Theme Day ~ Photo of the Year

 

Above: Bird on a Rock
Photo taken mid morning at Queen's Park lake.

A bit of trivia
Early travellers heading for the goldfields met here because fresh water was available in the lagoon. Burke and Wills camped here on their fateful journey to cross Australia.


Today's quote: No matter how high a bird flies, it has to come down for water ~ Old American
proverb.

Click here to see other participants of Theme Day.

The Laughing Kookaburras

 

Above: Kookaburras
The kookaburra is native to Australia and New Guinea and is one of my favourite birds because of their unmistakable laugh. When you hear them, it brings a smile to your face and you feel like laughing with them. Tree kingfishers, they're a large bird growing 28–42 cm (11 to 17 inches). Aborigines of the Wiradjuri group called these birds guuguubarra - the English word kookaburra comes from that. The above photo was taken in a childrens' playground.

Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree,
Merry merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,
Gay your life must be!

The above words were penned by Marion Sinclair in 1932 and is a well known and much loved children's song..

Click the video to hear the laughter.


Today's quote: As I stood on the lonely backroad, I'm sure I heard birds, kookaburras, laughing ... Steven Herrick

Theme Day ~ The Beauty of Decay

 

Above: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral
The rusty bolt and dead dragonfly were on the old timber ledge of my carport. Even in death, the dragonfly is beautiful to behold with its lacy transparent wings. This is Hemianax papuensis - Australian Emperor.

 

Above: Australian Emperor
Close up of the dragonfly. If you look carefully, you will see the front legs are reminiscent of holding one's head in one's hands.


Today's quote: I have always looked upon decay as being just as wonderful and rich an expression of life as growth ~ Henry Miller.

To see other theme day contributions, click here.

Pigeon loft - Batman Park

Walking along the northern side of the Yarra towards Spencer Street, I came upon this interesting structure. On taking a closer look, it turns out it is a pigeon loft, created to entice the pigeons away from the CBD.

This pigeon loft was placed here in Batman Park as part of the City of Melbourne's pigeon management programe and is intended as an alternative home for the city's pigeons especially those around the Town Hall, City Square and Bourke Street Mall.

Pigeons in the city have been a nuisance for decades and their droppings cause uncleanliness generally and also damage to city's buildings. Sitting in Federation Square you're surrounded by them.

The loft is painted with light coloured corrosion resistant to reflect the heat and minimise internal over-heating. It houses two hundred nesting boxes for pigeon breeding. Eggs laid will be replaced with artificial eggs intended as a humane way to control and reduce pigeon numbers.

Bird feeding around the loft base is permitted to attract birds out of the CBD to this area. Bird feeding is not permitted in any other area around the CBD.

I wonder if people had a problem in the old days when pigeons were used to carry messages? Perhaps governments could re-introduce this practise - think of the savings you'd make not having to buy postage stamps!

Today's quote: I don't mind being a symbol but I don't want to become a monument. There are monuments all over the Parliament Buildings and I've seen what the pigeons do to them ~ Tommy Douglas.

It's A Dog's Life

 

That's telling you!
No dog owners can give the excuse they didn't know the rules - there can be no mistaking the instructions with this sign!
Seen down at Portsea near the pier. This small park is on the main street near Weroona Bay near the pier which is a popular fishing spot and also a good place to catch the sunset.



Today's quote: Dogs are animals that poop in public and you're supposed to pick it up. After a week of doing this, you've got to ask yourself, "Who's the real master in this relationship?" ~ Anthony Griffin


Thank you to Autumn Belle of Klang Malaysia Daily Photo for giving me this award. Please visit her lovely blog about Malaysia.

Monkey Business

 

Are you looking at me?
This cute little fellow was one of a number on the road side as we travelled between Angkor Thom and the Bayon. They looked so adorable, I just had to get out of the tuk tuk for some photos. But don't be fooled by their cuteness - they can become very territorial. Particularly when it comes to food!

They also have excellent eyesight - talk about 20/20 vision!


Today's Quote: Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room - Winston Churchill.




What a wonderful surprise to be awarded the 101 Award from Arabesque from Mabuhay-Manila, thank you my friend.

So many have encouraged me with their wonderful photos and writings. I'd like to pass this on and share it with some of them -

Diane from Adventure Before Dementia
Autumn Belle from Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo
JM from Oeiras And Environs Daily Photo
Leif Hagen from Eagan Daily Photo
Gerald from Hyde Daily Photo
Stephen Baird from Nikon Sniper
Lois from Tallahassee Daily Photo
Denise from An English Girl Rambles
Bill from Our Brisbane and Surrounding Areas
Sylvia from Sylvia From Over The Hill

The Elephant and I in Cambodia

Thank you to everyone for their comments whilst I was away. I had an amazing time and will post a few pictures from my trip. I have started a blog (Malaysia And Cambodia) about my experience, which I'll be adding to and with photos.

Heidi, Heidi, Ho,
The great big elephant is so slow,
She swings her trunk from side to side
As she takes the children for a ride.
Heidi, Heidi, Ho,
The elephant is so slow!

Coming down Phnom Bakheng
After trudging up the hill to see a glorious sunset at Phnom Bakheng, I rode an elephant down.
Now, a 1200 - 1400 pound (that's 545 - 635 kg) elephant plodding along a flat path is one thing, but a 1400 pounder going down a very steep hill/mountain is an experience to remember! With every heavy step thumping down, I was at a forward angle and each time we moved I found me rear end slid forwards - almost off the seat. With arms out-stretched, I held onto the wooden sides. It felt like my arms were coming out of their sockets some of the time - but Oh! It was a wonderful experience, and yes, I'd do it all over again given the chance.

My elephant is a female aged 42 years and her name is Teo.

Today's Quote: Let a person walk alone with few wishes, committing no wrong, like an elephant in the forest - Buddha.



Thank you to Inverness Daily Photo who has awarded me the Sunshine Award.

The rules for accepting the award are -

Put the logo on your blog or within your post
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers
Link the nominees within your post
Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog
Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Many wonderful people have helped me with their positive comments and I'd like to share this award with

J Bar from Sydney - City and Suburbs
Cezar and Léia from Bonjour Luxembourg
Brattcat from Battleboro
Arabesque from Mabuhay-Manila
Davine Pitcher from 53 Buddha's and Me
Soni from Mil Palabras Menos
Chef Kar from Adventures of One Sober Woman
Three Rivers Daily Photo
Jacob from Paree - Photos of the City of Light
Louis from San Francisco Bay Daily Photo
Nefertiti from Un peu d'humour, ca enjolive la vie...
Rob and Mandy from Daily Photo Barcelona

Chanticleer

Who is Chanticleer?
Chanticleer is a proud rooster - the Don Juan of the barnyard. Chanticleer comes from The Nun's Priest's Tale of the Cock and the Hen, Chanticleer and Partlet which is one of the stories from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

"For crowing there was not his equal in all the land. His voice was merrier than the merry organ that plays in church, and his crowing from his resting place was more trustworthy than a clock. His comb was redder than fine coral and turreted like a castle wall, his bill was black and shone like a jet, and his legs and toes were like azure. His nails were whiter than the lily and his feathers were like burnished gold."

I took the above photo when I went to buy some free range eggs recently and I was struck at the scene they made.


Today's Quote: If you were born lucky, even your rooster will lay eggs - Russian proverb.

All Creatures Great and Small - Incy Wincy Spider

Not your average garden spider
This little lady was happily spinning her web among the rhodendrons and a fly on a nearby leaf would I think have ended up as dinner. I am reminded of the children's nursery rhyme -

.................Incy Wincy Spider
Incy Wincy Spider climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sunshine and dried up all the rain
And Incy Wincy spider climbed up the spout again!

The origin of this nursery ryhme is a little hazy - the most commonly referenced first published version was in 1962 (Baring-Gould-MotherGoose). However, numerous earlier references can be found — for example, in Western Folklore, by the California Folklore Society (1947) and The Growing Family: A Guide for Parents by Maxwell Slutz Stewart (1955). An alternate version can be found much earlier in the book, Camp and Camino in Lower California (1910).

Peaceful Slumber

Walking to the Chinese Garden of Friendship along Darling Harbour, almost every wooden seat had someone sleeping on them.
These birds seem to have taken quite a shine to the bloke sleeping on this bench.