Activities – Travels with Ali

Walking through the Royal Botanic Gardens is an escape from city life. It’s peaceful and quiet with the trees masking the noise from the roads. It was founded in 1846 and covers 38 hectares. As we only had a few hours to explore we followed the path back towards the city. My gallery below shows just a few of the scenes on offer.

I liked these quotes so typed them out to be able read them clearly.

This plant caught my eye, at first from a distance I thought it was a light of some kind.

The photo above is of Guilfoyle’s Volcano. It is a restored reservoir built in 1876 built to look like a volcano. From here you can see panoramic scenes of the city.

Top left, Anthony in the Tacoma Pavilion ; Top right, “Looking out”
Bottom, Shrine of Remembrance.

Looking through the trees towards the City skyline

There is a cafe here for lunches and coffees and also many places to sit and have a picnic. The Yarra River is only a short walk away where there are many cafes and restaurants.

This is one of my favourite places for lunch, especially on a sunny day.

Another interesting place to explore, particularly when it’s raining is The National Gallery of Victoria. It is normally free entrance, if there is a special exhibition an entrance fee might be required. There are four floors to explore with over 76,000 works of art to see.

I have collated a gallery of my own below. I framed my favourites.

Image gallery image — “Venus”
Jeff Koons

Paintings by Nipa Doshi

Tea and coffee salon, Sabo, 1939
Saeki Shunko

Parrots Live Forever
Audrey Flack

I took the above to show my 7 year old grandson as I think some of his artwork is better!

Photograph titled Irises
Robert Mapplethorpe

This last one appealed to me because of the shadow and light thrown across the flowers. Tea and Coffee Salon is my favourite and think it would look excellent hanging in my living room.

If you’re looking for quirky places to eat in Melbourne off the beaten track, we found an excellent French restaurant. Midnight in Paris is situated in Prahran High Street and is also an art gallery. They have live music on Fridays and Saturdays. The service and food are excellent.

Our tasty mains

A sample of the artwork on display

Cozy garden at the back

I was tempted to get up and have a little boogie and danced like no-one was watching! But everyone would have been watching it was so small.

I’m linking to Jo’s Monday Walk and Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share and PPAC

This week’s WQ topic is activities and hobbies. Marsha at Always Write hosts this challenge every Wednesday. All you need is a quote relating to the topic and a poem, photos or a general post to go with it. Also by co-incidence Terri at Second Wind Leisure’s challenge is “Something to Do”.

I’m not sure what category travel falls under hobby or activity! My dear husband thinks it’s my hobby but I prefer to think of it as more of an activity.

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving”
Lao Tzu

The above quote does not quite ring true for me as I like nothing more than arriving at my destination, especially if it’s been a long flight.

In the last few years I’ve acquired some new hobbies and activities.

My favourite hobby after travelling is Bridge. I took a course a few years ago and have attempted to climb the ladder and join more advanced classes. My mind is totally focused during the four hours of play and time goes so fast. I’ve met a completely different set of people and twice a week we greet each other like old friends.

“No matter where I go, I can always make new friends at the bridge table”
Martina Navratilova

The above quote is so true, there is no need to worry about what to talk about, someone will always have a story to tell about a past game they have played. Absolutely boring for anyone who doesn’t play Bridge.

Blogging is also a recent hobby of mine. This fully took over my time at the start, trying to set up the website and master the way WordPress worked. I’m sure many of you agree how frustrating WP can be at times. I feel extremely pleased with myself when I’ve mastered something so simple as the menu and widgets.

I started blogging because I took so many photos and wanted to do something with them and also I was writing many reviews on Trip Adviser. Blogging has changed my life and it means I now have something to do all the time and again made many new friends.

“The first step in blogging is not writing them but reading them.”
Jeff Jarvis from BuzzMachine

I believe the above quote is very true, I often take inspiration from the bloggers I follow.

My exercise abilities are sadly limited! Although I do go to Zumba and Aqua Aerobics. Also I’ve started line dancing again. I have met a wonderful group of ladies who are welcoming and so friendly. We often meet outside Zumba for outings like the cinema or theatre. I feel so blessed to be part of such a fantastic group.

**The empty pool before 50 ladies jump in for an aerobics session**

In December our lovely Zumba teacher hosts a Christmas party for around 60 people and it’s always such fun. I’ll finish with a small video I took of all the ladies having the best time.

I believe having a hobby or an activity you enjoy is essential to your well-being. It stops the blues and those down days everyone has on occasion. It’s important to enjoy it though and not feel as though it’s a duty or a chore – what’s the point in that!

A question to my fellow bloggers. My media gallery is now 92% and the next step is upgrading. If you don’t have a paid website how do you manage with all your photos? I always forget to downsize my photos which would go a long way to resolving the issue.

I look forward to reading your responses.