In the middle of Sydney is the a wonderful place to step out of the city and escape the modern world in the Chinese Garden of Friendship
It’s a great place to unwind, take a break from it all see some wildlife you wouldn’t normal associate with a modern metropolis
There’s a small entry fee but it well worth the money to see a little bit of China and maybe have a cup of tea in the Teahouse
These photos were taken this time last year on a not so nice summers day in the city, but the Chinese Gardens more than made up for it. More information on the Gardens here
This delightful enclosed Garden is a haven of tranquillity and harmony. Take a journey through the Chinese Garden of Friendship’s winding pathways. Experience the serenity of its pavilions, lakes and waterfalls. Afterwards, contemplate the beauty around you while you relax with a jasmine tea in the traditional Chinese Teahouse.
I’m missing Australia Day today/yesterday (depending where you are in the world) so a couple of photos from Sydney on Jan 26th 2004 and 2005.
Couldn’t have timed it better, but was also granted a 6 month tourist visa for Australia today too so this time next year i’ll be back in Darling Harbour watching the fireworks 
A second entry to the ‘one this day in history‘ section.
This photo is possibly one of my favourites and features Sydney Harbour Bridge lit up for the 2005 Sydney Festival. The bridge is always nice to take pictures of at night, especially so when you have all the coloured lights from it too.
Other photos from Sydney in 2005 are here
When the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King was released on DVD a few years back it came with a model of Minas Tirith. Following on from this Gollum Shot I thought i’d try one with this model.
I’ve played about with the actual photo in photoshop, and kind of like the result. The Depth of Field could probably have been better…
I’ve just found a nice little wordpress countdown plugin that, strangely enough, counts down to specifc dates.
2006 is the year when i’m off travelling again. A few holidays during the year then off down to the southern hemisphere for a year or two starting in New Zealand. The countdown plugin could be a nice addition when on the road, and until then is giving me some encouragement in seeing the days pass by.
Take a look in the sidebar to see it in action, and at the time of writing this post I have these days to pass…
Canada (40 days)
Portugal (158 days)
New Zealand (261 days)
Australia (305 days)
I’ve just been looking back through the Gallery and came across some photos taken on this day a couple of years ago.
I was in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains (Sydney, Australia) at the time. A long way from now and a day dreary day in the East Midlands… It was early evening and I was sat in my hostel with not a lot to do and realised the sun was about to set, so I grabbed my camera and walked down to the Three Sisters. There’s a wonderful light at that time of night and the last few rays of sun highlight the rock formations nicely
Think I may start doing an ‘on this day in history’ posting to feature photos from a few years back that are in the gallery when i’ve nothing new to post.
As the festive season comes to an end for another year this will be the last of the photos from last weekend wintery spell (there’s a chance of snow next weekend – woo!)
This one features a couple of swans that are often found by the lake. A few people had taken some bread down there to feed them and the ducks so they were close to the bank. I would have taken more, but just after I took this one a dog ran down toward them and scared them off slightly…
Many more wintery shots in the gallery
Happy New Year – Hope 2006 is a fantastic year for everyone!
Today’s photo is my favourite from all the ones I took last week. It’s a close up of the bark of the tree with snow on one side.
The sun came out just as I was taking it and gave the other side to it a nice tint. I’ve converted it to black and white as it increases the inpact of the sunlight and the narrow depth of field. For those who want to see the original colour version look here.
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