Tuesday 14 April 2015

Back on track

A bolt from the blue found me in hospital with a mystery illness last month.  
I'm back on track now thanks to wonderful care from the nurses & doctor 
 in our lovely little local hospital and of course from my beautiful family & friends.

It certainly brings things into perspective though 
and makes you realise what's important in life.

So yesterday I met up for a picnic lunch with my son and family in the little town of Guyra
some 100 kms to the west of us, and about half way between Brisbane and Sydney.  
Guyra is the highest town on the New England Tablelands of N.S.W. 
at 1330 metres (4363 feet) above sea level. 


Autumn colours there are in full swing.






The usual hour and a half journey home took way way longer
 as I stopped constantly to take photos!






The country is quite dry here so colours stand out in all their vibrancy
 against the dry vegetation.




I am at risk of becoming boring......(I warned you I took lots of photos!)
so I think I will continue on my journey home next time.  
The photo above gives a hint of what's ahead.

Bye for now



36 comments:

  1. Hello Jane,

    It is good to read that you are now returned to health after your illness. You are so right that such things do serve to remind one of how one takes good health very much for granted until, suddenly, it is not there. And so, your journey into this glorious countryside must have lifted the spirits. Every detail becomes a treasure and the wonderful colours a feast for the eyes. We have enjoyed travelling with you.

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    1. Hello Jane and Lance,
      I am so glad that you have been along on the road with me. I have enjoyed your company and appreciate your kind thoughts.

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  2. Dear Jane, so very sorry your were ill and hospitalized - so very glad they took good care of you and helped you recover!
    What a delightful country ride - your pics are beautiful, and like you I would have turned that journey into a day of photography right alongside you with so much to capture.

    As for your signature - you need to set the type on a transparent background. Did you use PicMonkey to make it? That's what I always use for editing - it's a really easy little program. Let me know if I can help more.

    Hugs - stay well.
    Mary

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    1. Dear Mary, Thank you for joining me in spirit on my country ride! I do know pic monkey and used that for the collages above, but not for the signature. I know you have a lovely one. I will try doing it that way and if I have problems I'll get in touch. Thank you as always for your support and care. :)

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    2. Hi again Mary, just to let you know, I've fixed it! It had to do with the borders that were around all my photos which is set as the default on blogger. The signature was treated as a photo. I googled it and found a CSS code to put in and hey presto, no borders any more. Been meaning to do that for ages! Many thanks for your suggestions and I'll see you over at pic monkey x

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  3. Dear Jane, your photos are never boring. I'm sorry to hear that you were ill, but very happy to hear that you are feeling fine enough now for picnics and photo shoots:) I am a huge fan of picnics. When I was a child we packed a picnic almost every weekend in the summertime and we would hop in the old station wagon and head out on a journey. Even just the word "picnic" is music to my ears:)
    Are those mailboxes in the last photo . . . they are adorable, so cute.
    Have a happy day and a full and fresh recovery.
    Connie :)

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    1. Dear Connie, you are always so generous, thank you! Picnics are wonderful fun aren't they, and I too have great childhood memories but they always seemed to involve a lot of walking first! Mail boxes? Yes they are indeed ~ gorgeous aren't they? I always think it would be great to write a book showcasing the wonderful variation of mail boxes, but it's probably already been done. I bet you have some good ones around you too.

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  4. Beautiful photos! I especially like the windmill against the partly-cloudy sky. Glad you're feeling better.

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    1. Thank you so much Kathleen, and I agree, there is something fascinating about windmills, standing tall and usually creaking.

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  5. I'm happy you are well now. And back with this beautiful, colorful journey. No risk to become boring :) ! I'd love plenty more !

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    1. That's very lovely of you to say so Amelie, and I agree with you that it's interesting to see other parts of the world, just I love your wonderful photography of your world.

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  6. I'm glad you are back again and feeling better. What a lovely pictures of that trip did you make and of course this is not boring, for I'm very curious to life and pictures of 'downunder'.

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    1. Hello Janneke, thank you for your nice words, and I am glad that you enjoy visiting my part of Oz with me, just as I love yours and always your beautiful garden.

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  7. So sorry to hear that you have been ill, I'm glad you are now back on track. Your images are so lovely the colours against the dry grass are beautiful. Sarah x

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    1. Dear Sarah, thank you so much for your kind wishes, and I too love the way the flowers seem as though they are trying to catch our attention by waving at us!

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  8. Hello Jane
    I am happy to hear you are in good health again. Your images are fabulous and one can feel the autumn air.
    This post brought back fond memories of my time living in Australia a long time ago.

    Helen xx

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    1. Hello again Helen, lovely to hear from you. I have been out of the loop for a while but look forward to going visiting my lovely blogging friends again soon. I wonder which part of Australia you lived in? Such a wide range of landscapes isn't there?

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  9. I did not know Dorrigo had a hospital! We had casually thought of living in the Dorrigo area but the thought of no nearby hospital had been one of the issues. Pleased you have been well cared for and are back into things again. Guyra would be pretty this time of year, not so much in mid-winter. Enjoying your road trip with you and looking forward to seeing more.

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    1. Yes we have a lovely hospital Karen. Years ago I had my youngest son there, but he was about the last before they stopped that, and now it's Armidale or Coffs. Yes you're right, it's pretty chilly up there in winter! I remember taking the children to see the snow sometimes...all very exciting! Will be the grandchildren's turn now.

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  10. It is such a wonderful time of year for a drive through the country. Love all your photos, and not boring at all. Sorry to hear that you have been unwell. Welcome back

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    1. Thank you so much! Yes, spring and autumn would have to be my favourite seasons I think. Not too hot, not too cold....just right!

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  11. Well now, as one who loves to take photos and who loves to look at others, I thoroughly enjoyed this post. It is so nice meeting you Jane. I shall enjoy visiting again.

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    1. Lovely to meet you too Denise and I think we will enjoy sharing photos from across the world.

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    2. Hello again, I am back to answer a couple of your questions. The last flower, the yellow one, was the Trout Lilly. And I still have my English accent, as do a group of British friends I have here. On going back to England some thought I was a Canadian, so though Americans readily identify me as English, or Australian, back in the UK I realize my accent isn't quite what it used to be. So I had to smile when in the UK they take you for an Australian but in Australia they recognize you as English. Thanks for stopping by. I will be popping by here again soon.

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  12. What lovely photos! I love the wide open feel of the place.
    Glad to hear you are feeling well.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Thank you so much Amalia, and it is lovely to meet you. I don't think I have had a visitor to my blog from Israel before so that's special too. Bye for now, Jane

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  13. Oh, if only I could be whisked away to travel your journey! I guess I'll just have to make do with your wonderful photos. Some of the views are so different from ours, yet some of your vegetation is just the same.

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    1. Hello Anne, you are right, some of the vegetation is the same but sadly they are often the ones that have become weeds, like blackberry and privet! Glad you enjoyed the journey, and hope you'll be able to come along for the last leg soon.

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  14. Sorry to hear you have been ill and hope that you are fully recovered now. Your photos are stunning - especially the two collages.

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    1. Hi Elaine, thank you for your kind thoughts. I too hope that I am fully recovered. I feel good but do get tired quickly. Sounds like I had an attack of getting older doesn't it!!

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  15. So glad you're back, Jane! I was relieved to see you commenting and tweeting again, but knew I wouldn't rest easy till I saw a post here. I was a bit worried you might have some post viral syndrome after your bout in hospital, but a new theme and header and those photos have put my mind at rest - so much vibrancy and joy in life! (Your last few lines intrigued me...Is there maybe a new baby bull on the horizon?)

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    1. Thank you Janice, you are a rock. I am so much better now, although I do get tired even more quickly than usual ( old age?!)
      I like your thinking there with the baby bull idea but you are a step ahead! We do in fact have another young bull to pick up this week, however the post, as you rightly suggested, features cattle ~ nothing more!

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  16. I am glad that you are feeling better, Jane. You never how important your heath is until you are not feeling well. Jane, you pictures are far from being boring. I always enjoy your pictures, they are so beautiful.

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    1. Hi Dawn, thank you very much for your kind words. You are quite right, our health is so important.

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