of Mist. Inspired by Jo’s Monday Walk Jez’s Water Water Everywhere At first we didn’t know how big the place was… until…

A walk in the Montalto Winery

We went on a short getaway last April to Rye and on our way home we had lunch at the Montalto Winery in Red Hill. This is a late post and I just didn’t get the chance to write about this. Anyway, the winery is located in Red Hill, a small town on the Mornington…

Over the Merri Creek Bridge

It was Christmas Day and as the little kids were all excited to play with their new toys and the young adults were happily exchanging gifts…. the adults with their tummies full decided to walk and burn a few calories down. Had a short walk around the Northcote area, an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria,…

Before the year ends…

I know I was supposed to have my last post last Thursday…but I can’t stop myself, especially when I visited all the Christmas decor in the city. Caught up with my daughter for late lunch last Monday and Jack and I walked the town til dark. I love taking the train…one because it is cheaper…

A rainy day in Budapest

“I told them they’d see me walking in the rain in Budapest.” – Mary Chapin Carpenter’ TRAVEL DIARY: BUDAPEST 2 Our fifth and last day in Budapest was very cold and wet but that didn’t stop hubby and I to make the most of our day. We decided to go back to those places that…

A walk on the PEST side of Budapest

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson The following day, the 16th of November 2018, took us to the opposite side of the Danube River, the PEST side of Budapest. From our hotel we crossed the Széchenyi Chain Bridge to get to the other side….

A day in BUDApest

“Europe’s most underrated big city, Budapest can be as challenging as it is enchanting.” – Rick Steves TRAVEL DIARY: BUDAPEST 1 It was a wonderful morning in November of 2018 and this was the view from the hotel where we stayed. Budapest, Hungary’s capital, is divided into two parts by the River Danube. The 19th-century…

Esztergom

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Lao Tzu Our Trafalgar tour was on its way to Budapest and we stopped by this lovely city on a hill…Esztergom! We just stayed there for a few hours to look at the scenery but oh my gosh…the view was astounding. You just…

Sightseeing in Vienna

“Adventure is allowing the unexpected to happen to you. Exploration is experiencing what you have not experienced before.” – Richard Aldington It was the 13th of November 2018 and it was foggy, cold and raining when we went for our first breakfast in Vienna. Beautiful and calming scenery from the Hilton Vienna Danube Waterfront First…

Last Day in Prague (Part 2)

“Prague never lets you go. This dear little mother has sharp claws.” – Franz Kafka After our amazing pre breakfast walk, we went back to our hotel to have breakfast and to freshen up. Next in our itinerary was to go to Petrin Hill My husband and I went to Petrin Hill and that’s when…

Day 2 in Prague

“No matter how many countries you’ve travelled to or where you’re going, Prague will sweep you off your feet.” – unknown From our hotel, hubby and I decided walk to the Old Town Square. It is said that Prague is very walkable… so that’s exactly what we did. We may be using the tram in…

Tour of Imperial Europe

“Prague changes like a precious stone to reflect the weather, the time of day and the season of the year.” – Christian Norberg – Schulz ”We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.” –…

The Cally

“I’m not lost, I’m exploring.” Tim, my son, used to live in Islington, a district in Greater London in 2018 … so best place to go for coffee is in Caledonian Road or The Cally (as locals call it). This is a long stretch of road running for a mile on the western side of…

Stopover in London

“When exploring London, you will come across lots of excitement by chance, so try to take everything in rather than just rushing around to all of the major tourist haunts.” – Richard Branson 2018 was the last time we left Melbourne to go overseas because plans were stopped by “you know what”. Took this Royal Brunei flight…

Australia Day Walk

It is Australia Day Public Holiday today and Forecast is… was gonna rain at 5 pm. So hubby and I decided to go for a walk in the local Lysterfield Lake early morning. Lysterfield Lake is very popular for canoeing, kayaking and sailing. People go for a swim as well as go for a walk…

The journey continues …

“Roads were made for journeys not destinations.” – Confucius After an overnight stay and 2 days on the road in Vigan, we were off again. before it was Pam, my niece, who was driving, and now it was Ram’s turn, my nephew. Sharing this for Jo’s Monday Walk And so, the adventure continues… Next stop…the…

Nothing wrong with doing simple things

“There’s nothing wrong with doing simple things.” – PCoelho Double dipping with challenges is not a new thing for me. In fact, I consider it as part of my personal challenges … combining as many challenges in one post. So, here I go with challenges dipped all together… Lens Artist Photo Challenge,, Photographing Public Art…