About

Forced to take early retirement in February, 2010 due to chronic ill health, I have taken up Photography as a hobby.  With chronic pain, fatigue & various other health problems, energy & fitness are limited, but that doesn’t stop me reconnecting with the Creativity & Imagination of my youth.

Going for slow strolls around the nearby Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne enables me to get up close & personal with the Flowers, Shrubs & Trees as they change through the seasons.  The insects & bird life in the Gardens have now been added to my photo subjects.

I’m also lucky enough to live 5 minutes away from the main river running by the south side of the city and a 20-30 minute bus ride away from the Bayside beaches to the west of the city.

How lucky can a person get when it comes to seeing Nature at it’s Best.

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It is now mid-December 2011 at the time of writing this addition to my ‘About’ page.  I have joined FOTZ (Friends of the Zoo) at Melbourne Zoo recently and am now embarking on some new animal photography.  Unlike the Royal Botanic Gardens, my new photography subjects are a little more reliable in their appearance and sometimes a little more predictable in their movement patterns.

Melbourne Zoo is one of the most beautiful environments in which to exhibit some of our Native animals and ensure the ongoing protection and survival of some of the rarer species (as well as a number of Fauna from other parts of the world).  The landscaping of this Zoo is inspiring.  Great thought has been given to the habitats of the many much-loved animal species.  Not only are the animal exhibits worthy of praise, but the walking paths and facilities at Melbourne Zoo among the best I have seen (in my travels overseas and to other zoos in the 1970′s).

So while the RGB (Royal Botanic Gardens) is undergoing some further work on the Wetlands Project and new Landscaping (necessitating a couple of my favourite walking paths being closed), I hope to bring you some animal photos from Melbourne Zoo (which is celebrating it’s 150th Anniversary in 2012).

My new hobby as an amateur photographer is growing day by day and I feel very blessed to be able to get out and about while living close to the inner heart of Melbourne city – recently voted as the Most Liveable City in the World.

Slow Walking and Photography in the RBG, Bayside Beaches and now, Melbourne Zoo, has almost become a Healing Balm to my daily Chronic battle with Pain & Fatigue – as well as a distraction to the symptoms from other chronic health conditions.

Buddha once said that Being in Nature is soothing to the Human Spirit and I can certainly relate to that notion.  It’s been more healing that any drug – natural or synthetic - that I have ever taken in the Past.

So take my advice if you have Chronic Ill Health and Pain…………………….get out in the great outdoors (if you can).  Be in the Moment and truly see Nature at it’s Best – it’s a Great Healer.

I may be contacted on victoriaaa1233@gmail.com if you have any questions about my photos or wish to use them in any way.