Point Lonsdale Sky / Sea and Land (Friday Skies)

I like the way this image is split into thirds, and the uniform colour of the sky. Sometimes it feels like the sky is so huge here, and I just so small. It's hard to put my finger on why, but as soon as I arrived in Australia I noticed the sky and over 15 years later the novelty has not worn off. You can find more Friday Sky images here (or by clicking the link on the RHS of this post) . You can also find the original post in which this picture appeared here at my other blog (or by clicking in the Paying Ready Attention link on the RHS of this post). Have a good Friday!

World Bird Wednesday - Regent Bowerbird.

Just had to put these pictures up this week. A few people had said what great birds we have in Australia - and just to show that they were correct, here is a Regent Bowerbird. Rather splendid I must say! These birds are actually around a feeding station, but that does not make them look any less good. I was pleased to find a pair of these birds well away from this location later in the day, made me feel like I had seen the "real" bird, rather than a (more than half) tame one. As is often the case the female is not a brightly coloured as the male - but as a pair they still look good. You can find many more images of birds from around the world at World Bird Wednesday. You can the original post that contained these pictures on my other blog by clicking here, you can see my most recent post by clicking the Paying Ready Attention link on the RHS of the screen. Enjoy the birds!

My World Tuesday - Autumn Weave

More evidence of the turning of the seasons – trees and bushes show up their web links in the mornings. This is one of my favorite pictures of the last few weeks – although walking through the webs to collect the paper in the morning is less pleasant. That’s why I send out the kids!

You can find more images of great places here or you can click on the My World Tuesday link on the RHS of the screen.

You can also see at my most recent posts on my other blog by clicking on the "Paying Ready Attention" Link on the RHS of the screen.

Have a good Tuesday!

Queensland Sunset (Friday Skies)

On the same trip up to Queensland as the last post I managed to spend a few days out of the city. Stayed at a lodge in the hills a few hours south of Brisbane. As I sipped on a rather fine beer I watched the sun setting over the Glasshosue Mountains in the distance. A rather splendid way to end the day I have to say!

You can find more Friday Sky images here (or by clicking the link on the RHS of this post) .

You can also find more of my posts here at my other blog (or by clicking in the Paying Ready Attention link on the RHS of this post).

Have a good Friday!

World Bird Wednesday - Crested Pigeon.

The Crested Pigeon is neither iconic nor clothed in bright plumage - but I like to see them anyway - and who could resist the crest!


These birds have become more common in Melbourne during the drought - now that it seems to have started raining again I wonder if they will move back inland.

You can find many more images of birds from around the world at World Bird Wednesday.

You can look at the most recent of my posts on my other blog by clicking the Paying Ready Attention link on the RHS of the screen.

Enjoy the birds!

My World Tuesday - Point Lonsdale

Most Australians like close to the sea - tucked between the coast and the Great Dividing Range, we hug the coast. When you see places like this I suppose its understandable.

This light house guards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, behind which sits Melbourne.

You can find more images of great places here or you can click on the My World Tuesday link on the RHS of the screen.

You can also see at my most recent posts on my other blog by clicking on the "Paying Ready Attention" Link on the RHS of the screen.

Have a good Tuesday!

Brisbane Skies (Friday Skies)

Have spent a little time in Brisbane over the last year - and it surprising how rapidly the thrill of business travel (but still in the cheap seats) wears off!

Still, you do get to see new places, but its often at night after meetings are over.

Saw the first sky from my hotel window and the cat was sat on the corner of a building which used to be some form of print industry location. Anyway, in each case the light gathering powers of modern digital cameras are remarkable. The cat shot was taken in what I saw as near darkness!

You can find more Friday Sky images here (or by clicking the link on the RHS of this post) .

You can also find more of my posts here at my other blog (or by clicking in the Paying Ready Attention link on the RHS of this post).

Have a good Friday!

World Bird Wednesday - Superb Fairy-Wren.

Superb Fairy-Wrens live up to their name – they really are superb little birds, especially the adult males. The females and juveniles are a little duller, but the cocked tail and busy behavior are always interesting. This couple (or possibly soon to be couple!) caught the eye of my son and mine as well. ‘Good spot H’ was all I could say.

Given that we also have ‘Splendid Fairy-Wrens’ and ‘Lovely Fairy-Wrens’ it makes me wonder where the namers of these species would have gone if they are had wanted to continue with these kind of names! I think the more descriptive names such as ‘Red Backed Fairy-Wren’ were used to prevent a descent into obscenity!!!




















































You can find many more images of birds from around the world at World Bird Wednesday.


You can look at the most recent of my posts on my other blog by clicking the Paying Ready Attention link on the RHS of the screen.


Enjoy the birds!

My World Tuesday - The First Sign of Autumn.

Blooming ‘Wind Flowers’ are a such sign that we have entered autumn – as are spider webs in the morning, but I assumed flowers would be more popular.

These are in the garden bed at the end of my drive, so I see them every time I park the car. In even the slightest wind they wave about on their metre long stems, and if we have a hot autumn day they seem to make everything seem cooler.

They are also called Japanese Anemones, which I hope will act as a reminded of what has happened in the last few days.

You can find more images of great places here or you can click on the My World Tuesday link on the RHS of the screen.

You can also see at my most recent posts on my other blog by clicking on the "Paying Ready Attention" Link on the RHS of the screen.

Have a good Tuesday!

Rainbow (Sky Watch Friday)

Lightning may not strike in the same place twice (but if thats the case once your house has been struck you could throw away the lightning rod!), but it seems interesting light may do!

This picture was taken a few 100 m from where I took last weeks moon rise image. I was walking along the sea front and there was a ship saling into a rainbow. All rather splendid really.

You can find more Friday Sky images here (or by clicking the link on the RHS of this post) .

You can also find more of my posts here at my other blog (or by clicking in the Paying Ready Attention link on the RHS of this post).

Have a good Friday!

World Bird Wednesday - Laughing kookaburra

Thought I'd go with a bit of an icon this week - so here it is, the Alarmbird, the Breakfastbird, The Bushman's, Settlers or Shepard's Clock; The Brown, Great Brown, Gait or Laughing Kingfisher; Jack, Jackass, Jacko, Jack; Kooka; Laughing Jack, John, Johnass or Jonny; or finally (and these are my favourites due to their utter craziness) the Ha Ha or Woop Woop Pigeon! More commonly know as the Laughing Kookaburra, and more specifically Dacelo novaeguinea.

I remember the first time I saw one and was shocked by how big they are - the worlds largest kingfisher. I was also shocked that my friends children would throw rocks at them so that they could go back to sleep in the mornings! The rocks always missed and the Kookaburra was always back there the next morning, laughing away. For such an icon (they even make it into the sound track of early Tarzan movies) they are only native to the east coast, have been introduced else where and are absent from most of the west. But I like them - one cannot be un-cheered by a kookaburra (or a Woop Woop Pigeon for that matter!)




























You can find many more images of birds from around the world at World Bird Wednesday.

You can see the blog post that features Kookaburras (and other things) here, and you can look at the most recent of my posts by clicking the Paying Ready Attention link on the RHS of the screen.

Enjoy the birds!

My World Tuesday - Butterflies

I could hear the garden calling this weekend - the end of summer and the end of the veggie patch. Was pulling up weeds, old long forgotten lettuces and the rank remains of tomato plants when I noticed a small bright orange and brown butterfly.

The weeding was rapidly (and rather thankfully) abandoned and the camera fetched - these are the results. The orange and brown one is (I think) a Greenish Grass Dart. There were also some small blue butterflies about. I normally only see these when they flush out of the grass, but on this day they were a little more cooperative. These turned out to be Common Grass Blues. Neither of them are more than about 3 cm from wing tip to wing tip.

I never did finish tidying the garden!

You can find more images of great places here or you can click on the My World Tuesday link on the RHS of the screen.

You can also see at my most recent posts on my other blog by clicking on the "Paying Ready Attention" Link on the RHS of the screen.

Have a good Tuesday!

Moon Rise (Friday Skies)

Thought I'd continue with my moon theme on Fridays (but only of two posts in a row count as a theme!)

Was waiting for the fish and chips to be cooked - just an occasional holiday routine, before any health conscious memers get overexcited - and this huge moon was pulling itself up over Port Phillip Bay. People were just stood watching it grow. It looked like some form of special effect for a film. As the moon rose higher the optical illusion that makes its look sop big when its near the horizon faded, but even then it was pretty special.



























You can find more Friday Sky images here (or by clicking the link on the RHS of this post) .
You can also find more of my posts here at my other blog (or by clicking in the Paying Ready Attention link on the RHS of this post).

Have a good Friday!