Day 270 2015: A hard rain's a-gonna fall...

Day 270: ...as the colour fades away

Yes, song lyric. Again. Apologies dear reader. But I was taken by the amazing view of watching the rain approach while at the bus stop. It looked distant enough...

From a distance...

And then down it came. Fortunately, I had just arrived home in time to miss the worst of it. A short sharp summer-like storm...in spring. It's going to be one of those seasons. 

Waiting for the bus, racing the rain

And I also just wanted to capture the last of the chrysanthemum, as the colour begins to fade away. Actually, it is really drawing out, the water turns pink during the day. Really. I'm fascinated. 

Pinkness and white

Pinkness in petals

And that's all from me for a few days. I'm taking a bit of a break from online activities to try and make myself take a few proper days of rec leave. I'll still be taking pics (that is actually a recreation thing) but I'm going to experiment with the non-screen life for a while. 

Cheerio. 

[Camera : Canon ESO60D, 28-80mm, 1.37pm, 138pm, 2.25pm]

Day 269 2015: Caught up in the crowd...

Day 269: ...pretending not to notice

I think that might be another song lyric...oh well, it was a partly musical day today. Clarinet rehearsals in the morning then into town for some last minute things. I almost stayed on for the fireworks spectacular on tonight, but somehow, I just wasn't up to the wait. Crowds...plus, work. 

Anyway, in the few moments I had, I decided to go over to King George Square and take some streetscapes, just sitting there with the cam on the seat, clicking the shutter randomly. 

Who knew what would be there...

Pink cape

Dressed up

Looking out

Rushing, not rushing

Columns

All directions

What we're really here to see

Certainly an interesting way to observe the crowds, pretending not to notice...

[Camera : Canon EOS60D, 28-80mm, 4.30pm-4.34pm]

Day 268 2015: End of the week...

Day 268: ...let the break begin

Yes, the first phase of the semester has finally drawn to a close. We now have one week away from classes but where once we had two weeks break at this time of year, we now have just one week into which we are expected to cram two weeks worth of conferences, marking and preparation for the last part of the semester, when that begins...

I am actually taking some leave from the office too, to go off and do some work elsewhere. More of which later. Next week. 

It does mean I won't be at the Coast for a week so part of today's plan was to get to the beach, on the way home, in the light, to take some pics, breathe in the sea air, eat some fish and chips...

And so...

Night Waves 1

Night Waves 2

Night Waves 3

The Point

Night Waves 4

So OK, one of those things above didn't happen, namely the light. It was a late visit to the beach but I had to do it. Plus, I'm getting kind of intrigued by the abstract colours and shades that come about with long exposures in the dark and blustery conditions. 

Yes, indeed, I need a break. 

[Camera : Canon EOS60D, 28-80mm, 7.39pm-7.44]

Day 267 2015: Lighting the way...

Day 267: ...real and/or artificial

A long day today, though not quite as long as yesterday. But it is assessment time at work and there is a lot of extra time taken to mark, assess, grade...attend presentations. Very little time to do the other things I like to do in a typical day, take pics. 

I have, however, been watching the Madonna Lily of late. There was a pic earlier in the week and this morning I noticed the sunlight striking it in an interesting way. 

A touch of sun

And when I got home (having had no time to explore the lake, or the beach, or the birds, or the kangas, today) I wondered what might have happened over the last twelve hours...

By lamp light

Not much as it happens. I threw some artificial light on it just for the photographic exercise. Yes, just for interest. And now, it is back to work. 

[Camera : Canon EOS60D, 70-300mm, 7.13am, 28-80mm, 8.09pm]

Day 266 2015: What made the egret cross the road?

Day 266: ...I have no answer for that

Some days, I have no answer for many things. Not that that is always terribly helpful in my line of work but sometimes, despite aiming for ways to seek the small things, world peace and the like, there are just questions I can't answer. 

Take the classic, 'why did the chicken cross the road?' Where did that question even come from then, eh? And what about a twist on an old favourite, when the egret, rarely seen away from the water, was seen crossing the road, or the path actually...

What's that Skip? You know the answer?

Away he went...

Dipped a toe...

Thought the better of it...

And moved on...

...until it changed its mind. I asked around...

Who were these two gossiping about? 

...but the wrens were rather too busy...

This bloke, probably...

and clearly, it was one question too many for the kanga, the most pained look I saw all day, and that's saying something after hours of teaching. 

Oh, just don't ask me again...

Still, it is my job to keep asking the questions and, seeking the answers. And I will.

[Camera : Canon EOS60D, 75-300mm, 4.14pm-4.25pm]

Day 265 2015: 2-6-5...already?

Day 265: ...just 100 to go

One way to work your way through the year, both day-by-day but also to give yourself that sense of 'how quickly it goes' is to do this #project365. Look! Already we're at that magic number, just 100 days until the end of the year. Goodness me, where has it gone?

And look, I dare say that explained the ducks on the lake late this afternoon, nay, evening when I went across to have a look. They kept working their way back and forth over the imaginary finish line, not sure whether we were there yet, or not. And OK, not really a finish line but just the reflection of a light pole on the surface. 

Landing

Joining

Crossing

Pondering

You can imagine anything really when you want to. And the reflection itself, sometimes, takes us to another place. 

Reflecting

But we can't imagine anything other than 100 days to go to year's end. That, is true. 

[Camera : Canon EOS60D, 70-300mm, 5.58pm-6.04pm]

Day 264 2015: Budding talents...

Day 264: ...spring is (almost) here

Having had a rather intense work day at home, I stepped outside once or twice to smell the roses. Well, not actually the roses, since they haven't quite bloomed at the moment. But I did get to 'smell' the native frangipanis.* Now this tree blossoms but once a year, for about five days and often because of work commitments, mostly conferences and things, I tend to miss them completely. Generally, my neighbour kindly texts me to let me know they are in blossom and looking lovely. 

But today, I was able to take them in for myself, along with one or two others around the place, including the emerging Madonna's Lily.

The frangipani

Emergence

And the bonsai has new leaves. That's always a relief after a winter's hibernation.

New leaves

And at the end of the day, the sky turned a lovely pinky-orange. 

Twilight sky with palm frond

And so, off I went to rehearsal, because it is Monday, and that is what I do, whatever the season, though my talent is well past budding. Fossilised perhaps. 

*I could also tell you about the possum smell...but I won't. (~,~:

[Camera : Canon EOS60D, 70-300mm, 2.47pm-2.52pm; 5.58pm]

Day 263 2015: Park art features...

Day 263: ...for want of something else

Sunday, chore day. Washing the dishes, dry the dishes, turn the dishes over-type of chores. Dodging the raindrops while hanging out the washing; a bit of a garden tidy up before getting up the courage to have a second go at major department stores...

What might one do then, photographically-speaking? I had to return some library books as well, so while out and about I thought I might check out some of our local parks...like something I'd just invented but pretended had been an ad hoc feature of my photographic adventures. (How's that for bluff? I really had no idea what I might do...)

Anyway, since I was driving past our little local waterway, I thought I could look there. It was 'attacked' a few weeks ago, mysteriously wiped out by poisons, either dumped deliberately or a leak from the quarry around the back. 

Whatever has happened, we appear to have lost a lot of the birdlife there. A bit sad. Still there were some features worth capturing, since photography is also for the record. 

It's getting dark...

Looking down the creek...

Zooming down the creek...

Movement on the surface

Litter, sadly

Fingers crossed this little oasis returns to life and life returns, soon.

[Camera : Canon EOS60D, 28-80mm, 5.41pm-5.52pm]

Day 262 2015: Some days the sky...

Day 262: ...just remember 'blue sky'

Some days, I don't have to go very far or do very much to get my pic(s) of the day. Just step outside and look up.

Cloudscape Saturday one

Cloudscape Saturday two

Cloudscape Saturday three

And there's no need to say very much at all. The clouds can be really very spectacular sometimes. Just take your breath away...which is just as well. The rest of the day was some parts annoyance (thank you Myer) but a beautiful big finish with a friend and colleague getting to introduce her favourite piece of music to be played by the Qld Symphony Orchestra.  

Some days, there's magic to be had. Some days, the sky. 

[Camera : Canon EOS60D, 28-80mm, 11.34am-11.35am]

Day 261 2015: I was rather peeved...

Day 261: ...and then, Hannah

It was a late finish to the day today. It is that time of semester I suppose but still, it doesn't seem to be quite right to be leaving the office at 7.45pm on a Friday, does it. Does it? 

But so it was. Of course, my greatest concern by that stage was, 'oh no, another day, another no photo'. I love this hobby but sometimes it might be adding a layer of stress I can probably do without. I even contemplated a # project 52 for next year...a post once a week, instead of every day. I wonder how that might work? 

But driving home, I noticed the crescent moon setting in the West, to my right, as I travelled down the highway. A-ha, that will do, I thought. 

Got home to find that it had set quite quickly in the end and I couldn't really capture it. 'Darn!' I thought as I walked back in the front door. 'Darn', as I tripped over something at the front step. 

'Oh, a parcel!' How exciting. A very wet parcel, unfortunately. Funny, I wasn't expecting anything...

Turns out, it was a parcel from the Hannah Arendt Center in New York. I've just recently formalised my membership and I join a virtual reading group early on Saturday mornings...very early, I mean 1.00am-type early. It has been wonderfully encouraging for my work. 

And so it became today's pic. I love my hobby (#project365 and taking photos) but I love my work, probably just a little more, and somehow, being a member of this centre now makes me feel very chuffed. Even after a long Friday at the office. 

member!

Building my Arendt library

Now, more reading. 

[Camera : Canon EOS60D, 28-80mm, 9.58pm, 9.53pm]

Day 260 2015: So if this is it...

Day 260: ...please let me know 

Ah, apologies up front, dear reader. That title is deliberately contrived to work in another song lyric-based heading. It's a further sign that today's pic is, well, not really much of a pic at all. Blame the time of semester, or the rain, or just the passing of time in a hyper-reality that has some of us still living and working in March this year. 

It was raining when I left work which does make it dicey to get out the camera. Shame really, there was some interesting activity down by the lake this evening...torches, movement and so on. 

But I had to get home so I left. And got home, via the shops, knowing that I had not really managed a pic today. (There was one quick one on the fruit phone, but that's different.)

So, try a still life, I thought. So I did. With elements of the shopping that were about to be eaten for dinner, of sorts. 

Trying for the Renaissance Still Life pose

Almost, nearly but not quite, the end of the strawberry season

Truly, my work days do not facilitate the best in life and the rest. Truly, if this is it, if this is what this project has come to...a late night snap of my food...well please let me know and move me over to instagram...

[Camera : Canon EOS 60D, 28-80mm, 10.31pm-10.32pm]

Day 259 2015: 'Clowns to the left of me...

Day 259: '...jokers to the right...'

Here I am, I've seen my pics and thought of a song for the second day in a row...'stuck, in the middle' of being not terribly imaginative when it comes to putting words to the pics, as Steelers Wheel, once sang, more or less. 

Some days, this particular song describes my days at work. But not today. Not really. It was just the first thing that came into my head when I saw the perfect synchronicity of the kookas at dawn as they fended off the noisy miners.

Clowns to the right...

Jokers to the left...

And then later on, as I went for my 'Wednesday-halfway-point-still-seven-hours-to-go' walk around the campus, I spotted the ever protective Family Duck. Baby Duck Ling is growing but seriously, I have never seen two parents so protective of their one and only offspring. (I just know the sort of parents these two would be if ever their darling duckling transformed into a uni student...)

In the middle, not going anywhere

What song lyrics will tomorrow bring?


[Camera : Canon EOS60D, 75-300mm, 5.57am-5.58am, 4.22pm]