The Fremantle Doctor is in.

The sea breeze on a warm summer's day

cannot compare to the passion

of his mistress

the winter gale

on a dark winter's solstice

in the treacherous high seas

when the lighthouse beams 

are hidden by the tumultuous waves

sailors cringe in fear

when they hear her howls

of wild abandon as she craves

for might

on that cold,cold night

a night of passion

in that Indian Ocean

of transcendent emotion.

my submission for Poetry Potluck Week #48

Can you see the Fremantle Doctor blowing in from the sea? Well , we could not actually see him, but we felt him blowing ...yes, the Fremantle Doctor is the name that has been given to the sea breeze as it gives you relief from the summer sun! We not only met up with that good doctor, we also met up frequently with his colleague who also cools you from the sun; I've named her Mistress Shower as she keeps showering us every half hour or so! My photographs of Fremantle were all taken on one same day, but you can see a mixture of sunny skies, and threatening clouds , and also totally wet scenes...beautiful weather!





The Indian Ocean! Yes, you are looking at the Indian Ocean. The Swan River actually flows into the Indian Ocean here in Freo (that's how you refer to Fremantle when you are there long enough to be familiar with her). This is how the sea looked when we got there in between the showers.




It got darker after a while, but it didn't rain , so I had the good fortune of spotting this perfect outcrop of white rocks behind which I could take a shot of the contrasting dark blue sea. That hole where the wild flowers were positioned was just too, too lovely. A nice touch to the composition, don't you think?




The sea was getting darker, making the white boats at Fishing Boat Harbour look vividly picturesque.







The waves were gentle, and not a threat to anyone who would venture in for a swim.







This is where you could make your way to the beach known as Bather's Beach. There weren't any bathers there that day...guess the intermittent showers kept them away. Besides, this was winter time.







This photograph of the same area as the one before this, was taken only about 20 minutes apart. This was taken when we arrived at the beach, when it was sunny. Mark the difference.





We took a walk to the Fishing Boat Harbour in search of food. Well, you can't go to Freo without sampling their famous fish and chips, oysters and mussels, can you?!







See how the sky has darkened? We strolled along the boardwalk, looking for somewhere to have our lunch. There are many popular eateries at this deep water harbour. We chose to eat at Kaili's Fish Market Cafe, favourite alfresco dining spot of the native population of seagulls, I believe.







There's one satisfied customer after a heavy meal on top of the umbrella. Do you see him? 
By the way, it rained just after we finished our meal.

I'm glad you visited this post, and that I could share the joy of my visit to Freo with you.
More Freo sights  to come in the following posts.


Linking to:
Watery Wednesday
Outdoor Wednesday
Share The Joy Thursday
Skywatch Friday
Poetry Potluck

Painting Whispers

The concentric ripples glitter, 

the glint of sunlight upon the water sparkle!

The sound of splashing in the pond

the swishing of tails, the shimmering of scales

the graceful twirl...everything else pales

in comparison and transports us to another world.

What matters if  the magic of art appears

not on a painting but in the mysterious whispers

of  golden, speckled and spotted creatures

beauteous of form and splendid of spirit 

that bespeak the perfection of Nature's

gift to the blank canvas of life?

Brightening  our lives with a different splash

 - of colours and loveliness and delight

creating altogether a different glint

- of amazement in the eyes, so bright,

of children at the wonderment of what they deem

as magical, fantastical and enchanting

holding them captive in the allure 

of a kingdom totally absorbing.

Here's to Nature which begets Art 

which in turn precipitates 

an appreciation of Beauty!  

 Linking to:

Poetry Potluck

Watery Wednesday
Poetry Pantry

Melaka River Tales-Old and New Face-to-face

The Water- wheel of Life

Ancient hub of our ancestors

Still thriving, the Melaka river

Playgound of naked brown children 

and the bulging-eyed slimy mudskipper 

Watery reflection of our heritage

The old Melaka of yore

Face to face with the contemporary

spanking new buildings never anticipated before

Echoes of  ghostly cannons from Portuguese galleons

on the Eastern bank of the estuary

Sounds of merriment on the hotel patio

Clinking of glasses sparkling with sherry

So the past meets the present

Intermingling of cultures and songs

In a place unique with our story, where we, 

my siblings, cousins and friends belong.

Linking to:

My World Tuesday

Jingle's Poetry Potluck

Watery Wednesday
The Creative Excahnge

Port Vell, Barcelona

Excuse me Sir, could you point me the way to Port Vell?

Port Vell Franc de Barcelona is the most important port in Spain. Located at the southern most end of the Ramblas in Barcelona, the port is the main docking area for cruise ships. Most cruise companies operate from this port in Barcelona, and each year, over three million passengers embark on their various cruises from this main port of call in Europe.




We embarked on our Mediterranean cruise from Port Vell, and I had my first view of the Mediterranean Sea from here. I knew there and then that this was going to be a beautiful cruise.

Oh, I see it.

A lovely, calm sea.

A fabulous start to a cruise...err, not on that schooner, though.

Linked to

Watery Wednesday

Ports of Call - # 3 - Blue Waters Beckon You To Phuket Island

   







Approaching the port on Phuket Island, Thailand

Linking to That's My World Tuesday, Watery Wednesday

Ports of Call #1 - Singapore...Harbour Sights, Marina Delights

Trains and boats and planes...remember these lines from the lyrics of a Burt Bacharach song of the same title?

Trains and bloats and planes are passing by
They mean a trip to Paris or Rome
For someone else but not for me
The trains and the boats and planes...


I've got loads of photographs capturing these forms of transportation and more...all requisites  in the life of a traveller. I'm using these snapshots for my new series about all the different ports of call that I have had the pleasure of viewing from the vantage point of a sailor approaching land and shouting "Land Ahoy!" (Do they ever say this?) Anyway, in my series we'll be calling out "Ship ahoy!" as we spot all kinds of  ships, tugboats  and yachts. There will be sky and sea scapes, plus coastline landscapes for our viewing pleasure while we anticipate our dream cruise to take us to foreign shores.

This first post covers Singapore Harbour from which the cruise-ship departed when I went on my cruise to Langkawi and Phuket last week. Next in this series I will feature ports where we disembarked on the Western Mediterranean Cruise which I took last year in May.

A new post-modern architectural wonder being added to the Singapore skyline.

A water feature comprising gigantic mechanised  birds off Sentosa Island.

Is that a little tugboat pulling the huge schooner? The cable car line above connects Singapore to Sentosa Island.

We're sailing away..see you soon, Singapore!

Pretty heavy traffic here!

For more fabulous watery images, go visit Watery Wednesday.
For dramatic or clear skies, visit Skywatch Friday
Thursday Theme Song is fun...visit Hootin' Anni's.

Nostalgia...Memories of A Wonderful Watercolour Lake

LAKE WANAKA, NEW ZEALAND

Yearning to return
to where the memory of halcyon days
by the lake named Wanaka
can only be revisited in the recesses of a worn camera,
I pen these thoughts...

A work of art is Nature

like a wonderful watercolour

animated with the wave of a wand

as if the hidden hand

from way up yonder

created this lake to waken our wonder

at a  work of art beyond the artistry of Man!
                                                                   Rosie Gan

This post is for Poetry Potluck and Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday.

     

An Amazingly Lovely Lake

The most enchanting lake I've ever laid eyes on is this lake that I have chosen as my header for my travel-i-tales blog.


The approach road to the town of Tekapo holds the best surprise at the end...suddenly, catching you totally unaware, is the panorama of this unbelievably blue lake right in front of your eyes! You find yourself gasping in wonder at this jaw-dropping scene. Then the pure joy of being so fortunate as to share in the privilege of witnessing the natural beauty of this expanse of lake takes over...you feel like clapping your hands, and you do, giving the scene before you the most sincere applause you have ever given any performer at a concert.


Is the blue for real, you ask? Next you debate over how the lake gets this blue. Someone says it is the depth of the lake, another swears it must be the reflection of the azure sky. The next debate is what kind of blue is this astounding colour...is this what they term ultramarine? Or is it cerulean, maybe a tinge of turquoise? Whatever the name is, it is certainly a startling, stunning blue.


This is how it actually looks. These photographs of Lake Tekapo have not been retouched or edited in any way whatsoever. The air is fresh, the glacial lake water pristine. Apparently the electrifying blue comes from the colour of the silt that flows down from the glaciers. These finely ground particles are called rock flour, and they are suspended in the water, giving it that distinctive Tekapo hue of blue.

A picture-postcard view of the lake from inside the Church of The  Good Shepherd.

I have let these images speak for themselves.  I left my heart there and one of these days, I shall have to return to reclaim my heart.


For all of you lovers of Watery Wednesday, and Outdoor Wednesday, this post is dedicated to you.

Jade Spring Park

This place is fabulous...a happy place for photographers to go click! Click! Click!


Also known as the Black Dragon Pool, the Jade Spring Park is in Lijiang, my favourite district in Yunnan.The reason it is my favourite place to be in Yunnan is obvious...the scenic wonders that seem to unfold endlessly before our eyes. 


After visiting White Water River, we thought that must be the highlight of the 'watery' attractions in Lijiang. We were wrong. When we reached Jade Spring Park, we saw a white bridge with chinese designs carved on the marble balustrades.Most people at this point gravitate towards the best spot with the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain peak visible in the background, to pose for an unforgettable "I was there" picture. We were lucky that we had clear blue skies as the backdrop of the snow-capped mountain.









As we crossed the bridge to enter Jade Spring (Yuquan) Park, we noticed why the Park was named Jade Spring. The water in the pool that comes from that picturesque mountain you see, is the colour of the jade...a beautiful deep emerald.The pool, which is called Black Dragon Pool covers an area of 40 hectares. The depth of this pool gives the water its dark green look, hence the name, Black Dragon Pool (Heilongtan).







The clear jade-coloured waters reflect the breath-taking scenery, making it take your breath away (again). Truly spectacular. Again the day was perfect for photo -shoots as there wasn't even a breeze when we got there. No breeze-good, no ripples to distort the mirror effect of the lake.

Isn't this soooo beautiful!? Wait till you see some more!

Oh-oh, there's a breeze blowing...got to go now...no more mirror-images for today.

 For more Watery Wednesday, click on the link below:

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com