nature – Page 2 – ANGIE & JAMES DO STUFF

The SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium – A Great Place to Beat the Summer Heat

December 22, 2015

Melbourne Aquarium 2015

If you ever find yourself in need of a place to escape the horrid summer heat of Melbourne, pop into SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium for a few hours and only venture back outside when you think the sun’s gone down. Oops, nope, my mistake — in summer, darkness doesn’t come till 9pm. That’s long after the aquarium closes for the day (6pm). No matter, it’s still worth a visit if you’re anywhere near the city. Their star attraction seems to be the penguin enclosure, found right at the end of your journey – they save the best for last. Oh, and they also have critters that you would not think to find at an aquarium, including tarantulas, lizards and snakes. Continue reading “The SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium – A Great Place to Beat the Summer Heat”

Colours + Textures of Changi Airport’s Orchid Garden // Singapore

December 14, 2015

Singapore Changi Airport Orchid Garden

Whether it be an indoor butterfly garden, a busy little koi pond filled with lucky coins, or an outdoor sunflower garden, Singapore’s Changi Airport never fails to have pockets of nature at each terminal. This brilliant orchid garden, located in Terminal 2, features over 30 species carefully arranged by colour and shape to represent the four elements of nature: earth, water, fire and air. The vibrant plants surround a pond full of fish, forming an organic-looking landscape within the bustling confines of the airport. Continue reading “Colours + Textures of Changi Airport’s Orchid Garden // Singapore”

Snow & A Sad Story – White Winter in Central Otago, New Zealand (June 2015)

December 3, 2015

Central Otago, New Zealand

Here’s a silly, tragic story for you. In June, I returned from our Queenstown trip with over 3000 photographs, which I transferred into a folder on my laptop. I accidentally deleted the entire folder without realising it and emptied the bin almost immediately (this is a very terrible habit of mine, I just don’t like seeing things sitting in the trash bin on my computer) and even after trying various recovery methods, I believe they’re lost for good. Thankfully, I’d already blogged about Arrowtown, Glenorchy, Coronet Peak and Amisfield by then, but all the pictures taken in the actual location of Queenstown (the pretty wildlife, the amazing food, the stunning view from the gondola, the surrounding snow-covered mountains, everything) were all gone before I’d even gotten around to sorting through them. Continue reading “Snow & A Sad Story – White Winter in Central Otago, New Zealand (June 2015)”

Weekends with Angie & James | Part IX: Family Gathering at ‘The Farm’, Tamborine Mountain

November 25, 2015

Tamborine Mountain 2015

Overcast afternoons on Tamborine Mountain. Such a condition seems to be the usual whenever we decide to visit the Gold Coast hinterland. Last weekend, we were invited for lunch at Naomi’s new family retreat up on the mountain. Their second home is beautiful and dreamy, its sprawling grounds surrounded on all sides by the most grandiose of trees. The estate is a very tucked-away sort of place, despite its short distance from Gallery Walk. Everyone calls it ‘The Farm’, despite the lack of any farm animals on the premises, but it is home to so much green pasture and, well, Tamborine is famous for its farmlands, so ‘The Farm’ is as good a name as any. Continue reading “Weekends with Angie & James | Part IX: Family Gathering at ‘The Farm’, Tamborine Mountain”

Kyoto Aquarium @ Umekoji Park, Kyoto, Japan

November 1, 2015

Kyoto Aquarium

Well, it was bound to happen! We’ve done Sumida Aquarium and Osaka Aquarium Kaiyūkan. Now, we can cross Kyoto Aquarium (京都水族館, Kyōto Suizokukan) off our Japanese Aquariums list! Located in the northern part of Umekoji Park, the modern complex of Kyoto Aquarium is a relaxing 10 to 15 minute walk from Kyoto Station. Continue reading “Kyoto Aquarium @ Umekoji Park, Kyoto, Japan”

Visiting Shirakawa-gō & Staying the Night in a Traditional Gasshō-Zukuri Farmhouse

October 22, 2015

Ogimachi, Shirakawa-gō

Shirakawa-gō (白川郷) is a place I never thought I’d visit in my lifetime. From all the pictures I’d seen, the timeless, isolated region struck me as a mystical land so far-removed from the modern twenty-first-century civilisation most of us picture Japan to be. Tokyo is overrun with towering skyscrapers, Osaka is swathed in an ocean of neon lights, and Kyoto houses more than a million souls. It seems Shirakawa-gō has missed the evolution memo, opting instead to preserve its ancient heritage amid remote mountains and thick forestry.

Ogimachi, Shirakawa-gō

Continue reading “Visiting Shirakawa-gō & Staying the Night in a Traditional Gasshō-Zukuri Farmhouse”

Spring Musings + Friday Favourites

October 2, 2015

Angie's Friday Favourites

It is well and truly spring on the Gold Coast and there are flowers in bloom, insects in the air, magpies building nests, balmy sea breezes and, above all, people walking about in shorts and skirts and summer dresses. HELLO WARM WEATHER, I’ve missed you.

Friday Favourites { 2 October 2015 }

1 | Katie’s recipe for matcha panna cotta with hibiscus gelée + stovetop black sesame granola on Butterlust.
2 | One Eye Click’s blog, featuring some gorgeous wedding and event photography that’s uniquely Singaporean. Very candid, very human, very up-close and personal.
3 | Stunning handmade light fixtures that double as planters, from Canadian design studio Object/Interface.
4 | A rare look into the lives of the Dukha people of Mongolia, depicted through Hamid Sadar-Afkhami’s breathtaking photographs.
5 | Kim Wallace Ceramics. Impossibly lovely ceramics with a very organic feel. Adore the vintage lace collection too! Based on the Sunshine Coast.

Tennōji Zoo, Osaka – Japan’s Third Oldest Zoo

September 24, 2015

Lions at Tennōji Zoo, Osaka Mandarin Ducks at Tennōji Zoo, Osaka

Just a handful of animal photos, all taken at the Tennōji Zoo in Osaka. Not the best zoo I’ve ever been to. Opened in 1915 as Japan’s third oldest zoo, it celebrated its 100th birthday this year, and its age certainly shows. Many of the enclosures are small and we noticed some of the larger animals exhibiting signs of listlessness. Then again, at only ¥500 to get in (about AUD 5.80), it’s a wonder they make enough to keep such a large place running. I wouldn’t have minded paying a higher admission fee to help the zoo improve some of their enclosures. Continue reading “Tennōji Zoo, Osaka – Japan’s Third Oldest Zoo”