Nimavenl - Nicole's Random Ramblings

As a child, I dreamed of being an astronaut. Of seeing our planet from space, walking on the moon, leaving behind everything down here on earth. I wanted to explore, to travel, to see sights few others had ever seen with their own eyes. I wanted to know what it would feel like to be out there, floating in the darkness of space, weightless, far away from everything I had ever known or would ever know. These days I only dream of being an astronaut when I'm asleep. Yet others turned their childhood dreams into reality. American astronaut Scott Kelly is one of those people. He doesn't live his dream alone but shares it with the world, giving all of us down here on earth a glimpse of what life in space is really like. I can say one thing for certain - the photos Scott Kelly shares amaze, awe and inspire me. Our planet truly is an amazing place! For an instant before sunrise, the space station glows orange. #GoodMorning from @Space_Station ! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/FEXx8...

Here are some photos of tonight's sunset. I can't say it enough: Our planet is truly beautiful and amazing. Whatever you may dream about, whatever religious or spiritual views you may have, whatever you may think about what the future holds, whatever your views are about humanity, the economy, world politics, war and peace, climate change, global warming and other big issues that should concern us all - I hope we can all agree on one thing: Our planet is stunning, amazing and ridiculously beautiful. As far as we know, our amazing planet is unique. It is in our solar system, at least. Other planets are certainly beautiful too, however humans exist on only one planet. Trees and flowers, birds and insects, fish and animals exist only here. Perhaps one day we'll make contact with sentient beings on other planets (or perhaps they will make contact with us!) and discover that they too live on a beautiful planet teeming with life, however until we figure out a way to get huma...

Just sittin' here, livin' life A few days ago I posted the first photo of my third Photo Challenge. Still deciding what the challenge would be about exactly, I narrowed it down to either do Flowers, Life or Yellow. I took several photos of yellow things yet yellow didn't do it for me this week. I biked and walked past several very interesting animals. Spotted a stone elephant in a stranger's garden, a photo of a dog in a window and a gorgeous cat wanting to play. Yet animals... Maybe another day. I ended up choosing flowers. Flowers brighten our world and always make me smile. Here are a few flower photos which I hope you'll enjoy. Yes, they're a little late - I forgot all about posting the Challenge photos, so sue me. All of these photos were taken on the same day while out enjoying the sunshine, the gorgeous weather and the beauty of nature. Remember to enjoy the beauty of nature and to cherish the flowers in your life! Daisies in the Gra...

Biking home two days ago, I couldn't help myself and simply had to stop to take a photo of the setting sun, shining up from behind a cloud. That evening I saw two photos on Facebook that showed the same sky, photos that were taken over twenty kilometres away from where I took this photo. It made me wonder how many people saw (and loved!) this beautiful sunset. How many looked up in wonder, how many smiled, how many stopped, even if only for a minute,to gaze up in amazement? How many stopped worrying, stressing or running around and just spent a moment adoring nature and the beauty on display in the sky above? Shining Sunset Sky | Nimavenl

It scares me how little we care about what we are doing to the only home we have. We Blew It: A Time Line of Human Impact on the Planet http://t.co/eOKSYaJ5A1 pic.twitter.com/cveFm9XXI8 — VICE (@VICE) May 8, 2015 We fight. We argue. We use. We abuse.  We waste. We pollute. The next day, we do the same thing. All over again. Will we ever learn to care about the future of our planet and the human race?