Pictures as promised...

So here are some pictures as promised from the last post. I'll only put a few here and the rest will be on my flickr site here. Enjoy...

Spring is here...

The Rhododendron bush which is at least 50 years old.



A close up...



Some of the hundreds of grape hyacinths in the yard.



The two daffodils that have so far popped up. There are more but they are apparently slow to come to the party.

They picked me...

One of my photos has been picked by the online travel guide Schmap. The company uses pictures taken by everyday people to help show off the best of what certain travel destinations have to offer. I'm not sure, but I believe that Schmap only chooses the pictures they use from photos placed on Flickr. I find it ironic when you consider that the picture they chose to include is from a trip we took up to Strahan in the northwest of Tasmania. What's so ironic about that you say. Well, I think it's ironic that recently I've been putting up new sets of pictures that I took with my "GOOD" camera and the picture that they actually chose was taken using my cell phone camera.  I mean "GOOD" camera 10.1 Mega pixels. Camera phone 2.0. See what I mean?

Now to be fair the people who publish this online travel guide had not seen the new pictures that I recently placed on my Flickr account so they picked from what was available at the time This is the second edition of Schmap's Australian Travel guide so maybe next year they might pick one of the pictures taken by my "GOOD" camera. Oh and BTW I'm not diminishing my "GOOD" camera by using the quote marks like you know it's "supposed" to be a good camera. The fact is is it is a GREAT camera and a hell of a lot better than my cell phone's camera.

The Schmap group have provided me with a widget, which can be found on the right side of the blog where all of the links and odd lot things are placed. If you click on it you will be taken to the Australian guide. My picture is under lakes and rivers and then under Strahan. Take a look if your interested because they are all sorts of other great photos taken by just everyday people that give you a realistic view of what there is to see in Australia. By realistic I mean not your standard glossy professional photos used by big travel companies like Fodor's or some such group. Hell, Fodor's doesn't even have a listing for Tasmania on their online guide. (I'll have to write to them). The photos in this travel guide show you things that you might not see in another travel guide. I'm also not saying that the photos used by Schmap are not good quality just because they weren't taken by a professional, on the contrary; the photos that they use are FANTASTIC; of course they are, they did pick me after all. :) Enjoy...

Twice in one day...

Well your getting two post today. I've just uploaded the newest pictures I've taken. The pictures are from a trip down to Port Arthur with a friend. For those of you who don't know anything about Port Arthur it is a small town and former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula, in Tasmania, Australia. Port Arthur is one of Australia's most significant heritage areas and officially Tasmania's top tourist attraction. Known for its harsh conditions, dark history and stark beauty, it is located approximately 60 km south east of the state capital, Hobart. In 1996 it was the scene of the worst mass murder event in Australian history.

The pictures I took this time once again are a learning process with my new camera so bear with the amateur status of the photos. Anyway, you can see all of the pictures here. Enjoy...

A day communing with nature...

...well nature within a controlled environment that is. I recently spent the day with friends at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens here in Hobart. We had planned this day as a day of photo shooting using or digital SLR cameras. It was to be my first real day of taking photos with the new camera that I got for my birthday back in November. Now I've taken plenty of pictures with that camera since I got it but I've never spent any real time focusing specifically on taking photos of one topic so this was the day.

I've never owned a really good camera and I am just learning how to use this one properly. My friends that came along also like to take photos. Tanya took several courses for two years so she knows what she's talking about and her son Conor is a budding photographer. He has taken some amazing photos, one of which we have framed and hung in our office. I think he has a great eye for photography and I only hope I will be able to take photos like he does, but to do that you need to practice and practice I did.

I took 50 photos in all  and I have edited and uploaded the best of those up onto my Flickr account. So if you would like to run through the photos I took have a look at the rest of the photos you can see them here. Enjoy...

What's wrong with this picture?

I'll let the picture speak for itself...

All I can say is "What were they thinking" and I wonder if anyone died?

Birthday photos from Melbourne...

I had to wait until the new computer was set up and ready to work with the new camera before I loaded the new pictures up for everyone to see, but now all is ready and they can be seen here. I have a lot to learn about using my new camera but that was half the point of getting the camera as it would allow me to broaden my horizons on the photography horizon. Either that or I'm just going to be one of those people that takes a picture of just about anything. Anyway, Enjoy...

Flowers of the week...

Well it"s that time again and I've been anxiously waiting to show you this weeks edition of "Flowers of the week". The flowers this week are bearded irises. I bought the bulbs down at Salamanca Markets when we first moved here 3 years ago. I bought two colours and the ones I'm going to show you are the only ones that have done well. The other ones which are dark purple and black are growing but have not produced any blooms. We are going to move them after the growing season to see if I can get better results next year but until then I present the ones that have done very well. Enjoy...

Desktop meme...

Okay, I know it's not original as I stole this from here, here and here but it will have to do. So this is what my current desktop looks like. The wallpaper changes everyday because I like variety. I use the Magentic program to rotate the pictures. I also use their Incredimail program because once again it provides me with variety in my emails. It's a bit of fun and we all need a little fun in our lives. Enjoy...

Tiptoe through the tulips

We have lived here in Tasmania for three years and each year we always say we are going to go to the Spring Tulip Festival and each year we have been out of town, however this year we finally made it. The festival is held at the Royal Botanic Gardens here in Hobart. We think that Hobart has the best botanic gardens of any gardens in the country. Spring is definitely trying to take hold here down under but not unlike the northern hemisphere spring is struggling to take that hold from old man winter. The festival is a sure sign that spring is winning. Anyway, you can see all the photos here. We also took a few extra photos of flowers in the conservatory and also some of the azaleas that are blooming in the gardens. Enjoy...

Sleepy now...

Recently a blogger that I read frequently asked the question, "Where do you sleep?". He answered his own question by sharing with his readers an insight into where it is he sleeps. He then asked his readers to post the same on their blog and I am happy to oblige. So without further adieu I present the place where we lie our heads.

The bed, a wood and iron sleigh style bed, is currently covered in it's winter bedding which consists of 100% goose down quilt covered in plaid cotton flannel duvet. Two side tables with matching lamps for bedtime reading, each have a clock and books for that sides occupants. I sleep on the right closest to the fire place, which you'll see in the next picture. The duvet cover changes with the seasons as do the throw pillows. The sheets are all 100% Egyptian cotton and range from 500 -1000 thread count.

In this picture you can see the fireplace which is fitted with a cast iron insert. We don't currently use this fireplace as we don't feel safe with an open fire in the bedroom, but if we did want to use it we would be able to as it is fully functional. This fireplace is one of four that we have in the house. The pictures above the fireplace were a gift from James' parents. They are watercolour's that were drawn by an architect from Bristol who turned artist. The pictures are roughly 100-110 years old. We think they fit perfectly with the age of our house, because as I've mentioned in the past our home is over 115 years old.

An added bonus is the view from our bedroom window, which sits at the front of the house. We look down on the harbour. It's a little hard to see but hopefully my pictures will get better as I'm about to get a new digital SLR camera, so hopefully all further pictures will not only be higher quality, but maybe even a bit artistic as I explore my photographic eye.

Anyway, there you have it, a quick insight into where we sleep. Enjoy...

A snapshot of New Zeland...

The pictures of New Zealand are now up on Flickr for your viewing pleasure. I could not do the different places we visited justice so in case you want to know or see a bit more of where we visited the you can find out more at these links:

New Zealand
Rotorua
Taupo
Lake Taupo
Huka Falls
Napier
Hawkes Bay

To learn about Whakarewarewa "The Thermal Village" go here
Enjoy....

We're back...

We got home last night around 6:30. A friend picked us up at the airport and the first thing we noticed is that it was cold back in our neck of the woods. We had expected it to be cold while we were in New Zealand but it actually was quite spring like all the time we were there. Our friend told us that the previous two days before we came home there had been horrendous weather including gale force winds and flooding. All of this was due to a strong cold front. It looks as if winter is still with us.

Anyway, I guess everyone wants to know about the trip. I have plenty of pictures to share but have not put them up on Flickr yet. Hell, I haven't even unpacked. I laid done on the couch last night and went out to it by 8:00. I find travelling exhausting. We thought that going to New Zealand would be a breeze because it was only a 3 hour flight compared to some of our 25+ hour flights to the States. We were wrong because in the end you still have to go through all the checks, immigration and customs. It is all too tedious and so not worth it. We've decided that for a while were are only going to take some local trips which do not involve customs and passports. Next trip is up to the Sunshine Coast near Brisbane to visit an old friend and then we are off to Melbourne for a few days so James can attend a conference and then we go back to Melbourne for my birthday where our friend Moys will be meeting us as she and I celebrate the same birthday. We will be going to see Priscilla will we are there.

I will make every attempt to post the pictures today and I will let you know as soon as they have been posted. As for the trip all I can say is it was very relaxing, filled with good food, lots of laughs and new experiences. I will make a bit of a more inclusive post when I get the pictures ready and try to explain what you'll be seeing. Anyway, I need to get on with catching up on my emails and all of my blog reading. It looks like everyone has been very busy while I was away.

There it is again...

I don't know if it is the time of year or just the weather we have been having or what, but once again the sunrise I've just seen out my kitchen window was amazing. I just had to share again. I could do a whole blog on sunrises or not. I guess that would be pretty boring unless i was an actual professional photographer and alas I am not said photographer. So after these few pictures I promise not to post another sunrise post. Well, unless it's like unbelievable and then well maybe.... :)

Strahan Tasmania...

We've just gotten back from a three day holiday up to Strahan, Tasmania. We stayed at a nice little place called The Aldemere Estates. The weather was fantastic! Yes, it is winter and it was bit cold but the crowds were low and that made it nice to get around. We went on a the Gordon River Cruise that took us around the harbour and up the Gordon river. It was an all day cruise leaving at 9 and getting back at 2:30. They served us all local foods during the cruise and the menu consisted of:

Appetizers (Spiced pumpkin tartlets, salmon mousse on toast, lemon tartlets) and cheese platter (King Island Dairy Black Label Double Brie, King Island Dairy Roaring Forties Blue, wasabi-flavoured cheese, Dutch Edam) The lunch consisted of three salads (Marinated mushrooms, artichokes and baby spinach, Fresh new potatoes and pumpkin in a sweet mayonnaise dressing, Fresh broccoli, snap peas and baby spinach in a walnut vinaigrette) Fresh smoked Tasmanian salmon, Pate, Thyme infused pork terrine, local sausages and antipasto platter, cold cut meats (smoked ham, beef and turkey) and Wild game ragout made out of local farmed venison and wallaby. There was also all the wine, beer, lattes, tea and all the assorted beverage you could want.

This was all provided within the price of the ticket in the luxury of the captain's private quarter/viewing station including leather seats. It's been a bit of a rough time lately so we thought we deserved to spoil ourselves and it was so worth it. Anyway, if you want to see the pictures you can click on the pictures on the side columns under the Flickr badge or you can alternately just click on this link. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed taking them.

Also of note, while we were in Strahan, which is in the northwest of our little island, a cold front came through and it was the coldest day on record (-2C/28F) in the past 12 years back home in Hobart. There is a lot of snow on the mountain and we are expecting more. It looks like winter just might be a cold one this year. We ran into a bit of snow and ice on or drive home but not enough to make it to treacherous.

I'm the great Uncle Charlie Brown...

...or something like that. What I'm trying to say is I am a new great uncle to my niece's newest edition to her family, and actually her first. I am pleased to introduce Damian Aidan Harris.

Congratulation to my niece Cinde and her man Phil!

Sunrise...

Nothing interesting about this post I just wanted to share the great sunrise we had yesterday morning. The picture was taken from our back deck looking east of course down to the harbour. Enjoy...

What does a picture say about you?

I saw this neat thing over here and thought I would give it a try. The result is as follows:

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

If you would like to try this neat little widget start here. Several pages will come up one after another and on each one you are asked to pick a picture that relates to the title. At the end you get this neat widget to add to your blog. Enjoy!