God's Gift

Another great Saturday!

I awoke feeling excited that I was going to be seeing Vegan Chickie and Chicklet today!

After Adoring Husband left for golf, I again had time to ride down to the bakery for coffee and then spend a little time with the boys at the Seat of Knowledge before pedalling home and heading to the bus stop.

Rocket Rod was my bus driver so we drove, faster than a speeding bullet, into The Bay.  The advantage to that trip was that I caught the early connection to Chicklet's place :D  Funnily enough, the next bus driver asked how my trip was with Rocket Rod!  So I told him!

When the bus dropped me off, I walked down to the pier first to get a couple of shots for my 104 challenge.

Graffiti - Photo 20 of 104

Under the Jetty - Photo 21 of 104

It didn't take me very long and then I walked up to see my cheeky baby.

She did lots of cheeky things today.  She giggled a lot.  She talked a lot.  She played a lot.  She stood by herself!  She tangled up my necklace, which I untangled while she had a nap.  She smiled and giggled for the camera.

God's Gift - Photo 22 of 104

Cute as a Button!

Then Adoring Husband brought lunch and we sat on the grass near the beach and ate it.  We took Chicklet for a walk on the grass, Adoring Husband on one side holding her hand and me on the other, holding her other hand.

Talk about a kodak moment, without a kodak available!

We didn't stay for as long as usual because we couldn't get a shady spot and I was worried about Chicklet getting sunburnt.

We said our goodbyes and got our Chicklet cuddles and kisses before leaving.

We came home and had a relaxing afternoon together, before I realised that I had forgotten to put dinner in the slow cooker this morning, so we had nothing for dinner!  Woops!  Chinese from the Bowls Club.

Tonight we watched the first NRL match of the season between the Indigenous All Stars and the NRL All Stars.  I was barracking for the Indigenous team and they lost.  I blame Wayne Bennett, who was coaching the NRL All Stars.  He is just too good as a coach!!

So that was my day.  Another Saturday with God's Gift.  Didn't think I was going to get this one.  Thought they would have moved and this Saturday would be a sad day for me ... what a lucky day instead!

At last count 149 photos on the facebook challenge group page!

Nite all.

A Few Best Men

If there is one movie you should avoid this season, it's the Australian comedy "A Few Best Men".

When I go to see an Australian movie at the cinemas, I go with low expectations.  That way, it doesn't take much to surprise me, and I often end up enjoying the movie much more than expected.  'Red Dog' is a perfect example of that.

So today, there were only two movies that I was willing to see.  One was 'Descendants' with George Clooney and the other was 'A Few Best Men' because Adoring Husband had seen an interview about it and said he'd laughed all the way through it.

I was embarrassed by Olivia Newton John and in my opinion, Rebel Wilson was the only passable female in the entire movie and I'm really stretching it to give her that compliment.

Kris Marshall was great in his role as Tom (I also thought he was great in 'Love Actually' as Colin Frissell).

Xavier Samuel was 'average' and I kept waiting for the 'Twilight' cast to appear (he played a new vampire in 'Eclipse', which is the third movie in the Twilight series).

The most memorable character was Ramsy the ram.  He stole the show.

So the next movie I see will be 'The Descendants' with George Clooney.  I've been trying to get to that one for about a month now.  Monday might be the day to do it.

After we left the cinema, we went to the jewellers in Stocklands to have the battery replaced in my watch.

It was going to take thirty minutes, so Adoring Husband and I decided to grab some lunch and a coffee from Jamaica Blue.

Adoring Husband ordered a tandoori chicken sandwich and I ordered zucchini and bacon fritters.  They toasted his sandwich, which was full of lettuce, so he ended up with a soggy mess.  My fritters tasted like clag glue.  I literally spat the first mouthful out and didn't eat any more of my meal.

I took a pen out of my handbag and wrote a little message on my napkin, which I placed, face up, on top of my plate.  I wrote '$29 for lunch and this tasted like glue'.

Adoring Husband was horrified and he skulled his coffee so that we wouldn't be sitting at the table when they came to clear it!

You may think that I should have just complained to the manager or asked for my money back, but the manager of this place is so scary that two of their machinery servicemen that I know are scared of her and call her nasty names behind her back.

She is certainly not approachable, nor does she display friendly or happy customer service skills!

We won't eat there again.  It's not the first time the food has been substandard, but at least it has been edible before today.

So, as you can tell, the day has not been a huge success.  Not that I care THAT much.  I'd be very happy if days like today were the worst days I ever had to deal with!

I did get to have a short ride this morning before we went out.

Clouds - Photo 19 of 104

Another shot for my 104 challenge.  It may be replaced at a later date by more spectacular clouds because I'm not entirely happy with this one.

Adoring Husband is very excited because his NRL team, Cronulla Sharks, defeated Manly in the pre-season warm up game tonight.  If he's happy, I'm happy :D

We are currently watching Australia V India 20/20 cricket match.  It's not looking good for Australia at this stage, but you just never know!

I think they need my support, so I'd best go give it to them.

Nite all.

 

A Nice Place to Visit

On my way for coffee this morning, I found some stripes ...

Stripes - Photo 17 of 104

Once upon a time, not that long ago, Thursdays were my favourite day of the week.

Indoor bowls at the local hall, 9am every Thursday.

When we first arrived in town, we joined the Amateur Fishing Club and met a lot of other 'new' locals. Not as new as us, but new, just the same.

It was very successful for us and we found a wonderful group of friends with whom we now socialise regularly.  It was the perfect way to introduce ourselves to the new area.

Not long after that, during my morning walk, I met the boys at the Seat of Knowledge, and one of them invited me to Indoor Bowls.

It took me a while to gather my courage, but eventually I decided it was time to be strong and just do it!

It was one of those horrible, nerve wracking experiences!  As I got closer to the hall, the noise from the crowd within got louder and I really had to push myself to walk in the door.

One of the ladies looked up as I entered and immediately walked over to me and introduced herself.  She introduced me to some other people there and when I told her that I'd never bowled before, she gave me a quick run down of the rules and showed me how to bowl along the indoor mats.

I had a couple of practise shots before the games began and by the time we all started bowling, I felt very comfortable and very welcome.

Most of the people in the hall, were locals who had lived in town for anywhere between ten and fifty years and the majority of them had lived in the general area, within a fifty kilometre radius for their whole lives.

They all had so many stories to tell and they were warm caring people who welcomed new comers with open arms.

For the first couple of years, I planned my whole week around Thursdays and only very special circumstances could make me miss bowls!  That's how nice the people of this town are!

Just recently, there have been lots of new people and tourists attending, so that it's very crowded.  This makes the hall very noisy and very hot.  It takes much longer to finish the games and it's difficult to have conversations with so much noise and kerfuffle.

Even though the same old locals are still there, it's lost it's appeal for me, because the newcomers have almost taken over.  It just doesn't feel as intimate.

Anyway, today I decided to drop in and say hi and while I was there, took a few shots of the layout.

A Sporting Event - Photo 18 of 104

This then became my 'Sporting Event' photo for my 104 challenge!   It's still a very nice place to visit and the local ladies are still just gorgeous :D

Once again, it was too hot for pedalling around town, so after a short ride I found my way home to our empty house - Adoring Husband was at golf in Maryborough - and I had a nice relaxing morning at home.

I've been spending a lot of time in the facebook group that I started for the '104 Things to Photograph in 404 days' challenge.

As of this moment, 107 photos have been posted on the group wall!  I love the enthusiasm that everyone is showing, especially Bubbles and some other family members, but I'm most excited about my brother joining in.

I know that he's been doing it tough in the last few months and I love that he wants to be a part of this group with me.  I hope that he is enjoying it as much as I am and that it's giving him something to look forward to each day.

I look forward to seeing the photos that he is taking with his phone and I wish that he had a DSLR camera because I remember the wonderful shots that he used to take years ago.  Hopefully, one day soon, that will happen!

So that's it for another day with me.  I think I will actually get an early night tonight!  Wonders will never cease!

Nite all.  

Something Red

As you know, I have already submitted my photo of 'Something Red' for the challenge.  I received a submission via email from Vegan Chickie today.

Chicklet's first Art Class

Every day, she will add a little more to this piece of art, and it will end up on my fridge door!!

If there were prizes being issued, of course, this one would win the prize for 'Something Red'  :D  The only thing is,  there will be other colours added to it, so it may win the 'rainbow' prize instead!  I'm very excited to be receiving my first piece of fridge art!

We had a very warm day today, so I was home and out of the sun before 10am and turned the air conditioner on!

During my ride, I stopped and aimed my camera at a baby magpie, thinking about whether he was interesting enough to take a photo of, when through the view finder I watched him pull a worm out of the ground!

It was so unexpected!  I was at the right place at the right time for that one!

Earlier, at the Seat of Knowledge, I got my challenge shot of 'Feathers'.

Feathers - Photo 16 of 104

Unfortunately, I missed his tail as he flew above me.  This shot was unexpected.  He looked like he was flying out to sea, when he took a sharp turn and flew directly over my head!

Just a quiet day today, and it was most enjoyable.  Very calming and relaxing.

Enjoying the cricket season, especially the T20 matches between India and Australia, which started tonight.  Australia won a very exciting match tonight in front of a record crowd.

Gearing up for the NRL football season which starts soon!  Finally!  We are at the exciting part of the sporting year again!

Again, I sign off thinking of chocolate.  Luckily, I don't buy it, otherwise I'd be eating it right before bed every night!

Nite all.

Happy Tuesday

After a good night of sleep, I woke up bright and early today and had time to buy my morning coffee and then spend an hour with my boys at the Seat of Knowledge, before meeting the girls at our usual place for morning tea.

There were seven of us, including Kaz's daughter, who is visiting briefly from London, where she has been living and working for some time.  She's a lovely young lady (calling her that, makes me sound like an old lady!) and it was nice chatting with her today.

Of course, Kaz is glowing with happiness, having her girl home for a while, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy :D

When morning tea was over, Aussie H and I took a long trike ride around the new estate and the man-made lake at the new end of town.  We haven't spent time together for a while and it was really good to catch up with her.

It was quite late in the morning when we parted.  I'm usually indoors by 10am, so I had an extra hour in the sun and this evening I noticed that I have a touch of sunburn.  tsk tsk tsk

I came home to find Adoring Husband still feeling a little under the weather.  We think he may have side effects from some new medication that he started a few days ago, so he has stopped taking it for now, to see if he feels any better over the next couple of days.

I didn't take any photos this morning while I was out, but I took a couple around the house this afternoon to match two of the items on my challenge list.

Shadows - Photo 14 of 104

Garden Gnome - Photo 15 of 104

There are already sixty four photos on the facebook challenge page, posted by some of the people invited by me, and five new people have been added to the group since it started.  Loving that!

This afternoon we bought fish and chips and met Kaz, Lady Lynne, Aussie H and 'Associates' at the Lions Park for drinks, nibblies and dinner.

The weather, for a change, was very kind to us and even though it had been a hot day, there was a lovely cool breeze blowing that made for a very pleasant afternoon and evening.

Such a happy and relaxed group of people who are a real pleasure to be around.

'Kazrenwin'

Three generations from Kaz's family.  I love this photo because they are all so happy.  The most beautiful smiles on all three of them!  Beautiful girls.

I wandered down to the beach hoping to capture some nice sunset photos, but just as it was looking promising, the big grey clouds came scudding across and snuffed the sun out before the beauty could begin.

Adoring Husband and I took an early leave and came home for a fruit and juice ice block each.

He was early to bed, and I am about to follow.

It has, indeed, been a very happy Tuesday - if only I had some chocolate to top the day off :D

Nite all.

A Very Late Night

Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open Tennis Grand Slam final last night, by defeating Rafael Nadal in five sets.  The match took five hours and fifty three minutes!!!  I watched all of it and as predicted, it was a long night!

It was a great match.  Now we have to wait til the end of May for the French Open.

So I had a late start to the day because I didn't get to bed til 1am.  I missed my boys at the Seat of Knowledge, but I didn't miss my coffee!

I took lots of photos and because the battery in my watch is flat, and I left my phone at home, I had no idea what the time it was all morning and I didn't return home until 11am!

Adoring Husband said that he was just about to phone the police to issue a missing persons report!

Letter Box - Photo 10 of 104

Lattice Work - Photo 11 of 104

Something Yellow - Photo 12 of 104

Something Blue - Photo 13 of 104

One more for good measure, that doesn't belong with the challenge photos.

A Tall Mushroom - a result of the recent wet weather! 

It's a change to not have bird photos everywhere, but I must confess that I spent a LONG time searching for the birds that were making the pretty noises in the bushes this morning.  The only reason I gave up was because the clouds parted and the stinging sun was so hot and uncomfortable, I just had to get home to cool down!

Anyway, enough of this frivolity.  I don't want to go to bed at 1am again, and Adoring Husband went to bed super early tonight because he wasn't feeling well, so I need to go check on him again and then climb into bed myself.

Nite all.

But Wait! There's More!

My morning with the camera was quite disappointing today.

The weather was looking ominous and the low dark clouds were scuttling by, threatening to dump their contents, but only leaving a few scattered droplets before disappearing from sight and making way for new storm clouds.

There were some beautiful black Storm Birds (aka Common Koels) flying around in the giant fig trees that line the river near the caravan park, but it was difficult to get a clear shot.

I love their amazing red eyes.

This is the male.  The female is speckled black and white with stripes and spots.  I may have posted a photo of a female on here a few weeks ago.

After that, I found a spot where I could hear all sorts of birds in the bushes.  There were the usual Wattle Birds making a racket and Lorikeets high in the trees, Noisy Miners that are a dime a dozen and Peewees whistling loudly, as well as two different types of doves trying to coo louder than the other birds.

Through all of that noise, I could just make out a soft unfamiliar whistle.  The other birds were making so much noise, it was impossible for me to make out which direction the whistle was coming from and although I stayed there for more than thirty minutes, I couldn't find the bird that was making that new noise.

I left there feeling very frustrated!  But I will return over the next few days and hopefully have some success.

In the distance, I saw Adoring Husband leaving town towing his golf buggy behind him (He played golf at a very soggy Howard Golf Course today), so I knew I had some time to play with my camera some more.

I found lots of puddles all over town for my challenge photo 'reflections in puddles' and even though I took a lot of photos of puddles and reflections, none of them were very interesting so I ended up deleting them.

There was no active bird life at my lagoon and even the lilies were all facing away from me as they faced the direction of the sun.

So I returned home feeling somewhat dejected and after going through all of my photos for the day, felt very disappointed when I had to delete almost all of them.

I decided, instead, to play with yesterday's photos to see what I could come up with.

This little guy worked really hard to turn himself upside-down to sleep.

Just one tree holding quite a few Flying Foxes from the colony

And finally, the photo that completely brightened my day and made me forget about all the bad photos before it ...

Baby Smiles - Photo 9 of 104

I love this one and included it in my challenge photos :D  Isn't she glorious?

Time for me to go watch the end of the Australian Open Final.  Djokovic V Nadal.  It could be a long night!

Nite all.

  

The Challenge has Begun!

... and I'm not talking about the photography challenge!

It's possible that Vegan Chickie, the Bare-chested Chef and Chicklet will be moving 3 hours away before the end of the week.  

If it's not the end of the week, it will be very soon AND it could be further away still!

So THAT is my challenge ... to successfully deal with them leaving.  Find the positives!  Be happy about their new life adventure!  Feel excited about their new horizons!  Be glad that we will have a new holiday destination!

Ugh!

Adoring Husband dropped me off to visit Chicklet this morning and then returned two hours later with fish and chips for lunch.  We sat on Vegan Chickie's balcony to eat.    

My little Sweetie Possum played happily and practised walking backward and forward between Vegan Chickie and I.  She's growing up so fast!  Ugh!  I'm going to miss them.

When it was time for Chicklet to have her nap, Adoring Husband and I left for home.  

Along the way, we passed the swamp area where the giant colony of flying foxes reside, and decided to stop to take some photos.

Five Things Together - Photo 8 of 104

They became my next challenge photo!

I'd been told that they stink, so I expected the worst, but I didn't notice any smell at all.  There were hundreds of them and every so often they made a lot of noise, not unlike the flocks of lorikeets that screech overhead in the late afternoons.

They were very cute, but our way was blocked by an eight foot high mesh fence, so we couldn't get too close, unfortunately.

I'm happy to report that my '104 Things to Photograph in 404 days' facebook group has started really well and aside from my own two photos, there have been five photos posted today by other members!

They are thinking outside the square and being very clever, which brings a big smile to my face!

For example, my daughter, Bubbles, posted this one ... 

for her version of 'A Rainbow'.  Very clever, I thought!   So this challenge is going to fun!

Now, for that other challenge :(  I'm off to cry myself to sleep.

Nite all.

PS Vegan Chickie - for now, I am exaggerating, so stop worrying about me - I'll let you know when I'm falling apart ;p  I love you.

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.