NATURE SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Essentially here I will post everything that doesn't fall in the Flora and Fauna photo categories or is a mix of both. The Sights & Sounds gallery is a distraction therapy for me, when I'm not concentrating on one particular object or subject, I shoot more general views of stuff we just happen upon. Sometimes surprising and surpassing myself when, back home, we look at the results.
 Rows and rows of peartrees in blossom, white as snow. Kortessem, Belgium. |  Reflections of nature around a pond in Keukenhof, Netherlands |  Amanita muscaria is a cosmopolitan mushroom, native to conifer and deciduous woodlands throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including higher elevations of warmer latitudes in regions such as Hindu Kush, the Mediterranean and also Central America. Kelchterhoef, Houthalen, Belgium |
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 Spring is in the air. Blossom scenery in the Japanese Garden, Hasselt, Belgium |  The shaggy ink cap, lawyer's wig, or shaggy mane, is a common fungus often seen growing on lawns, along gravel roads and waste areas. The young fruit bodies first appear as white cylinders emerging from the ground, then the bell-shaped caps open out. This mushroom is unusual because it will turn black and dissolve itself in a matter of hours after being picked or depositing spores. Comblain au Pont, Belgium |  Little waterway strolling through the gardens of Annevoie, Belgium |
 One of the orchards in Gingelom, Belgium where the apples are ready for harvest. |  The parasol mushroom is a basidiomycete fungus with a large, prominent fruiting body resembling a parasol. It is a fairly common species on well-drained soils. |  The Canal to Beverlo is a branch of the Canal Bocholt-Herentals near the hamlet of "Blauwe Kei" in Lommel. It is one of the seven Kempen channels between the Meuse and the Scheldt. Leopoldsburg, Belgium. |
 The Canal to Beverlo is a branch of the Canal Bocholt-Herentals near the hamlet of "Blauwe Kei" in Lommel. It is one of the seven Kempen channels between the Meuse and the Scheldt. Leopoldsburg, Belgium. |  Lake Qaraoun is an artificial lake or reservoir located in the southern region of the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon. It was created near Qaraoun village in 1959 by building a 61-metre-high (200 ft) concrete-faced rockfill dam (the largest dam in Lebanon) in the middle reaches of the Litani River (longest river in Lebanon). The lake is a habitat for some 20,000 migratory birds which visit it annually. |  The fabulous vistas of the Bkassine - Jezzine region. Sabbah (South Governorate) Lebanon |
 Enjoying the view over Taanayel Lake, Lebanon |  While walking along the Corniche in Beirut, we were treated to spectacular waves following the storm that passed the previous day. Beirut, Lebanon. |  While walking along the Corniche in Beirut, we were treated to spectacular waves following the storm that past the previous day. The second photo in the series with a bit more contrast of the waves against the sky. Beirut, Lebanon. |
 Some peace and quiet at the edge of the bay. Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, |  The moat around the Water Castle in Pietersheim, Lanaken, Belgium. |  View on one of the stretches of water we encountered on our walk in Lanaken, Belgium. |
 The cedar tree is the national symbol of Lebanon, country where I have been on a posting for 4 years. I saw this giant looming out of the morning fog during our walk in the Natural Reserve in Ehden, Lebanon. |  Close to the Abbey of Averbode is a wonderful walking trail with peaceful nature spots like this one. Averbode, Belgium |  Sun and rain in one image. Walk along the beach. Beirut, Lebanon |
 When we are in Belgium, we like to hike along one of the many charted walks in the different parts of the country. During one of these walks we came by an orchard of cherries. Horst, Belgium. |  Beautiful walk along ponds and woods in Resterheide, Belgium. |  Where's my belly button??? I thought this piece of wood looked like a person looking to find its belly button Tielt-Winge, Belgium |