What has webbed feet, a beak and swims in water, but is not a bird?

View down valley from Eungella.  Fuji F10

14th September 2013

Today Ellen and Dan took me on an adventure up into the hills and the rain forest.  The views down the valley from Eungella are beyond spectacular.

The rain forest is enchanting; and nice and cool to walk through.

And in a little pool, swimming amongst the turtles, was a chimera that only Australia could conjure up; the platypus.

Cute, but bizarre; and a lot smaller than I thought they were too.

Platypus.  Fuji F10

Strangler Fig.  Fuji F10

Rain Forest.  Fuji F10

Turtle.  Fuji F10

Jacked Up

Scissor-lift lorry.  Fuji F10

13th September 2013

Aircraft always seem so ungainly when they are at the airport; the wings just get in the way.

Having seen the two-storey passenger loading contraption at Heathrow to cater for the A380's, I am often amused by the range of bespoke vehicles that are needed to keep an airport functioning.

This lorry seems to be adapted so that it is capable of hitting any bridge in the country, not just the low ones we get around Swindon.

Palm and a hot tin roof

View from hotel window.  Fuji F10

12th September 2013

As we always opt for the 'budget' rooms in hotels, the view from the window is very unpredictable and best advertised as a 'select cityscape view'.

This week I have been lucky in that the room next door must have a view of a concrete car park wall.   I had a view out over some old sheds, but with a rather impressive palm tree in the midst of them.

I have seen much worse on my travels!

Cactus Down Under

Cacti Adelaidii.  Fuji F10

11th September 2013

Here in Adelaide they have some very 'functional' cacti.   As the jetlag took hold over lunchtime, I took a wander to clear my head and stumbled across this nice specimen of Cacti Adelaidii.

They are very common growing on the edge of the pavement throughout the city but many do seem to be in a slight state of disrepair where errant children or students have acquired the cover-caps of their arms to decorate their rooms with.

In the UK, the trophy of choice was a traffic cone, or for the really adventurous, an estate agents sign.

12 Grimmauld Place?

Adelaide Building.  Fuji F10

10th September 2013

I managed to get time for a very quick walk around Adelaide city centre this evening.

There is quite a variety of different architectural styles in the city.

The narrowness of this building, pushing its way between its neighbours did remind me of number 12 Grimmauld Place in Harry Potter; the house would shrink and dissapear.

Or is it just turning people to 'narrow' minded shopping...

The Scream

Power Socket in Australia.  Fuji F10

9th September 2013

I came to plug my laptop in today and realised that the power sockets in Australia are nothing like the UK plugs.

My trusty international adaptor should do the job though.

If only I can remember where I packed it ....

Super Size Me

A380 ready for boarding.  Fuji F10

8th September 2013

Today I had my first flight on an A380.

They are just vast!

It is nice to have a reasonably wide seat and useful leg room even in cattle class at the back of the plane.

Could be dangerous if mismanaged....

Yummy Figs.  Nikon D7000

7th September 2013

This year looks to be a bumper harvest of scrummy figs.

We are off to the theatre tonight though, so we had better be careful how many of these we eat in one go.....

Sitting in a cramped theatre for a few hours in the middle of a row; there could be a few disturbed punters as we make a dash for the loo!

Out for a Hop in the Field

Frog on the path in the field.  Fuji F10

6th September 2013

Today was a bit drippy; the first time in ages we have had rain.  It was quite pleasant really.

On walking back from school through the field with the dogs, a little frog had decided to go out for a walk too.

The dogs were completely oblivious and walked straight past.

I just need to dry out the bottom of my trousers now; is it a consequence of sods law that the grass which is normally clear of the path in dry weather, bends over when it is wet so you have to brush through it?

Salad or Green Chutney?

Green Tomatoes.  Fuji F10

5th September 2013

Although we are still having plenty of sunshine, the few tomatoes we have are looking very, very green still.

I am not holding out hope for nice red tomatoes in a salad; it may be green tomato chutney yet again....

Convergence

Converging lines.  Fuji F10

4th September 2013

It is always nice to find scenes with converging lines in.   Overall, the image is nothing special, but the white lines converging onto the aircraft, and the lines formed by the crossing shadow just caught my eye.

It was interesting watching the planes this evening however; there were over twice the planes going out of Edinburgh tonight, compared to the number coming in.

Tug of War

Seagull looking for a meal.  Fuji F10

3rd September 2013

While walking through Edinburgh this evening, I came across one of the local birds of prey feeding.

The 'ShiteHawk' as they were commonly known back in Wales seems to be prevalent up here in Scotland too.

It was quite persistent at dismantling the bin bag; all of the damage was done by the bird and when approached, it just flew a few feet away and then reasserted its attack.

I doubt they taste nice in a pie either.

Abstract: Dog Eared

Xena's Ear.  Fuji F10

2nd September 2013

I thought I would try to take a picture today that was more abstract in nature.

Although not the best rendering of an image, I thought I would try to remove some of the context surrounding a single item.

Xena obliged by laying still for a while.

I think I need more practice at this genre of photography.

Heeling Slowly

The holes in the back of Liz's feet.  Fuji F10

1st September 2013

After Liz did her walk around the Lake District and up the highest mountain in England last week, her feet and ankles are providing her with a topic to complain about.

She has been very good though, except for thawing out all the bags of frozen veg while trying to get the swelling down.

Late Summer Fluff

Seed Heads.  Nikon D7000

31st August 2013

I saw these seed heads starting to distribute today; a sign that the summer is coming to a close and the harvest time beginning.

Fingers crossed for a few more weeks of sun to make sure all my veg ripens too!