Sunday Selections #139

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files. 

The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.

Like River, I generally run with a theme.   Last week I said that I would try and stay out of the garden for this week's Sunday Selections.  I have a confession to make.  I have stayed out of my garden.

The day after we went to Floriade we headed down the road to visit Tulip Top Gardens.  These gardens are open for the same period as Floriade each year - and are even more beautiful.  I took many, many, many photos and a post dedicated to the beauty will go up some time next week.

As always, click to embiggen.

In addition to the incredible gardens, the owners have a delightfully quirky sense of humour.  Last year I chuckled at the A-bra-retum.  It has been revamped and returned.  Beautiful bras, bountifully stuffed.  Perhaps next year boxer shorts and y-fronts will be featured as well. 

 And this year there was a new feature tree as well...

  Both trees caused me to smile.  And chuckle.  And the smaller portion scurried away - pretending that he didn't know the laughing loon with the camera.

Floriade 2013

Floriade is Canberra's spring flower festival and is held for four weeks each year, starting  in mid September.  It is held close to the centre of Canberra by Lake Burley Griffin, and draws in big, big crowds.  Entry is free, though there is plenty to spend money on inside the festival.


His high and skinniness and I headed off this morning.  The weather was completely unable to make up its mind.  We had high winds (and large branches snapping off around us), we had sunshine, we had cloud, we had more cloud, we had rain - and then we had some more sunshine.


None of which mattered.  It was an explosion of colour and even crowd phobic me loved it.  Many, many photos follow - and will embiggen if you are kind enough to click on them.

We avoid the main parking lot and park further away.  The walk to Floriade is through a pleasant park and beside the lake.  It adds some more effort to the outing, but is so worth it.

This is a  new addition to Floriade.  The kangaroo is always there, but this year a duck has joined him.  fishducky, this is for you. 

We went up in that Ferris Wheel, which was the vantage point for the next few photos.  And it was very, very windy and a little scary.  See what I do for you?

Ground level again.

The cormorants who were sunning themselves when we first went past them had their wings out to dry off after the rain.

A moorhen for dinahmow whose avatar it is.

 

A while ago I promised Laloofah a Floriade fridge magnet.  Since I am obsessive I picked up several fridge magnets and, because I know that some of you have stainless steel fridges I also bought a few post cards and three bookmarks.  If you would like one, please let me know which one in the comments area and drop me an email with a contact address. It will of course be a case of first in, best dressed.   My email address has been added to my profile - but will get removed again.