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!

Love and Marriage!

Is it time to comment? Who is interested? We all are. The world is ours. We are about to be further split in our beliefs. Bad enough that we have to realise everyday that the Western way of life is not available to all. We have always known that the poor exist but that was OK as long as they kept out of sight and were happy to receive our help in drabs and drabs. But now we have to face a Europe filled with people from Africa...an Asia filled with people escaping torment for whatever reason...and an Australia filling us with fear according to our Liberal Government.
So...let's think of LOVE! We can start with two people! This has been our cornerstone of our existence...a man and a woman in marriage, creating a family of children...members of the next generation.

















So why is marriage between same sex people so important to them? Surely LOVE is a reward for good behaviour! So where does marriage come into it? Oh we want the world to recognise our love! You do? Yes! And we want to be able to leave property and wealth to our nearest and dearest! You do? So why is marriage necessary? Isn't the LAW as expressed through the actions of a lawyer enough?
Do I have to marry my dog to let the world know that we have love between us? And that we belong to each other? This consideration makes me think of a headline in an African paper where the owner of a donkey wanted to marry his donkey and his defense in court was But we are in Love, your Honour!

On the other hand is this what we can expect from unions of the same sex? If it is, it is already happening...some of it illegal...the owners of the child have groomed it to accept sexual attention by other males...money being passed as payment. Do you feel sick at the idea? I do.
But don't get me wrong. This is not everyone's idea of a happy family. And I'm not saying that same sex couples can not bring up a child successfully but...one thought keeps nagging me. Is a child's rights (not to have a mother and a father) being ignored in some of these decisions? I was a single parent for 14 years and spent many years hoping to meet a male worthy of bringing up my daughter...her father had died when she was two years old.

Locked up in Venice!

Yes Venice hasn't always been all about colour in one's life in fact we forget all about the nasty history when we walk or boat around the various islands.

So you want me to get you out?

It wasn't easy as you can see by thickness of the door and not to mention the window barriers. And then there's not much to see or do out there...just another quadrangle...but at least you can stretch!






This jail was/is on the main island and is open for inspection.
No it wasn't a case of just walking down some stairs.

In fact I had to ask someone who knew about rusty bolts to help us out! The keys had been misplaced...some careless idiot no doubt!