Nature • Animals • Beauty
I keep saying March this year was windy and grey yet looking back it was sunny! Sunny and cold! The second half was grey and cold making it a long grey cold month. All month long it was windy making the light on sunny days so clear and so bright.
Spring was saying hello with goslings in Parc de la Ciutadella. It was cuteness overload as I thing 4 geese families had chicks.
Nested in Majorca’s/Mallorca’s Tramuntana Mountains is Valldemossa which claims to be Spain’s most prettiest village.
A 20 minute drive from Palma de Mallorca, luckily we visited during in 2020 when holiday travel was permitted only within Spain during the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s a popular tourist destination for its most prettiest village claim, Choplin who spend time there and it’s Arabic influence from the Moors, so it gets busy quickly. Minus the international tourists it felt more comfortable to look around. Get there early though as there was a car park queue when leaving.
The views from the village are amazing, with the village itself filled with terracotta pots, geraniums, crafts shops, boutiques, ice cream parlours and cafes. It doesn’t take long to walk around, maybe an hour. Make sure to explore off the main paths (please be respectful of the locals!) as that’s where gems are to be found!
The hidden terrace at Can Molinas. Sparrows know this is the spot for snacks!
The rest of the garden at Lyon Arboretum leading from the Buddha was more semi wild rainforest. Still manicured, yet compared to the actual manicured part it was wilder, more forest. I’d got to the point I couldn’t and didn’t want to take any more photos, yet every twist and turn of the path was something I wanted to photo knowing I’m probably never returning again. Trees were more than just trees. They were cities in themselves with ivy, moss and host of other plants growing on them who in return housed hundreds of bugs, insects and animals. The big tropical leaves growing free competing for the sunlight. Leaves as big as umbrellas.
I only realised editing these photos I never changed the ISO. In my defence I wasn’t using or understanding how to use ISO 2 years ago. Yes, it’s been 2 years and I’m only just sharing the photos! This part the island has its own climate (The Hawaiian Islands have 10 of the 14 climates in the world!). Sunny skies accept for the Manoa Valley that day. It’s crazy how for such a small island in the middle of Pacific ocean different locations on the island have different climates and weather all in one day. It freaked me out almost daily when I was there that I was on a tiny volcanic island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean which is huge and deep, feeling open and exposed. I live by the Mediterranean Sea with a huge continent behind me with one fault line running in the middle of the med sea. I feel safe as there’s lot of space. Even in the UK an island itself where I grew up I never thought I was on an island. It’s what you’re used to. None of this however excuses my lack of using ISO.
Just like how plants grow in cracks in walls!
Canopy tops like coral fans looking up matched each other like jigsaw puzzles for light. Neither one bumping into each other leaving a little breathing room between them.
Continue reading “Lyon Arboretum, Oahu, Hawaii, February 2020 Part 2”I can’t believe I haven’t shared before seeing wild flamingos from a few years ago! Real life flamingos not zoo flamingos.
This flock lives on an old Roman salt mine now a lagoon, Las Salines de Calpe a Nature Park and Reserve in Calpe, Alicante, Spain. I was surprised that weren’t as pink as I’d thought they be and by how much larger and taller they were than the ones at Barcelona Zoo. Their necks appear longer than the American and Chilean flamingos at the zoo. Sometimes I feel sad for the ones at the zoo. Their flight feathers are removed and when they try to get air I feel bad for them. It’s always different to see them free. I have spilt views on zoos here.
Please excuse the quality of the photos. They were taken a few years ago before I understood more depth of field, light etc.
Only handful were pink. Maybe they knew the best brine shrimp, algae and larvae spots!
Continue reading “Flamingos, Calpe”We didn’t stop long at Kailua Beach as there was a sunset to catch later. The silky soft gets everywhere sandy beach. Sunny skies when we got there after hiking the Pillbox Hike. Clouds came later. Well, they appeared as soon as we found spot. That’s how the island went. Sunny mornings with few clouds, afternoons cloudy depending on what part of the island you were on.
Sun out of the clouds warm, behind the clouds a little chilly, but you know beach equals sunbathing if it’s 25C plus. The water was so warm. Bathwater water warm which meant I didn’t want to get out. Perfect with chilly thermal layer bits. I think it was quite shallow too. The bit we chose was close to a river mouth. People kayaking up to chill at the beach and an after school sailing club on outriggers.
While tomando sol a little french bulldog got lost. S/He jumped over P to sit right by my head waiting for their human. I wasn’t bothered (well kinda as I had my bikini straps down and didn’t want to fall out if I sat up in that particular bikini). I was honoured they choose me to wait until reunited with their human. It’s human didn’t take long, about 30 seconds to find him/her again before being off again for daily adventures. Maybe I smelt safe for the lost minute.
Continue reading “Kailua Beach, Oahu”
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