It's All About Timing

It was pouring with rain when I had to walk to the bus stop this morning.

I had an umbrella packed in my bag, but so that I wouldn't have to carry a wet umbrella on the bus, Adoring Husband walked with me to the bus stop with two big golf umbrellas, and then took them both home after I boarded the bus.

The rain stopped just before the bus arrived (it's all about the timing).

Unfortunately, Rocket Rod was my driver this morning and he drove even more carelessly than usual in the wet conditions.

Luckily, just before we got to the road that scares me the most, a slow driver in a ute pulled out in front of us and Rocket Rod had to slow down (it's all about the timing).

I am not a religious person, but I prayed that we would arrive in The Bay safe and sound!

I think I have no choice but to lodge a complaint with the bus company about his driving.  To fear for my life once every week is not an option and dying in a bus crash is not on my 'to do' list in this lifetime!

The next bus driver, who took me to the pier, drove so slowly that I was sure I could have slow jogged faster than the bus was moving ... however that is more preferable than fearing for my life.

I arrived at the pier right on the turn of the tide (it's all about the timing), so the water was like glass and the dark clouds and blue sky was reflecting so beautifully in the water.

 

I got some lovely shots with my new wide angle lens, but also missed some great shots because I didn't take my 400 mm lens.

 
I missed the birds dive bombing into the glassy water catching their breakfasts.  Actually, I took some shots with my smaller lens, but they were very disappointing.

The heavens opened about five minutes after I arrived at Vegan Chickie's place (it'a all about the timing) and it didn't stop for the whole three hours that I was there.

Little Chicklet put on a good show for the camera today, little treasure that she is.

Balancing bubbles (it's all about the timing).

Blowing at the bubbles.

Be serious, just for a second.

Incy Wincy spider climbed up the water spout.

A giant burst of HAPPY!

I got to see her take a few steps and then dive at Vegan Chickie like she was a trampoline!

After my Chicklet 'fix', Adoring Husband picked me up in the downstairs carpark so that I wouldn't get wet in the rain and we drove to the supermarket.  The rain stopped as we pulled into that carpark (it's all about the timing).

We had lunch, did our grocery shopping and then drove home in more rain!

An afternoon of football and home made pizza made with a gluten free, organic base, topped the day off nicely.

It is still pouring with rain and it's way after midnight and I'm watching a movie that I want to see the end of, so I won't be in bed til 1.30am.

I hope it's still raining tomorrow morning, so that I won't feel guilty about sleeping in.

Let's hope the timing stays on my side.

Nite all.

The Trek Continued

I love low tide!  When the water recedes so far that you can walk for an hour and still have dry feet.

Searching for puddles and rock pools full of sea snails, shells, tiny fish, seaweed, jellyfish, all sorts of crabs, stingrays, and turtles, all the while hot on the heels of a whole range of sea birds like seagulls, terns, oyster catchers, stints, pelicans and curlews.

Overhead, soaring high, were Whistling Kites, Brahminy Kites and White Bellied Sea Eagles, none of which were interested in my tasty herrings!  Ugh!

There was even a goanna sunning himself on the rocks before I went for my seventy minute walk along the beach.

I took a lot of photos today, but none with my new lens.  I also deleted a lot of photos today that didn't make the cut.

I followed the Sea Eagles up to the Lion's Park but they disappeared after that, so I took a couple of photos before I returned home to Adoring Husband, four hours after I had left home this morning.

So I hope that today is the start of a beach walking habit that I can continue for life!

But tomorrow is Chicklet day, so there will be no walking along the beach in the morning ... perhaps in the afternoon, if I can find the motivation - I am not an afternoon person.

Right now, I have two football matches to watch, including my beloved Broncos.

Nite all. 

The Wide Angle Trek

I was excited to pack my new lens in the back pack before I took off for my morning ritual.

My first practise run.

Tide's out at the Lion's Park beach

It's very different to use.  Who'da thunk that all the different lenses could all be so different to use!  I think this one is going to be great on the road trip for all the landscape and scenery shots.  My imagination is already going crazy!

March Photo a Day Challenge ..

104 Challenge ..

Still Life - Photo 69 of 104

Me, just playing around ..

Bird Prints in the sand.

Lorikeet in the park

Whistling Kite whistling.

I enjoyed my morning with the camera but I was home earlier than usual because it got so hot, I thought I was going to expire!

Adoring Husband and I watched Breaking Dawn Part I today.  It was better this time than when I saw it at the movies, but I still think the wolf scene was cheesy and tacky.  Now I start the countdown for Part II, which is released in November this year.

Sadly, the Twilight series will then be over :o(

Chicklet walked today!!  For the first time.  There'll be no stopping her now and I can't wait to see her on Saturday ... before she starts running!

I am going on another wide angle trek tomorrow.  The tide will be out again in the morning and I will have longer to walk along the sand flats before the tide turns back in.

I hope that the White Bellied Sea Eagle will be out looking for food because he is my main aim tomorrow.  Fingers crossed.

Nite all

Return to Paradise

Adoring Husband returned home today and despite one aborted landing, his plane touched down safe and sound on the tarmac in the pouring rain.  He did not enjoy the flight and he was very happy to be home!

Earlier in the day, I had driven into town with Woman of Many Talents, and she dropped me off at Vegan Chickie's place.

I got to spend the morning with my little Chicklet, who provided hours of enjoyable entertainment.  She is growing up so fast and is SO close to walking but doesn't even realise it.

She has lots of words in her vocabulary, speaks a second language (not exactly sure what it is - perhaps Martian or Neptunian??) and is full of energy.

I adore her.

Adoring Husband, Vegan Chickie, Chicklet and I had lunch at The Bayswater, which was very nice - even though the weather was still very rainy.  The Bare-chested Chef joined us for a while as well, but he was preparing to go to work.

We said our goodbyes and then drove past lots of localised flooding on our way home.  Quite amazing considering there had only been 30 ml of rain.

After we arrived home, Adoring Husband gave me my Breaking Dawn dvd.  Well actually, he didn't have a chance to give it to me because I snatched it out of his hand so fast that he didn't know what hit him!

Then he told me to sit down and close my eyes, which I did obediently.

He placed a gift wrapped package on my lap with a card.  The wrapping paper was white with gold hearts and the card was a beautiful anniversary card inside which he had written lovely romantic sentiments.

Our anniversary isn't for another 6 weeks.

I unwrapped (more like 'tore apart') the package and there, to my delight, was a Canon wide angle lens!  Wonderful!  Adoring Husband wanted me to have it for my road trip next month and thought I might like to practise with it beforehand.  What a treasure :o)

I am spoilt.  I deserve it.  Oh yes I do!

March Photo a Day Challenge ...

... and that is all for today.

Adoring Husband had a busy and hectic week in Sydney, catching up with mates, spending time with his Mum for her birthday and joining in birthday celebrations with other friends.

He is, however, very pleased to return to paradise.

Nite all

Nana Naps Rock!

Dennis the Menace gave me some Herring this morning.  They were in a little ziplock bag.  They were especially to feed the Eagles and Kites.

There were two Kites in the tall tree near the Seat of Knowledge, so I tossed a Herring into the river under the tree and it sunk!

Why does this happen to me?

When the men toss their old bait fish out of the boat, they float.  Why do my dead fish sink??

So, I rode down to the Lions Park, parked my trike under a tree, and walked along the beach to the trees where the Kites sometimes sit.

I took a Herring and tossed it onto the sand just down from the trees and then I sat on a small sand hill with my camera at the ready.

I kept my eye on the trees, waiting for the Kite to appear.  After about 15 minutes it appeared alright ... from behind me instead of from the trees!

It hovered high above the fish for about 30 seconds.  I had the camera focussed on the fish and I had one eye looking through the view finder and while the other tried to keep the bird in view so that I could time my shot.

It swooped down so fast!!  I fired off a few shots hoping to capture him in a couple of frames, but when I checked, there was only one frame with him in it and it is very blurred...

Next time I will use a different lens and a faster shutter speed.  The potential was there!  You will see the improvement with the next shot - which I will get before the end of the week!

I had morning tea with the girls today, which I always enjoy :D

This afternoon, I was feeling decidedly weary, so I decided to have a nana nap before my 'date' with the gang (fish and chips at the park for dinner).

I climbed into bed at 2.45pm.  There was a deliciously cool breeze coming through the bedroom window and the neighbourhood was very quiet.  Even Psychotic Dogs didn't make a sound!  I slept until my alarm woke me at 4.15pm.

It was the best nana nap ever!

When I woke up, I quickly made my salad - watermelon, tomato, cucumber, avocado, onion, walnuts and rocket.  I threw two bottles of cold water in the bag along with a fork and a sachet of french dressing.  I grabbed my camera bag and jumped on my trike to pedal to the park.

There were lorikeets everywhere I looked!  So I stopped a couple of times to get some shots.

March Challenge.

14. A Sign

104 Challenge.

Devonshire Tea - Photo 68 of 104

Tomorrow is Chicklet day, so I'd best get to bed.  The nana nap rocked, but now I could probably stay awake til 2am!  Wish me luck.

Nite all.

March Challenge Catch Up

Spoke on the phone with Number One Son this evening and he said he'd like to see some photos from me that didn't have feathers in them!  How rude!

So here is a catch up on the March Photo a day Challenge and I'm pretty sure that there are no feathers in any of them.

7. What I wore today

8. A Window

9. Red

10.  Loud

11. Who I talked to today.

12.  Fork

Today has been a wonderful day of solitude, and I have enjoyed it immensely.  I am going to finish it by going to bed an hour earlier than usual!

Nite all.

White Bellied Sea Eagle

It eludes me.

This magnificent creature lives around here somewhere.  I have seen him many times in the distance or sometimes just high in the sky ... high enough that he cannot be captured with a 400 mm lens.

This is the closest I have caught him and this happened yesterday morning, while he was being chased by a large number of small birds.

I took the mullet with me this morning.  I saved it especially for my eagle and planned on tossing it in the water for him to swoop down and steal for breakfast, while I snapped continuously to capture the perfect eagle shot.

There was no sign of any of the big birds this morning.  Very very unusual.

Every morning the whistling kites sit in the tall tree near the Seat of Knowledge whistling away, and sometimes swooping down to fish their breakfast out of the river.

The Brahminy Kite regularly soar above the river also searching for food and having to fight off the seagulls and terns who try to steal the food.

So this morning was unusually quiet and the skies were empty of birds (except the shags who continued to follow their usual flight path over the river).

There have been a high number of tourists in town this weekend for a Kite Surf Carnival and also a caravaning group filled the park.  This created lots of traffic on the roads and in the river and along the beaches, so perhaps the tourists scared the big birds away?

So plan B was to go to an open beach area and throw the fish into the water.  I imagined the eagle seeing it floating on the surface, it's silvery skin glistening in the sunshine and it would fly down to the beach and swoop down for my shot.

I rode to the very end of the path, took the fish out of the bag, walked down the steps onto the beach and tossed the fish as far out into the water as I could manage.

The fish promptly sunk to the bottom like a rock.  What the??!!

I waited and I watched, hoping it would rise to the surface.  I felt like a complete doofus!

That was the end of that!

So I packed up my camera and climbed back on my trike and rode home.

Not a single photo was taken.  My White Bellied Sea Eagle shot has to wait for another day.

Nite all.  

Making Judgements

My father was the most racially prejudiced person I have ever known.

When I was a teenager, (about 16 yrs of age) his boss visited our house with a young man who was a native of Papua New Guinea.  He was a very handsome young man with a beautiful smile (I was reminded of him years later when I saw Ernie Dingo in one of the Crocodile Dundee movies).

After they left, I commented to my parents on how good looking he was.

My father became very angry, stood over me and said "Don't you ever bring a 'coon' home to this house!" and proceeded to threaten me with words like 'disown' and 'banish' and used other nasty language that I won't repeat here.

He worked in outback Australia and Papua New Guinea and he told many derogatory stories during my childhood and youth about Indigenous Australians and Papua New Guineans.  Stories that would be repeated to many different people in different social situations.

I remember always feeling uncomfortable when he told these stories, but never felt empowered enough to voice my opinion.

We 'Gen YG' (how I will refer to my siblings and myself as a group) children were, with hindsight, not allowed to voice an opinion that was different to our parents' opinions.  Speaking for myself, I was belittled if I ever shared an opposing opinion, so I learned to refrain.

However, I digress ...

Being so young when I had my own children, I didn't have many strong ideas about how I would raise them, but I didn't want them to be influenced by my father's racism or any of the negative traits that he displayed so blatantly eg chauvinism, sexism, bigotry, arrogance etc.

We lived 2000 kms away from my parents, so time spent with them was rare and brief and therefore their influence was miniscule.

I was almost brain washed by this negative attitude and it was quite difficult for me to completely change my own thinking and behaviour, even though I opposed his ways, but something happened with Vegan Chickie when she was about 11 or 12 yrs of age, that made me believe that I'd had some success.

She and a couple of her friends were being bullied at, before and after school.  It became quite a serious problem and the girls were very upset by it and afraid to walk in certain areas at certain times - the usual problems associated with bullying.

When I asked her to describe the girls and explain what was happening, she told me about a group of girls who were mean and acted tough and who scared them.  I think she may have been hit by one of them as well (I hope my memory serves me correctly).

Eventually, the school Principal was brought into the situation and the bullying girls were disciplined.  I was at the school one day and Vegan Chickie pointed the girls out to me.  I was surprised to see that they were a group of indigenous girls.

The fact that it never occurred to Vegan Chickie that being indigenous was something that could be specified in a description of the girls, gave me a deep feeling of satisfaction.  Perhaps I could take some credit for protecting my family from my father's strong racial opinions?

Vegan Chickie is BIG on 'acceptance',  'tolerance' and 'empathy' (although she is not very tolerant of the older generation and their 'lack' of all those qualities!) and often picks me up for being judgemental.

My mother was the most judgemental person I've ever known, (which was learned behaviour from her own mother), and since she played the role of 'mother' and 'father' for much of our lives, this is a trait that unfortunately, rubbed off on my sister and I.

I don't recall my brother ever being judgemental ... although we had little to do with each other after I left home at the age of 17, so I have few memories of him as a man and the strongest ones are of him being a gentle and loving soul with momentary glimpses of my father's anger issues.

So, I find that I often pull myself up before making judgements, and I regularly hear Vegan Chickie's voice in my conscience reminding me, but I also find it difficult to erase this characteristic completely from my personality.

I do find, that while working hard at trying to remove it, I very much notice it in others and am constantly shocked at how judgemental most people are!

I also believe that the more unhappy you are with your own self or 'lot' in life, the more judgemental you are of others.  But that is just my honest opinion.

So the reason I write all of this, is because I read something on facebook today that I wanted to share and which makes a lot of sense to me.

“When a child hears a parent comment in disgust, “Will you look at her hair!” not only is judgment being modeled, but so is intolerance. When the environments inhabited by children promote a culture of acceptance, so children will learn that difference is just a part of normal.”—Betsy Brown Braun


http://www.positivelypositive.com/2012/03/05/difference/

I want to say 'thank you' to Vegan Chickie for being such a good role model for me and for her daughter and I hope she knows that I may seem like a lost cause, but I really do try!  Sometimes I might require a gentle reminder.

Nite all.

A Brief Summary of the Day

Played golf with Woman of Many Talents and we were happy with our efforts.

Arrived home in time to bid farewell to Adoring Husband for the week.

Took photos in the garden instead of doing the housework.  Mixed feelings.  Happy with the photos.  Disappointed with my lack of effort in the 'housework' department.

Especially for my arachnophobic Adoring Husband (sorry darling)

Made the effort to go out tonight - first time in a long time.  Had a good time with the girls.

Had a slapdash cold chicken and wombok salad for dinner and then watched the football.  Disappointing results - none from two so far!

Going to bed early so that I can rise early for Adoring Husband's work tomorrow, which I agreed to do while he's away.

... and that, my friends, is a brief summary of my day. :D

Nite all.

Dinner Interrupted

Not much going on today really.

No eagles.  No pelicans.  No fish.

I noticed, while at the Seat of Knowledge,  that sting rays were jumping out of the water.  I watched the river and four times I saw a sting ray jump.  So I rode down to the bench seat at the park overlooking the water and I held the camera high, looking through the view finder, panning back and forth across the water, in the hope of catching a ray jumping.

Talk about wishful thinking!!

It would take incredible luck to capture that with my camera!!

So all I got this morning, before I had to come home to prepare for my hairdresser appointment was a sad little shag gulping down his breakfast.

I was tempted to go bird watching after that, but I knew I had an appointment at 11am so instead, I rode home at 10am to make sure that I would be fresh for my appointment and not be all hot and sweaty from riding around in the sun.

I plonked myself on the couch (gee that's unusual!) and opened my laptop to catch up on my friends' news from the flood zone.

Seventy minutes later, the phone rang.  I immediately knew that it was the hairdresser!!  This is the third time that I've not turned up for an appointment and they've had to phone to remind me!!

I can't believe that it happened!  I came home early, especially to be ready for the appointment, and then completely forgot about it!  Ugh!

So Adoring Husband rushed me up there (it's only a 2 minute drive away) and luckily it wasn't a busy day in the salon, so it wasn't a problem that I was late.  Whew!

A quiet afternoon followed and I cooked dinner while Adoring Husband was at work.

We were eating dinner and I looked out the window and noticed the sky was changing colour.  Adoring Husband opened the front door and the sky was turning red before our eyes.

So with a mouth full of food and dinner not quite finished, I grabbed the camera and ran bare foot across the road toward the lagoon to try and grab a quick shot before the colour disappeared.

It really was quite spectacular and if I had been prepared, a shot over the lagoon would have been rather breathtaking, but it was another of those shots that slipped through my fingers.

As I turned in disappointment, I looked over our rooftop and there in the middle of the sky was the full moon.  I had planned on being at the river to watch it rise out of the ocean, but the clouds stopped me from going.

Last month, the hazy cloud on the horizon spoiled the moon rise and we couldn't even see it until it was a long way above the water line, so that's why I was hesitant to possibly waste my time this evening.

That's life!

So dinner was interrupted by a wonderful red sunset and then a hazy, but quite beautiful full moon.  I can't help thinking ... if I was in the right spot at the right time ... who knows.

Nite all

Up Before the Sun!

I set my alarm for 5am in the hopes of catching a magnificent sunrise and also spotting the magnificent White Breasted Sea Eagle out at Serenia Beach.

It was difficult, but I dragged myself out of bed, threw some clothes on, collected my camera gear and climbed into the car with Adoring Husband.

We drove up the street and around the corner, when I remembered the fish (a token gift for the eagle) was still in the fridge in the garage.  So Adoring Husband did a quick U-turn and we returned to collect the fish.

Adoring Husband then dropped me off at Serenia Beach and drove to work.

Unfortunately, some dark cloud scuttled across the sky to spoil what could have been close to a magnificent sunrise.  Through tiny little gaps in the cloud there was evidence of a bright pink and orange morning sky behind the dark cloud, but never enough to capture in a photograph.

A touch over-exposed where the sun was rising, but I like the birds and the sun's reflection on the wet sand.

I took a couple of shots, but there was nothing to brag about it.

I also wandered up and down the beach looking for the eagle.  Every time I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye, I would excitedly scan the sky, only to find that it was an ibis, a seagull, a tern or a heron - all of which I already have numerous photos.

So after almost an hour, I climbed back into the car with Adoring Husband and headed home.

He told me that the eagle had flown low beside the car near the Bowls Club when he was on his way to pick me up **rolls eyes**.  Why doesn't that surprise me?

We did a quick detour through the new estate and I spotted a lone kangaroo, so I got Adoring Husband to stop the car and I climbed out to try for a shot.

The kangaroo took one look at me and began bounding straight towards me!  So I lifted the camera and pressed my finger to the shutter button taking about a dozen quick shots.

The kangaroo stopped about half way and looked at me again, then continued to hop towards me!  I thought he was coming to attack me, but then at the last minute he did an 'exit, stage right' and disappeared.

I've never seen a kangaroo do that before!

When we arrived home, I had a quick shower, changed my clothes and jumped on my trike to follow my usual morning ritual.

Later, when I was thinking of returning home, I looked up and saw six pelicans flying high in the sky.

I knew that the tide was high and that they would be struggling to find any clear beach to land on, so I turned my trike around and began to follow them.

They were heading toward the Lions Park, but soon, as I pedalled along the path, the trees blocked my view of them, so I couldn't tell if they were still flying in the same direction.

I got to the end of the park, where the beach joins it and I could not see hide nor hair of the pelicans!

I sat on a bench seat with camera in hand and waited, searching and scanning the sky, waiting for them to reappear.

No such luck.

No birds.

I have to say that it is quite difficult to be focussed on photography at the moment.

Down South, the town where I lived before moving to Sydney to be with Adoring Husband, is going through some terrible unprecedented floods and have been suffering for four days thus far.

Friends have been evacuated from their homes and flood waters are still rising and moving unpredictably.

Today, another 600 people were evacuated.  It's a waiting game for them and they don't know how much damage is waiting for them when they finally get to return home.

Some had been out and when they tried to return home, were refused entry into the town.  They had to leave pets behind, were unable to move valuables to higher ground and were unable to rescue important documents.

Some have been evacuated a second time from the house that they sought refuge!

The town's people have come together as a community and filled sand bags, building walls to protect each other's properties, offered beds, rooms and accommodation to the evacuees,  fed and clothed strangers and really formed bonds with each other through this disaster.

Disasters seem to bring out the best in most people.

However, the point is that I am surprised by how much I am worrying about it.

Nobody, me especially,  ever believed that the town could flood, and this has been caused by a collapse of infrastructure 100 kms away!  

It's shocking and heart breaking.

Thankfully, up to this point, there have been no fatalities or injuries.  There were warnings and emergency services were able to evacuate with time to spare.

It is still a horrible experience and a trauma from which the people will have to recover.

It makes me feel sick and I can't stop thinking about it.  I know it's just 'stuff' but I feel like this is my family and it hurts me that they are hurting.

I hope that it will all be over soon and the people can return to their homes, start the clean up and get back to normal.

Adoring Husband and I are so lucky to have each other and the lives that we share in the place that we live.  I try not to take it for granted and I feel like the luckiest person alive!

One more thing ... and I've waited to mention it til I knew that all was good ... but my ex-father-in-law has been ill, and was hospitalised, but has now returned home and is doing well.

So, to The Rev, welcome home and continue to regain your health and strength.  You are loved my many - friends AND family and we are all relieved that you are on the mend :o)

... and Grannymus YOU take care of YOU too!

Nite all.

Hindering Tide

I had big-ish plans again today.

A big flock of pelicans was pointed out to me this morning while I was sitting at the Seat of Knowledge.  They flew way up river over the moored yachts and landed on a small sand bank that had, until 20 minutes prior to that, been under water.

The tide was on it's way out, and on low tide, that exposed sand bank forms part of the expansive sand flats.

I left the river, planning to get myself some breakfast, and then head back down to walk along the beach, and get as close to the pelicans as I could.

As I rounded the corner towards the bakery, I remembered that I was 20 minutes late for morning tea with 'the girls'!  They had decided to miss swimming because of the inclement weather and arranged for us to meet 30 minutes earlier than usual.

I wasn't really dressed for the occasion but I stopped and had grapes and water with them, the grapes being the breakfast to keep my energy up for beach walking!

After a pleasant hour, I got myself a new bottle of insect spray (the sandflies can be a problem some days) and headed back to the beach.  I could see the pelicans still on the sandbank, but the tide still hadn't receded enough to get to them.

I couldn't even get close enough to get a decent distant shot, so I planned to go home for a while and pedal back, yet again, a bit later on.

Well, that didn't happen.

I unknowingly ate some food that had wheat in it and spent the entire afternoon in a very unwell state.

My other plan for the afternoon was to go out to Serenia Beach to find that eagle, but now, I hope that tomorrow morning will be a 'goer'.

So my only shot for the day is for the March Photo a Day challenge.

6. 5PM

At least the cricket was on today, so that I had some TV entertainment to fill the afternoon!

Enough of this frivolity.

Nite all.

Wetter than Wet!

It was a very wet trip into The Bay last night!

The plane was more than 30 minutes late due to the weather, but the family arrived safe and sound and we delivered them to their door in the same condition, before heading back home ourselves.

The weather was not nice and it was a 'longer than usual' drive home, but I got to experiment with some night photography on the way and I liked the added effect of the rain with the lights.

Luckily for us, the REALLY heavy rain waited until we arrived home before coming down.  When we checked the rain gauge this morning, it had 90 ml in it.  Others in town had 100 and 120 ml!  Maryborough had 200 ml!

There are floods all over NSW and QLD right now.  My old stamping ground is suffering badly and people have been evacuated from their homes.  They are expecting the worst by 10 o'clock tonight, but then again there is more rain forecast, so the worst could yet come after that.

You are all in my thoughts and I wish there was something more that I could do from this distance.  I can't imagine the frustration and despair you must be feeling.

On a happier note, the lovely Win had a birthday today and celebrated her 89th year on this earth.

We had a lovely morning tea with her after she had spent the morning at craft.

Sorry Win, I've used your photo for one of the March Photo a day challenge shots :)
5. Smile

... and sorry Win, I've used another photo for my 104 challenge.
A Person Blowing out Candles - Photo 67 of 104

She is so beautiful and I love photographing her.  I know she hates her photos because she doesn't like her wrinkles, but I think every single one of them is beautiful.

We've saved the candles to use at her 98th birthday :o)

I didn't get out to Serenia Beach as planned this morning because it was too wet, so I don't have a photo of the magnificent white and grey eagle that I'd hoped to share with you today.  If the forecast is correct, then I won't have it tomorrow either - fingers crossed the forecast is wrong!

We would like the rain to go away for a while because it's already wetter than wet ... and that's wet enough!

Nite all.

A Morning of Entertainment

The photos speak for themselves ...

He provided hours of entertainment for us all this morning and then very generously offered us some fish.  I accepted three and Adoring Husband and I drove down to the park afterwards, where the fish cleaning table is, and (Vegan Chickie - stop reading this bit) scaled them, Adoring Husband slit the belly and I pulled the guts out (ew).

I'm looking forward to trying mullet for the first time tomorrow for lunch and I'm saving one for the big eagle that I'm hoping to photograph at Serenia Beach tomorrow morning (if the rain stops!).

Thanks Tezza :o)

For lunch today, we drove to Goodies Restaurant at Toogoom and met up with The Speckled Hen and her husband Dirty Old Man where we celebrated her birthday, along with six other friends.

The birthday girl - 63 today!

We had a lovely meal and caught up with some friends who have spent the last year travelling around Australia.

We will be leaving shortly to drive into The Bay and pick the family up from the Airport after their weekend away, which by all accounts, has been a veritable obstacle course!

So after a morning of entertainment, an afternoon with friends and an evening to see the family, there will be no time for blogging later.

Nite all.

Birthdays Everywhere!

No Chicklet time today, because she is in Melbourne, so I spent a lot of time at the river this morning.

The mullet were jumping in huge numbers and schools of them were bubbling the water.

Mullet being chased.

A local fisherman, said that something big was in the water chasing them.  Something like a Queen fish or a Bull shark.

A Local Fisherman

Jumping Mullet

He said that he had seen many Bull Sharks and that he had seen them as far along the river as Howard!  No-one has ever been bitten, eaten or taken by a shark around here, but I'm pretty certain that I am not going to take the risk!

While I was taking these mullet shots, I heard a commotion behind me.  A commotion that sounded a lot like those Whistling Kites from yesterday and when I turned to look, there they were fighting with a Brahminy Kite!

Two against one was hardly a fair fight.  One mid air collision later and the Brahminy Kite flew off.  So that's two days in a row I've seen other birds scare off a Brahminy Kite!

I am surprised by that because I thought they were like Eagles and high in the chain of command in the bird world.  Obviously I was very wrong.

Not long after that I was still on the river bank when I noticed a shadow in the water and then two little flippers broke the surface!

He didn't hang around for long.

I decided to ride to the Lions Park and find my shady seat to enjoy the serenity again, but I forgot that it was Saturday and slowly the park and the beach filled with kids and parents and grandparents and pets and it wasn't very serene anymore.

So off I pedalled to get two more shots for my 104 challenge.

An Aeroplane - Photo 62 of 104
This guy flew past as I was leaving the Seat of Knowledge this morning. Thought I missed him, but he turned around and flew past again!  He's even looking at me!

Crab Pots - Photo 63 of 104

I didn't get my shot for the March Photo a Day challenge, so I will have to work doubly hard tomorrow to get two shots!

This evening Adoring Husband and I attended a 70th birthday party at a neighbours house, where we caught up with lots of friends.  It was a nice evening and I really enjoyed spending time with some people I haven't seen for a while.

We left after the candles were blown out and came home to watch what was left of the football.

There are a few birthdays this month.  A 63rd birthday tomorrow.  An 89th on Monday.  A 50th next week and a 95th a few days after that.  Vegan Chickie and The Rev have a birthday this month too!  Birthdays everywhere!

It's now after midnight!  How time flies!

Nite all.