Along the Cote D'Azur!!! The where?

Yes we'll be at Arles, a city on the Rhone river (I showed the origin of this river in the Rhone valley together with the huge ice mass in Switzerland in previous Blog posts) and one of the major centres of Gallia Narbonensis. Speak English!! You'll be where? Yes you might ask but keep reading. It all sounds incredibly interesting that is...if you like old stuff...like info about the capital of all GAUL in the 4th and 5th centuries AD. Julius Caesar himself had conferred Roman Citizenship on the people of Arles (now southern France) as a reward for their military support.
 The western terminus of the Via Julia Augusta...the amphitheatre, theatre, circus, tombs, forum and the excellent Archeological Museum will all be ours to see. We will see the St. Chamas Bridge which carried the road over the River Touloubre and lead us to the city of Aix-on-Provence offering the magnificent cathedral built on the site of the 1st century Roman forum.
Want to know more? You'll have to wait for the photographs...another 6 days should cover it. The ancient city of Massilia (Marseille to you) is next, once the first Greek colony on the coast of Gaul and a day spent discovering this city of history.
 And so on....and as I read I realise that I will have to take all my 4 lenses...the sights will keep me more than occupied...and just think of the Italian Cinque ports and then the icing on the cake... Florence. I can't wait. All we have to hope for is that the Qatar flight will take us to Paris and not to the South Indian Sea. Keep your fingers crossed! Thank God for the 'scientist' in my life who has spent the last six months reading and researching... and made a thorough plan of our holiday. Keep reading and return to this Blog to share the fantastic photos on my return. Happy Easter!!!

My new Year's RESOLUTION....

YES and it is working well that's why I won't tell you about my 5 visits to the Apple Store at Garden City. Five you ask? Only 5? Yes ! Three to be fobbed off (can I help it if I look like a retiree who has nothing but thumbs on each hand and, and, a brain full of mash, mush?).  And, one visit to be listened to and promised a replacement of the brilliant item in question. Yeah! I told them I'd been a technologist working with Gamma cameras and X-ray machines all my working life and thus knew electrical interference when I saw it!!! And it only took 4 interviews and one three hour wait for an appointment and a half hour wait for the appointed expert. Now, that is service!! Or what is it? So all you young ones, don't ever get old...or get older...stay exactly the age you are now.
So after waiting for 3 days for my replacement of the item,

I jubilantly showed up again waited patiently and left having completed all necessary forms. Fool!! You should not have taken everything said and done to be true. When I reached home, the devil's own machine wouldn't let me access my library nor any book. So I spent another morning at Apple...the floor manager, very friendly and polite tried to be the cure all but failed...then another bod...not directly involved...came over to offer assistance...again a complete mystery faced him...he'd never seen anything like it...so all I could do was choose the expert I knew would know to help ( after all he stood over six feet tall, had dark hair, a big smile and a voice to command all (well all the females in the room anyway) and of course he knew...delete the apps and start the download again!!!
So I learnt one or two things that final morning...you are only as old as you feel and ...never give up!! There will always be one hiding somewhere who will be willing...to help that is!!! What did you think I meant? Well, maybe! At least I wasn't invisible...not that time!

Spider Web not WWW. com

Yes I have finally found the spider photos I wanted to post earlier. These were all taken at the Melville Walk last weekend. And my little actor was very keen until he was able to have a closer look, then panic struck!!
A RED Back? He announced almost tearfully. The signal for me to stop taking photos. But what a little courageous star he was!! I hope he hasn't heard of Arachni..Arachnid...Arachnidphobia

I should warn my 'judge' who suffers Arachnidphobia...don't go walking along the Melville foreshore!!

For those who missed it....and those in other countries!

Yes I must be one-eyed! But I am fascinated by the photographs my Canon EOS 6D  has taken. The more I look the more I find half-decent shots. Of course they are pretty ordinary compared to the average photoshop effort...but then only Lightroom...yes only Lightroom I remind myself and somehow, I feel satisfied.

 This is definitely the Craftwork section!! Now who was the guy with only one? ....Anyway here is the other. Wow! Not a bad size either!



Not exactly a Tower of Reception nevertheless a great way to record a lot of Perth's sights...you try and search them out. The weather is certainly hot enough!

 And what about these animals...abandoned on the beach? Not exactly their home territory. The colourful Occy is saying
'Stop! I like dogs!' My size doesn't make me exactly invisible...or does it? What are you thinking?

And my mate, the Rhino from Africa, is certainly out of his normal environment. But at least he has found someone to wink at... someone or something even if he is bored to death...no I'll rephrase that...not death, just bored.
Others stare fascinatedly at the shark fins promising themselves that when they grow up they'll never vote for someone who kills sharks just for political point scoring.
 Lunch anyone?

Annual sculpture offers...by the river and by the ocean.

Yes it was that time of the year again and to miss the events would have been unfair...to all. Even if I had dropped my new Canon camera 6D from the car seat onto the footpath. Oh what it is to age!!
 Somehow the nonexistant 'recession' I think showed in the reduced exhibition numbers and ideas presented. This I thought evident in both sites...the sculptures at Cottesloe on the beach and the green and also the next day...the Melville River Walk. However I did try and make some of the exhibited items my own by adding my own touch. This is the only way one can use these creations in photographic competitions. One image I couldn't resist at Melville Walk even if the last judge at our club had refused to judge an image representing a spider. Apparently the judge suffered from 'spiderphobia' hence she couldn't include the photograph in her judgement. Too bad for the author!! He was not impressed. And, why not? Because it looked a sure winner to me and to be excluded seemed hardly fair.

This one reminded me of the rainbow serpent...stolen Aboriginal terminology. But looks much better if pressed to enlarge (as all photos can be in this Blog).

This one above 'more beach rubbish'. At least the water was clean!

These little dogs at Cottesloe should have been at the dog beach...but they had special permission to be at the exhibition.

Above left, you might wonder how I took that one...never mind...'I can't live without you'...or with you it seems!
Immediately above 'PeekaBoo' was my cute effort from the Melville walk...an exhibition item the children should not have been climbing on! All a bit Fishy!

Then comes life in the raw at Cottesloe...'You're already dead' the friend or relative in pink moving away and leaving the sculpted figure to its own devices... and...
on my left also at Cottesloe a man bewildered with what he found...'Now what?'


 Lucky for my 'judge' friend I couldn't access my graphic spider web taken on the Melville Walk. But I will one day!

Out of luck or just out of talent?

Another opportunity to shine came my way last night. And I didn't know who the judge would be...not that I ever do know before hand... so, that I can show the photographs which I know would/could be the favourite themes of the judge for the night. But what really gets me is that some people do know...do they sense it? Photographs they show I would have deleted, in fact, some opportunities to photograph them, as I recall, I preferred to sit in the car in the warmth and scoff. There is the problem! Some of it anyway.
This judge spent a lot of time pointing out the over sharpening, the over-photoshopping, the strange marginal outlines and then, and then, she went on to give the author a first for the photo. Amazing? Very! And some of my favourites, taken in Peru, poverty-stricken Peru, she accused me of over smoothing the image so much so the skin looked sallow and the person over tired. Excuse me but this was taken in the Peru countryside where the only work for my character is lumping dry grasses all day everyday in order to survive. Of course she looks over tired!! Wouldn't you? And to take the cake the judge criticised my image for having grasses stuck out in the distance beyond the character's head. I hadn't even seen those... they were so insignificant. The theme for the night had been...a portrait of a person or persons in their environment. so here is my selfie!! In my study!
Could I be one-eyed?Of course I must be. It seems too much success at one club leads to a head enlargement of sorts!
So what is that other image doing on this page? Oh that? That is BOOM TOWN! My granted first in the digital OPEN. So one is better than none...It certainly is!!! But will my head ever return to its original shape? Perhaps I'll enter this in the Altered Reality/Creative category...for a laugh... not points!









And this one...beautiful Ascot Waters she discounted because of the person wearing the red coat in the distance. The what? Which person? OMG! My eyes must be deteriorating!

I don't like to brag but......

But last night I hit the jackpot! 3 gold, 1silver, 1bronze and equal first for the fun at Hillary's Boat Harbour.Wow! And that was when my photos were scrutinised by a photographer/lecturer, someone who gave me nothing the last time he had been a judge at this club. Now can you tell me that this means that I am improving my photographic skills or that the relatively recent idea of using gold, silver and bronze as judgements suits me better than the first, second , third or merit. And I voted against this Gold business. I can't believe it. I'm writing this from my IPad so I can't access the winning photos. Instead I'll include some on this contraption!

Woolorama Wagin!

Of course we had to check out our winning photographs and how they looked hung on the walls. We were quite impressed with every club's work. The sad thing was that the Open competition left us disappointed. Since the category change plus other reasons the participation in this competition has dropped dramatically. Perhaps next year will be different.
So our friends suggested a visit to the Historical Society buildings across the other side of the showgrounds. And what a surprise! Well worth a visit we thought. See what you think.
.

'Do you trust her?' This friendly volunteer gave his time to the Historical Society and allowed me to take his photograph.. However his cute 'lapdog' lay shivering in fright. And as soon as she heard the camera click she withdrew her head and gave her back to me, head out of sight and shaking in fright.

These beautiful Clydesdale horses are there each year ferrying the visitors around the show grounds.

And this photogenic horse I couldn't ignore. I handed him something to chew while he stood patiently waiting.
Then I noticed the rider-less horse across the way. The insignia of the WA Light Horse Brigade complete with rifle, the horse quite still, giving me time for reflection.   

Suddenly my mind could glimpse an even earlier description of how our first settlers created their first home. The most bare essentials, a bed, an over-head cover, a table, iron pots, pans, iron tea-pot and probably a metal spoon to stir, were shown to be the valuables described as the those of most necessity in the lives of farmers, explorers, diggers and miners. Of course, not to forget, the valuable horse remained as favourite.   

But then came the bicycle and the attempts at communication.

But the UTE remains the favourite!

And we were proud to see our club in photography (Westside) represented twice as the winners (2012 and 2014)  on the cup. And next year?

What If and so what!

I'm chuffed that so many people liked my 'home' photographs. The more I thought about it the more I realised that 'HOME' is just that...home is where the heart is...and what courage it takes to change the place one has called 'HOME' for many years. I'm thinking of my neighbour (EX) now. She and her family have left a huge vacuum in place where her growing family used to be. And I see photos of her eldest son in a dinner suit...he was only 2 yrs old when we first moved in next door??!! You make me feel so Old!!! And it seems our new neighbours just can't bring themselves to move in and start the new cycle. Oh well I am patient...or can be...or must be! The average Australian moves house every 4 years...I always knew I wasn't average...and this proves it...we've been here 14yrs. this month exactly and certainly don't look like moving. We have holidays instead...and plenty of them...the more the merrier...while we can still pant up those hills...or walk the miles on the flats...or climb the volcanoes...oh no not more volcanoes...please!!!

 Years ago I left the big smoke to come to this isolated city...so they told me...Sydney-siders never considered then that there could be another city on the other side of Australia worth visiting let alone living there. But the 'isolation' hasn't worried me in the least!! And it is very much a thing of the past.


Equador offered us Giant Turtles and not
so large tortoises.

  Of course we could have carried our homes on our backs like these creatures...thank God we didn't have to...instead we have been able to roam the world to see how others live at 'home'.

Grass Islands in Peru where the only transport is by grass canoe to the mainland. But through a hole and netting we watched as our lunch was claimed from the waters below...fresh trout!

Or, wonderful Switzerland with Swiss mountain retreats and Mediaeval castles.

 Or even Turkey...where home is home but don't be fooled...Istanbul has much history, homes of all kinds and styles. Don't forget to click on to enlarge the photos!

We Won!! Again!!

Yes thanks to our underwater photographer and some others...all with points scored 14 plus out of twenty we came first as the winning photography club. Westside wins by 8 points...WOW! What a score! Four of mine were chosen to be entered but only one succeeded with 15/20. Oh well at least one helped us to win. I'll put my entries up and you can decide. The theme was 'HOME' I can't recall the fourth entry however only the one in the center was accepted with 15/20 points. The others all scored 13/20...Boo Hoo! You can see all entries accepted at the WAGIN Photography Exhibition...WAGIN Wooloorama March7 and 8.

Hillarious Hillaries!

And what could be so funny about Hillary's Boat Harbour on a very very hot Perth day? Nothing except the place was sooo crowded with HOT! HOT! people I couldn't wait to leave them all behind and rush home to the cool, much cooler house. Crowds have never affected me like that walking around London or the underground in New York or anywhere really. But Hillary's took the cake on that day.
Once again the photo club had chosen the site and one expected by 6pm most people would have wandered home...but no not on a hot day like that day. And there was the added attraction of the visit of the Bull seal at Sorrento. So why not cool off amongst the masses. At least the visitor at Sorrento had been cordened off from human interference, not so at Hillary's Boat Harbour.
I was into trying out my full frame camera and looking out for interesting characters. But...refusals to be photographed seemed to be the order of the day. But then after wandering around for hours my luck changed. Some willing subjects appeared but the music maker from Beijing still wouldn't shift on his refusal of a picture. Had he outstayed his VISA? He was certainly earning lots of money just sitting around and whining musically...Chinese Opera style. Pity!! Obviously he appeared to be safe perched on the concrete floor, his cap on the ground full of money.
Anyhow I used Dale Neill's technique of making friends and came away with a couple of kisses on my neck...a BIG thank you for photos...copies promised to be sent via e-mail!

  These photos show how willing I was...interested in all characters...their history ranging from Africa to City Beach...and the Aussies getting HIGH on water! Or was it their natural enthusiasm for friendship showing?