Yes! It CAN get wetter!

It's been teeming rain for about three or four hours now and the temperature has dropped by about five degrees.  The wind is strong and gusty and I can hear the thunder in the distance.  It's been raining for most of the day - great hermit weather.

Not great photography weather!

I DID manage to get out early this morning and get my coffee from the bakery before heading down to the Seat of Knowledge with the boys.

I enjoyed about an hour of pedalling, with my camera in hand, before the first nasty storm hit.  I JUST made it to a friend's caravan in the Council Park about two minutes before the skies opened up.

It didn't last very long, so I checked our Post Office Box, and started on my way, expecting to get another hour of time to play, but suddenly, out of nowhere, the dark and stormy weather descended and I was stranded quite a way from home!

Luckily, I had a big plastic rain poncho in my basket, so I put my camera in my camera bag, opened the poncho and wrapped it around the bag for extra protection and pedalled as fast as my little wet legs would take me!

I arrived home just a teensy bit wet :D

Still, I was happy to get another shot from my list.

Something Red - Photo 7 of 104

Having posted seven of my list shots on flickr and facebook, I was asked by four friends, if I'd started a facebook page so that they and others could join me in the challenge!

I'm not sure if I've done it correctly, but I started a group called '104 Things to Photograph in 404 days' and invited 20 people, who I know enjoy photography, to join me.

There is also one person in my flickr group who doesn't have a facebook account, so I sent her the link to the blog post where I added the list, and I think she might do some of the challenge through flickr.

I don't think anybody will be quite as dedicated to it as I am, but there are no rules here, and some will be more motivated than others.  Even just to see one or two shots from somebody will give me a buzz.

Lovely new shots of the wonderful Chicklet sent from Vegan Chickie today ...

Melting my heart still ... and how fast is she growing!?

I get to visit her tomorrow :D

I love my baby.

Nite all.

Australia Day 2012

It was a quiet affair.

The weather held off, but it still looked threatening for most of the day.  The ground at the local park was too wet to be comfortable, so our Australia Day barbecue was transferred to Mrs Bucket's house.

The gathering was much smaller than usual, but it was a very pleasant day and it was really nice to catch up with Woman of Many Talents and Aussie H.  I met a new resident of the town and spent time with a couple of other ladies who are always friendly and good value at a party.

We were home again by 3.30pm.

This morning on my early morning ride, I was able to get three shots from my list of 104 things.

Frog - Photo 4 of 104

Power Lines - Photo 5 of 104

Blossoms on a Path - Photo 6 of 104

I was very excited when I got home, to sit at my laptop and play with these.  I was almost an hour late to the barbecue so that I could get them finished.

While pedalling around town today, I was thinking about how much I love my photography and how I see everything around me, in a whole new light.

I notice the smallest of things.  For example, I was sitting at the Seat of Knowledge talking to the boys when I caught the slightest movement out the corner of my eye.  When I turned to take a look, I saw the little frog, about 6 metres away, climbing up the rail of a set of steps that lead down to the beach.

The rail was in the shade of a massive fig tree on a dark cloudy day, so there was very little light.  It was just the smallest movement because the frog is only about 6 cms long, if that.

I pedal the same route around town every day and so I have become familiar with every tree, every bush, every rock and I can pedal looking up into the trees, knowing exactly where I am going.

Because I am so familiar with everything around me, I notice the smallest changes - even the silhouette of a different bird in the trees, attracts my attention, and I am always listening to the sounds of nature, and I can hear the softest chirps, whistles, tweets and flutters as I ride past the thick scrub.

I instinctively know when something is different and I go investigating.

Often I am too heavy footed or too fast across the ground and I frighten off whatever bird or critter I am in pursuit of and it will go scuttling off into the bush or fly high across the trees out of sight.

I am an opportunistic photographer and rely on the element of surprise to capture most of my photographs.

Sometimes, I will plan what I want to photograph and go to a specific spot to lie in wait, knowing, for example, that a certain type of bird likes that particular territory.

But that is rare, because I am not a very patient person.

Every morning when I wake up, I feel excited about what possible photographic opportunities are going to come my way, and I can't wait to get out the door and on my way with my camera in my trike basket.

I still have so much to learn about my camera, taking photographs and editing but I have enjoyed every second, so far, and am absolutely loving every bit of the learning process.  It's a thrill that I hope never wanes for me.

The other thrill I get, is sharing my shots with friends and family who are also talented in this area, and meeting new like-minded people through our flickr group.

It all started when Adoring Husband bought me my first good quality camera - the little Sony 200a and Vegan Chickie, who is a talented photographer, suggesting we have 'photo of the day'.

That planted the seed and I haven't looked back.

When I post my shots onto facebook, flickr and here, I am constantly thrilled with the positive comments that I receive and to get that kind of feedback for something that I love so much gives me the biggest buzz.

So, to finish off for tonight, my friend Rupert the Tawny Frogmouth came back for a visit today ...

Rupert

Just look at those amazing eyes.  I talked to him for about five minutes before I started to feel a bit self conscious and said goodbye before the 'men in white coats' could turn up and carry me away!

Today has been a good day.  Tonight there is thunder rolling in the distance and there have been storm warnings all afternoon and evening, so I hope it's not too eventful in the storm department!

Nite all.

Can it get any wetter??

We've had seventy mls of rain in two days.

The days are dark and gloomy with heavy clouds hanging low over our heads and thunder rumbling quietly in the distance.  The rain comes and goes, sometimes teeming and sometimes lightly floating.

Compared to a lot of places in Queensland, we've been lucky.  Towns in the outback and others down south have had between 100 - 200 ml of rain and there has been a lot of flooding and damage.  Luckily, not as devastating as last year, but still terrible for some people.

Needless to say, my routine was severely hampered this morning.  I had enough time to get my coffee from the bakery and spend about fifteen minutes with my boys at the Seat of Knowledge before the heavens opened up AGAIN.

I pedalled home in the rain and I was pretty damp by the time I pulled into our driveway!

We spent a little time doing some housework early today ... and I mean a little, because we only do the bare essentials lol.

On the plus side ... we've had the Australian Open Tennis AND the India v Australia Test Cricket being televised live on free-to-air tv, so we've switched between channels watching both all day.

There was a short break in the rain, so I was able to go outside with my camera and get a shot for my 104 Things to Photograph in 404 days challenge.

Rusty Chain - Photo 3 of 104

With all this rain, there is one item on my list that should be easy to capture and thats 'Reflections in a Puddle'!  Let's see if I can catch a break in the rain tomorrow and get that one.

A couple of other shots from our Reptile Park experience ...

A couple of shots of my little Sweetie Possum sent to me by Vegan Chickie ...

"Today's sensory exercise - a bowl full of flour, rice, pasta and lentils." - Vegan Chickie.

What a lovely mess ... that I don't have to clean up, but how gorgeous is that!  Having a wonderful time!  I think we need to find a big rubber sheet for her to have her messy play on ... just makes it easier to clean up afterwards and lots of fun can still be had!

Back to the tennis for me now.

Nite all.


  

Electric Blue

Shot number two selected from the top 18 on my list.

Electric Blue - Photo 2 of 104

Not very imaginative, but I was out for most of the day and it has been pouring rain all afternoon.  The control panel on my free-standing column fan glows at me day and night.  I find the colour very calming actually!

Today, Adoring Husband and I watched the movie 'We Bought a Zoo' at the cinema.  A most enjoyable movie with some good giggles and a couple of teary moments.  I think I'll buy this one on dvd when it hits the stores.

Afterwards, we did some shopping, had some lunch and then headed home.

The weather has been very wet, but further south has had so much more rain than us.  We've had 50 ml (2 inches in the old scale) since Monday morning.  The forecast is for more heavy rain for the next four days at least!

We would like to groom our dogs tomorrow.  Haircuts, nails clipped and a bath, but I don't think the weather will be conducive to dog washing!

Right now, it's definitely time for bed!

Nite all.

Stripes

From my list, but not from the first eighteen.  We were out today, but the heavens opened up and we had to make an early return home.  Very heavy rain all the way home.

Stripes - (on a Red Bellied Black Snake - beautiful!)  Photo 1 of 104

As planned, we visited the Reptile Park at Childers.

We were having a lovely time.  We were given a brief talk about a couple of the big crocodiles in the park and then we got a close look at some small salt water crocs, before the first snake show was presented.

A lovely lady showed us five snakes including the Red Bellied Black Snake.  It was an enjoyable show and I got some nice shots.  Unfortunately, none of them are very natural looking because the snakes were either wrapped around the snake handler or sliding across green carpet in the enclosure.

After that, Adoring Husband and I wandered around the park ourselves and found the lizard enclosures, where we got a few good shots and then strolled through the 'vivarium' which is an enclosure for frogs and smaller lizards.

Further on was the snake area which housed all kinds of snakes from Carpet snakes to deadly Taipans and Brown Snakes, all of which, were inside sealed and heated glass enclosures.

The light was very low in there and the glass made it virtually impossible to get decent shots and completely impossible to get natural shots.

So all was going along fine.  I was feeling happy and enjoying the day.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well kept the park was and how friendly and helpful the staff were.  The weather was getting a little steamy, but it was bearable and there were plenty of shady areas to sit.

Then we gathered around the pit for the Venomous Snake show.

Quite a few others had entered the park by now, and although it wasn't too crowded, we still all stood shoulder to shoulder around the pit, including some children who I would guess to be around 8 yrs of age.

The male snake handler appeared with his five red bags, each of which contained one of the top five venomous snakes in the world, which of course, were also Australian snakes.

Before he had even pulled the first snake out of the bag,  a member of the audience asked if he had ever been bitten.  He replied that he was embarrassed to admit that he had indeed been bitten by his own snakes and that it was because of his own carelessness.

So that set the mood for me.

If he is careless enough to get bitten himself, then what are the chances that we might also be in danger due to his carelessness?

There they were, the little children on tiptoes, looking over the edge of the pit, while the angry, brand new to the park, King Brown snake was trying to climb the wall to reach them.

My heart skipped a beat a few times and I thought to myself how terrible that my father accidentally stepped on an Eastern Brown and died ... yet this man is voluntarily standing in a pit with the five deadliest snakes in the world, watching children lean over the wall while he tells everyone how deadly the snakes are.

Memories of my father, combined with the fear that the children or the snake handler might be bitten, overwhelmed me.  I took a step back from the pit and I could feel the tears welling.  I knew that I had to  remove myself from the area.

As I went to step past Adoring Husband, he gave me a worried look, so I told him that I was going to sit in the park area for a bit.  Of course, he was right behind me and left the snake pit too.

We sat down and he asked if I was ok, but I wasn't and I shed a little tear on his shoulder.

I was very surprised by my emotional reaction because since my father's death, snakes have never been an issue for me.  The Gladstone Hospital, where they gave him the incorrect treatment, has been a problem for me, but not snakes.

The next show was going to be the croc feeding, but as the heavens opened, we decided to drive into Childers and find somewhere for lunch instead.  We had watched crocs feeding up near Rockhampton a few months ago, so we weren't concerned about missing it.

We went to one of the pubs on the main street of Childers where we enjoyed a delicious, prompt and inexpensive lunch and then drove home in pelting rain.  It was too wet to even consider going anywhere or doing anything else for the day.

Tomorrow, Adoring Husband and I are going to the movies to see 'We Bought a Zoo'.  Kind of appropriate after visiting something akin to a zoo today :D  Wish I could take photographs at tomorrow's zoo!

Nite all.

 

The List is Complete!

104 Things to Photograph in 404 Days - commencing 23rd January 2012

Feather/s    Puddle Reflection    God's Gift     Rusty Chain     Telegraph or Power Lines     Under a Jetty    Roofs and Chimney Pots      Latticework     Garden Gnome or Gargoyle     Crab or Crayfish Pots      Denim & Lace      Anchor, oars or bollards      Something Electric Blue      Post or Letter Box   Hopelessness     Campfire     Combination of 3 Textures     Leaves or blossoms on a Path     Chicklet smiles     Home-made Dessert     Nude Human     Three Children Playing     Celebrity     Newborn Baby     Dragonfly Hovering     Koala in the Wild     Frog     Biker with his Bike     Something Blue     Sunset     Sunrise     Rainbow       Bird Bathing in a Bird Bath     Eagle Swooping on Prey     Five Things     Skaters at a Skate Park     Graffiti     Spider Web     Local Woman     Local Man     Cockatoo     Self Portrait     Four Generations Together     Bald Head     Irish Backpacker     Something Red     Snail     Something Dead     Clouds     Still Life    A Bird's Nest     A Sporting Event     Dirty Feet     Lightning     Something Yellow     Beautiful Flower Garden     A Couple Who've Been Married 50 yrs+     Waterfall     Stripes     Person in Uniform     Bride     Colourful Market Stall     Parade     Playground     Statue     Something Purple     Somebody Blowing Out Candles     Wind     Shadows     Night Lights     Heart     Droplet     Happy     Landscape     Seascape     Aeroplane      My Brother     An Island     Snow     Cityscape     Animal with it's Baby     Art Deco     Cemetery/Headstones     Busker     Fireworks     Platypus      Hummingbird     Old Stone Church     Famous Sportsperson     Steam Train     Wildflowers    Politician     First Day at School     Lollipop Person     Ice Cream Van     Member of the Police Force     Town Clock     Musician     Stained Glass Window     Devonshire Tea     Roadside Stall     Bungie Jump     Monument                          

This challenge is taken from another, called Day Zero Project, where you list 101 things to do/achieve  in 1001 days.

I think you need 1001 days when you are trying to achieve set goals, because they require a lot more time,  planning, money and effort than taking photographs does.  

When you are as obsessed as I am, I believe that 404 days will be more than enough!

Thank you to my Arty Farty Friend for providing me with twenty ideas for my list.  I was struggling with the last twenty eight, so that was very helpful!

The first eighteen on the list are from my Arty Farty Friend (2 from her list were already on mine), so they are also my challenge for the month and I'll do them first.  The rest, I'll do in no particular order.

Some photos from this morning's ride.

Tomorrow, Adoring Husband and I are off to the Reptile Park.  Hopefully, we don't get rained out again.  We have an early start, so I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

A Fabulous Day!

You know, one of those days where everything falls into place the way you want it.  From the minute I awoke, the mood was right, the timing was right, my body felt good and everything went according to plan.

I awoke well before the alarm sounded and even though Adoring Husband had golf early today, I was able to access the bathroom immediately (a miracle in itself on a golf day), so I was dressed and only requiring make-up by the time he left just after 6.30am.

By the time I applied my make-up, packed my 'visiting Chicklet' bag, called the Psychotic Dogs inside, closed all the windows, blinds and doors, it was 7.10am.

This gave me enough time to comfortably pedal down to the bakery for coffee, spend ten minutes with the boys at the Seat of Knowledge and pedal home to park my trike and walk to the bus stop.

The bus arrived five minutes early and after a very pleasant drive, arrived in The Bay a couple of minutes early, which meant that I made the early connection for the bus that takes me to Chicklet!  That NEVER happens!  I usually have to wait an hour for the next bus to arrive.

When I arrived at my stop near Chicklet's house, I went to that bakery for another coffee and then walked the short distance to the pier where I took a couple of photos and just took a moment for myself.

Right at this moment, the clouds were kind, as were those little waves and the scattering of seagulls.

Next was Chicklet time!  Typically, I didn't take any photos of my little Sweetie Possum, because once again I was mesmerised by her.

I spend my time staring at her and taking every movement and every sound in.  This is such a magical time and sadly, in the very near future, they will be moving away and I am going to lose the regular contact (gosh, that just gave me a tear in the eye) :'(

So we had some lovely play time and then she had a quick nap.  Much sooner than expected, Adoring Husband was finished golf and we were all sitting on the grass in the shade near the beach eating fish and chips for lunch.

Little Chicklet is having a lovely time crawling, and with much enthusiasm, pulling herself to standing position against tables, chairs and people.  You can also see her frustration because she doesn't have as much control over her body as she wants!

We said our goodbyes and Adoring Husband and I stopped at the supermarket to get meat for the barbecue that we had been invited to for the afternoon.

He dropped me off and then found a park, which was pretty darned lucky considering he had the trailer with the golf buggy!

I walked inside and was served immediately, ran into friends and chatted for two minutes and then was back in the car, all in less than ten minutes.

We drove home and had enough time to do everything that we needed, before driving to the barbecue.

This is where all my boys from the Seat of Knowledge were already seated, drink in hand and giving cheek.  It was a really nice afternoon.  The food was delicious, the company was enjoyable, the weather was perfect and the hospitality was wonderful.

Gentleman Jim even brought along his harmonica and played a few tunes.  I was shocked and amazed at how good he was!  Such a pleasant way to end the barby.

He was sitting under a dark tarpaulin, so I had to lift my ISO which has consequently made the shot very grainy.

We said our thankyous and goodbyes and arrived home in time to catch the beginning of Lleyton Hewitt's tennis match against the young Canadian.

Best of all ... to top off a fabulous day ... Lleyton won his match!!  Unexpected and exciting!

From beginning to end ... a fabulous day!  

 

A Bit of Fun

My first photo of the day was at the Seat of Knowledge and as I was trying to set my camera ready to take a shot of the Whistling Kite (if it should appear), I took a test shot of Molly the dog.

Unfortunately, Molly was sitting in the shade with bright sunlight filtering through the branches of the tree above her, and it's very difficult to get the exposure correct when you have such extreme light conditions.  So ...

She had a bright ray of sunshine directly on top of her head, so I covered it with a cartoon hat.  The background, which was the boat ramp, in bright sunlight and with a boat backing down at the time, was very bright and harsh, so I partially covered it with a vignette and filled the space with Molly's name.

Her leash looks a little bit like a tie, so the hat and tie make her look a bit 'formal'.  I also like how she is leaning against her master's fat belly.  She almost looks comforted by it.

You may have determined, by this silliness, that I didn't have a very successful day with my camera.  You would be correct.

I was rushed this morning because I had an appointment with a friend to do a photo shoot at her place, but when I arrived, her plans had changed, so she gave me the props that I was to photograph, to take home with me.

Unfortunately, I had another appointment after that with another friend, so I brought the props safely home, and then headed off again.

So my photographic opportunities were scarce and I spent the afternoon glued to the television watching the tennis.

Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt are both still alive in the draw, but they are the only Australians left and Tomic has to play Roger Federer on Sunday.  I don't like his chances, but he is young, enthusiastic and has the crowd on his side, so you never know your luck on the day!

Lleyton Hewitt has an ATP ranking of 182 and he will be playing a young Canadian with a ranking of 25!  That will be an interesting match.  Lleyton has experience and the crowd on his side, but the Canadian is a shooting star and in a year has jumped more than 120 points in his rankings.

I'll be enjoying both matches anyway, and cheering the Aussies on from my couch!

Tomorrow is Vegan Chickie and Chicklet day, so I'm off to bed for some much needed beauty sleep.

Nite all

 

More Bird Surprises

After my coffee at the Seat of Knowledge this morning, there was no sign of the Whistling Kites, so I decided to pedal along the path beside the river.

My first stop was not too far along when I spotted a Tawny Frogmouth high in a tree.

There were actually two of them, but the other one was well hidden and obviously didn't want to be photographed today.

Then I went looking for the Pacific Baza.  No luck there either.  I couldn't even hear the baby calling out to be fed, and that has been a familiar sound over the last month.  So I pedalled on.

At the top of the rise, just before the next boat ramp, there are a couple of tall Eucalyptus trees on the left.  It's quite a steep drop to the beach from here.  Just out of the corner of my eye, I caught some movement and as I looked up, I saw the silhouette of a bird that I am familiar with, but rarely see.

A Collared Kingfisher.

He was very high in the tree and had the bright sky behind him, so it was difficult to get a good shot.  I stayed for about thirty minutes, hoping that he might move to a more 'photograph friendly' spot, but he wasn't even going to move from the branch.

He twirled around to face the opposite direction a couple of times, but stayed on the same high branch until I gave up and moved on.

I decided to make a stop at the Lagoon on the way home.  It was pretty quiet there but I got a nice shot of a Honeyeater and then a lovely tranquil section of the lagoon that is usually teeming with Ibis, Spoonbills, Heron and Cormorants.

Then it was time to go home.  The sun was shining and after all the rain, it was becoming very hot and steamy.  So I found my way indoors and positioned the fan directly on me so that I could go through the photographs.

Oh, I forgot about the lovely Kookaburras at the Seat of Knowledge much earlier in the morning.

There were four kookaburras, but they were far enough apart that I couldn't fit them all in frame :(

Vegan Chickie told me that she was going to rename me the Bird Lady lol.  But really, what else is there to photograph in my little town??

I could always resort to people ... but they aren't half as accommodating as birds!

Well actually, tomorrow, I will be photographing something different.  Watch this space and you might be surprised!

Nite all.

More Tawnies!

My day was great JUST because I found some new Tawnies.

I was pedalling along my usual route on my way to get coffee, when I stopped to take photos of two magpies playing under a mango tree.

One of them was trying to pick up a big stick and was running with it, so I wanted to get a shot (which, in the end, was quite disappointing).  The man who lives across the road from this action called out to me, so I pedalled over and parked myself on his front lawn to have a quick chat.

He told me stories of the King Parrots and Black Cockatoos that were once prolific in the area and we both talked about our love of birds.

Then he pointed to the Poinciana tree that I was parked beside and asked if I knew about the Owls in his tree.  I looked up into the tree but couldn't see anything, so I hopped off my bike to have a closer look and there, right in front of me were two beautiful Tawny Frogmouths.

I am developing a real love for these birds.  They are so docile and when they open their eyes to look at you, it feels like you can see right into their souls.

The most wonderful thing about them is that they love Burrum Heads.  I have seen more than twenty of them in the last 6 months.  That is six different families.  Each family has Mum and Dad and up to three chicks.

The worst thing about them is that they are nocturnal and will often sit in the middle of the roads.  If a driver is not familiar with the Tawny's nature, they will accidentally hit them with the car because they expect the bird to fly away.

Thankfully, I haven't come across any squished Tawnies on the road, but I've been on the Club Booze Bus when it's had to swerve to miss them a few times and I've heard some horrible stories from the locals.

Anyway, I hope to get hours of enjoyment out of these new Tawnies!

I missed a photographic opportunity this morning.  A mature Whistling Kite was teaching a Juvenile Whistling Kite how to catch fish in the river.

These are very tightly cropped, poor quality copies of the originals.  You can see that there was wonderful potential there, if only I was prepared!

I had enough time to point and shoot, but I had the wrong focal length on my lens and ended up with tiny little specs in frame.  It was so disappointing, but I'm sure I will have another opportunity, so I will sit by the river tomorrow morning with my camera at hand and on the correct settings for the perfect shot!

The birthday luncheon was fun.  The food was good, the company was enjoyable and it was a pleasant afternoon.

The sky seems to be clear tonight, so hopefully the rain has gone for a little while and I might get a few hours out with my camera tomorrow.

In the meantime, as usual, it's time for bed.

Nite all.

Oops! It's Raining Again!

********

Another rainy day.

I played with some old photos from last year.

A visitor on my back fence.

I love this goose standing on his tiptoes.

A Kingfisher poking around in the muddy river bank.

Two birds together shaped like a love heart :o)

Chaos down in Noosa with the kite surfers en masse.

A croc up near Rockhampton at the croc farm.

I was able to go for a quick ride this morning, but there was nothing of interest to photograph, and then the rain came... again!

I have thought of 70 photographs for my list of '100 things to photograph in 1001 days'.

The list needs to be challenging, but not too difficult and not too easy.  I also want the list complete by the end of the month so that I can start the challenge.

Today has not been the best of days for me.  I shed a few tears for my friend Di, who passed away in November.  I don't know why I'm thinking about her so much lately.

I'm feeling a bit upset with some people in my flickr group at the moment too, so that's playing on my mind.  Sometimes people are difficult to understand.  I'm sure it will all blow over soon and things will go back to normal.

Meanwhile, on these rainy days, I am enjoying both Grey's Anatomy AND the Australian Open Tennis.

My favourite, Lleyton Hewitt won his first round match tonight, and even though Samantha Stosur is out, there are a few Aussies still in with a chance.  I will follow them with interest over the next few days.

I have a birthday luncheon tomorrow, so I need to get some beauty sleep.

Nite all.

Rained Out at Home

Our trip to the Reptile Park was postponed today because of rain.  It was pouring all morning, so we decided to postpone our field trip until we get a dry day.

Adoring Husband also had to postpone his Bundaberg golf trip which he had planned for tomorrow.

So no ride to the Seat of Knowledge.  No lap around town with the camera for photos.

Luckily, Adoring Husband suggested that we drive to the bakery to get our morning coffee.

We spent the day watching our Grey's Anatomy dvds.  We are already halfway through Season Six!  I am loving every second of the show, but will be eternally grateful that I won't ever have to attend this imaginary hospital as a patient!

Also luckily, I had some shots from Sunday morning left over to play with, so I have a couple to share on here today.

This is how our rainy weather started.  Sunday morning storm clouds building in the north.

Rain and storms are forecast for the next three days, so Adoring Husband and I might have to make another movie date.

There are three movies that I'm itching to see.

"The Descendant" with George Clooney.

"We Bought a Zoo" with Matt Damon.

"The Muppets" with the muppets!

There are no new ones in the next couple of weeks that I'm particularly interested in though.

I have morning tea with the girls tomorrow and then a birthday luncheon on Wednesday, so at least those things can't be ruined by the rain.

I do like to hear the sound of rain as I wake in the mornings and I also like to fall asleep to the sound of rain, so perhaps if I go climb into bed right now, that is exactly what will happen.

Nite all.

Australian Open Tennis

It starts tomorrow!

Anybody who reads my blog regularly (I think there are about a dozen of you out there), know that I really really LOVE my tennis.

When I was a working girl, I always took a week off work for the second half of Wimbledon every year so that I could sit up all night watching the tennis.

I especially love the Grand Slams, because that's where you get to see the best of the best competing against each other.

I enjoy seeing the young ones playing in their first tournaments and then watching them improve and work their way up the rankings.

Of course I love to see the Aussies doing well in any sport, but especially in the tennis, because we have such a wonderful and successful history.

So tomorrow is the big day and our highest ranking Aussie male, Bernard Tomic (who was actually born in Germany and moved to Australia at age 3), is playing early tomorrow against a much higher ranked player from Spain, FernandoVerdasco.

On paper, Verdasco should win, but with the home ground advantage, Tomic is set to gain 'favourite' status.

I won't get to see the match tomorrow because Adoring Husband and I are heading to Childers to check out the Reptile Park and take some photos.

They have snakes, crocodiles, lizards and frogs with shows and guided tours throughout the day.  I'm looking forward to it and hoping to get some good shots to share on here.

This morning I got a few bird shots, but it was quite difficult because there were light showers every so often, which meant packing my camera away to keep it safe from dampness.

The baby Pacific Baza growing bigger and stronger every day.

What a Galah!  Very Aussie sitting in the gum tree.

Rainbow Lorikeet checking me out.

Noisy Miner was eating ants off the gum tree trunk.  If you look closely, you can see two ants on the trunk!

I haven't been back for the Wrens yet.  I should probably do it this week while we have the overcast conditions.  It's much easier to take the shots in the even light than when the sun is streaming through in different patches.

Sleep time for me now.  I am yawning uncontrollably!

Nite all.

Photo-free Day

In lieu of photographs ... 

I was going to use the title 'Camera-free Day', but I actually carried my camera with me all day today.  I didn't use it, but I carried it with me.

I didn't take any photos with my camera at all.

There were a couple of sneaky happy snaps taken with my iphone, but they didn't turn out so good and can't really be counted.

I took my first bus ride into The Bay since the dreaded Maryborough incident.

You'll be pleased to know that I reached my desired destination without taking any unnecessary detours!

Of course, my desired destination was Vegan Chickie's 'Island of Calm' with Chicklet on my lap.

We played for a while and then we both had a short nap and then we met Adoring Husband after he finished golf and we got some fish and chips and sat in the shade on the grass near the beach, for lunch.

The weather was mild and we played catchy with the new red ball and she ate sticks and leaves and lemon (one of her favourites!).

She's still as cute as a button and when Vegan Chickie blew bubbles, she said the word 'bubble'!  That was pretty exciting!  She's growing up so fast!

There has been a soft steady rain falling all night and the temperature has dropped considerably, so it's a lovely mild night, and tomorrow should be cool and comfortable.

It'd be great if the rain stopped by tomorrow morning though, because I have some catching up to do with my camera!

I think there may be some Wrens with my name on them, waiting for me in the scrub :D

Nite all.