A Long Walk

The weather was looking way too ominous to risk our trip to 1770 today, so it was cancelled.

***sad face***

We decided instead, to wait for low tide and go walking out along the sand flats with all of our camera gear.  By 'we', I refer to Adoring Husband and I.

Surprisingly, the rain held off for the couple of hours that we were out there.  A brief light shower passed over us late in the day, but we just shoved our cameras up our shirts to protect them for about five minutes and then continued on.

We both took hundreds of photos and we have both already deleted hundreds of photos (as you do) and kept the best ones.

Sea Art - there is beauty everywhere, if you look closely enough.

Tough Crab - one of these little guys chased Adoring Husband across the sand trying to bite his feet!

Escape Crab - these buggers burrow into the ground so quickly!  Got him just in the nick of time!

Three Amigos - the colours are amazing

Wet Kiss - So many seagulls!

It was a hive of activity out there!

I have a few more photos to post tomorrow.  A big turtle hiding under a rock, a dog playing with a sting ray in the shallows, more seagulls, Adoring Husband etc etc.

It was a really nice day, although, I must say that my back wasn't impressed with carrying so much heavy equipment for such a long period of time AND getting up and down from bended knee so often.

Hopefully, if we do this often enough, it will gradually strengthen all of those muscles and it won't be a problem.

Ah the joys of getting older :o)

It's Super Saturday!

Three games of NRL football tonight, so Adoring Husband and I are parked on the couch enjoying the penultimate (big word for the day) round of the season.

His team is currently winning and I am going to sign off here quickly, so that I don't have to announce that the score has changed.  That tends to happen with his team **insert cheeky grin here**.

Adoring Husband might be annoyed with that comment and he might just advise me to take another long walk!

Nite all.

PS  Just as I typed the closing line, the opposition scored and Adoring Husband is not happy!

Macro Magic

Adoring Husband and I have just returned from the Neil Diamond Super Hits Show.

The entertainer, Steve Cummins, was brilliant and if you closed your eyes and just listened, you would swear that it was the real Neil Diamond!

A good night was had by all.

In the meantime ... I spent a little time in our front and back gardens this morning, attempting to take photos with the macro lens in very windy conditions.  Always a tricky undertaking.

It had been raining all morning, so when there was break in the rain, there were lots of water droplets over everything, which are always fun to photograph.

Considering the conditions, I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Depending on the weather conditions tomorrow, Adoring Husband and I hope to be heading north for our weekend in 1770.

If the weather hasn't improved by morning, we will have to save it for another weekend.  Disappointing.

I'll just have to wait for a break in the rain again and step out into the garden to take some more macro magic.

Nite all.

Weekend Travel

Adoring Husband and I are going on a photography trek this weekend to a little place called 1770.

http://www.breakloose.com.au/html/adventure_articles/regional/qld/town_1770.php

So here I am at 10.30pm trying to get some washing done, even though the weather forecast predicts rain until Monday.

I have golf at 6.30am tomorrow and then in the evening we have a show and dinner.  Somewhere in between I hope to get the washing dry, some ironing done, bags packed and house tidied.

A message for the weather .... **Please be kind to me**

I had a phone call from my brother this evening.  Our Dad used to call him 'The Convenient Greenie', (which was a much nicer nickname than mine, which was 'Lardguts'.).

Until last week, The Convenient Greenie and I hadn't had contact for six years, which was when our Mum passed away.  Not because of any family feud or anything like that,  we just live very different lives at different ends of the country and life just gets in the way sometimes.

The Convenient Greenie and his 'Soul Mate', are currently struggling through some major unexpected medical problems and it was because of this that communications opened up between us again.

On one hand, it's unfortunate that it takes major traumas in our lives to bring us together, but on the other hand, it's great that we are 'there' for each other in times of need.

It was lovely catching up with him tonight. Now that they are home, away from the stressful hospital environment and can concentrate on recovery, we can have a friendly, relaxed chat, about 'stuff'.

We discussed catching up some time soon, and if all goes well, they may come down this way for a visit before Christmas.  That would be nice.

I hope that things turn around for them and that their future begins to look brighter very soon.  Let this be a hurdle that can be overcome and then they can live happily ever after.  Let life be so good to them that I don't hear from them for another 26 years (and I mean that in the nicest possible way).

Nite all.



  

Submitted!

Here is my entry into the photography challenge!

I tried a few different things.

It was suggested that I photograph Adoring Husband bathed in candle light (I don't know if they wanted him naked or not!).

I loved the idea of photographing Chicklet sleeping in candle light, but she is such a light sleeper, it just wouldn't work.

I tried getting the candle light reflecting in my sunglasses, but it didn't look as effective as I expected.

I attempted to blow the flame so that it lay horizontal from the wick, but the flame just danced around as if it was in a nightclub listening to Vanilla Ice (showing my age lol).

I also lured the dogs to the candle and tried to take a photo of one of their faces illuminated by the flame, but the low light left the dogs a little blurred in the background ...

Vegan Chickie suggested the sparklers so I took a few snaps tonight and was pretty happy with the outcome.

Tomorrow is the final day for submissions and there are two photos submitted that I think are amazing.

The same guy who won the last challenge will probably win this challenge as well.

As I commented under his submission - he thinks outside the square, is creative, imaginative, emotive and artistic and I envy all of those qualities in his work.  Aside from all of that, he is an excellent photographer!

Anyway, I'll let you know next week, the results of this challenge, but for now, it's submitted and I can rest my weary brain!

Nite all.

Candle Light

This month's photography challenge is 'Candle Light'.

We were given this challenge on 12th August and have until 25th August to complete it.

My brain is tired from trying to come up with something original.

I need to think outside the square but my brain is planted firmly dead centre of the square!

So far, of the 108 possible entries, only ten members have taken on the challenge.  Last month, there were 17 entries out of a possible 90.

Most of the members are infrequent contributors to the group and there are about fifteen people who go into flickr every day and either post photos or comment on other's photos.

Although I've only met a couple of the members face to face, there are a few, with whom I've built a good rapport online, and whom I hope to meet in October at the group weekend in the Bunya Mountains.

Some of them are very good photographers and I very much value their critique of my photos when I post them onto flickr.

This is why I feel very intimidated when these challenges are set.

I feel like my photographic skills have improved beyond my expectations, and every day, I learn more, from my new friends and just from practising the different forms of photography.

I also feel like I have a long way to go and that I can't compete with their experience and skill level.  I know that I HAVE to compete, to improve my own skill level and learn as I go along.

Simple and obvious.

My competitive nature gets the better of me and sometimes scrambles my brain.

I do my best work under pressure, so maybe tomorrow or the next day, I will come up with something genius ... in the meantime ... if there is anybody out there who would like to share a genius idea with me, I would gladly take it on and attempt to make the most of it.

Nite all.

Rainy Windy Grey Day

I missed a rainbow opportunity by **this** (insert Maxwell Smart voice here) much this morning.

It was raining lightly when I left home on the trike.

There was a beautiful rainbow in the distance and I knew that one end of it was up river, and if I could get to my 'seat of knowledge' quickly enough, there was a photo opportunity in the offing.

I jumped on my trike and pedalled as hard and as fast as my little legs would take me - which was hard work into a strong, wet headwind!!

I passed some friends who were on their morning walk and they stopped, expecting me to stop too, but I yelled "I'm hoping to catch the rainbow before it disappears!' as I sped past them.

They called back "Oh yes!  It's just beautiful down there!"

By the time I reached my spot, the rainbow was fading fast.

I jumped off my trike, unwrapped my camera (wrapped in a towel and plastic for protection in the back of my trike) and ran to the 'position' and raised the camera to my eye...

... nothing ...

My rainbow had faded to almost non-existence.  I could barely see it and the camera lens could not pick it up at all.

Such disappointment.

This is the second time that I've missed a perfect rainbow opportunity!

At least I know the signs now.  I know which direction to look and I know the weather pattern that could possibly provide me with this opportunity.

I just have to bide my time.

So I pedalled to the bakery to get my coffee and returned to my morning spot.

The weather was looking ominous but every so often there were some lovely magic moments.

The sun's rays poking through the rain clouds.

Just keep snapping away and surely some beauty will appear!

So, it's a rainy, windy, grey day with no more photo opportunities.

Just a day for wearing slippers, sitting on the couch, working on the laptop, being relaxed and sharing some quiet time with Adoring Husband.

Nite all.

Everyone We Meet.

"We are a part of everyone we meet."

I follow the blog of a photographer, Rick Sammon.

http://www.ricksammon.info/

In one of his posts back in April, he wrote about his father.  It was one year since his death.

He liked this quote, because it reminded him of the qualities of his father, that he could see in himself.  His father had died at the ripe old age of 91 and they had a good relationship.

I really like the quote too and if you think about it, it's not just the important relationships in our lives that shape us, but even brief meetings can have an affect that ranges from minimal to profound.

I guess that's why it's important to make every meeting a happy and positive experience, so that people take away a little piece of joy!

.... Speaking of little pieces of joy ....

Vegan Chickie, the Bare-chested Chef and Chicklet had a family outing today and had lunch in Maryborough where they took this photo.

She loves going out.  So much to see and do!  She is always happy and smiling.

In the meantime,  if we are a part of everyone we meet, it means that there is a part of me in everyone who has met me too!  That's kind of scary and amazing all at the same time!

Nite all.

Artistic and Creative

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.

Just Looking!

Just Looking!, a photo by rQQzy on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Looking for a mate coming on to Spring.

Clouds

Clouds, a photo by rQQzy on Flickr.

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

Bee Happy, a photo by rQQzy on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Tricky little buggers to photograph when they are so busy trying to gather all the goodness!

Chicklet

Chicklet, a photo by rQQzy on Flickr.

My beautiful girl

Dwarf Callistamon

Dwarf Callistamon, a photo by rQQzy on Flickr.

Christmas card material!

Beauty

Beauty, a photo by rQQzy on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Taken at Kuranda near Cairns last year.

Pink morning

Pink morning, a photo by rQQzy on Flickr.

Playing in flickr with frames for my photos and a signature watermark.

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!

Words to Live By ...

It's simple really ... DO MORE OF WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY!!

Nite all.

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.

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.

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 ...

A Royal Spoonbill

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.

Angry or frustrated?

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.

Wild Wattle

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!

Bee happy!

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.