Making headway...

Photo taken last Friday morning at McLaren Falls, Tauranga - at the start of Autumn.

Well...lots going on here. For about 5 years now I've been working on all sides of my family tree, and believe me there are lots and lots of sides to go through. After getting a DNA test done last year I've found out that I have Armenian, Scottish, Irish, British, Scandavian (Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish), Polish, Filipino etc. For my mum's mother's side I had assumed they were only Scottish and Irish. After spending 5 years trying to find something out in the weekend I made headway and ended up going through various Scottish royalty through to English/French/Hungarian royalty back to 1st century Norway.

Now I'm working on the Polish Jewish side...

Linking up with Our World Tuesday.

Colours are changing...

Colours are changing, days getting shorter and temperatures cooler. Think I need to get back up to our local McLaren Falls Park soon...

Misty winter ducks

Last Autumn I visited local McLaren Falls Park around 7.30am to try and photograph some Autumn colours.

In Cherry Bay I parked my car and walked down to the lake through the icy cold shadows breathing icy cold air and stopped at the edge of the water where alot of ducks were, some were resting and others were starting to come to life as the sun started to warm where I was standing.

I think what impressed me the most was the fog that was slowly rising from the water into the air. Due to living up north for 20 years I'd never seen this before as over winter for us it was mostly rainy and damp. Hopefully next Autumn I'll be back there again.

Spring at McLaren Falls Park

The other half has recently purchased a drone and on Sunday we drove around McLaren Falls Park trying to find somewhere he could test it's flying abilities.

We stopped at 2 spots but the areas were a bit exposed to the wind and the poor old drone was knocked to the ground where we found one of the propellers had come loose.

Along the way I got out of the car and went for a walk into one of the parks there, crossed a bridge over a small stream and found this area full of blooming Daffodils. Lovely to finally see evidence of Spring :-)

McLaren Falls Park - 2017

Last Autumn I came to McLaren Falls Park by myself and caught plenty of colours with my camera. Winter must've hit early this year because when we drove up this morning there wasn't alot of red going on.

Still, we got some great photos - the air was nippy but sunny and quite a few families around enjoying the scenery and feeding ducks plus campervans parked in places.

I just love the feel the crunch of leaves under my feet as I take in the scenery and quietness.

Linking up with Through the lens and Our World Tuesday :-)

2016 Autumn visit to McLaren Falls

The temperatures have really dropped here, on Sunday we drove out to McLaren Falls - a local place very popular with people. I was hoping there were some Autumn colours and as you can see from the above photo this is the main road around the park. Although it was raining and quite cool it's quite a peaceful place.

Coloured leaves in red, yellow, gold, orange and green on some of the trees around the park.

One of my favourite spots within the park is Cherry Bay, sometimes kayakers use the lake but today we saw lots of ducks and swans (as per the photo below).

Near the entrance are alot of rocks and smaller falls, the larger waterfall is further up and around the corner. The other half was taking shots with his camera after he climbed down ahead of me.

For more Our World Tuesdays click here :-)

Toadstool love!

On my last visit to McLaren Falls I was sitting in the yellow leaves on the ground enjoying the colours around me and the cooler temperatures when I spied this wee toadstool on the ground near a picnic bench. Very obviously a poisonous pretty thing I couldn't help but take a photo of it's lumps and bumps and vibrant red coat. I just love to photograph unusual things :-)

For more Our world Tuesdays click here :-)

Reflections over Cherry Bay - McLaren Falls

The other day when I drove out to McLaren Falls here in Tauranga I did a bit of exploring of the park and just around the corner from the cafe and entrance is this area - Cherry Bay, filled with loads of Autumn colours and this lake had some lovely reflections going on.

As I walked around I came to this clearing where old branches and leaves had fallen down - filled with browns and bronzes it was very quiet and peaceful.

And this picnic area complete with seats and table was a perfect place to sit and take in all the scenery.

For more weekend reflections click here :-)

Overcast skies and red Autumn leaves at McLaren Falls

As I've now moved to Tauranga and still waiting to hear back as to whether I start my new job next week i've been getting itchy feet so two days ago I drove out to a local place - McLaren Falls. What a stunning place! Up north where I'm from we just don't get the Autumn colours that I see here - this tree for example was one of many in either yellow or red. When I looked up through the branches I could see the overcast sky and bits of the sun trying to peer through the leaves. I just love this place!

For more Skywatch Fridays click here :-)