The Olympics!

Congratulations London! What a great show! and, how Great Brittain has changed. It was a great lesson in Geography...everyone has moved to Great Britain. And, the size of the team...we Aussies are shaking in our boots!...maybe....perhaps...no worries!!! Perhaps you could lend us some horses!

Yagen and Friends

 This lateral view I found the most acceptable. The frontal portrait just wasn't what I expected...it must have been the cold weather...what it really showed to me was that we are not used to complete male statues in Australia. We sort of expect them with all and sundry in Europe but in Australia, in the 'nanny' State we are protected from full frontals....usually.
Yes we finally made it to Herisson Island after living in this city since 1973. We must thank the aborigines and their camping habits to make us curious enough to spend an hour searching for signs of their camps...or, was it the impending creation of Betty's Pier?
On the whole it was an uneventfull hours walk around, eyes open and lenses pointing in case, just in case, we saw the resident kangaroos... the signs at the gates had given us warnings. Do not feed the kangaroos!!! Of course we wouldn't but a short snap of one or another if it were possible....if it were possible... perhaps, the options came to us, they haven't been fed in the past but used as evening roasts on the B/B/Q by the local community.
So it was the bird life resting beside the river which challenged us.
Of course as you read this you realise that this report is exactly why Google has not included my Blog in their survey of the most interesting. The other thing it has made me realise that I am much too straight with my diatribe and not nearly as ridiculous as some. This habit of writing inane comments made me leave 'Facebook'...thinking in my delusional way that Bloggers would be far more mature in their thinking and representation. I was wrong!!!
So here I am with my birdlife...shots which I am quite happy about as I left my best Canon at home and took my G10 for a run using the 2.2 magnification.







 Drying in nature...oblivious to intruding lenses.

Winter and olives

I searched high and dry for some photos of our olive grove but to no avail. Thank you for asking Heinz. As it happened another milestone was turned last weekend...for the first time in 16 years of having an olive grove... I actually dared to participate in thinning out some trees according to the many lectures we had attended over several years. Yes the visiting experts explained to us that one of the options in trimming the trees so that the next year's production is what one would hope is to thin the tree out so that birds can fly through its branches. What a great idea! And, before I knew it I could see myself as my frustrated hairdresser...there seemed to be another and another and another branch for me to cut. After three trees I decided I deserved  a break...and before I had even sat down birds arrived out of nowhere chasing each other and chirping loudly as they flew through one tree and then another. This was a success story...I had hoped to be severely criticised so that I wouldn't have to help with the other 140 trees but On!On!
These photos show some vague early morning shadows in the background which are our olive trees BUT in the forground one can see investment attempts with Paulownia trees. These trees are used in building and they are supposed to grow straight up to be able to have their trunks used for scaffolding etc. But, ours have been ignored and only noticed when in flower...they have tremendously colourful flowers!
 This image into the early morning light I think shows the mystic experience so often created by a heavy fog.
I'll try and capture the OLIVE GROVE next weekend before the remaining trees are trimmed.

Schoolhols

This is my second attempt at writing this...I hope it will let me publish! So what a great idea these images show. This should be available everywhere, shopping centres, dentists' and doctors' surgeries etc..All to help keep the younger members of our society amused. As you can read, it was earlier in the year at Ftizgerald street Highgate festival that I was able to take these pictures.
But instead, these school holidays, I amused the grand children (not mine) with a walk beside the river in the glorious weather...a playground stop here and there, exercise stations tried with much gusto, a visit to the bird sanctuary at Bayswater...who mentioned turtles in the mud? No birds but a few ducks and their offspring.
Lunch at the Peninsula Tea rooms at Tranby House surrounds and promises of future canooing trips around the 25 hectare island at Ascot waters...when the water is warmer saw us at the top end of our riverside walk where we were reminded of our Aboriginal Heritage (Noongar) with sculptures of an Aboriginal family.
I learnt lots at lunch...mostly to take criticism. My friend who had been wading through my novel and who had done some editing in the past came out with the question "didn't you have it edited?" Did I what? Only $2000.00 worth. Actually when I mentioned the lack of editing to the publishers they admitted that they had a little problem with their editors in the past. A little problem? But not big enough to not take my money. So when offered to take the non-editing package for my Memoir "Kin Deep"ISBN 978-1-742842-48-6" I accepted. There was nothing to lose except to save $2000.00. So self publishing is a rocky road...even having your friends read your book "Baggage" ISBN978-1-742842-19-6...with invited criticisms solid enough to cause you consternation...for a few minutes at least... until you hear that others have ordered the hard copies on the internet...the e-books available at the end of July/early August on Amazon etc..

Still on trees!

 Doesn't look too clear but it is a carved tree of Arequipa (Peru)...looks much better in my photo file. Of all the travelling I have done I have never found a tree totally carved into images of humanity and its struggles. You can see in the lower right hand corner that even the birds are moved by the spectacle. The angle the tree sits is not of my making just years and years of strong winds and leaning to be noticed. When I say that I have never seen a tree base covered in wood carving I must correct myself. In southern Bavaria (Germany) and I must include Austria wood carving is a popular pasttime. I'll see if I can find some examples in my photo library.

At Peace!

 Is this not the most peaceful view...where? In Venice of course...not a ripple anywhere and it is not created with photoshop. No tripod to hold my camera still...just a snap which for some reason my mind told me....I had to have. These impulsive snaps always seem to turn out to be the winners.KIS or Keep It Simple is the photographer's mantra and for once I agree. I love to admire the simplicity and the purity. Perhaps Cory Doctorow the boingboing blogger and novelist should take a moment to glance at this...it might just be enough to turn his attention to photography. And if he did he would realise that beauty and meaning can be created without the inclusion of the F...k word...his favourite word! Then again we are generations apart having seen him give a lecture at the RSA on the rip-off arrangement re-digital copy....not too dissimilar to the rip off contracts for novelists as he probably knows too well! Perhaps I won't bother to write another book...just keep blogging with photographs.

Leyton's come back!

I'm on your side Leyton! What a shame you didn't last against Isner. Then again who has ever heard of two sets to win a game? That Rhode Island mob need to wake up to the rest of the world. How can this be called a championship?So what if it is Newport....and my sister may have been in the crowd...I couldn't find her but I know she lives there. Better luck next time Leyton...at least you have halved your 'status' ....what's it called...you know the numbers. 

Horsing around!

Where can I start? Stop horsing me around you Google-types! I had almost finished my few words when everything turned blue and I was asked to go to a link...no I won't Now can you tell what my last image and post was all about? Easy isn't it. Post competition I realised that I should have entered this image for the night shot without light assistance. It all happened in Venice and I realise now that i have some great shots I haven't even looked at.

Your imagination

 Your imagination! What can you see? What can your mind create? This image I entered in a reality/altered competition last night and the judge couldn't work out what it represented. I called it "black magic"...perhaps if I had called it "black caviar" the clue would have registered. A number of people in the audience called out all sorts of things...I couldn't believe it! Think about it! I'll leave it in your minds and perhaps in the next posts I'll let you know what it really is and where I took the photo.

What a weekend!

It was obviously school holiday time as my friend and her 3 grandchildren arrived. "how did you get such a cool house?" was the first question. Then, "can we pick some olives?" and finally," can we collect some macadamias?" Can you ever, I thought. And before the end of the day we had four tall jars filled with olives and a basin full of macadamias being shelled even attempted by 4 and 5 year olds. Then it was walk time again and we discovered (my dog and I weren't new to it) the pebble strewn forshore edge of the Avon river. Lessons in skimming the stones across the water kept us all occupied for hours. Then the challenge was to follow the miniature train track to the "mystery" end which was of course the amazing playground beside the B/B/Q and picninc area aligning the Avon river.
Before I could say no, no way, you are far too young and it is far too dangerous, the 4yr old and 5yrold, had climbed to the top of the climbing ropes built and meant for much, much older kids. There they were high in the air happily waving and calling for our attention. Then we noticed the swings would support a middle aged kiddo and before I knew it the children's Nanna was reaching the heights and recalling her love of childhood swinging.
Wonderful day would you say? We thought so. The rain stayed away and the sun was so plentiful that we actually had to wear a hat each. But by the time we reached home following the bush track this time not the railway line the sun had set and the urgency it seemed was to light the bonfire, let it burn down, so that the marshmellows could be toasted on sticks. The cold wind had set in and any steps away from the fire and we could have mistaken Toodyay for Canada.... it was freezing....even if we were all rugged up in our sweaters, scarves and windjackets.
 Tears and arguments amongst the three children began....was it the tiredness? We rushed in to light the woodburner inside to warm up the little house. But to no avail. No matter what we did the little French oven wouldn't do the right thing by us. Never mind, we would all sit around the table in our sleeping bags playing cards...Fish....Go Fish! Great, until a sudden blackness overcame the room. What no power? That's right.... a power failure? But this never happens when we are here....not on a weekend!
The hunt for the candles was on....at least we could light the gas with matches to give us a low light but not enough to continue our cards. The only thing we could do was to go to bed."But I want the candle on till I fall asleep" was the plaintiff cry by the two youngest. No not tonight....the candle was about to go out anyway.
And this was the good news....I was exhausted...only three small children for one day...and I wondered why mothers do this to themselves...they deserve a medal. Then again my muscles ached from the day before...I recalled us picking 100kilos of olives in about 4 hrs. And this was only from 2 trees.....what about the 120 trees left  in the top paddock? UGH!
My mobile rang....ring 101...there is a message. "Just heard you had a blackout...we're off to a restaurant in Fremantle for dinner." I tried to ring back "The number you are ringing is not available." No surprise I thought!
 

Australia's New Queen of Fiction!

Can you believe it? I have been asked to approve the Press Release for my novel 'Baggage" and I haven't stopped laughing. I have never been a 'Queen' before even if my name Cornelia means 'crowned', Regina means 'Regal' and Albertina means 'Royal' or some such thing. The closest  Cornelia came to being Queen was hundreds of years ago when in Egypt Cornelia was asked to be Queen of Egypt....but she refused  on the basis that she was too busy educating her children about democracy and fairness. So there must be something in this name...I'm beginning to believe in it.
As far as the name of the novel goes though, I could have done alot better. I could have looked up "Baggage' in Kindle before I had my book published under that name. There are 14 pages of novels by the name of 'Baggage' or including 'Baggage' in the title. But there is only one Cornelia MacErlean....that's me!
I expect my book will be available by early August. Go search! I will..... before I choose another title for my next book.