SkyWatch Friday - Over Camberwell Station

I was walking home from work on Tuesday when I found this sky just outside the office door.  I only had my compact with me – it lives in my bag, but it does not get a huge amount of use.  One of the problems with its under use is that I had to spend about 5 minutes working out how to turn off the “underwater” settings! (I’d last used while snorkelling!)  After a bit of inspired guess work I worked it out!

So these shots are taken from the rail bridge in Camberwell.  Dozens of people walked past me as I was taking the picture – and as far as I know most of them did not seem to notice the sky.  The one person who spoke to me worked in the local book shop – which is a reasonable predictor of being a decent human being if you ask me!

Somehow this post has strayed away from skies and entered the realms of psychological profiling – I think it’s time to call it a day and post the post!

You can find more skies at SkyWatch Friday.

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

Enjoy the skies.

World Bird Wednesday - Crimson Rosella

Its been a busy week here, so I thought I’d go with a simple crowd pleaser.

This is a male Crimson Rosella.  I took the picture when I visited O’Reillys Rainforest Lodge in the Lamington National Park in Queensland.

As with the last bird post, I think this hansom chap was used to having people around.

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

You can find the latest post to my other blog by clicking on the Paying Ready Attention image on the RHS of the page.  You can find my post from O’Reillys here.

Enjoy the birds.

Our World Tuesdsay - Erskine Falls

Inland from Lorne are the cool, temperate forests of the Otways.  These may not be tropical, but they are still rain forests – and just to prove it, there was plenty of rain in the weeks leading up to our visit and just a little bit more on the day.

Because of the rain and the geology this part of the world has a few waterfalls. One of the most popular is Erskine Falls.  Not only is it one of the taller falls in the area, it can also be reached on foot with ease. 

The whole place gave of a feeling of damp growth and although its winter you could really tell the place was growing.  For about 30 seconds a beam of weak sun light struck a tree fern – although the quickly grabbed shot does not do it justice.

I like the damp, cool, dripping feel of these pictures, largely because it was that kind of place!

You can find more shots from around the world at Our Word Tuesday.

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 pictures.

Macro Monday - Cold Ivy

This is a rather old picture, but it’s been a busy week!

This was taken on a frosty morning in the UK.  The overnight temperature had dipped down towards zero and I decided to take a brisk walk.  As I now only see one or two frosts a year I looked forward to a walk in the cold.

I did take a few pictures, but most of all I just enjoyed the cold.

You can find more macro shots at Macro Monday.

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.

SkyWatch Friday - Lorne Skies

Even the least impressive sorts of skies can yield up worthwhile pictures if you give them the time.  We were on the pier at Lorne as the sun set, and for once there were no fireworks to speak of.

But in the last few minutes for the day the cloud over the hills thinned and there was a burst of colour in front of us.  The clouds behind the pier also picked up some of the last evening light.

Sometime you just need a quiet walk rather than a full day one, and sometimes you need a subtle sky rather than pyrotechnics.

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

You can find the latest post to my other blog (which is more autobiographical than normal) here or by clicking on the Paying Ready Attention image on the RHS of the sky.

Enjoy the skies.

World Bird Wednesday - Balcony Birds

When we arrived at our accommodation in Lorne we were greeted by a chorus of raucous laughter from the local Kookaburras.  They were not really laughing at us, but it’s a nice think to tell the kids.

After we had settled in, we read the information left by the owner.  It was plain that they did not want us to feed the birds.  This is understandable, as cockatoos can cause havoc on the parts of your house not made of reinforced concrete.  However, it soon became clear that while we were content to ne good law abiding citizens, the birds would still try to persuade us be otherwise.

A small group of King Parrots landed first.  The strong backlight from the low sun was not idea – and the solid red of the male was difficult to capture.  The greens of the females and young males were easier to handle. 

Once the parrots had departed we were joined by the iconic Laughing Kookaburra – the world’s largest kingfisher.  One even tried to fly through the window, but failed.  It gave itself a good shake and then flew back to a close by tree.

Given that some of these images are taken with a 105mm lens and have not been cropped in any significant fashion, I don’t think these birds are truly wild.  Free, yes. Wild? Maybe not.

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

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

Enjoy the Birds.