summer's officially over....

despite being here for nearly six years now, it still feels odd to have the seasons backwards!  that said, i'm not upset to see the back end of this summer as it's been an evil, scorching summer!

this past weekend, shannon and i headed out to noojee camping which is about 2 hours south east of melbourne for a three day city escape.  noojee is surrounded by a beautiful mountain ash forests and the smell, particularly on hot, dry days, is very unique.  over the three days, we saw all that the noojee area has to offer; an old trestle bridge dating back to the early 1900s, we hiked to see a couple of waterfalls, headed up to mt. baw baw which is a ski field in the winter and finally saw the ada tree, a giant mountain ash that's over 270 years old (http://www.visitmelbourne.com/Regions/Gippsland/Activities-and-attractions/Outdoor-activities/Walking-and-hiking/West-Gippsland/Ada-Tree.aspx).  the drive to see the ada tree was ironic as it was scarred with so many logging coupes that haven't been replanted so it was depressing and neglected looking.   

in melbourne, life's been pretty normal for the two of us!  we've had an australia day bbq, some birthday parties, random evenings out with friends and an evening at a local burlesque bar which was very titillating ;)  i've also been a bit more active with my photography group, including taking some pictures.  now i just need to find some time to post them on flickr ;) 

i also attended the sustainable living festival and participated in a plan melbourne 2050 event which allowed me to provide feedback on how to plan and develop one of my favourite cities! 

it's a been a pretty busy couple off weeks and i was surprised the other morning to find that the days are getting shorter again and we're officially heading into autumn.  i'm not sure how to slow down the hands of time as this summer feels like i blinked and it disappeared.

wishing everyone a happy spring in the northern hemisphere!

hugs,
s