A Day At Belair

     We have had a little respite from the mid summer heat, so we packed a picnic lunch and headed up to the Belair national park. It has been many years since I last visited this park, and I had forgotten just what a lovely place it is to spend a mild summers day.
   
     There were quite a lot of people there, but the park is vast, and most people seem to congregate around the tennis courts for some reason, so we had no trouble finding a place to have more or less to ourselves. Sharon and I shared the day with her family (mother, sister, brother in law and their young daughter).

     Needless to say, I had a camera with me (well, 2 cameras actually). I am not usually a big fan of tree photos, but I thought these came out quite well.

A Big Dead Tree

Same Tree, Different Perspective

A Tree And A Dunny

More Tree, Less Dunny

Another Dead Tree

Teapot (Not Really)

     Cheers for now.

A couple of photos.

   I had a little time on my hands today, so I grabbed a couple of cameras and went over to my favorite spot by the Port river. The light was not great today (diffuse) as the sky was hazy all day, but it is nice just to be by the river and watch the activity as the cargo ships are loading and unloading.

The Breakwater

   These photographs were made at the Outer Harbour (South Australia) on Sunday morning, December 13, 2015. I love the contrasting tones and textures of these massive stones.

Ruins

As I was at a loose end this morning, I decided to take a drive around the old neighborhood where I grew up. I should mention at the outset that I am not particularly sentimental about the area that I grew up in. It was a dirty, violent, blue collar hell hole 35 years ago, and little appears to have changed; if anything, it's gone downhill since then.
My main reason for these occasional forays into my past are to evoke more clearly memories of people from those days, many of whom have since died. It also allows me to get a clearer sense of the passing of time when I see how the landscape of my childhood has changed.
The photograph is of a church which has ceased to be used, and has been extensively vandalised. I had already grown up and left Taperoo before this church was built, and here it is now, good for nothing but the wreckers ball. 'I grow old, I grow old; I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.........'

Late News

Ratus

As is often the case, time seems to have gotten away from me again. Winter is having it's usual effect on me; cold, dark and short days induce extreme apathy in me. I keep telling myself that I'm going to go out with my camera and make some new pictures, but when I get to it, I can't motivate myself to actually get out the door. So as a substitute, I arrange things on benches and tables to photograph. Ratus (pictured above) is one such arrangement.
Winter is a good time for catching up on your reading. I am presently reading Ian Plimers new book, 'Between Heaven And Earth'. In this book, Ian sets out to show why he is of the opinion that the current theory of co2 induced global warming is unscientific drivel. Having read about 100 pages so far, I am convinced that he is right. Although climate change may be occuring, it is certainly within historically recognizable limits. You have to wonder what all the bloody fuss is about. This is not to say that we should not be working towards reducing our dependence on fossil fuels; we most emphatically should be moving away from oil and coal dependence, but for reasons entirely unrelated to global climate change. Modern civilization is entirely dependent on unlimited access to cheap fossil fuels. Supplies of these fuels are finite; when they are gone, they are gone forever.

Mt Lofty

This Way.

Last Sunday, Sharon and I visited the Mount Lofty botanic gardens. For those who are unfamiliar with Adelaide, these gardens are in the Adelaide hills and are about 20 minutes drive from the city center. Mount Lofty is a popular weekend destination for picnickers as there are plenty of shady lawned areas and a large pond (a small dam actually) full of water fowl. There are many kilometers of tracks which meander through the gardens, and it is a thoroughly delightful destination on a cool Autumn day. Mt Lofty is a great place for your avid photographer nut, yours truly included. The picture above was chosen from the bunch of snaps I took last Sunday. Cheers, fellow snappers.

Carl's Nook

Carl Linnaeus

Linnaeus is referred to as the father of systematic botany for his work on the classification of plants which he undertook in the 18th century. This bucolic little snap was taken in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens in December of 2007 with a Sony DSC-H2 fixed lens camera. I could go into great and windy detail about why I like this photo, but I think maybe it is best if I just let the pic speak for itself.