Not a single shot fired!

Can you believe it?  I didn't even take my camera out of the backpack today.

It was Chicklet day today :D

I caught the bus into town and it wasn't Rocket Rod driving the bus.  It was the same driver that put me on the wrong bus to Maryborough a few weeks ago!  I didn't say anything to him about it though.

He was the exact opposite of Rocket Rod and drove at about 40kph all the way into town.

He only had to pick up one person along the way.  He got all the green lights and didn't even have to wait at the roundabouts.  He had the best run into town imaginable and he STILL couldn't get me there in time for the early connection!  Ugh!

So I walked to McCafe to get a coffee and by the time I returned to the bus depot, a different connection was there to take me to my destination.

The driver was very happy and friendly and as he picked passengers up along the way, he knew all but one lady's name.  He even told us all a recipe for a chocolate ripple cake!  Unfortunately, my memory isn't that good!

I arrived at Chicklet's house earlier than if I'd made the early connection!  So now I know which is my preferred connection.

Chicklet was very talkative today.

Apparently, she has not been sleeping well at all for the last week and has been waking up shouting.  She has been a little grumpy ... Vegan Chickie found three new teeth today, including two near the back!!  No wonder she has been out of sorts!  Poor little possum.

Vegan Chickie and the Bare-chested Chef took Chicklet to the park today after I left.

Feeling the love :D

How cute are those little checked trousers?!  These photos are brought to you by Vegan Chickie :D

That's all for today.  It was a good day - especially because I got my Chicklet 'fix'.  Can't wait for Monday when they come here for her birthday lunch :D

So, not a single shot fired and surprisingly, no withdrawals or noticeable pain!

Nite all.

An Unusually Productive Day

Not a lot of photo opportunities today.

I did my usual thing and got coffee before going to the Seat of Knowledge for an hour or so.

The talk of the morning was about The Captain's (Yes, Arty Farty Friend, that would be your husband!) boat being almost dragged out to sea by the tidal current yesterday.  Much animated talk and gesticulating was had by all!

I then rode down to the park, where I met a new couple in town, and during the course of the conversation, discovered that they live five doors up the road from me!  We chatted for a while, until a couple of pelicans came flying in our direction, and took my attention.

Unfortunately, they flew too high to get a good shot, and though they circled a couple of times, and looked like they might land in front of us, they were just teasing and continued past the park until they disappeared behind the line of high trees.

I left the same way I came, and by the time I got back to the Seat of Knowledge, all the boys had left and the seat had been taken over by the old biker dudes who ride into town every Friday for morning tea.

Some of them sit outside the Bakery and their bikes are lined up all along the street.  I would estimate about 15 - 20 of them.  Another group of about 6, sit at the Seat of Knowledge.

I must take a photo of all the bikes parked in the street one Friday!

Three more photos for my February challenge, but they are not new photos, they are old shots revisited.

The Sun

Front Door

Self Portrait

Adoring Husband used my brand new camera to take this shot of me last year.

As I said at the beginning, not a lot of opportunities today.  I took my little folding stool and sat in the bushes waiting for the birds, but none turned up.  Maybe they did and I just didn't see them!

Oh!  I just remembered!  I did get a photo for my 104 challenge...

I actually love the colour of this house, but I am very partial to the colour purple :D

I found this beautiful cactus flower along the river.

There were about 40 flowers, but they were all drooping or dead, except for this one!  It's not a great photo, but it gives you a good idea.

So I came home earlier than usual and did some washing.   I then decided to give all three psychotic dogs a hair cut, nail clipping and a bath.  That took me over two hours, but they look and smell so good now!

I also cooked a nice lunch today, but after that, I did my usual thing and parked my butt on the couch and focussed on the few photos that I took today.  For me, comparatively speaking, I had a very productive day which wasn't all about the camera!

We are up to 219 photos on the facebook group.

Well, I'm having my Chicklet visit tomorrow, so it's my bed time.  She will be one year old on Monday!  Here is the video that I promised, of her walking ...

Everybody has to start somewhere!  Such a cutie :D

Nite all

Bragging Rights

Tonight I am going to brag about my brother and his talent as a photographer.

Years ago, long before I ever showed a real interest in photography, I remember seeing some of my brother's photographs and I was super impressed.

We rarely see each other.  In fact, I would guess that in the last thirty years, we would have come face to face perhaps a dozen times.

Aside from our childhood years, the longest we have spent in close proximity, would be when he spent a few months in Griffith, where I lived for 22 years.

Our lives have gone in very different directions

One year when I spent a holiday with my mother in QLD, she took me to visit my brother and that's when I first saw some of his photographs.  I clearly remember there being some 'WOW' moments, but he never took his photography further.  It was just his own private hobby.

So now, years later, thanks to modern technology and social networking, we are in regular contact through facebook, email and texts.

He is in my facebook 104 challenge group and tonight has been posting some of his older work that I just wanted to share.

He no longer has the DSLR camera that he used for these shots and now has to use his phone to take photos, which is a real shame because he is living in Cooktown and that area has so much beauty to capture, if only he had a decent camera!

Anyway, it's been fantastic to see his stuff and I hope he has some more to share in the coming weeks.

Vegan Chickie emailed me this gorgeous photo of Chicklet today.

How cute is this??!!

Tomorrow, I will share a little video of Chicklet walking with the aid of a toy with wheels.

I don't have any of my own photos to share tonight.  I forgot to change the battery in my camera, so I went out with a flat battery.  I also left the house without my mobile phone AND I again forgot to take the photos that we printed out for everyone!

It was a very forgetful morning!

Anyway, thanks for allowing me to brag - about my brother AND my lovely Chicklet :D

Nite all.      

Totally Engrossed

What a great day I've had - totally and completely engrossed with photography today, and almost all of it from home!

I had a lovely morning at the Seat of Knowledge - even though Adoring Husband and I spent yesterday afternoon printing out a stack of photos to give to people who frequent the seat, and THEN I left the envelope containing them at home on the kitchen bench!  Ugh!

The weather was very hot and steamy this morning and there wasn't even a breeze down by the river, which is very unusual.

After I left the seat, I found a big puddle on the road which was left over from the storm last night, and as I rode past it, I saw a very clear reflection of a palm tree in it.

Reflections in puddles, is one of the photos on my 104 challenge list!

Reflections in Puddles - Photo 28 of 104

Cars even stopped in the street while I took this shot!

Further up the road, as I reached one of my main corners to turn, I saw an interesting looking car driving towards me and he turned down the same street that I was going, so I raced around the corner to see that he was driving into the car park of the local service station.

I stopped in the driveway of the car park and took a photo with my long lens.  I liked what I saw in frame and was pleased to see that the driver had a bald head ... which is another item on my list!

A Bald Head - Photo 29 of 104

I even blurred out the number plate - just like on the news!

I pedalled further to the bushland where I could hear a million (ok slight exaggeration) birds.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take my little stool for sitting in the bush, but found myself a shady spot and waited.

As usual, I could hear them all around me but could not see a thing!  I'm sure the birds throw their voices like a ventriloquist!

I stood for about thirty minutes, but I was so hot and was getting bitten by mosquitoes (my insect spray was a good distance away where I parked my trike), so after swatting and scratching and dripping for half an hour, I gave up and rode home.

Then I spent a couple of hours editing my photos and downloading them onto flickr and facebook.  Chatting, updating and commenting in the facebook group photos, and then in the flickr group.

It's quite time consuming.  Luckily I'm a touch typist, so it doesn't take as long as it would for some, who are one finger typists!

190 photos posted to date.

Of course there is a little bit of banter goes on under some photos as well, but I feel like it's important to comment and encourage people, because some of them are new to photography and some have been doing it for a while, but have found new motivation.

There are a five people (that I can think of right now) in the group who are a bit broken, and have personal issues that have caused deep sadness and heart ache.  It's nice for them to feel like they are a part of something that brings a little bit of joy into their lives.

Anyway, this afternoon, a huge storm, lasting about 30 minutes, dumped it's contents over our head.  Lightning and thunder and VERY heavy rain.

When it was all over, I looked out the front window and saw the end of a rainbow, so I ran outside with my camera (as I do) and found this above our house!

A Rainbow - Photo 31 of 104

It was beautiful and amazing!  Naturally, 'a rainbow' is on my list!

I wandered around the garden smelling the fresh rain and watching the sun glistening on all of the droplets on the plants.

A Droplet - Photo 32 of 104

This was the very first droplet photo that I took and I loved it straight away!

These were the spectacular post-storm clouds that were above me as I strolled through the garden.

I already posted a 'clouds' photo, but this was worth sharing.

So the photo opportunities today were abundant!  I also decided that my photo of 'Kazrenwin' would be my 'happy' photo, because I love their smiles so much.

Happy - photo 30 of 104 (yes it's out of order - sorry!)

Then, last but not least, my home-made dessert photo.

Home-made Dessert - Photo 33 of 104

I'm feeling all photo'd (yes I just made up that word) out now!  I also feel very happy and satisfied with my efforts.  I think I got some nice shots today that filled a lot of spots on my challenge list.

Time for bed - I think I might even dream about my camera tonight!

I really loved my day :D

Nite all

Another Dad Gone

An on-line photography friend, who I have met up with a couple of times just recently, lost her Dad tonight.  These past few weeks have been a waiting game for her and her family, but he clung to life for much longer than anyone had anticipated.  He had been sick for a long time and had fought a hard battle, but lost the fight tonight.

I know it will be a relief for them to have him suffering no more, and be finally at peace.

My thoughts are with you.  Warmest hugs to you all.

*********

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that its those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand.  The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness.  That is a friend who cares" --Henri Nouwen--

*********

Adoring Husband and I finally got to see the movie 'The Descendants' today.  It was a GOOD movie.  A little morbid and sad.  A little inwardly uplifting.  Surprisingly insightful about relationships.  The acting was great and I loved George Clooney in this role.  

It was set in Hawaii and used a lot of Hawaiian music, which I really enjoyed too.

I didn't know anything about the movie before I saw it, so I had no expectations and no pre-conceived ideas.  It really made me think and wonder what I would do in the same situation.

I recommend it.  It doesn't matter if you see it on the big screen or wait for the dvd, but it's definitely worth watching.

I didn't get any photos today for my 104 challenge.  I did, however, catch up on the February challenge ... 

Ok I cheated by taking this from an earlier challenge - desperate situations call for desperate measures!

To me, this man is more 'strange' than 'a stranger' lol - we don't know each other by name but nod hello occasionally.

I was in the car going to the movies at 10am

Adoring Husband made a delicious Lime, chilli and garlic marinade and then flattened the chicken - DELICIOUS!

This would have suited my Dad so well!

Tomorrow, I will have to make up for the 104 challenge.  The group now has 179 photos posted and 33 members.

Gosh I can't believe that it's already after midnight!

Nite all

My day in photos.

Number One son's very good friend Macca, is doing a February photo challenge, which lists 29 things to photograph for the month of February.  Today was the first that I noticed, so she is already up to number six on the list.

She is posting the photos in facebook and I commented this evening that the challenge looked like fun and that I might do it after I finish my current challenge.  She suggested that I do it now - because, after all, it IS February now.

So I agreed!  Now I have two challenges!

This one shouldn't be too difficult, besides, I do my best work under pressure!  I'll have to do a couple each day til I catch up!

No 1 for February Photo a Day Challenge

My View Today

No 2 for February Photo a Day Challenge

I popped in on Coral and Bill this morning and got some nice shots of Bill's flowering pride and joy.

Bill is very proud of his flowers

I got two photos from my other challenge this morning.

A friend turned up at the Seat of Knowledge on his little motorcycle - more of a scooter than a bike but  still ...

A Biker and his Bike - Photo 26 of 104

... so I requested that he pose for my challenge photo.

I almost rode right into this one ...

... the sun was in just the right place for the web to catch the light.

Adoring Husband and I are going to the movies tomorrow to see 'The Descendants' (finally) and we have some other business to attend to in town as well.

So that's my day in photos!

56 Years and Counting

At the Seat of Knowledge this morning, when Coral and Bill arrived on their bicycles, it dawned on me that they had been married for a long time ... I was sure it was for more than fifty years.

So I asked them and they proudly announced that they had been married for fifty six years!

One of the things on my 104 challenge list is 'A Couple Married for 50+ Years', so I asked them to smile for the camera.

A Couple Married 50+ Years - Photo 23 of 104 

This is a true indication of how they are every time I see them.  I'm so pleased with this one and I can't wait to give them a copy.

NEXT!

Something Dead - Photo 24 of 104

My other option was a roadkill toad ... I thought this was much more pleasing to the eye.

This afternoon, I visited Coral and Bill at their house because Bill wanted me to take photos of one of his flowering vines.  Unfortunately, the heat of the day left the flowers drooping a little, so I'll go back early tomorrow morning and try again while they are fresh from the cool night air.

After I left their house, I decided to go for a short ride.  The weather had cooled considerably and it was a nice afternoon for some exercise.

As I pedalled down the street, I heard a whistle and when I turned to look ...

A Local Man - Photo 25 of 104

... there was one of my boys from the Seat of Knowledge sitting outside his house.  On further reflection, I probably should have added devil's horns and tail instead of the 'royal' accessories that he boasts in this photo!

Not a pretty sight, I agree, but so very typical of The Gnome, and this is how you will find him every afternoon either on his verandah or as you see him here.

So quite a successful day for my challenge and I've figured out that for Adoring Husband and I to be married for fifty six years, he will have to live to the ripe old age of 108.

So I will look forward to that and our letters from the Queen :D

Nite all.

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.