A watery perspective

It's a watery kind of day today. Rain and hail have been downpouring almost all of last night and this morning. Every time I look out a window I see streaks of rain. The weather made me think of these watery reflection photos so I thought I'd share them with you. For those of you looking to improve your photography skills, these types of photos are a great way to have a fresh and unusual perspective. Reflections can be beautiful, moody and even scary. 

The top image was taken in France and I love its vivid colours. It's happy and bright and makes me think of summer and a dip in the sea (although ironically it was actually taken in December in the Northern Hemisphere winter); the middle image was taken in Venice and evokes an eerie feeling in me; the last image was taken just a few months ago at Ercildoune Homestead outside of Ballarat. It reminds me of the dappled light and pointillism of an Impressionist (Georges Seurat) painting.

The road less travelled

In 1837 two brothers, Somerville and Thomas Learmonth, migrated from Scotland to Australia to search for suitable farming land. They were aged eighteen and nineteen, young pioneers travelling to an unknown land. They certainly took the road less travelled. The homestead they founded is called Ercildoune and is located near Burrumbeet just a short drive from Ballarat. 

This weekend the property is open to visitors, and today we had a lovely time wandering the gardens with family. The house is grand and was modelled on the brothers' 13th century Scottish keep. The gardens are romantic, beautiful and perfectly preserved in their Australian arcadian setting but with strong English garden influences. There's an ornamental lake, a walled garden, expanses of lawn and a lily pond. The garden features urns, a sundial and an ancient well believed to be 2000 years' old from Palestine! Among the lawns and trees are winding pathways and small wooded areas and it was delightful to meander down them and take the road less travelled from the other visitors.