I have lots of photos from places I have visited in the past and today I was reminded of this lovely pocket park known as Hunsbury Hill Park.
According to the local government website, this park formed part of an Iron Age hill fort which I didn’t realise until I read it today! – You learn something every day!
I visited Hunsbury Hill Park nearly 10 years ago and, looking at the photos, it’s about time I went back!
It’s sometimes surprising what your local community has to offer!
Lavender is another favourite flower of mine, so I was really excited when I found Hitchin Lavender – a family-run farm specialising in the cultivation of this beautiful flower.
I visited in July last year and while there was lots of lavender, if you visit later in the year, there will be even more! The main flowering season is between mid-June and late August.
You are free to wander across the fields, up and down the rows, taking in the intoxicating smell! You can pick your own lavender or buy lavender products in the shop. You can even take a picnic and sit and enjoy the views.
It’s not just lavender that is grown here – there is a wild flower meadow, and fields of sunflowers which flower from the middle of August.
It’s a lovely place to spend a few hours.
Lavender represents purity, silence, devotion, serenity, grace, and calmness, so let’s enjoy some of that as we wander through the flowers.
Gorgeous isn’t it? 🙂
On a Saturday afternoon last year, I went to see the bluebells at Everdon Stubbs with my friends.
Everdon Stubbs is one of the few remaining ancient woodlands in Northamptonshire and it’s a beautiful and peaceful place to wander around with your camera.
There are many varieties of trees and flowers including the lovely bluebells which carpet the woodland floor in spring.
Bluebells are one of my favourite flowers – I love the colour.
Did you know that the bluebell symbolises constancy, humility and gratitude?
And, however beautiful they may be, bluebells are actually poisonous?
I love experiencing nature up close. It’s not always easy to photograph birds and squirrels because they don’t sit still much, but I managed to capture these images of our furry and feathery friends as they busied themselves foraging, eating, chilling and preening!
Arguably, the nicest green space that Northampton Town can offer is Abington Park. It sits on the site of a medieval village, called Abington, and was gifted to the people of Northampton by Lady Wantage, the landower, in 1897.
Due to the park’s location, it’s easily accessible to most people.
The park is split into 2 halves with Park Avenue South running between the east and west sides. But, whatever side you wander around, it’s a peaceful and calming place to hang out. Photos taken Sept-Oct 2019 by Gill Morris.
The Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul is beautiful.
The band stand sees regular events with local bands playing during the summer months.
At certain times of the year, the gardens are full of fabulous flowers…
..and pollinating visitors.
The old Manor House is now the Abington Park Museum which holds exhibitions throughout the year – some are free!
Many people visit the park every day to do whatever they feel like.
There are stunning trees everywhere – some of which have been around for over 200 years!
There are a couple of lakes, home to a variety of birds.
The water tower, built by William Thursby in 1678, still stands today.
I also found a more modern statue made of stone.
Throughout the whole park, there are some really nice views.
Simply put – a lovely place to just be!
The natural world put on a pretty good show in November! Enjoy!
Love sunsets!
During these COVID times, we are all restricted in what we can do! But, nothing is stopping you doing some of things I did in Australia! These experiences made me feel good – I hope they make you feel good too!
For those who live close to Byron Bay, it’s easy to enjoy this beautiful spot with long golden sands, stretching for miles and crystal clear blue water lapping the shoreline. And to those people, I am slightly envious!
Take a walk to Cape Byron Lighthouse with stunning views out to sea. The walk from town will blow the cobwebs away and, if you’re lucky, you might just see dolphins and turtles from your vantage point – a magical experience and one that’s guaranteed to make you smile! Or, experience the thrill of horseriding on the beach. It’s a fabulous activity to do, especially when you can ride along the beach with the wind in your hair, the pounding of the hooves in your ears and the salty air bringing happy tears to your eyes! If neither of those things appeal to you, simply wandering along the beach feeling the sand under your feet can beat the blues any day!
Only 13 km from Adelaide’s city centre, Belair National Park is a place of natural beauty – that in itself may keep your stress levels at bay! There is lots to do here – biking, walking, horseriding or orienteering. You could do what I did and take a picnic and spend time with your family – the kids will love the play areas! Belair is also a photographer’s candy shop with plenty of opportunities for you to snap away! You’ll find a wide variety of flowers and trees and lots of wildlife too – if you’re walking you might come across kangaroos and emus. And, look out for koalas resting in the trees above.
Not far from Adelaide, Cleland Wildlife Park is probably the best wildlife park I have ever been to in Australia. Over 35 hectares of bush-land, you’ll have the company of kangaroos, emus and wombats which roam freely around the park. It’s a relaxed environment with animals all around you. You can get quite close the animals, as they are adapted to the park setting, which means you can feed them too! It’s said that petting animals releases feel-good hormones! Visiting Cleland makes for a lovely day out – take your time exploring and enjoy the animals and the calm surroundings.
After a very sober New Year’s Eve, surrounded by thousands of people in Melbourne, I took a welcome trip to the Dandenong Ranges. If you love nature, you’ll love this place! Tall Mountain Ash trees form the forest all around you and, apart from the odd walker or runner, it feels like you have it all to yourself. It’s so peaceful there with only the sounds of nature to accompany you, it’s such a nice feeling away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Another natural beauty is the town of 1770, so called because it was in the year 1770 that Captain James Cook and the crew of HM Bark Endeavour made their second landing on the eastern shores of Australia. A perfect beach for running, walking or just chilling out. Do some surfing, have a picnic, or go on a boat trip, but if you just want to relax, 1770 is a great place to take in the views and just be – something we all could benefit from now and again.
These were only a few of the places I visited when I was in Australia and I remember every one made me feel good. Just being out in the fresh air, walking among the trees or along the beach put a smile on my face. 🙂
For more travels around Australia, check out these posts..
Peace and love!
When I was in Chiang Rai, I hired a bicycle and explored the gorgeous countryside. What surprised me was the lack of people, there was hardly anyone around, even the people who lived there seemed to be missing. So, I had no problems cycling on the roads, I wouldn’t have dared in Bangkok!
First stop was Wat Huay Pla Kang and an enormous statue on the hill, which is so large, I could see the top of its head from my accommodation, some 2 kilometres away. Locally known as the Big Buddha, it’s not a Buddha at all. This impressive hillside statue is a depiction of the Goddess of Mercy from Chinese Buddhism – Guan Yin also known as Kuan Eim (กวนอิม) or Prah Mae Kuan Eim in Thailand.
As you approach the temple complex, the huge statue looms over the countryside.
There are several buildings there and this 9-tier pagoda is guarded by a couple of golden lions at the base of the staircase leading up to the entrance.
The day I visited it was delightfully empty of tourists, so I happily scampered around the grounds taking photos of all the temples. This white temple is reminiscent of the more famous Wat Rong Khun, also in Chiang Rai.
It’s the statue of Guan Yin that takes your breath away. It’s colossal, standing at 90 metres high with 23 storeys. If you want, you can take the lift up inside the statue where you get spectacular views of the countryside.
I didn’t, I just walked up the stairs, flanked by white dragons,
and strolled around the base of the statue.
The views of this green and mountainous region of Chiang Rai, even from the top of staircase, are just as impressive.
You can also get a good view of the other temples from up on the hill.
Smaller Buddha statues surround Guan Yin.
It’s free to visit Wat Huay Pla Kang. However, if you want to go inside the statue of Guan Yin there is a small fee of 40 Baht (Just over 1 GBP) – a small price to pay to experience this fabulous attraction.
Next stop was Wat Rong Suea Ten or the Blue Temple, a gorgeous, blue building with ornately carved gold decoration.
It is quite simply, stunning! I have never seen anything like it in Thailand before.
Part of the temple was under construction, but you can still see how beautiful it is.
There are many statues around the complex too – all a fabulous shade of blue.
The gold decoration is lovely!
There are other interesting elements to the temple. The tiger refers to a time when tigers could be found in the area. The name of the temple – Suea Ten – means “dancing tiger.”
I actually preferred it to the White Temple, if only for the lack of tourists!
I only wish I’d have gone inside because it’s arguably more beautiful than the outside – if that is at all possible. There’s always next time!
Onward on my trusty steed, I cycled away from the Blue Temple towards my next destination of the day. Bypassing glorious countryside on the way.
I was heading to Wat Tham Phra (Buddha Images Cave). Along the way, I spotted a small golden chedi and a gateway with lions standing on stone plinths on either side.
I cycled a little further and saw a huge Buddha carved into the rock and steps leading up to a cave. This wasn’t the one I was heading towards, according to the map I was still two clicks away. I turned around and went to investigate.
I parked my bike and tentatively walked up the steps taking care not to slip on the moss. At the top was a door leading into the cave. This was Wat Tham Tu Pu.
My heart was thudding. I half expected to see some poor soul, who had made their home there, or a snake in the shadows, none to happy that I had disturbed it. I saw neither, but I still felt a litle spooked. In the darkness, I was met with a pair of eyes staring back at me – it was a Buddha statue – but that only became apparent as my eyes got used to the darkness.
It was really eerie in the cave, so I didn’t hang around very long. I was happy to be outside in the light again!
Still feeling a bit unnerved, I cycled away as quickly as I could! Before long, I arrived at the last port of call – Wat Tham Phra (Buddha Images Cave).
A larger cave and not as scary with a number of Buddhist statues and altars inside.
The people there were preparing for some kind of celebration, so I had a quick look inside and then left to go back to the homestay. More gorgeous views along the way.
I arrived back at the homestay after cycling some 10 kilometres around Chiang Rai. I spent the evening with a cold beer or two and relished in the quiet surround sound!
In June 2018, I spent a wonderful 4 days in the north of Thailand, I went to Chiang Rai.
I’d wanted to go to Chiang Rai for ages, not only to visit the White Temple, but also to see Phu Chi Fah (the Sea of Mist.) I later realised that I was going at the wrong time of year to see the mist, the best time is around February. So, apart from the White Temple, there wasn’t much else I planned to do. For this reason, I wondered whether it would be best to stay in the town or somewhere in the countryside. In the end, I chose to stay at Ban Lom Jen Homestay which is about 12 kilometres outside of the city.
It was the best decision I could have made. I found myself in such beautiful surroundings.
With not a soul in sight.
When I arrived, the owner, Son, greeted me and showed me to my room. She told me that this was the first day of the season and I was the only guest. Could this day get any better?
I dumped my bags and took a short walk to explore my surroundings.
The Kok River was nearby, so I walked along the path taking in the beauty of the place. It was so peaceful.
To add to the serenity, this huge, white Buddha statue was a lovely sight.
The lovely colours of the countryside – all different shades of greens and browns.
This was my first time in Chiang Rai and I was amazed at how beautiful it was – and I hadn’t gone any further than across the road from my accommodation. I couldn’t wait to see more. I returned to my room and ate satay chicken and drank a couple of bottles of Singha beer. After dinner, I sat outside and wrote for a while before picking up my book. It was so peaceful sitting there as day turned to night. All I could hear was the sounds of the insects. It was a really good start to my trip.
I was so taken aback at just how stunning Chiang Rai was, it inspired me to write a couple of posts about what I saw.
On a walk around the city of Rotterdam, there is plenty of greenery to be seen.
The trees are fabulous, the canals are pretty, and the birds are just chillin…
So, yes, Rotterdam is getting prettier and more interesting by the minute…
