Macro Monday - Herb Robert (29-05-1981)

This is a single flower of a plant called (at least by me as a kid) Herb Robert – I also think it is called Stinking Bob.

The original of this picture was taken on the 29th of May 1981, in the back yard of my house in Somerset. That’s a long time ago and a long way away. Clearly the scan is much more modern.

I decided to post this image after some conversations at work last Friday – we had a kind of show and tell for anybody with a creative streak. I showed some of my photographs. People seemed to like them, and many asked me about the camera I used. It made me think that photography has become linked to cameras, not photographers.

So, here is a image taken with a second hand East German camera – a Practica that went out of production in 1975 – and flash guns held away from the camera on strips of Meccano! From the look of the slide mount it was taken on 100ASA Agfachrome. I still rather like it.

What I like about many of the posts that are made on these collective memes is the general lack of technical ‘one-upmanship’. People take pictures and put them up, and other people get to see them. The emphasis is on the picture – not the technology. If you like the picture you can say so – although I still don’t really know what to do when I don’t like the image!

So, here is a blast from the past, given a modern scan.

You can find more macro shots at Lisas Chaos.

You can find the latest post to my other blog by clicking on the Paying Ready Attention image on the RHS of the screen.

Enjoy the close ups!

Phone Sky - SkyWatch Friday

With a bit of luck this may be the end of the very short posts –my wife’s mum was taken into hospital at very short notice, and for while things did not look good. The situation seems better now, but you never can tell.

Thanks to all the people who asked about the ‘life not going as planned’.

So, this is another in the series of simple skies. It’s also taken with a phone. Simple lunch time sky from Camberwell, just outside my office.

You can find more skies at SkyWatch Friday.

The latest post to other blog can be found by clicking the Paying Ready Attention image on the RHS of the screen.

Enjoy the skies and I hope that normal service will be resumed soon.

World Bird Wednesday - Magpie Lark

Another short post today – life is not entirely going to plan at present.

This is a Magpie Lark – which if you have read many of my posts you will not be surprised to learn is neither a Magpie nor a Lark. They have a strange grating call and wild staring eyes – this one was chasing the tiny flies you can just see in the picture.

They are reasonably common, but it’s taken me a while to get a half decent picture of one.

You can find more birds from around the world at the sensibly named World Bird Wednesday.

You can find my most recent post to my other blog by clicking on the Paying Ready Attention image on the RHS of the screen.


Enjoy the birds.

Our World Tuesday - Through a glass brightly

A recent trip to Geelong Botanic gardens brought me face to face with these rather formal, but still conical, pair. The lady protects her complexion with a sunshade; the gentleman offers a rather spiky salad.



If you look closely you can see that the end of the sunshade is a crystal ball, through which you can see the world in reverse.


So, I give you an image of Australia day, through a glass brightly.
You can find more images from around the world at Our World Tuesday.

You can find the most recent post to my other blog by clicking on the Paying Ready Attention link on the RHS of the screen.

Enjoy the pictures.

Macro Monday - Painted Grasshawk

Bit of a rapid post this week for Macro Monday.

Archive Mining here – this is (yet another) picture from our Magnetic Island trip. Don’t know much about this dragonfly except that it’s a Painted Grasshawk.


You can find other macro shots at Macro Monday.

You can find the latest post to my other post by clicking the Paying Ready Attention link on the RHS of the page.

Enjoy the close ups.

Mont Albert Storm - SkyWatch Friday

One of the joys of living in Melbourne is its changeable weather. Under normal conditions we rarely get more than a week of settled weather. Then something changes in the wind and the temperature can soar or fall and the heavens can open.

There is a song called Four Seasons in One Day about Melbourne and this title contains both an exaggeration and more than a grain of truth.
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After a few hot days this weather front pasted over our house. Weather dominated by central Australia was replaced with weather born in Antarctica. The temperatures fell and we had rain. Within a few hours the front had passed and we had clear skies by morning.

You can find more skies from around the world at SkyWatch Friday.

You can find the latest post to my other blog by clicking the Paying Ready Attention link on the RHS of the screen.

Enjoy the skies.