Drove to the hills to our little (log) cabin in the forest - Saint Faustin-Lac-Carre - some one we know likes to walk in the forest, just like his Dad and Poppa - the down side is that he doesn't know when his 3 yo legs have had enough.
Red trillium on the forest floor.
No photos Poppa - this is walking time!
And, of course, a walk in the forest would not be complete without a fungus shot.
Looks like a wild strawberry.
May 25 - off to (Mont) Tremblant village.
Pano view from the top of the mountain
Dans le telecabine.
Can you think of a better way of (rolling) down the main street of the village?
Which so impressed the lady from David's Tea that A. got a free sample of rooibos tea.
Rewarded with a berry glace
Up and at 'em - thought that we might be able to walk Luskville Fall Trail before MCAJ hit the trail - got half way up before rendezvous at Pink Lake (after almost getting lost in the park). Pink Lake is not pink - named for one of the early farmers in the area.
Early spring green foliage is so vivid - can't wait to see the colours of autumn later in the year.
Bugs
Luskville Falls
On the trail - challenging this one
Chipmunk enjoying breakfast
View from Lusk lookout over Ottawa Valley - Ottawa R. in the background
Top up snack for A.
doing Poppa?
Ottawa has turned on the spring sunshine at last so a walk in the park was called for - 16th off to Ottawa Greenbelt and a 5.5km walk on Old Quarry Trail - old quarry has filled with water and bullrushes - smelly but pretty and lots of birdlife.
Fallen trees throughout from April ice storm
Ok - if you would rather make out with the other guy, I will go and sow my seed elsewhere!
Chickadee
White breasted nut hatch (?)
And more spring sunshine on 17th so off to Major's Hill Park for more tulips!!
National Gallery of Canada
Basilica of Notre Dame
Houses of Parliament
I have been chastised - apologies for duplication of photos - put it down to sunstroke!
Our home street for two weeks
Special Mother's Day with two wonderful mums and for Matt, the first with his WtMM in 11 years - very special brunch at The Village House - La Peche.
Grumpy A didn't want to be in this pic.
Followed by an amble across the Wakefiled covered bridge
Plenty of snow melt in the Gatineau River
Followed by Tulip Festival on 14th - each year the Netherlands sends 20,000 bulbs to Canada as a continuing mark of gratitude and friendship for providing safe haven to members of the Netherlands royal family between 1940-1945.
But first a "walk in the park" with A .....
Very particular about the sunglasses - one real cool cat!
Lunch - hot dog all gone, but vege spring roll will fill any gaps
Royal wave from the Canadians
While J slept through it all
Yes this is a tulip and colour so intense that the camera sensor had some difficulty with it
Specially bred in the Netherlands for Canada 150 - 2017 - red and white and a hint of orange?
Sprang from bed at 5 am for 5.30 depart to park gates along with a stream of safari trucks to enter the park at 6 am.
Some beasties large and small graced us with their company .......
Eurasian spoonbill
Spotted deer and water buffalo
Salt water crocodile - 3-4 m long
Juvenile peafowl with breeding plumage
Painted stork- not in the least perturbed by the buff.
Wild boar (or sow?)
Crested serpent eagle
Asian elephant and Elephant Rock
Green Bee-eater
Mum(s) looking after the kids
If I turn my back I can pretend that you are not there!
Or I can ignore you and have a nap anyway.
Mongoose
Looks like a chook, walks like a chook, talks like a chook, but is really a Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl
Well what do you know - it is thundering and raining (again) - had planned a walk through the tea plantations this afternoon but has rained solidly for the last 2 hours! Bandara (our butler) says it only rains for an hour - ha ha!
This morning was 1.5 hrs drive each way to tea processing factory - hadn't realised how much goes into producing the perfect cup, different types and different grades, not to mention low, medium and high altitude teas.
Contemplating another strenuous day .....
You don't know the meaning of hard work until you watch these ladies plucking up to 50 kgs per day for 1000LKR (AUD8.00)
As the (male) overseer barks out orders!
Modern fire protection systems have been installed in the factory.
After withering and grinding and before fermenting
The consensus was that most of this equipment is at least 50 years old.
Fermenting tables.
Workplace hygiene is paramount.
56 kg bags of the finished product.
Does anyone else find the juxtaposition amusing?
What story here - a Christian grave - perhaps family of the colonial tea planters?
So the rain stopped and we walked - late afternoon, cloud on the mountains and setting sun
I am sure you are distressed at having missed a couple of days of post, but here we are at Ceylon Tea Trails in the heart of Sri Lanka's tea plantations.
As I type the rain is raining and the thunder is thundering and everything is clean and cool - what a relief. We have been lucky with the weather - most days have been typical tropical weather - hot and humid followed by afternoon and evening thunderstorms. We are holed up for a couple of days in luxury - each bungalow has four to five large rooms/suites - this one was built in about 1888, probably the residence of the plantation manager. You can be assured that we are not suffering!!
Ticked off another World Heritage site - Sigiriya Rock Fortress.
No, I am not going to bore you with the history of this site - you can Google for yourselves (https://lanka.com/about/attractions/sigiriya-rock-fortress/)
So, just some photos!
Depart hotel at 8am for city bus tour - tour guide Dudley Fernando gave us a quick overview of the current political climate - quite toxic and very corrupt - treasury coffers have been emptied by current PM.
Just like any city street in this part of the world! Then off to enjoy a drive in the country tussling with tuk tuks, two wheelers and public transport buses, not to mention crazy mad Sri Lankan drivers - lane discipline is optional and don't move over for overtaking traffic if avoidable. Watch out for elephants on the road.
Food stops - pineapples, fresh and sweet and roasted cashews - en route to Pinniwala Elephant Sanctuary where orphaned and injured elephants are cared for.
Lunch was served,well partaken with a funny amber liquid with bubbles and smelling very hoppy and leaving us very happy......
More driving (very good driver!!) to our overnight (3 nights) at Jetwing Vil Uyana
Arrived Colombo - midnight and seemed to wait an eternity for suitcases to come off the belt. This morning someone who shall remain nameless got me (Badger) out of bed by saying that it is 9 o'clock - oops that is Perth time! HER excuse is that we were both awake and traffic outside was noisy.
Colombo traffic is almost as bad as India with less respect for peds - perhaps the tourists are considered fair game. First stop - oh f..k - I forgot about taking photo gear into 100% humididity when it has been in air con all night.
After that hiatus, first stop was Victoria Park - mosque en route and installation of lights in preparation for Buddha's birthday starting tomorrow - four days of festivities (and we thought Arthur did well with extended birthdays!)
Some student art en plein air and signage confirming, once again, that the woman is always right!
Lunch and shopping at Barefoot Cafe and Gallery - Sue drinking her first beer (ever) from a bottle. My shopping wore her out so our friendly tuk tuk driver dropped her back at the hotel while I checked out the Gangaramaya (Buddhist) Temple.
Colombo put on a spectacular tropical storm to finish the day ..........
Off on a little sojourn that Sue has hankered after for many years - Singapore and Sri Lanka here we come - short stopover at Changi and 3 hours to Colombo. Forecast is for mid 30s and thunderstorms - what fun
Left Li Ming in the safe care of Celeste and Fernando
