Day Twelve - A Sunset

Quote of the Day:  "Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, or say, or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.  The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day, regarding the attitude that we embrace.  We cannot change our past.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing that we can do is play on the one thing that we have - and that is our attitude.  Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you ... WE are in charge of our own attitudes." - Chuck Swindoll.

Day Twelve - A Sunset

I couldn't get a sunset shot tonight because it was too overcast, so I dug out this old favourite of mine.

Either, nature is having a long nap, or my inspiration is waning.

It has been a couple of days now since I got a photo worth sharing.  I hate that!  Tomorrow, the tide is low in the morning, so I might go for a long walk along the beach and see what it has to offer.

Surely, either the beach and sand will hold some treasures worth aiming my camera at, or the bushland that joins the beach to the land will share something with me.

I'd really love to find some beautiful scenery and take some landscape shots.

When I visited Chicklet today, I took my camera with me, but I get so mesmerised by her, that I forget all about the camera!  How annoying!  It happens all the time :(

I promised BGWLBH months ago, that I would send regular photos of Chicklet to her, but I can't even remember the last time I took a photo!  I am a bad grandmother :(

Next week is Christmas.  I MUST take a gozillion photos on Christmas day!

Anyway, we had a delicious lunch at the restaurant where the Bare-chested Chef will be starting work next week.  We've eaten at this place often, but today was the best meal we've had from there.

At the end of the day, Vegan Chickie, emailed me this little gem of my Sweetie Possum ...

A never ending source of joy :o)

I'm so glad that I can share this with you!

Nite all.

Day Eleven - Something Blue

This is not how I am feeling today ... but it is how I feel sometimes.

Day Eleven - Something Blue

That's cheating a little.  An old photo.  But it was the first thing that came into my head when I thought of something blue :)

Well, we mailed the Christmas cards today.  We also wrapped, boxed and mailed the Christmas gifts, however, I'm not sure if they will arrive at their destinations before Christmas now!

Spent a few hours pedalling around town this morning, but it was a little frustrating due to a few scattered showers which meant that I had to keep packing my camera away and then wait for the rain to stop.

It seems that Spring is definitely over!  There is not a lot to photograph at this time of year.  Not even sunsets, because it is so overcast or rainy every afternoon.

Tomorrow I am visiting Vegan Chickie and Chicklet.  Let's hope the bus trip is less eventful than the last one!

So it's a short, but sweet, post tonight.  We made the effort to dress up and go out tonight.  Just to the raffles at the Bowls Club, but I'm feeling a little worn out, so it's off to bed for me!

Nite all.

Day Ten - A Childhood Memory

My chuckle moment:

Day Ten - A Childhood Memory

This is the diary that I mentioned in my very first blog post.  It's opened on the page that my mother wrote on.

My first blog post http://agechallengedrqqzy.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-think-im-now-blogger.html

Remember how I made the banana and walnut cake yesterday?  And how I was going to share it with the boys on the Seat of Knowledge?

Well ... this morning when I got to the Seat of Knowledge, I was reminded by one of my boys that it was the Indoor Bowls Christmas break-up day and that I had to take a contribution to morning tea!

I haven't been to Indoor Bowls for a few weeks, so I wasn't aware it was break-up day!

So, what a lucky co-incidence that I had made the banana and walnut cake!

I did cut one slice to give to one of my boys before I left for bowls :o)

I only played one out of the three games of bowls because Adoring Husband and I had an appointment in The Bay today, which we attended and then did some light shopping and got coffee.

We bought a dvd the 'Green Lantern' starring Ryan Reynolds, which we watched this evening.  It wasn't a bad movie, not my 'cup of tea', being a comic book action/adventure/fantasy,  but the special effects were pretty good.

It's now pouring with rain, and has been for almost two hours.

I didn't take any photos today.  I did go for a ride on the way home from bowls, looking for an opportunity, but not a lot was happening on the 'nature' front.

Once again, I am writing this leading into midnight.  Ugh!

Nite all.

Day Nine - Someone You Love

Just for a giggle ...

Day Nine - Someone You Love

... and because I can ...

Had a nice long phone call from Number One Son today.  He moved to Townsville to start his new job just over a week ago and moves into his new apartment next week.

There are only eleven days til Christmas and even though our shopping is done, we still have so much to do!

Wrapping, packaging, addressing and mailing all the gifts that have to go to friends and family who won't be at our house for Christmas.  We are running short of time!

Writing up the Christmas cards, addressing the envelopes and mailing them BEFORE Christmas!

Planning the Christmas lunch menu, shopping for it and doing any early preparations.

Christmas drinks at various friend's houses leading up to Christmas.

Finishing the last of the Christmas jewellery orders.

... and last but not least, finishing Chicklet's gift.

So much to do, so little time!

Not much happened with the camera this morning.  I did attempt to photograph a magpie attacking a goanna, but it was in bad light and I couldn't get the exposure right.  The ones that were exposed ok, were too blurred to use.  Such a shame because they could have been great.

I spent the afternoon baking banana and walnut cakes.  One batch of muffin-sized cakes for Adoring Husband and a ring cake for the boys at The Seat of Knowledge, which I will deliver tomorrow.

More beauty sleep required ...

Nite all.

Day Eight - A Bad Habit

Quote of the Day:

Day Eight - A Bad Habit

I never check the settings on my camera before I take my first photo of the day!  A bad habit developed because I used my camera on 'auto' for two years.

This morning, after I left the Seat of Knowledge, I found my way to the edge of some protected bushland.  There is a walking/riding path that winds it's way around the bushland and while I let my trike roll silently along the path, I could hear different birds singing in the distance.

I decided to stop and sit for a while, with the hope that a bird or two might make it's way to the edge of the bushes and I could get a good shot.

So there I sat.  It was a hot morning and there was no shade for protection.  I could feel the sun burning my shoulders and the perspiration was building on my forehead and began dripping down my face.

Just as I had second thoughts and was reconsidering my timing to early morning or late afternoon, a Noisy Friar Bird landed on a branch very close ...

It made a couple of calls to another of it's kind in the bushes and then flew off!

They are not pretty birds, by any stretch of the imagination, but I had not seen one before in this area, so I was quite excited!

There are so many other birds in that bushland and I am going to attempt an early morning vigil, maybe tomorrow,  to see what I can come up with.

This afternoon, Adoring Husband and I drove into The Bay and acquired a couple of iPhone 4Ss.

Then we made a quick stop to visit Vegan Chickie, the Bare-chested Chef and Chicklet.  We all had coffee together and I got my Chicklet cuddles for about half an hour and then we headed home.

Yet another storm hit this afternoon .. a little more vicious than yesterday, but not damaging.  We lost our power momentarily.

Since then we have been playing obsessively with our phones :o)  I have been warned by a few people that iPhones become an obsession .. and I can see why!

Put a new gadget in Adoring Husband's hands, and suddenly the rest of the world doesn't exist for four days :o)   (and lots of swear words are uttered frequently!)

It's all good fun!

Nite all.

Day Seven - Fruit

Quote of the day:  "Be with someone who knows what they have, when they have you" - Unknown.

Day Seven - Fruit

In case you were so captivated by the wondrous smile of the beloved Chicklet, the fruit is 'mango'!

Had a great weekend!

A few of our photography group

They are a great bunch and I'm really pleased that we made the trek down for the barbie.

On the drive home this afternoon we drove into a storm that was pretty fierce!  The rain was so heavy, we could barely see in front of us and the wind was so strong, there were branches and leaves all over the road and hitting the car as we drove along.

Luckily, we came to a service station that we could park at until the storm passed.  It was pretty scary at the time.

So the weather was pretty horrible for the whole weekend.

We stayed with the Nikon Queen and her husband and they showed us very warm hospitality and made us feel very welcome.  Thank you both so much!

We made a pitt stop at the Sunshine Plaza in Maroochydore, to finish our Christmas shopping and had some lunch.

We stopped at Gympie on the way home, to photograph the Cattle Egrets that were nesting on the side of the road.

This little chick had fallen out of the nest.

They were very smelly!

There was a spectacular sunset greeting us this afternoon, but unfortunately, I only got the tail end of the 'beauty'.

Huge storms about this afternoon, but luckily for us, it passed right over the top.  A bit of thunder and lightning and some very black clouds scuttled overhead.

It's almost midnight, so I think I'll go rest my weary head.

Nite all.

Day Six - From a low angle

Quote of the day:  "Blowing out another's candles will not make yours shine brighter" - Unknown

Day Six - From a low angle

Bundaberg Post Office

What a fabulous day we've had!

The weather has been horrendous!

It took us four hours to make a three hour trip, due to bad weather, traffic and a stop over in Eumundi.

It was raining when we arrived and we were lucky enough to get about thirty minutes without rain for the entire afternoon.

For most of the time we were huddled under a barbecue shelter that had two tables with bench seats.  There was plenty of room, but it was disappointing that we couldn't take any photos, and then no opportunity for sunset photos due to the stormy, overcast, wet conditions.

A couple of people found some birds to photograph, including some Tawny Frogmouths in a tree nearby.

It was nice to catch up with people we had met before and lovely to meet some new members and others who weren't at the last gathering.

We ate, drank and were merry for four hours and then we all packed up and headed off.

Adoring Husband and I are at Nikon Queen's home right now.  She is one of my favourites from our group and she invited us to stay after we had confirmed that we were attending the barbecue.  She and her husband have a beautiful home and are very generous hosts.

I'm looking forward to seeing their place in daylight tomorrow.

Anyway, I have no photos ready to share from today, but will post some tomorrow.

For now, some beauty sleep is required.

Nite all.