Wine is not our cup of tea, we don’t drink wine, but we have visited at least 3 wineries mainly to see how they look like.

We did not find out how they make wine, but we found the nice decorations they have there.

A grape vine on the wall.

This is a dining place for visitors under the grape vines.

The corridor was covered by the grape wines as well.  Most of wineries have grape vines as their theme.

Let’s look at something different.

I have mixed up the photos on different wineries, these photos might not be taken at the same place.

Barrels can be another theme for winery.

I am not sure what these are.  They look like trophies.

Another winery.

We are more interested in the grape vines, than the wine.

We have driven a few hundred meters and stopped, visited a place, and then continued to drive some distance again and stopped, repeated for about 10 places.  One of the places we have visited is a brewery - a place that makes beer.

This must be their machine processing the beer, we just looked from outside their windows.

Hmm… before I have forgotten, there is a place to test different types of coffee.

We are not into coffee as well, so I just took photos around.  I noticed that there were tours that bring visitors to these places.  They came by bus.

Our favorite place on this half day tour to Swan Valley is the chocolate factory.  We missed out some places because we turned our heads back when we smelled the burning smell in the air when there was a bush fire.  We missed out some places like gallery, wildlife park etc..

I also wonder if there are any farms in Swan Valley, where we can pay some amount of money and experience fruit picking there.  It would be a memorable experience.

These grape vines were planted in 1890.  They are not only old but look artistic.  We found them in one of the wineries in Swan Valley.

The grape vines as usual lined up in straight lines.

If they were potted, they might become a bonsai.

How nice if there were grapes ready to be eaten attached on the vines, SiewPeng and I sit on a foldable beach chair under the shade of this grape vines reading a book, talking and relaxing in a cool summer morning. … Day dreaming … …

While we were exploring Swan Valley, we arrived at a grape farm selling not only grapes but also rock melons, honey etc., it provided parking spaces with shades made of grape vine.  I parked our rented car at the space which is not properly covered.

Whereas, the other side was well covered but no space available.

The exciting part was when we got out of the car, we were welcomed by a big bunch of grapes above our heads.  If I am not mistaken, there was a sign telling visitors not to pluck the grapes, otherwise they might have gone much earlier before we visited this place.

There were a few more bunches of grapes at the adjacent parking space.

Coming up next, I will show you the winery and brewery in Swan Valley.

This was taken a day before supermoon on the 18th March 2011.  The weather is not good recently, and I observe the moon daily and take her photos by any chance that I have got.

Actually there was a thin layer of cloud in the sky, but this is the best photo I took for the supermoon.

I have to clear some doubts in my mind.  Sometimes, the moon looks big but it is not the supermoon but it is because the moon is nearer to the horizon, and there is a distortion by the atmosphere.  This time, the moon is really close to the Earth.  I took its photo when it was about 60 degree from the horizon.

With naked eyes, the moon that actually looks larger might be insignificant.  Therefore, I have to use graphic software on the computer to prove that it is bigger.  I added some guidelines and calculate the diameter of the moon in pixels, and I got the difference.

There are 2 conditions that need to be fulfilled:-

1.  Take the photo when the moon is not at the horizon (Same angle is the best, eg. 90 degrees above the head).

2.   Use the same lense and camera.  I always zoom to the max with my ultra zoom camera.

I am not saying that the measurement I have got is 100 % accurate, because there are other factors such as the cloudy weather, and locations which the photo is taken are different.  But at least I know that the moon is bigger in my photos.

[Taken in March 2009, Ipoh.]

I believe that it is a coincident if the supermoon has caused natural disaster, there are many other factors such as environmental issues caused by human beings, and the Earth itself.  Our Earth is sick now, please save our Earth.  I don’t think anyone would want to migrate to the moon where we have to wear a space suit and carry an oxygen tank with us all the time.

I took the photo of these flowers in one of the winery at Swan Valley.

Actually, I did not expect to see flower in the hot summer as we were told by the staff at the visitor information center that most flowers are dry and dead in the late summer.

I am not familiar with the flowers in Australia, and know none of their names.  Please tell me if you know.

These plants must have been well taken care of.  Everything is dry in the summer, and we always see the water sprinklers beside the road were always turned on even at night to water the grass.