A LADY BY THE SEA

A LADY BY THE SEA

Monday 7 December 2015

Hail Storm that hit the Central Coast, 
New South Wales, Australia.



In September, 2015




Thursday 3 September 2015

Friday 14 August 2015

Australia: an American's view  

  https://www.facebook.com/pbaker3460?fref=photo

Interesting set of observations from a visitor from the other side of the Pacific.'Value what you have and don't give it away.' There's a lot to admire about Australia, especially if you're a visiting American, says David Mason. More often than you might expect, Australian friends patiently listening to me enthuse about their country have said, ''We need outsiders l
ike you to remind us what we have.'' So here it is - a small presumptuous list of what one foreigner admires in Oz.

1... Health care. I know the controversies, but basic national health care is a gift. In America, medical expenses are a leading cause of bankruptcy. The drug companies dominate politics and advertising.
Obama is being crucified for taking halting baby steps towards sanity. You can't turn on the telly without hours of drug advertisements - something I have never yet seen here. And your emphasis on prevention - making cigarettes less accessible, for one - is a model.

2... Food. Yes, we have great food in America too, especially in the big cities.
But your bread is less sweet, your lamb is cheaper, and your supermarket vegetables and fruits are fresher than ours.
Too often in my country an apple is a ball of pulp as big as your face.
The dainty Pink Lady apples of Oz are the juiciest I've had. And don't get me started on coffee.
In American small towns it tastes like water flavoured with burnt dirt, but the smallest shop in the smallest town in Oz can make a first-rate latte.
I love your ubiquitous bakeries, your hot-cross buns. Shall I go on?

3... Language. How do you do it?
The rhyming slang and Aboriginal place names like magic spells.
Words that seem vaguely English yet also resemble an argot from another planet.
I love the way institutional names get turned into diminutives - Vinnie's and Salvos - and absolutely nothing's sacred.
Everything's an opportunity for word games and everyone's a nickname.
Lingo makes the world go round.
It's the spontaneous wit of the people that tickles me most.
Late one night at a barbie my new mate Suds remarked, ''Nothing's the same since 24-7.'' Amen.

4... Free-to-air TV. In Oz, you buy a TV, plug it in and watch some of the best programming I've ever seen - uncensored.
In America, you can't get diddly-squat without paying a cable or satellite company heavy fees.
In Oz a few channels make it hard to choose.
In America, you've got 400 channels and nothing to watch.

5... Small shops. Outside the big cities in America corporations have nearly erased them.
Identical malls with identical restaurants serving inferior food.
Except for geography, it's hard to tell one American town from another.
The ''take-away'' culture here is wonderful.
Human encounters are real - stirring happens, stories get told.
The curries are to die for. And you don't have to tip!

6... Free camping. We used to have this too, and I guess it's still free when you backpack miles away from the roads.
But I love the fact that in Oz everyone owns the shore and in many places you can pull up a camper van and stare at the sea for weeks.
I love the ''primitive'' and independent campgrounds, the life out of doors.
The few idiots who leave their stubbies and rubbish behind in these pristine places ought to be transported in chains.

7... Religion. In America, it's everywhere - especially where it's not supposed to be, like politics.
I imagine you have your Pharisees too, making a big public show of devotion, but I have yet to meet one here.

8... Roads. Peak hour aside, I've found travel on your roads pure heaven.
My country's ''freeways'' are crowded, crumbling, insanely knotted with looping overpasses - it's like racing homicidal maniacs on fraying spaghetti.
I've taken the Hume without stress, and I love the Princes Highway when it's two lanes.
Ninety minutes south of Bateman's Bay I was sorry to see one billboard for a McDonald's.
It's blocking a lovely paddock view. Someone should remove it.

9... Real multiculturalism. I know there are tensions, just like anywhere else, but I love the distinctiveness of your communities and the way you publicly acknowledge the Aboriginal past.
Recently, too, I spent quality time with Melbourne Greeks, and was gratified both by their devotion to their own great language and culture and their openness to an Afghan lunch.

10. Fewer guns. You had Port Arthur in 1996 and got real in response. America replicates such massacres several times a year and nothing changes.
Why?
Our religion of individual rights makes the good of the community an impossible dream.
Instead of mateship we have ''It's mine and nobody else's''.
We talk a great game about freedom, but too often live in fear.
There's more to say - your kaleidoscopic birds, your perfumed bush in springtime, your vast beaches.
These are just a few blessings that make Australia a rarity.
Of course, it's not paradise - nowhere is - but I love it here.
No need to wave flags like Americans and add to the world's windiness.
Just value what you have and don't give it away.

David Mason is a US writer and professor, and poet laureate of Colorado.

Sunday 28 June 2015

Whale Watching outside Sydney Harbour, Sydney, Australia
OzWhaleWatching 270615 AMWobblecam from this morning's cruise, best in HD. One of the whales of this  minimum configuration competition pod surged to the surface regularly, sometimes with its mouth partially open, whilst the Humpback with white flanks had distinctive upturned tail flukes with the tips missing. Ignoring the commentary, some of the different sounds of the blows are audible in the 2nd half. The footage needs colour correction but this morning's guests might enjoy.
Posted by Biggles Csolander on Saturday, 27 June 2015

I went early this month to watch the whales in the Tasman Sea just outside Sydney Harbour. What a magnificent sight that was. Incredible mammals.

Saturday 23 May 2015

VIVID SYDNEY 2015


I will be going into to Sydney to see this stupendous display in June. What a lovely time to take photos of Sydney.

Thursday 14 May 2015

Heavens, it is May already. I have been quite busy this year. Huge changes in my life.

I have worked in aged care for 5 days a week for the last 12 years. I have been able to handle my poor old dears passing.away as it is a natural progression through life. But when my brother died last year after 10 years battling cancer. I felt as if I had hit a brick wall.

I decided to take long service leave to give me some time-out. Two days back at work I got up at night to to get a glass of water, not turning the light on, and I stubbed my toes on a chair I had moved earlier in the day. Next day I dropped into work to say I would not be able to work the rest of the week as my foot was so sore (my work involves a lot of standing). Next minute I am telling them I am retiring. Wow!

I don't know who got the most shock, it was totally unplanned.

I had the office workers coming from all directions saying you can't retire. All your clients would be so upset. The assistant manager suggested I get my foot x-rayed to determine if there was more than a sore toes and then make a decision.


Tuesday 17 February 2015

TARONGA ZOO GORILLAS
Sydney, Australia


Photo by Suzie Lemon

https://www.facebook.com/tarongazoo?fref=photo

Sunday 11 January 2015