All Together Now - Tom's Story

Today, I wanted to share something a little special with you. 

It's a story about a family member... Tom's Story.

I hope you'll take time to watch and perhaps like and share.

We are all very proud of just how much Tom has achieved. 

The more people who know about this free newspaper the better.

Thank you

Morning has broken....

Did you miss me?

I'm hearing a resounding 'of course' here (hehe)....so thank you for that....I know... just humour me...

Well I've been so quiet (for me anyway) since Wednesday, but as you can imagine we've been making the most of the last few days of my daughters visit...but alas the party's over...

she's about to land in the UK in the next half hour...(sigh)...but we're okay about that because we will see each other again at Christmas...so that's not too far away (so I hear).

 I've spent most of today working my way through the 3,000 photographs that she took whilst she was here...and I've been given exclusive rights to use them...for your delight!

Don't worry I don't intend to post all of them and I certainly wouldn't want to have you squirming in your seat wading through masses of holiday photos...but I think you may be in for a treat.

One thing that will stay with me from this visit is how special the dawn came be...the start of a new day

What better way to start a day full of new possibilities...than to capture that special moment....savour it...

take a deep breath and make your heart smile...

I hope your day starts this well ~ have a great weekend everyone....

 

Erskine Falls...another stop on the road trip....

...on the road again....

space, sky and lots of scenery...in fact unbelievable scenery, some to take your breath away. 

I've felt incredibly priviledged to have witnessed nature's magnificence....  

Long straight roads that stretch for miles....

but then there's so much to stop and see along the way....

Take for instance...

Erskine Falls (aboriginal name Kitjarra Ngitj/Ngatanwarr) which is a magical waterfall, tucked away in the beautiful Great Otway National Park...just off the Great Ocean Road.

 The offical photographer busy at work...

with so much to see on the descent...

But with a few hazards to watch out for on the way down....

 

 But then the rewards....

Misty ferns....cool freshness....incredible bird song...peace...plus cascading crisp clear water.

You cannot help but stop and stare in wonder....

...even believing perhaps that you have travelled back in time thousands of years...

Falling from a height of thirty metres...

continually moist from the fine mist of water dancing over the rock face. 

It has inspired thousands of nature lovers over the decades. 

Even the poet and novelist Rudyard Kipling wrote of buying a frond of fern “gathered where the Erskine leaps down the road to Lorne”. 

 Who knows, it might have come from this same plant?

As we started to climb back up into the present...the heavens opened and the rains came down...

timed to perfection ;D

The road trip continues...Mornington Peninsula

...and so we continue on our road trip along the Mornington Peninsula...are you ready? You may want to take your swimmers....Off we go....

Firstly, I thought you might like to see the location of 'the Peninsula' as its commonly called, in relation to Melbourne CBD.

The Mornington Peninsula is located just over an hour’s drive away from the city, on Melbourne’s ‘doorstep’, and is often described as Melbourne’s playground. It is the most popular informal recreation area in Victoria.
So let's go and play....

Unfortunately the photo's don't show very much sunshine, which I know would have been better, especially if you're in the middle of your winter....it would have been a nice warming touch...but believe me it was very warm even without the full sun. If I remember rightly the temperature was over 30+ degrees celcius.

This is a view from the top of the pathway down to the beach...

There are masses of activities for every kind of hobby or whatever your interests.

 A few shots on the pathway...little snippets before we hit the sand...

 

I'd rather not take photo's of people without their permission...a sad fact of our times I'm afraid...and there were quite a few people enjoying the beach, so I left them in peace.

There were lots of people messing busy in or on boats...there seemed a very friendly communal atmosphere around the yard. Lots of people were fishing off the pier and everyone got very excited when there was a bite on the line...
I loved the way these boats bobbed up and down, keen perhaps to get into the open water.

When my son first knew we were coming to Australia he announced that he'd like a little boat...

he's still waiting and I'm not sure if its even still on his wish list, but every time I see a little boat like the one below it always makes me smile : )

If like me you enjoy finding out about the history of a place especially when you're visiting a particular location, then you may want to see this Mornington Pier site. I always find my mind wondering back imagining how things might have been...so the old photo's are brilliant at transporting us to a different era.
Unfortunately I didn't capture a photo of the pier due to the throngs of holiday makers fishing, walking and generally enjoying the great outdoors...its the main summer holiday time here with the schools closed just now, so I didn't think it would give you a good idea of what the pier looks like most of the time.

Here's a much better shot....I just wish it was one of mine (sigh)

 Fantastic photo courtesy of  Koby Thompson

Everyone it seems was enjoying the afternoon. These seagulls were like ladies at the spa, all grooming and chattering away having a wonderful time, but just as I went to take the photo a holiday maker walked a little too near and off they went....Grrr!

Are you hungry? What could be better than to end our trip at the seaside with a feast of fresh fish and chips!

Absolutely scrumdiddleedumshious!

I noticed a photo on the wall of the cafe that Hugh Jackman had visited...oh my...I scanned the crowd intently then...if only.....well I'll just have to be content with my fish and chips, but I'll surely keep my eyes peeled everytime I visit!

I hope you enjoyed our little trip and I'll be sure to invite you along on my next one....hopefully next time the sun will be shining...but until then have a fantastic Friday : D