Remembering those fallen!

I decided to sneak in this column not because I want to interrupt the 'In The Negative' Blogs but because if I don't hurry the remembrance 100reds year of 1914 (2015) will be over. I apologise

Anzac Cove

The wall of Remembrance on which our friend above did just that... remembered and...wondered about the ages of the men lost...What would he have done?

for not commenting on this earlier but I was travelling overseas at the time. And I must say I agree with Dale Neall's statement in his Blog that 'if you like your passport photo you are too sick to travel'. I have never liked my passport photo so I am a genuine traveller even if the
photos I now bring you were taken some years ago on a tour led by Dale.

 And the tragedy experienced by the Turkish population did also not go unnoticed by the visiting tourists. Even if the last remaining man of that conflict remembered in a sculpture and having died since stands proud...a sign of the youth of the future looking up in appreciation of the efforts and sacrifices made.

It is way beyond time it appears to think of all those young souls lost. Young people's lives wasted too soon. This comes at a time when the weekend newspapers or was it in a magazine where I read that a consideration series of 'THE WESTERN FRONT... the only time Australia made an actual difference to a conflict' was about to be serialised in a 'HISTORY' format. And as far as I know we haven't as yet finished with Gallipoli. So here is my contribution.

In the Negative!

What a BLOW!

Mud bubbles make great images.

Still in the city of Rotorua as you might have imagined. In fact we are in the park surrounding many interesting sites...much attention being given to the Maori history. 

This Blog entry was going to be only about in the black and white world of New Zealand as I saw it when we visited not long ago. Then I came across some other B/W shots which reminded me of one judge's comments 'the problem is that most pictures presented for judging are not black/white but grey.' Really? Well, this again, is purely subjective. I still love looking to see if black/white actually enhances the image and at most times it does. In fact I know of one professional photographer in Tasmania who introduces all his images to Lightroom as black/white images and then decides whether they are good enough or should be converted to colour. See what you think. I'll start with my NZ experience.

  We soon succumbed to the tourist trick and found ourselves stuck in the sand facing the incoming tide. But what greater opportunities for taking photographs, pointing the camera down rather than horizontally, made a fascinating change. These tourists also look good in their colourful outfits but then I saw the birds nesting so why not make everyone black/white?




Then I found this classic shot of a young man fascinated by the falling drops of water...perhaps he didn't feel them through his back to front cap. Whichever...I had to work quickly! I believe these images will enlarge if you click on them.

Here we found ourselves in Arequipa in Peru.

And we were lucky enough to be in Lucerne Switzerland to capture this stone carving of a lion.

And back in Zurich it was Carnival day. This leader of the POST decided he would pose for me when he found out that we were from Australia.




So what do you think? I love black and whites even if they might look a bit grey.

Nature's colours and Patterns!

No I'm not in Australia but that doesn't mean that Australia is colourless. Of course it is not it is just the present government...relax...relax this is not about politics. In fact for some people these photos would qualify for the Blog known as The Most Boring Photographs...not mine of course but I do know of its existence.
No these pictures are just so amazing in their colourful makeup and what's more the creation of Nature's patterns that I can't help but look at them. We must go there again some time. Yes, the North Island of New Zealand was where I took the photos...not far from Rotorua... a wonderful place and not always stinky!!!

 
Hot stuff and smelly? Not always and even children of all ages love it.

 Don't forget to click on the photo to enlarge.












These two birds didn't find it too hot for their morning wash.

And these two photos I took one early morning in the garden of our B/B. Colourful? You bet!!

Nothing like cold weather to remind me!

It was only two years ago when we decided 'home' was too lonely to spend Christmas at home...the children had left for all corners of the world and even the dog had died. So where to....? Of course Antarctica! Why not? So I suffer from sea sickness so what...! And the sea voyage between the tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsular is supposed to be the roughest experience for anyone. So...but nothing would put me off.

Then again arriving at Grytviken, the old Whaling Station, 1904-1964 still looked inviting. After all it was history and there had been an extensive environmental clean-up at 2003-5...some buildings had been removed in the process. But what about the rest? Are we due for another clean-up...sooner rather than later I asked myself as did some of the animals:


Is it clean-up day?

What about this lot?

It would be good for the little ones!

 Not if I have anything to do with it. Let me sleep
in peace!

I'll help...where...what...Oh that? That's a bit BIG!

 

That'll never fit in one of those plastic bags! But wait here comes help!
It is that time of the year!

Nothing like a bit of colour!

Sure it can brighten your day! Light up your outlook! Lift your mood! Lessen the worries! All those things...nothing better than to read a comment by a reader that they appreciated the colour used in Venice when Italians used colour to enhance their surroundings.
Well in La Boca in Argentina the colours found me clicking. see what you think. you can click on the images to enlarge. But when you next decide that your house needs a new colour......there you are!!

 And why not pack some punch with some colourful presents?

To honor my favourite!

No he hasn't passed on as yet but he does live in the eighties and in his book 'On The Move: A Life' he describes himself as " I retreat into a corner, look invisible, to hope I am passed over. I never speak to people in the street.'
This I find hard to believe of someone who has shown his intelligence and humanity in so many ways in the past. Not only has he written so many marvelous books relating his experience as a Neurologist but he has also let us see a little of his private life. Yes, Oliver Sacks is such an honest man that he even discloses some of his weaknesses in his latest autobiography. Some of which I can fully identify in relation to my own life.
So he has always had difficulty with the three B's (bondage, belonging and believing)...is that all? Is that me speaking? Is my history in that orphanage at 3.5yrs. finally explaining my life to me?
 No, he has always been 'face-blind' that is a non-recognition of people's faces. I know of a few people who show such symptoms but then again maybe they don't want to recognise others. Ho! Hum!
Oliver Sacks explains to the reader that a gifted scientist may be showing high functioning form of Autism, now seen as someone with Asperger Syndrome.  A condition only recognised in Neurology since 1987. Autism does not necessarily mean a severely impaired intelligence, an inability to communicate or have developmental delays or an inability to read social cues. Autism and Aspergers could be seen as different modes of being yet to be someone of originality and creativity.
 Surprise ,surprise! We are all on the Autistic spectrum latest research has shown but some develop all desirable traits of behaviour and some don't.
So what to do? Become aware! Ignorance is BORING ... And unhelpful!

Foolish or sharing?

Yes I've always been a sucker to good salesman ship. I recall the day at the local shops where I passed a stall waving my hand at the salesman letting him know that I am in much too much a hurry to be stopped. But then I had another look...a quick look...the young man didn't appear to be too bad on the eyes. Was this sexist in my estimation? Or was I just expressing what I had considered often in my younger days? So why stop doing what I had always done. This chap looked interesting...and he wanted to talk. I kidded myself and decided that he was stopping me because I looked interesting. And this was understandable....or was it? Anyway it was  a few weeks before Christmas and a time to show friendliness.
His spiel started at the Red Sea as he opened a jar of face cream and intimated to me to take a seat. Wow what were all those specks in the cream? Oh they were for cleansing the face and so on...and what's more directly from the Red Sea or was it the Dead Sea? Whatever, he did appear charming and before I knew it I had done all my Christmas shopping at the one-stop stall. So I was handed a rather large shopping bag, mauve and gleaming, in appreciation. Big enough I might add to carry all I had bought. But I still haven't used or given away as gifts half what I thought I would use. Pampering the feet has never been an interest of mine...the face?...the upper body?...Yes but the feet? Well I could start ...or rather I would start...now that I am retired and have sooo much time. ..... I do?

Anyhow to cut a long story short imagine me and my anti-salesman skills in Petra. Oh I had planned ahead. I would not depend on my partner's OK on the purchase of anything. No, of course not! I would bring my own cash...American dollars and Australian should the need be. But I'm sure I would come home with most of it...it was a case of...just in case!
So it was our Archaeologist's fault...well almost. If he hadn't decided we needed to stop for some light tea next to his friend's stall well then...well then...I wouldn't have been separated with my American dollars. But look at it this way...their economy needed my boost .... and I've always bought one item wherever my travels took me ... AND ... I've always loved jewellery!! (Both spellings of jewelery is acceptable) so there Google!

Foolish? Perhaps! But what a great way to recall my visit to Petra!