Some Sydney suburbs are fortunate to be graced with cast iron and tropical plants. A far cry from my childhood memories of concrete and weeds in Birmingham, UK.
Australia
More street signs, please?
It takes superhero powers to be able to read all of the road signs, watch for pedestrians, animals, children, cyclists, other motorists…. oh and drive safely in Sydney!
I took this picture on a side road in Dulwich Hill this afternoon.
Moon perch
I managed to catch a shot of a crescent moon as it dropped behind the house next door. I like the way the moon appears to be perched on the terracotta swan neck finial. I was surprised by the number of stars in the picture, as the light noise from street lamps usually obscures them.
I was using A Sony NEX-5N camera with SCN selection set on night scene, zoom lens and a tripod.
Inspiration is everywhere
I find inspiration when and where I least expect it, here are three examples:
In going for a spur of the moment meal last Tuesday at Atom Thai Restaurant, Newtown, we were able to chat to Atom. He showed us photos of himself and his partner becoming Buddhist monks for a day in Thailand. He explained that this was a traditional part of the funeral for his mother. After chatting to a Buddhist monk, Atom has realised that becoming a monk could be a path he might want to take in life. Atom exuded calm, peace and serenity.
Since writing a blog I do not use Facebook as frequently. On one of my recent visits a friend had liked Emmanuel Dagher. After checking out his website I signed up for his email newsletter. I received a link to Unconditional Love Meditation. In the middle of our breakfast cereal yesterday, my partner and I took part in a 10 minute guided meditation. The experience was blissful.
I just saw the most exquisite photograph of a swallow tail butterfly posted by Ajaytao 2010
The reason I’m telling you this is after a week of self doubt and endless chatter in my head, I have experienced moments of clarity. I have unconsciously achieved a sense of peace and calm. I am ready for whatever this week has in store for me.
I took the picture of the yellow flowers on Friday in our local park with my mobile.
Robert
Autumn flower
Autumn seems to have finally rolled into town. The clocks change back at 3am tomorrow morning, the official end to day light saving in Sydney, Australia.
After a glorious Easter we have had a vey wet week. We dashed out between showers this morning to take Stan for a walk. I took the picture above with my mobile phone. I was attracted to the green and red leaves and the fried egg like flower. I have no idea what variety of shrub this is, all suggestions will be gratefully received.
Sunflowers and Chimneys
Sydney Park has undergone a major transformation over the past two decades. The land was originally given as a grant to a convict woman and has since served Sydney as a site for crops and food production, brick making, gas storage and waste disposal. When the New South Wales state government first envisaged turning the site into a public green space in the early 1980s, a key factor in transforming the site was to preserve some of the history associated with it.
Spanning 44 hectares, the park is the largest in Sydney and is connected by about 12 kilometres of pathways. The vast majority of the vegetation on the site was planted as part of a community effort in the early 1990s. The park now has nine hectares of gardens and 28,000 native trees, including 277 Port Jackson and Moreton Bay fig trees. Fifty types of mammals, native birds, frogs and reptiles also frequent the park.
Read more:
The Sydney Morning Herald, February 11, 2012 Rubbish dump transformed into park oasis tips its hat to the past
Afternoon clouds
I took this with my mobile phone while travelling along the Great Western Highway from Blackheath in the Blue Mountains to Sydney. I like the clouds and the blue sky.
Spring in the Northern Hemisphere
After living in the Southern Hemisphere for the last fifteen years I thought I had connected the months of the year with the feeling of the seasons. I have immersed myself in the Australian way of life and pushed thoughts of the Northern Hemisphere to the back of my mind.
Six months into becoming involved with the blogging community and spending time online has brought home to me the contrast between the two hemispheres. It is so refreshing to read about the excitement around the start of Spring in the north. An unusually warm March in Sydney and Autumn flowers have lulled me into thinking it is Spring here too, what a shock I will get when Winter starts 🙂
I took the above photo late in the afternoon with my mobile phone in a local park. I like the colours and textures against the blue sky.
Blue Mountains escape
We have just returned from a perfect weekend in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. We stayed in Mount Victoria, about 20 kilometres west of Katoomba. The local pub, the Imperial Hotel is a reminder of a bygone era of elegance, motoring holidays and steam trains.
We enjoyed a delicious 7 course degustation lunch on Saturday with matching local wines at Nineteen23, Wentworth Falls. The pictures on this page are views from the terrace.
A chilly 17oC this morning was rectified by a friendly and efficient brunch on the way home at Wattle cafe, Blackheath.
Thank you, Trip Advisor for the good tips!
The drive home was surprisingly smooth taking around 1 hour and 40 minutes, we were welcomed back to Sydney by a blue sky and an autumn temperature of 25oC.
Police brutality in the land of the free
The first verse of the Australian national anthem at times does not reflect the state of being:
Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
“Advance Australia fair!”
A recent spate of violent incidents at the Sydney Mardi Gras has highlighted the use of excessive force by police.
Sydney teen in Mardi Gras ‘brutality’ video speaks out
In recent months, we’ve seen numerous cases of New South Wales (NSW) police misusing violent force, stifling investigation, and colluding to cover up their actions.
Here’s a sampling of recent events:
“NSW coroner calls police thuggish over Taser death”
“Lawyer slams police who tasered 14yo boy”
“Closing Ranks” An episode of 4 Corners: “The story of Adam Salter raises many questions, including the issue of how lethal force is used by police. But perhaps the most profound question it raises is: can the police be trusted to investigate themselves?”
NSW coroner calls police thuggish over Taser death NSW Coroner compared the police who tasered a Brazilian student 14 times to the schoolboy savages in Lord of the Flies but found no grounds for action against them.
theINFP 