A Family Wedding in Zimbabwe

Beth and Séan, the Bride and Groom

We were so thrilled to be able to fly to Zimbabwe for the wedding of our nephew, Séan, and his beautiful bride, Beth. The wedding was held at Ryelands, Harare, among the msasa trees. On the invitation, the bride had requested that all guests should only wear shades of cream, and no other colour. Everyone made a special effort to comply, with the result that everything looked amazing!

The groomsmen and the celebrant, waiting for the ceremony to begin

All the guest were seated on bales of hay, as this was truly a bush wedding...

...then the choir began to sing...

...as the bridesmaids, and flower girls, came along the path

Then came the beautiful bride, supported by her father,

an award-winning safari guide, also known as the "Elephant Whisperer"

Beth and Séan made their vows, in front of Mark, the celebrant

As they walked through the lines of guests, everyone threw rose petals over them...

...while a sweet little flower girl peeped out from behind a bridesmaid's dress

Cocktails and snacks were served among the msasa trees, 

while we checked the seating plans, hanging from a branch

The dining tables were set out in a clearing in the woods

As night-time fell, lights strung among the trees gave everything a romantic glow

Then the dancing began, and we all partied well into the night

What a beautiful wedding, and one we will always remember. We were so privileged to be part of this wonderful day.

Elizabeth Coughlan

Photography Trek to Burgazada

 

Burgazada Waterfront

Just before leaving Istanbul for our new nomadic life, I joined my last trek with our photo club. We visited Burgazada (the Island of Burgaz), one of the Princes Islands, in the Sea of Marmara. This island is a favourite holiday getaway for locals; although few tourist manage to find their way there, preferring to visit the much larger Buyukada, or Big Island.

Burgazada is well-known for its fresh fish

Stray dogs roam the island, and are found everywhere.

Flowers were blooming all over the island, like this purple hibiscus

Photographer at work

We climbed up the island's hills to photograph the locals going about their daily work

Horses roam the island too!

Private cars are not allowed on the island. transport is by way of horse and carriage. It was coming to the end of the summer season, so not so many carriages were needed. Extra horses are put out to grass for the winter, and usually spend their time wandering the island. Unfortunately, they are often chased by the packs of homeless dogs.

The population of the island is mainly Turks with a Greek heritage, 

which explains the existence of the Greek Orthodox churches.

We were fascinated by this sign in a shop window.

You can see our group reflected here.

Beautiful bougainvillea was everywhere!

I caught this reflection in a doorway

The Asian side of Istanbul, from the water

Too soon, our trek was over, and we were headed back to the city. I hope to visit Istanbul, this time as a tourist, in November. I loved belonging to the photo club, and I definitely recommend it for any new resident. You get to see areas of the city that you might never see on your own, and with a group of wonderful friends. I will certainly miss you all!

Elizabeth Coughlan

GEP 2015 Paris Travel Video Expedition

Ah! Paris

What an amazing fun-filled week we had at the Great Escape Publishing Travel Video Expedition in
Paris, France, with experienced travel videographer, Tom Reissmann. We had a value-packed, action-packed full 5 days, and learned so much about the techniques, and business side of travel videos, that we are all set to take that first scary step as travel videographers.

Here is a collection of my clips from that wonderful week in Paris.

Paris, J'adore!

Elizabeth Coughlan

Tinka, High Jump Champion, NSW, Australia

This is my granddaughter Katelyn's dog Tinka. They won the 'Little Dog High Jump' in the Dog Trials held at Ellerston recently.She is forever trying to leap over the fence, even when there is another open gate nearby! She deserves to be a champion with all that practice! 

(Music by http://www.purple-planet.com)

Elizabeth Coughlan