Happiness

This weekend has been a pretty quiet one.

I worked Friday night and Saturday was filled with who knows what and a much needed couple of hours nap. Mr Sparky had his work Christmas party (read piss up) and I stayed home and found Matilda on t.v. Still a good movie and always will be a great book. Don't you just love that scene when she works out she can move things and has everything dancing around the room. So much fun and happiness there. 

Before settling down to watch Matilda I'd been for a quick trip down to the Esplanade to watch the sky change colours and see the Christmas tree all lit up. A little bit of evening magic.

Friday wasn't a particularly happy day for me, although by the evening I was doing better. Thursday had seen me down in the dumps and in a weird mood. I guess I could blame it all on hormones, women can do that can't they, but really it was just my reaction to my hopes of heading home for Christmas heading further down the drain. I had hopes of being able to have some holidays, even if a change of job was what it took. Oh, my roster for work lines up well enough except for one pesky day, I could nearly do it but you see I am rostered on for boxing day and it isn't a holiday until Monday.

Anyway, on Friday having woken still a bit down in the dumps, I made the effort to go for a shot trip to the Centenary Lakes. Actually, I'd tried the afternoon before but the lilies were closed and that wasn't what I wanted at all. 

Going out with camera in hand always lifts my mood. It gives me something to concentrate on and something to relax me.

The new Chinese Friendship Garden has been completed so the barriers and fences have been removed and the gardens finished.

As the plants grow and the lilies spread out, it will fit in quite well.

So many people popped in and out to have a look on their morning stroll or with their kids on a ride past.

It is good that it is seeing so many pairs of feet already. It would be horrid for them to have built it and the garden not to really be used.

As usual the pelicans didn't really give a toss about the change in their environment and they are always a little excited to see people, hoping for food, then gliding away in disappointment when there is none.

I wonder how long until the ducks and geese decide the new Chinese style pavilion will make a good roosting spot.

The peaceful gliding of the pelicans is always a mood lifter. They never seem ruffled by anything except the idea of food. Food seems to show the hierarchy very fast.

Actually, I kind of get the food thing. I do love food and the tasty stuff is definitely good for the soul, even if not for the waistline.

I do need to do some more walking, while on that topic. I also need to get an ingrown toenail dealt with, again. This one in a doozy, the best so far, and soooo gross. Maybe then I will do more exercise

 While I was at the Lakes I spotted an interesting bit of bright colour. The flowers looked like some kind of sea anemone. Yellow is such a happy colour.

Actually, our garden at home has a fair bit of colour in it. Some pink roses and different colours of snap dragon flowering away along with the bright yellow cucumber flowers. Best of all is the frangipani, a pretty pink one, that started flowering. Now there was something successful because I managed to grow it from a cutting.

The garden seems to be liking the weather although we did end up putting up some shade for the veges.

The birds at the Centenary Lakes don't seem to be bothered by the weather either, enjoying sitting out in the rather warm summer sun.

But then, if I could just jump into the water like they do I might not mind it either. I would however mind the sunburn.

The weather has also brought the water lilies out. Hard to imagine that there were hardly any around a little while ago.

I did actually make it around to look at the Chinese Friendship Garden. 

It is pretty and interesting and has a relaxing, peaceful feel.

With mostly greenery around they've put spots of colour all over the place, mostly reds, to brighten it up.

It was good to walk back on a bit of land I've been watching them develop and change.

It certainly adds an interest point to the Centenary Lakes area.

I can see that I will tread these paths again, every so often. I can also see them being used by the families that bring their young children with bikes to use the other easy paths around this area.

Sometimes change is good.

The pergola gives a nice shady spot to enjoy the view.

I bet it won't be long until their are weddings here.

This garden was build to highlight the importance of the friendship between Cairns and its sister city, Zhanjiang Guangdong Provence, in China. There is also an Australian garden in that Provence in China.

The information about the garden is interesting, explaining what all the parts of the garden mean such as the Chillagoe marble boulders that acknowledge the importance of rocks and mountains in Chinese garden culture. The granite dogs represent the ancient dog sculptures from the Zhanjiang area and mean protection and virility. The cloud pattern in the entry pillars is also from that region.

Friendship is a pretty important thing in our lives, really. So is family.

Don't you find that talking to friends and family can make everything right again?

What brings you happiness?

Walks with my camera, talks with family and friends and Mr Sparky, cuddles, books, good movies, being creative and eating chocolate work for me.

How about you?