So I've been playing in flickr with my photos and creating frames and signature watermarks for my photos.
I've posted a few of them on here, but the outer purple frame on these, are not on the original photos in flickr. You need to ignore the purple frame or look in flickr at the original photo.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/
It's been a bit of fun and very therapeutic!
Adoring Husband is in need of some loving attention tonight, so I am off to bed early for some sleepy cuddles.
My artistic and creative juices will have to continue flowing tomorrow.
Nite all.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Clouds
Via Flickr:
I thought the black and white made it a bit dramatic. We've had some great cloud formations lately. These were over Point Vernon.
Bee Happy
Via Flickr:
Tricky little buggers to photograph when they are so busy trying to gather all the goodness!
Camping Heaven
There was a Caravan and Camping Expo in Maryborough today.
I agreed to go with Adoring Husband and check out the camping gear.
I hate camping.
You need to understand my history with camping/caravaning.
I travelled around Australia and lived in a caravan with my parents for seven years as a child.
My camping experiences in a tent, were all with my previous partner, and we really roughed it out bush, in a two man tent on the banks of the Lachlan River.
Walking a hundred yards with a shovel and a roll of toilet paper to do our 'business'. Cooking in the camp oven over the hot coals of an open fire. Bathing in the river.
We camped like this at least once a month and over a three or four day, long weekend.
In the beginning it was a bit of fun or a novelty, but that soon wore thin and became less and less enjoyable as I got older and less agile. This went on for almost thirteen years ***groan***.
So now I have Adoring Husband, who loves to camp and caravan, and has done so regularly for most of his life.
He has always done it in style and comfort though, so his experiences are all pleasant and enjoyable.
Now that we have taken up photography as a hobby and possible business (down the track), he has suggested that we go camping, so that we can be in the right place at the right time for dawn and dusk photographic opportunities.
Initially I flatly refused to do this.
After today and seeing all of the camping and caravaning options available, I am warming to the idea.
Of course the $278,000 Winnebago was absolutely delightful and if I was going to move out of my house and live in a mobile vehicle ... the Winnebago would be a MUST!!
However, we would only be taking a couple of days here and there, so I am very inclined to go with the $15,000 camper trailer with the huge bed and the fabulous roof that reduces the Summer heat in the tent considerably.
It's something to consider seriously and perhaps do a little more research into.
I sense that Adoring Husband is beginning to feel a tingle of excitement at the remote possibility of re-establishing his caravan/camping lifestyle.
So while Adoring Husband was in Camping Heaven today, I was just feeling the water with my big toe.
Let's see what the future has in store!
I agreed to go with Adoring Husband and check out the camping gear.
I hate camping.
You need to understand my history with camping/caravaning.
I travelled around Australia and lived in a caravan with my parents for seven years as a child.
My camping experiences in a tent, were all with my previous partner, and we really roughed it out bush, in a two man tent on the banks of the Lachlan River.
Walking a hundred yards with a shovel and a roll of toilet paper to do our 'business'. Cooking in the camp oven over the hot coals of an open fire. Bathing in the river.
We camped like this at least once a month and over a three or four day, long weekend.
In the beginning it was a bit of fun or a novelty, but that soon wore thin and became less and less enjoyable as I got older and less agile. This went on for almost thirteen years ***groan***.
So now I have Adoring Husband, who loves to camp and caravan, and has done so regularly for most of his life.
He has always done it in style and comfort though, so his experiences are all pleasant and enjoyable.
Now that we have taken up photography as a hobby and possible business (down the track), he has suggested that we go camping, so that we can be in the right place at the right time for dawn and dusk photographic opportunities.
Initially I flatly refused to do this.
After today and seeing all of the camping and caravaning options available, I am warming to the idea.
Of course the $278,000 Winnebago was absolutely delightful and if I was going to move out of my house and live in a mobile vehicle ... the Winnebago would be a MUST!!
However, we would only be taking a couple of days here and there, so I am very inclined to go with the $15,000 camper trailer with the huge bed and the fabulous roof that reduces the Summer heat in the tent considerably.
It's something to consider seriously and perhaps do a little more research into.
I sense that Adoring Husband is beginning to feel a tingle of excitement at the remote possibility of re-establishing his caravan/camping lifestyle.
So while Adoring Husband was in Camping Heaven today, I was just feeling the water with my big toe.
Let's see what the future has in store!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Bush walk No 1
So today was our first attempt to search out the water hole.
We knew it wasn't too far into the bush and we knew there was a track leading towards the water hole, so we drove behind a Kaz's house and she pointed the way towards the track.
At the same time she said "It may be grown over because we haven't been in there for a while."
Ya think!!!???
We walked for a good fifteen minutes, through quite thick scrub. The only tracks to be found were kangaroo tracks that were barely tracks at all.
Last week there had been some back burning done in the area in preparation for the hot Summer, so there were large patches of ground that were burnt black with clumps of grass stubble everywhere.
These parts were easy to walk over.
Finally, in the distance, we could see a large clearing, so we began walking towards it.
Abruptly, we had to stop, as our feet began sinking into some very wet ground.
Clearly, the rains in January had flooded this area, so the water hole was now surrounded by swamp land that didn't appear to have receded much since the floods.
We decided to walk further around to see if there may be a dryer area to follow to the water hole.
Along the way, we found a small clearing that looked like it may have been somebody's makeshift home. There were a couple of blankets soaked into the ground, a broken plastic chair and some other odds and ends.
The ground was still very damp there, so no-one would have been able to sleep there for quite some time.
We kept walking, but each time that we turned to walk closer to the water hole, the swampland appeared.
In the end we decided to walk back to the main road and follow it back to Kaz's place for the car.
I was surprised by Adoring Husband's amazing inner compass, when we came out of the bush onto the main road, directly opposite the local pub!!
By now, a single photo had NOT been taken. The only bird that we had seen was a dirty old Ibis off in the distance and it was too far away to photograph.
We decided to walk across the road to the pub and have drink while we decided what to do next.
We had been walking for an hour by this point. Adoring Husband was carrying the big backpack with most of the camera gear in it, as well as waving around the folded tripod to get rid of the cobwebs in our path.
I was carrying my camera, which weighs almost 3kgs with the big lens on it.
I was OVER it.
Unlike my brother, who can walk through the bush for hours on end and think nothing of it, 'I' am not much for 'roughing' it.
By now, my shoes were wet and muddy, my jeans were wet and blackened by the burnt stubble and as it was getting closer to midday, the humidity and heat were building up.
I was feeling hot and bothered and ready to give up.
We agreed to walk back to the car and for Adoring Husband to come back another day, on his own, and figure out a way into water hole.
I like that idea. He can do the hard bit and I will come in at the end and take advantage of his brilliance.
So we came home completely empty handed.
Not a single photo!
During our trek through the bush, we didn't come across any wildlife. There were no obvious bugs or creepy crawlies. No snakes, no birds, no kangaroos, no nothing!
It might be a few days before we go for another attempt, but there will definitely be another attempt!
Clearly bush walk number one has been a failure. Let's wait and see what number two brings!
Nite all.
We knew it wasn't too far into the bush and we knew there was a track leading towards the water hole, so we drove behind a Kaz's house and she pointed the way towards the track.
At the same time she said "It may be grown over because we haven't been in there for a while."
Ya think!!!???
We walked for a good fifteen minutes, through quite thick scrub. The only tracks to be found were kangaroo tracks that were barely tracks at all.
Last week there had been some back burning done in the area in preparation for the hot Summer, so there were large patches of ground that were burnt black with clumps of grass stubble everywhere.
These parts were easy to walk over.
Finally, in the distance, we could see a large clearing, so we began walking towards it.
Abruptly, we had to stop, as our feet began sinking into some very wet ground.
Clearly, the rains in January had flooded this area, so the water hole was now surrounded by swamp land that didn't appear to have receded much since the floods.
We decided to walk further around to see if there may be a dryer area to follow to the water hole.
Along the way, we found a small clearing that looked like it may have been somebody's makeshift home. There were a couple of blankets soaked into the ground, a broken plastic chair and some other odds and ends.
The ground was still very damp there, so no-one would have been able to sleep there for quite some time.
We kept walking, but each time that we turned to walk closer to the water hole, the swampland appeared.
In the end we decided to walk back to the main road and follow it back to Kaz's place for the car.
I was surprised by Adoring Husband's amazing inner compass, when we came out of the bush onto the main road, directly opposite the local pub!!
By now, a single photo had NOT been taken. The only bird that we had seen was a dirty old Ibis off in the distance and it was too far away to photograph.
We decided to walk across the road to the pub and have drink while we decided what to do next.
We had been walking for an hour by this point. Adoring Husband was carrying the big backpack with most of the camera gear in it, as well as waving around the folded tripod to get rid of the cobwebs in our path.
I was carrying my camera, which weighs almost 3kgs with the big lens on it.
I was OVER it.
Unlike my brother, who can walk through the bush for hours on end and think nothing of it, 'I' am not much for 'roughing' it.
By now, my shoes were wet and muddy, my jeans were wet and blackened by the burnt stubble and as it was getting closer to midday, the humidity and heat were building up.
I was feeling hot and bothered and ready to give up.
We agreed to walk back to the car and for Adoring Husband to come back another day, on his own, and figure out a way into water hole.
I like that idea. He can do the hard bit and I will come in at the end and take advantage of his brilliance.
So we came home completely empty handed.
Not a single photo!
During our trek through the bush, we didn't come across any wildlife. There were no obvious bugs or creepy crawlies. No snakes, no birds, no kangaroos, no nothing!
It might be a few days before we go for another attempt, but there will definitely be another attempt!
Clearly bush walk number one has been a failure. Let's wait and see what number two brings!
Nite all.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Cheap Tuesday
Adoring Husband and I took ourselves to the movies for 'cheap Tuesday' today, and then to 'Aquavue', on the water front, for lunch.
At our local cinemas, it only costs $9 to see a movie on Tuesdays.
We saw 'Red Dog'. A good Aussie movie. Watch this for the preview.
The dog died. That really doesn't give anything away because the very start of the movie indicates that we are at the end of the dog's life, and so the story begins.
Everybody cried except me.
Adoring Husband warned me before the movie, that if the dog died, I was going to be in big trouble.
The last thing that Vegan Chickie said as we walked out the door this morning, was "I hope the dog doesn't die!"
So to stop myself from crying during the movie, I imagined myself running in the door at home and calling out to Vegan Chickie "So! The dog died!"
It took the edge off the sadness and reduced the size of the lump in my throat.
Lunch, after the movie, was delicious. We ate Honey Soy Chicken Salad.
The view was lovely with the sunlight dancing on the water and lots of activity with holiday makers riding jet skis and kayaks, couples walking along the beach and kids playing football or building sand castles.
There was a real holiday atmosphere.
I have one photo of Chicklet to share with you today.
Tomorrow, Adoring Husband and I are going bushwalking to search out the secret water hole, where, apparently, there is abundant birdlife, the likes of which, don't show their pretty little faces in town.
So hopefully, we will get some fabulous shots to share with you.
Tuesday has been cheap and cheerful. Let's see what Wednesday brings.
Nite all.
At our local cinemas, it only costs $9 to see a movie on Tuesdays.
We saw 'Red Dog'. A good Aussie movie. Watch this for the preview.
The dog died. That really doesn't give anything away because the very start of the movie indicates that we are at the end of the dog's life, and so the story begins.
Everybody cried except me.
Adoring Husband warned me before the movie, that if the dog died, I was going to be in big trouble.
The last thing that Vegan Chickie said as we walked out the door this morning, was "I hope the dog doesn't die!"
So to stop myself from crying during the movie, I imagined myself running in the door at home and calling out to Vegan Chickie "So! The dog died!"
It took the edge off the sadness and reduced the size of the lump in my throat.
Lunch, after the movie, was delicious. We ate Honey Soy Chicken Salad.
The view was lovely with the sunlight dancing on the water and lots of activity with holiday makers riding jet skis and kayaks, couples walking along the beach and kids playing football or building sand castles.
There was a real holiday atmosphere.
I have one photo of Chicklet to share with you today.
Tomorrow, Adoring Husband and I are going bushwalking to search out the secret water hole, where, apparently, there is abundant birdlife, the likes of which, don't show their pretty little faces in town.
So hopefully, we will get some fabulous shots to share with you.
Tuesday has been cheap and cheerful. Let's see what Wednesday brings.
Nite all.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Productive and Happy
I received a lovely email from BGWLBH today. I don't get them very often, so when I do, it really makes my day :o)
Adoring Husband rushed in this morning after work asking me if I wanted to go with him to photograph the pelicans on the beach.
He packed the car with his camera gear and rushed off, while I agreed to meet him down there on my trike.
By the time I dressed myself, got the Psychotic Dogs out of bed, let them out to do their business, packed my camera gear in the back of the trike, called psychotic dogs back inside and left the house, almost thirty minutes had passed.
I figured that the pelicans would be gone by then ... they don't stick around in one place for long, unless there is a lot of food about.
So I pedalled to the bakery, got my coffee and as I headed off toward the Seat of Knowledge, Adoring Husband overtook me, calling out that the pelicans had gone (just as I suspected!).
He stopped off at the Seat of Knowledge and showed me some of the photos on his camera and I looked forward to seeing them on the computer screen, but he later informed me that they were all a disappointment on the bigger screen. Such a shame.
So later, after I began pedalling home, I wanted to take a different route and possibly stop to find some flora or fauna to photograph.
I stopped at my usual water hole and found some newcomers ...
I found a nice little spot, not far from my usual route, with trees, water, reeds and tracks leading through the bush (which I did not follow this time).
I parked my trike off the road and went for a wander.
I interrupted a couple of kookaburras in the 'mating' process. I think they were a bit annoyed with me and the mate to this one came in quite aggressively and they flew off together.
By the tree was a wild wattle bush. It was too windy to use the macro lens so I used the zoom lens. It still didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, but I really like the contrast between the sharp, spiky leaves and the soft, fluffy flowers.
On the way home from there, I stopped to take some shots of flowers, but discovered a number of bees buzzing between the blooms. I was lucky to get this great shot!
So after a pleasant morning of self indulgence, I came home, and with a little help from the Bare-chested Chef and Adoring Husband, I did a couple of hours of housework, which I haven't done for quite some time!
It's nice to have a clean house :o) and now the plants are happy because they got to have a nice big drink as well.
I even had almost two hours to myself this afternoon while everybody else was busy in town. It was lovely.
It's been a productive and happy day for me!
Nite all.
Adoring Husband rushed in this morning after work asking me if I wanted to go with him to photograph the pelicans on the beach.
He packed the car with his camera gear and rushed off, while I agreed to meet him down there on my trike.
By the time I dressed myself, got the Psychotic Dogs out of bed, let them out to do their business, packed my camera gear in the back of the trike, called psychotic dogs back inside and left the house, almost thirty minutes had passed.
I figured that the pelicans would be gone by then ... they don't stick around in one place for long, unless there is a lot of food about.
So I pedalled to the bakery, got my coffee and as I headed off toward the Seat of Knowledge, Adoring Husband overtook me, calling out that the pelicans had gone (just as I suspected!).
He stopped off at the Seat of Knowledge and showed me some of the photos on his camera and I looked forward to seeing them on the computer screen, but he later informed me that they were all a disappointment on the bigger screen. Such a shame.
So later, after I began pedalling home, I wanted to take a different route and possibly stop to find some flora or fauna to photograph.
I stopped at my usual water hole and found some newcomers ...
 |
| A Royal Spoonbill |
I parked my trike off the road and went for a wander.
I interrupted a couple of kookaburras in the 'mating' process. I think they were a bit annoyed with me and the mate to this one came in quite aggressively and they flew off together.
 |
| Angry or frustrated? |
 |
| Wild Wattle |
 |
| Bee happy! |
It's nice to have a clean house :o) and now the plants are happy because they got to have a nice big drink as well.
I even had almost two hours to myself this afternoon while everybody else was busy in town. It was lovely.
It's been a productive and happy day for me!
Nite all.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Winners Are Grinners
Adoring Husband won his Club Golf Championships (with handicap) today, in B Grade. I reckon he's feeling pretty chuffed! Well done my darling :o)
We rushed down to the park to catch that final couple of minutes of the sunset this afternoon. We literally ran from the car to the edge of the park and didn't even have time to set up our tripods.
We stood firing off shots for about three minutes, which is how long it took for the sun to sink very quickly behind the horizon!
Then we jumped in the car and headed off to the other end of the beach, where the full moon was due to rise.
My effort was dismal and I have deleted all of my attempted shots of the moon.
Adoring Husband had better luck, but they still weren't good enough to share on here. We'll try again next month!
I did get a nice photograph with the macro lens this afternoon ...
Today would have been my Dad's 71st birthday, had he lived. He died in 1997 of complications from a brown snake bite.
The staff at Gladstone Hospital treated the injury incorrectly, so they were directly responsible for his death and Mum received a large compensation payment after a two year legal battle.
Of course it didn't bring Dad back, but it made her life more financially comfortable for the eight years after his death and until hers in 2005.
Yes, I am an orphan. I don't like it much. Life and death are so unpredictable, so make the most of what and who you have while you have them. It can all be over in an instant.
In the meantime, I will enjoy the smile on Adoring Husband's dial because Winners are grinners!
Nite all.
We rushed down to the park to catch that final couple of minutes of the sunset this afternoon. We literally ran from the car to the edge of the park and didn't even have time to set up our tripods.
We stood firing off shots for about three minutes, which is how long it took for the sun to sink very quickly behind the horizon!
Then we jumped in the car and headed off to the other end of the beach, where the full moon was due to rise.
My effort was dismal and I have deleted all of my attempted shots of the moon.
Adoring Husband had better luck, but they still weren't good enough to share on here. We'll try again next month!
I did get a nice photograph with the macro lens this afternoon ...
 |
| The stamen of one of our new Petunias |
The staff at Gladstone Hospital treated the injury incorrectly, so they were directly responsible for his death and Mum received a large compensation payment after a two year legal battle.
Of course it didn't bring Dad back, but it made her life more financially comfortable for the eight years after his death and until hers in 2005.
Yes, I am an orphan. I don't like it much. Life and death are so unpredictable, so make the most of what and who you have while you have them. It can all be over in an instant.
In the meantime, I will enjoy the smile on Adoring Husband's dial because Winners are grinners!
Nite all.
Musical Day
Literally dragged myself out of bed this morning to get organised for the markets. Getting myself organised was surprisingly easier than I expected!
If I hadn't arranged for Aussie H to meet me there, I probably would have stayed at home in bed!
I waited until the sun was up high enough to make it safe for me to ride my trike, so it was about 6.10am when I left home.
I hadn't organised money for my float so I pedalled to Foodworks and used the ATM to withdraw some cash. I then went to the Bakery to get coffee, which in turn gave me change for my float.
It was around 6.30am when I began to set up my stall and it only took about fifteen minutes, so I was sitting and drinking my coffee well before 7am.
It was SOOOOO cold! I don't usually feel the cold, but my feet felt like they were frozen and I even wore long sleeves!
At about 8am, a bus load of high school kids arrived and began setting themselves up in one corner of the grounds to play music.
They were from Redcliffe High School and they were a music band and choir. They had a gig in Hervey Bay (something to do with the Baptist Church) but had been invited to our market to play.
They were very good and played a wide and varied range of songs and music for about two hours. They certainly pulled a crowd!
When they finished and had packed up all their gear, they all wandered around the markets and I made some good sales from lovely kids who were buying gifts for their mothers!
What started out as a slow day, ended up being one my best days ever! Yay for polite, well spoken, confident, talented young people!!
After a nice long nap this afternoon, Adoring Husband and I got all dressed up and drove to Maryborough for 'Jon English and The Rock Show'.
You know how when somebody raves about something ... like a movie ... and when you go to see it, you have such high expectations, that you are almost always disappointed? Well, I expected that Adoring Husband would be disappointed in this show because I had raved SO MUCH about how great it was.
He LOVED it! He came out raving about it, just like I did the first time I saw the show.
I must admit that for the first ten minutes, I was holding back tears! I was so overwhelmed with happiness and excitement, that the emotion kind of welled up inside me and I struggled to control it!
Seems the older I get, the more emotional I get. Gotta figure out a way to control that!
There was a restaurant attached to the theatre where the show was and we lobbed on the door asking for a table at 6.30pm. They gave us the last table available!
The food was lovely and by the time we finished dinner, it was time to pick up our tickets from reception, which was a relatively easy and painless operation.
The foyer was full of old fogeys like us, with a smattering of kids/grandkids.
Some people were dressed to the nines and others wore tracksuits and flannelette shirts.
When I saw the show in Griffith, we were sitting two rows back on the left side of the stage and this time, we were sitting three rows back and on the right side of the stage.
It was almost like watching a different show!
There is just so much to see, it's impossible to watch everything at the same time. The talent on that stage is just impossible to describe and there are no words to do the show justice.
I will go again and again and again if I have the opportunity! We paid $50 to see the show in Griffith and $69 to see the show here, but I would pay double that because they are more than worthy of that kind of money.
Just brilliant!!
It has been a very musical day for me and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!
Nite all.
If I hadn't arranged for Aussie H to meet me there, I probably would have stayed at home in bed!
I waited until the sun was up high enough to make it safe for me to ride my trike, so it was about 6.10am when I left home.
I hadn't organised money for my float so I pedalled to Foodworks and used the ATM to withdraw some cash. I then went to the Bakery to get coffee, which in turn gave me change for my float.
It was around 6.30am when I began to set up my stall and it only took about fifteen minutes, so I was sitting and drinking my coffee well before 7am.
It was SOOOOO cold! I don't usually feel the cold, but my feet felt like they were frozen and I even wore long sleeves!
At about 8am, a bus load of high school kids arrived and began setting themselves up in one corner of the grounds to play music.
They were from Redcliffe High School and they were a music band and choir. They had a gig in Hervey Bay (something to do with the Baptist Church) but had been invited to our market to play.
They were very good and played a wide and varied range of songs and music for about two hours. They certainly pulled a crowd!
When they finished and had packed up all their gear, they all wandered around the markets and I made some good sales from lovely kids who were buying gifts for their mothers!
What started out as a slow day, ended up being one my best days ever! Yay for polite, well spoken, confident, talented young people!!
After a nice long nap this afternoon, Adoring Husband and I got all dressed up and drove to Maryborough for 'Jon English and The Rock Show'.
You know how when somebody raves about something ... like a movie ... and when you go to see it, you have such high expectations, that you are almost always disappointed? Well, I expected that Adoring Husband would be disappointed in this show because I had raved SO MUCH about how great it was.
He LOVED it! He came out raving about it, just like I did the first time I saw the show.
I must admit that for the first ten minutes, I was holding back tears! I was so overwhelmed with happiness and excitement, that the emotion kind of welled up inside me and I struggled to control it!
Seems the older I get, the more emotional I get. Gotta figure out a way to control that!
There was a restaurant attached to the theatre where the show was and we lobbed on the door asking for a table at 6.30pm. They gave us the last table available!
The food was lovely and by the time we finished dinner, it was time to pick up our tickets from reception, which was a relatively easy and painless operation.
The foyer was full of old fogeys like us, with a smattering of kids/grandkids.
Some people were dressed to the nines and others wore tracksuits and flannelette shirts.
When I saw the show in Griffith, we were sitting two rows back on the left side of the stage and this time, we were sitting three rows back and on the right side of the stage.
It was almost like watching a different show!
There is just so much to see, it's impossible to watch everything at the same time. The talent on that stage is just impossible to describe and there are no words to do the show justice.
I will go again and again and again if I have the opportunity! We paid $50 to see the show in Griffith and $69 to see the show here, but I would pay double that because they are more than worthy of that kind of money.
Just brilliant!!
It has been a very musical day for me and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!
Nite all.
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