Category: Photography

Animal Kingdom, Nature, Photography, Travel

San Francisco Botanical Gardens 

by natjtan2 Comments on San Francisco Botanical Gardens 

9,000 different plants from all over the world at San Francisco Botanical Gardens take you on a journey across the globe. You can’t just look in one direction ahead! Looking up magnolias, redwoods, looking down camellias, herbs, moss. Each twist and turn of the paths takes you almost if there’s no one around a secret garden on the other side of the world. Or down the road in the California garden!

We had enough of the city, wanting some fresh air when we visited San Francisco earlier this year. The botanical gardens and Japanese Tea Garden were a few places on our list of places to go thinking they’re in the same garden. The Japanese Tea Garden is in the same park, Golden Gate Park but not in the same garden if that makes sense. Golden Gate Park while it looks close to the centre or downtown San Francisco isn’t. For some reason looking at the map of San Fransisco bay area I thought it was like a European town with everything more of less in walking or a metro distance. Err, no! You need a car to get around, unless you want to do multiple buses, taxis or Uber. A car worked out cheaper than Uber. We stayed just outside San Francisco in Belmont, Redwood Shores and I think the garden was a 40 minute drive away. We’d thought we’d have enough time to do both however the botanical gardens were bigger than we’d expected. By the time we’d left (after a who’s right which way back to the entrance! I think we both compromised and worked it out) it was 16.30 winter closing hours.

Bamboo gardenDSCF0072Puffer fish!

We could have easily have spent more time in the gardens. It’s split into Californian indigenous plants within their own geographic location and into South America, Asia Africa and Europe. The Mediterranean Garden features native Californian plants along side plants from South-western Australia, Chile and South Africa all grouped within their own geographical location. The Mild Temperate Climate features plants from Eastern Australia, New Zealand and a Japanese Moon Continue reading “San Francisco Botanical Gardens “ →

Animal Kingdom, Fitness, Lifestyle, Photography, Travel

February 2020 Catch Up

by natjtan2 Comments on February 2020 Catch Up

It’s nearly Spring already and the end of March! One of the longest months aside from April. How did that happen?! 

February this year was a good month purely for the reason I was still on my holiday vacay!

Welcome to the jungle. Manoa Falls, Oahu Hawaii

The first few days in February were spent in Oahu, Hawaii before flying back to California to explore the Big Sur and see Bill Burr in some random outback country town part of California. Driving to the venue we were rubbing our eyes if what we was seeing was real. We drove through a mini Danish town right down the black timber architecture lit up with fairy Continue reading “February 2020 Catch Up” →

Animal Kingdom, Lifestyle, Nature, Photography, Travel

World Wildlife Day

by natjtanLeave a Comment on World Wildlife Day

Happy World Wildlife Day!

In honour of World Wildlife Day some of my favourite wildlife photos taken this year! Can I go back to Hawaii and California please?! Seriously though, the UN’s World Wildlife Day is to raise awareness to help conserve our biodiversity. Everything is connected making Earth stable no matter how big or small. Nature likes balance and without wildlife our world would be turned upside down for the roles they play. Every little thing we can do to help conserve wild fauna and flora no matter how small. Our planet is filled with beautiful treasures if you take time to look or just be patient to see what will say hi 🙂

DSCF9394Blackbird drying off after a bath! Continue reading “World Wildlife Day” →

Animal Kingdom, Beauty and Skin Care, Fitness, Lifestyle, Nature, Photography

Weekend Friday Favourites

by natjtan3 Comments on Weekend Friday Favourites

Happy March!

This was a short and sweet Weekend Friday Favourites this week of things that have made me smile or caught my eye this week. Then I got typing. Uh Oh! This week’s been all over the place however my phone’s cracked screen finally fixed, a tooth’s fixed and a few other appointments over with. And with that, things I’ve been liking this week! 

Fresh Ginger Tea

I have P to thank for this! Travelling last month my allergies started playing up, we’d been cooped up in aeroplanes, so P decided in addition to hot lemon in the mornings, fresh ginger tea to help keep our immune systems up. While I put fresh ginger in my salads for the same reason I wasn’t initially keen on the taste. Now I find myself craving ginger tea in the evenings! It’s so easy to make. Chop off a piece of ginger, cut of the skin, chop up the ginger, place in mug, add hot water! 

Kitsch Satin Sleep Scrunchies

I have a confession. I did get the real deal silk scrunchies from Sephora. Then vegan guilt came over me and I couldn’t find if the company let the silk worm live and accepted broken strands or boiled the worm in its cocoon alive for unbroken silk strands. I felt so bad I returned them. Unworn of course. On holiday swept up in the larger amount of choice available, I found Kitsch scrunchies in Wholefoods, knowing full well, vegan silk means polyester, they’re in plastic packaging and I’m trying to reduce my plastic. That includes packaging, clothes, however I live in leggings and sweatshirts, hello plastic microfilaments in the water system. I can’t always win. I know, excuses! I did intend to taken them back for this reason but didn’t get time. Silk is meant to be kinder to skin and hair. With silk pillows, the silk doesn’t absorb all your night beauty products and doesn’t rough up skin like cotton does, which can help fight, soften, lessen pick your choice, wrinkles. Same with silk in the hair. It doesn’t break strands. I’ve been using scrunchies for a while and appreciate with fine long hair removing them, Continue reading “Weekend Friday Favourites” →

Animals, Fitness, Lifestyle, Nature, Photography, Travel

January Catch Up

by natjtan2 Comments on January Catch Up

One thing that’s never going to get easier is not having Mr AJ or Mr D, the boys, the cats around. January was the first full month without coming back to a happy face at the door. The first month without looking after a furry being. I’m still not used to being told it’s breakfast or dinner time. No one to keep me or my routine in check. No gentle or knock you over head butts. No purrs, just an empty silence. If I’m honest I feel lost without those 2. I have too much spare time on my hands.

New Years Day sunrise 

A friend asked if I’m enjoying the freedom. I wasn’t sure how to take that. I know she meant well, but they were never a burden. If you’ve never spent part of your life with a cat or dog, you’re missing out on so much. So without pi**ing her off with a blunt f you answer I answered with, a lonelier freedom.

New Years Day Sunset

Most of January was quiet. Spain celebrates King’s Day on the 6th January so things don’t start to get back ‘normal’ until around the 2nd week of January. P asked if I wanted to get away. At first I was hesitant. There might be lots of changes this year (thanks Brexit) and I was concerned about money. Initially I thought of Portugal then cheekily suggested the Big Sur I’ve always wanted to see. Suddenly we found ourselves 2 weeks later on a plane to Continue reading “January Catch Up” →