Sunday, August 31, 2014

Spring, Day One

In this part of the world, our seasons officially start on the first day of the relevant month, 
not on the 21st, which seems to be the case in the northern hemisphere.
Don't take any notice of the date on this post -  Sunday August 31st.  Blogger is American.  

Therefore today, September the 1st, is the first day of spring. 
Of course it's not spring-y weather; it's quite cold and very wet. 
So here's a shot from last spring:



Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Birds of a Feather


An assemblage of swans, gulls, etc:


Tagged swan, Melbourne





Red-billed Gull (Larus novaehollandiae)


Hope is the thing with feathers 
That perches in the soul, 
And sings the tune without the words, 
And never stops at all

~ Emily Dickinson




Black Shag (Phalacrocorax carbo)




Shag + Gulls





Swans + Gull, Lake Rotorua



Peacock, Tuscan vineyard



Southern Black-backed Gulls (Larus dominicanus)



I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
   When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,--
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
   But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings--
I know why the caged bird sings!

~ Paul Laurence Dunbar








For Thematic Photographic # 307

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Strangers from afar - TP 306

Carmi's topic this week is Shooting Strangers from Afar

I'm going to post a shot I've posted before, because I really love it:


A beautiful autumn day in Otago, New Zealand. He sits on a rock reading, while she fishes from a rocky "island". They were so peacefully apart together that I wanted to catch the feeling.



Later the same day, on the shores of Lake Wanaka:



Monday, August 11, 2014

Look Straight Down - TP 305

I hardly ever look down to take photos, it seems - at least that's what I discovered 
when I went looking for something to post for this theme.


Here's a baby Manu at about 6 weeks, with a bit of grass stuck in his collar. 

When we got him he was so small that he would fit in my son's hand (it's quite a big hand, admittedly).





Here he is with his friend D'Arcy the Golden Lab, who was trying to pick Manu up in his mouth:





And this is my grandaughter at 18 months - I'm looking down at her looking down...


 


Thematic Photographic 305 is over here, at Carmi's