Post Of The Day

Today's winners are Shrinky with My Cousin Helen and Jennifer Harvey with How To Land. The other top contenders were Sandy Carlson with It’s Alive; Lilac Gate with Dutchman’s Pipe; Pheromone Girl with Responsibility; Temporary Insanity with Good News, Bad News; Fat, Frumpy and Fifty with Quiet Time; A Tidewater Gardener with Good Intentions Bad Tree; Luminous World with Second-Stage Springtime; The Accidental Artist with Three-Painting Day. Do pay them a visit and leave a comment if you have time.

You can nominate a post too. Just leave a comment here with the URL or link - and tell us the name of the blogger you are nominating. Righty-o, then, it's over to you ....

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

The credit crisis robbed him of each hard-earned million
So now he’s reduced to just riding pillion
He surrendered his Porsche and a red Aston Martin
And he’s ordered two horses and a hand-painted cart in

A Tribute To Autumn

Scene And Unseen, On The Yarra's Surface

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This sequence was shot early on Thursday morning, as I walked across the pedestrian footbridge that connects Flinders Street Station to Southbank. The sun was still at a very shallow angle and because it was a cool morning, there was a bit of haze around.

Normally, I would not even have taken my camera out of the bag. But I had barely taken half a dozen steps across the bridge when I noticed that there was only a very gentle breeze, which is extremely unusual for Melbourne, especially around the water.


So I shot these four frames quickly, in less than 90 seconds. The object of the exercise was simply to show you that on a hazy day, a reflection is sometimes more intense and robust in colour quality than the original object itself. That, of course, is the opposite to normal weather conditions in clear light and a standard breeze, when a reflection can never match what is above the water.

Scroll back and take a look for yourself. In the first shot, the row of plane trees themselves are not quite as striking as their water-enhanced rendering. In each frame, the bottom area (or the reflection) is better quality than the top.


If you're wondering why the breeze played a part, here's the answer. The normal Melbourne breeze ruffles the surface of the water, leaving no discernible reflection at all on the Yarra River.

I was about to put the lens cap back on my camera when I noticed this red-clad jogger going past. Naturally, I had to take the shot - because I knew the two people in black (or dark blue) would not be visible on the water's surface, while the red jogger would stand out like a beacon.


Visit the creative team behind That's My World Tuesday.

Blessed With The Memory Of An Elephant

That’s A Mighty Big Pet To Keep

After a long search, Belfast Zoo has managed to identify a mystery woman who looked after Sheila, one of its baby elephants, in her own back yard to save it from German bombs in 1941, during the Second World War. Denise Austin, who used to walk Sheila around the streets of north Belfast, died in 1997 and is called the "elephant angel".

FOOTNOTE: Ivory coasting.

Post Of The Day

Today's winners are Janet with Evanescence and Rachelle with Within. The other top contenders were Leslie with J Is For Jock; Pinkerbell with Lacking The Necessary Expression; The Accidental Fan with Ping; B with Her Spirit Thrives; Janie and Steve with King Of The Road; Spring Raindrops with On Super-Extended Life Spans and Jinksy with Up, Up And Away. Do pay them a visit and leave a comment if you have time.

You can nominate a post too. Just leave a comment here with the URL or link - and tell us the name of the blogger you are nominating. Righty-o, then, it's over to you ....

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

Lord Halifax ordered a fresh garden salad
And told the troubadour to cancel the ballad
''I'm not,'' (he declared) ''some silly old geezer''
So he asked for a steak to go with his Caesar

Nature's Salute To The Morning

In The Mellow Sunlight Of An Indian Haven

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

These shots were taken in a friend’s garden in December 2006. I was in Dehra Dun, northern India, for only four days and was revelling in the opportunity to use my camera in a part of the country I had never been to.

Even though I grew up in India, and travelled widely, there are many parts I still have not visited and Rajasthan, in particular, still draws me like a magnet.

I was up early every morning in Dehra Dun, the better to use the soft winter light. The frosts had not started, but there was heavy dew on the grass and the diffused light was great to capture soft tones that might otherwise have been harder to nail down in bright light.


Bougainvillea, as any Indian will tell you, is common in all parts of the country and it’s not unusual to see great bursts of vivid colours across a stark wall or boundary area. The plant is actually named after Louis Antoine de Bougainville, an French admiral who is credited with being the first European to discover the captivating species in Brazil in 1768.

Like many of the older villas in Dehra Dun, a prime outpost in the Raj era, this is a beautiful cottage with an English-style garden. The bougainvillea was growing in large pots, so I was able to shoot at slightly below eye level, choosing my angle so as to utilise the light to best effect.

And if you do grow bougainvillea, I am reliably told that it flowers most profusely if trimmed lightly. Resist the urge to cut it back harshly – and you’ll be rewarded with bursts of long-lasting colour in a variety of shades.


Visit Luiz Santilli Jr for the home of Today's Flowers.

Misfortune Teller

Oh No, Is This Watch Turning Brown?

Swiss watch-makers have teamed up with Indian fortune tellers to design a watch that claims to predict the future. The watch features a bedpan-shaped section which turns brown when dark astral forces are about to strike and will not clear until the bad omens have passed. They will cost about £1,500 each.

FOOTNOTE: Clockodile Dundee.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

Was it the Green Hornet or was it brave Kato
Who discovered an allergy to fresh-baked potato?
As the district attorney invoked common duty
No spuds were transported in the trunk of Black Beauty

A View To A Gill

Relax, This Is Just A Scale Model

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Time to fess up. I’m not an angler. I’m not even an occasional fisherman. I wouldn’t know which end of a rod to use. Some years ago, while I was in England, a keen fisherman asked if I wanted to go out on his boat.

Yeah, why not. But when he said he’d be out on the water from sunrise to sunset, the enjoyment factor suddenly got very diluted. Suffice to see I spent the day looking at museums instead.

I was in my mid-twenties when I travelled halfway across the world for a good friend’s wedding. I chalked in a few things for the next few days, figuring (fairly logically) that he and his new bride would be heading off on a well-deserved honeymoon.

But no. Surprise – they were going to stay home and do things instead. The day after the wedding, the groom nudged me and whispered: "Wanna come fishing?"

No, I replied. He dug me in the ribs again. "Yes, you DO want to come fishing."

But I can be really slow sometimes. I didn’t understand. So he explained (One. Word. At. A. Time) that if I said I really, truly wanted to go fishing, his new bride would let him go to "accompany" me. "But, " he hissed, "if she knows that I’m really the one who wants to leave her the day after our wedding to go fishing, she’ll kill me. "

So I spent a couple of hours on the precipice of boredom while he fished. Then he turned to me and said: "Wanna go to the pub?"

No, I replied. He winked at me "Yes, you DO want to go to the pub."

Er, no. I wanted to go and watch the cricket instead of wasting my time watching him trying to catch fish in a billabong. I don’t drink so why would I want to go to the pub?

So I spent a couple of hours sipping iced water in the pub while he sank several beers. Late in the afternoon, I asked him how he was going to explain to The New Bride how we had spent several hours "fishing" and hadn’t caught anything other than hay fever.

But he had it all under control. On the way home, he stopped at the fishmonger’s, then presented them to The New Bride and said he’d cook them for dinner.

He's still a good friend, but I’ve never been "fishing" with him again. I have a feeling I might, er, flounder.

Check out the rules at Camera Critters or go to Misty Dawn.

The Sunday Roast

The Power Of One Man's Musing

This week's interview is with Richie Lawry,
who writes the blog An Arkie's Musings.

The first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

I guess that the answer on it's simplest form is "because I'm addicted". The next question would be "How did I get addicted?" Sometime towards the end of August last year, My friend Laurel was visiting in our home. She was excited because her daughter was moving from Canada to Arkansas, and she would be able to see her three grandsons regularly.

She showed me her daughter's blog, Winter's Day In. Because she lived so far away from her daughter, she kept up with he through the blog. I had heard the word "blog", but really had no idea what it was all about.

As I was reading this blog, I noticed at the top of the page that it had a link that said create blog. I had to see what it was all about, so I clicked it. In a few days I had my own blog, and I enjoyed writing and posting pictures to it. I had written a little before starting the blog, but definitely not regularly. I occasionally write a column for the religion page of the local newspaper, and I had posted a few articles on the writing website Helium, but I had never had a "reason" to write before.

Now as I go through my day, I am thinking about what to write about. At first my wife did not understand what in the world I was doing all the time on the computer, but she has resigned herself to the fact that I am now a blogger.

What's the story behind your blog name?

I have to admit that very little thought went into the name of my blog. As I was looking at the create blog page in Blogger, just trying to figure out what it was all about, one of the first things that had to be filled in was the title. I spent about thirty seconds thinking, and typed An Arkies Musings. Arkie is slang word for someone who lives in Arkansas.

We used to be officially called Arkansawyers, but now the term is Arkansan. During the Great Depression of the 1930's, Arkansas and Oklahoma were some of the hardest hit states. Many people moved to California trying to get jobs. The terms Arkie and Okie were disparaging terms used by the Californians for people from Oklahoma and Arkansas. Now the term Arkie is most often used to describe a native Arkansan and is often still a bit disparaging. It seems to indicate that someone is unlearned and backward.

I have lived here for 28 years. Though I'm not a native, I am proud to be an Arkansan or even an Arkie. You have to admit the An Arkansan's Musings just doesn't roll off the tongue.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

What I enjoy the most about blogging is the people that I have met, around the world and close to home. It helps me have a greater understanding of the world as a whole. Most of us associate with and are friends with people who are very similar to ourselves. Blogging for the few months that I have has broadened my horizons and really made me think.

I had never experienced internet friendships before, but reading and commenting on people's blogs does help you get to know them. I am a very curious person by nature and reading peoples blogs, especially those from other countries and cultures, has helped satisfy my curiosity and taught me so much.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

Since I am a newbie myself I don't think I am in a position to give advice, but since you asked here goes. My advice would be to be yourself. I have read blogs where the purpose of the author was to gain readership. They try to pick topics that are popular at the time. Decide what the purpose of your blog is and don't worry what others think. My favorite blogs to read are personal and no holds barred.

What is the most significant post you have ever read?

Blackhawk Down, by Captain Cat's Dairies. I read this blog shortly after I started blogging and it was eye-opening for me to find information of such a personal sort that tied into the national issues. It showed me the importance of getting information from many sources and to not rely on the news media alone for your information.

What is the most significant post you've ever written?

I'd say Why I Relay. I am very involved with American Cancer Society's Relay For Life. My wife is the chairman of the committee that put on the Relay For Life in our town. Relay for Life is a community event that raises money for Cancer research.

Just about everyone has been affected by cancer in one way or another. Relay For Life is a fun way to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society. There is probably no other cause that a person can support that touches more lives. Relay celebrates those who have battled cancer, it remembers those who have fallen, and it provides a way to fight back. That is why I am proud to be a part of Relay For Life.

Thanks so much, David, for being an internet friend and including me in your circle.


Today's Sunday Roast with Richie is the 61st in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

Cash And Curry

Honesty Is The Best Quality

A customer who fled a Swansea curry house without paying has finally paid up - 13 years later. The mystery diner left the Indian restaurant in Mumbles, Swansea, without paying for the £10 meal back in 1996. Now he has sent police £60 cash and an anonymous letter - but officers found the building had been knocked down and a block of luxury flats built in its place.

FOOTNOTE: Flee-for-all.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

He shouldn't have shown off in his bright red coupe
It was simply too breezy for his brand-new toupee
His lady beside him was shocked and appalled
When she realised he was unrelentingly bald

Hands Christian Andersen

Yes, Time Really Does Stand Still Here

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

It’s always interesting to present this weekly pictorial theme with a slight interpretative twist. As this week’s subject is Hands, I thought about several options, including shooting a few frames aboard a crowded train, with several sets of hands holding one of the horizontal stability bars.

Then as I was walking through the Southbank area I remembered that there is a strategically-located store where you can get just about anything, from a pair of shoelaces to getting your name engraved on a trophy or even having a spare key cut.

It’s one of those places where a single person behind the counter has a variety of skills and can solve a problem for you while you wait. Lost the heel on your shoe? He’ll fix it. Your watch battery has bitten the dust? He’ll open up the timepiece and not only replace the battery but clean the interior mechanism as well.

And there is a four-frame frieze painted on the exterior window, as you come up the stairs from the Langham Hotel. This is the first of the frames. Like they say: many hands make light work.


Visit TNChick's Photo Hunt. Today's theme: "Hands''.

Seeking Lemon Aid

Whaddya Mean, You Ran Out?

A Florida man was charged with wasting police time after he called 911 to complain a Burger King franchise had run out of lemonade. When an officer arrived at the store, a cashier said the customer reportedly became angry and threatened to call police. The cashier told him to "go ahead".

FOOTNOTE: Bucks fizzy.

Post Of The Day

Today's joint winners are Travelling But Not In Love with Old Rugged Cross and That's Gonna Leave A Stain with Goiter? Who Said Anything About A Goiter?. The other top contenders were Muthering Heights with Boz And The Excellent Physician; Leslie with Pheasant Under Glass, Anyone?; Arne with From Algarve to Vesteralen; Regina In Pictures with It's That Time Of The Week Again; Travelling But Not In Love with Say It Isn't So; Rosa & Josie's with Corrales, New Mexico; Nite Byrd with Words - What Can They Do?; Mojo with Riddle Me This; Pensacola Daily Photo with Cormorant On Bayou Texar; The Accidental Fan with I Took An Idiot Off The Road and Reality Insanity with In Flight. Do pay them a visit and leave a comment if you have time.

Thank you: this blog has now had more than 300,000 page views.

Local Flavour

Quite An Appetite For Photography

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur is the place to be after dusk, if you’re an avid shopper. But you don’t just have to be into retail therapy to appreciate this memorable thoroughfare, the heart of Chinatown. If you appreciate adventurous cuisine, or simply observing the world go by, this is a great place to be.

I can truthfully say that I bought nothing on the long evening we spent here last July. But I did take several photographs of the many sights that caught my attention. The street stalls do a very brisk trade and tourists walk away with some very handy bargains, but as most males will tell you, it’s a handy idea to have plenty of food stalls in the vicinity.

The young woman behind this counter looks as if she is having a quiet evening. In truth, she was almost run off her feet. I watched her serve a long line of customers efficiently and courteously. As swiftly as she served some people, others would arrive in the queue – obviously a reliable sign that the food being served from behind the counter was high-quality.

It was several minutes before she cleared all the orders and I hit the button just as she took a moment’s breather before the crowd descended again.

This was shot without a flash, because the lighting on the street is more than adequate if you are happy to adjust your settings. I took this at 1/60th of a second and ISO 800, so it’s a good thing she wasn’t moving. The slightest motion would have caused a blur – which is exactly how she probably thought the hours were passing.

Visit MamaGeek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

If it's giving you chills to drive over hills
Remember what happened to the Jacks and the Jills
Or we could emulate the brave Sir O'Malley
And head off (instead) to a neighbouring valley

Ticket To Ride

Getting There, In A Roundabout Way

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This first photograph didn't fool you for one moment. Right? You knew immediately that I was shooting a ferris wheel, didn't you? These were taken at Birrarung Marr, here in Melbourne.


Sometimes you just have to make use of a hazy sky by shooting the tightest frames you possibly can. It helps if you have a 70-300mm lens, just like the one I used for these shots, taken about a fortnight ago.


Having a long lens means you can compose some interesting frames, even when you're shooting from almost a kilometre away.


And it means you can use hanging fronds of palm trees (above) in soft focus in the foreground, while keeping your main subject in clear view. On the other hand, you can wait for winter (below) and use bare trees as a stark counterpoint.


It's not crucial, however, to have a long lens. I shot these images of the same ferris wheel almost two years ago, on a cold, grey Mebourne winter morning - with a normal lens.


More often than not, a grey sky might seem unfriendly, but it is a great opportunity to utilise unusual angles or aspects to emphasise your subject.


Never be afraid to get close to your subject. And then, when you think you are close enough, you can always shuffle forward to get a few steps closer. Work the angles - you'll enjoy the results.

For other participants in Dot’s concept, go to Sky Watch HQ.

Too Early For The Easter Bunny

But It Was A Geniune Mistake, Officer

Bomb disposal teams were called in and buildings evacuated after a Monty Python film prop was mistaken for a hand grenade in Shoreditch, east London. But bomb squad experts realised it was in fact a copy of the ''Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch'', used by Eric Idle to defeat a killer rabbit in ''Monty Python And The Holy Grail''.

FOOTNOTE: Idle minds.

Post Of The Day

Today's joint winners are Rune with J Is For Joy and Sarah Laurence with Diaries, Cyberspace and Privacy. The other top contenders were Mojo with Sprocket To Me; Moannie with Are You Taking The Mickey?; Tash with Dolphin Tower; Cheshire Wife with Meet The Neighbours; Grace and Bradley with Close Up; Expat Mum with The New Matoor Me; Wake Up And Smell The Coffee with We Were Gannettized; Eddie Bluelights with Mickey The Lovesick Budgie. Do pay them a visit and leave a comment if you have time.

You can nominate a post too. Just leave a comment here with the URL or link - and tell us the name of the blogger you are nominating. Righty-o, then, it's over to you ....

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

Robin Hood snored on the arm of Maid Marian
His breath was a-tremble with the stale whiff of carrion
He’d quaffed many ales and feasted on venison
Now his good lady’s eyes were ever so menacin'

Hallowed Turf

Basilica Has An Open-Door Policy

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

If ever you seek proof that religion played a strong hand in Canada’s early history, drive about half an hour out of Quebec City, to the stunning Basilica of St Anne de Beaupre. Despite a strong religious background in my upbringing, I heard never heard of St Anne until my guide explained that the saint was the mother of the Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus.


Inside the magnificent basilica is the statue of St Anne (above) carved from a single piece of oak. The gold crown is studded with diamonds, pearls and rubies and the figure is known as the statue of miracles.


I was in Quebec City in late 2005 at the invitation of the Canadian Tourism Commission. Having spent a memorable day in my childhood reading about the city’s rich history, it was a great privilege to be able to spend two days there as I toured the country’s east coast.

As I stood in wonderment in the middle of the basilica, I was struck by the realisation that despite the constant stream of pilgrims, there was a reverent, enveloping silence inside the stunning structure.


Acknowledged as the first pilgrimage shrine in North America, the original chapel was built in 1658. Apart from the deep faith and the strong historical links, the modern-day basilica is a must-see, even for those with no appreciation for architecture. I was there on a grey, rainy day, but the 240 stained-glass windows and the huge domed ceiling were a fabulous silent opera in magical light.

Many people tell you about miracles that have taken place on this hallowed ground. At the entrance are wheelchairs, crutches and other medical equipment, left behind by those who came with damaged bodies and souls but fortified with religious belief and who found a miraculous cure.


For earlier posts in this series, check out The Doors Archive.

Short Shrift

Saddled With Quite A Reputation

English fire crews have been called out four times to rescue a tiny pony - because its legs are so short people think it's stuck in mud. Two fire engines and a specialist lifting vehicle have been despatched four times at a combined cost of about £8,000 to save the horse, which is half the size of others in the same paddock.

FOOTNOTE: Pony express.

Post Of The Day

Today's winners are Woman In A Window with The Door and Ordinary Art with Does Wanting Breed Excess?. The other top contenders were Nourish The Soul with Twenty Minutes And Counting; Valkyrien with Cactus; Down River Drivel with To Rest, To Sleep; Louise with Tent Rocks; Now And Then with Wollongong; Blogpourri with Snippets; Sylvia K with Mount St Helens and Sandi McBride with Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening. Do pay them a visit and leave a comment if you have time.

You can nominate a post too. Just leave a comment here with the URL or link - and tell us the name of the blogger you are nominating. Righty-o, then, it's over to you ....

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

The pirates declared no one would be harmed
When the three-masted vessel became becalmed
They unhooked their peg legs and talked to their parrots
And they feasted on goulash made from stale carrots

J Is For Judgement

Never Let The Weather Deter You

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Weather is an all-important factor for any photographer. I'm okay with the notion of getting soaked outdoors for the sake of a good shot, but when you have to use your camera in extremely murky light, you really have to think outside the square.

In those conditions, there's no point using your camera just as you would in bright light and then shaking your head and scrapping every shot when the results are sub-standard. So you just take a different approach and try and shoot your subject with a different emphasis.

If this first shot (and the others that follow it) make you look twice, then I guess I achieved my goal. Simply by looking at the first frame, were you able to correctly identify what I've shot?

Just for the record, it's a US Air Force F-16 Falcon. But this is the story of why you should never despair in unfriendly weather.


Sometimes you have to make a snap decision. You make the judgement call and then you wonder whether you should have taken a different option instead. A couple of weeks ago, an extraneous factor got in the way of my plans to get to the 2009 Australian International Air Show.

I literally had a five-minute window of opportunity to decide whether I would go (chronically late) that evening, or whether I would hold off and go the next morning, giving myself plenty of leisure time at the show, shooting in perfect light.

Friday evening? Or Saturday morning? Friday? Saturday? The weather had changed rapidly on Friday evening and I knew it was going to be very cloudy and hazy by the time I made the long journey to Avalon airport. If I waited until the next day, I would have many hours to explore the show.

If I persisted on Friday, I ran the risk of arriving there at dusk, in unfriendly light. If I chose to postpone my plans and go on Saturday, I would be able to shoot several hundred images in daylight.


Let me put this into context for you. The show is only held every two years, so if for some reason I missed it, I would have to wait until 2011 for the next opportunity.

Accordingly, I made my decision and pressed on. Friday evening it had to be. I caught a V/Line train from Southern Cross station and during the train journey to Avalon, I watched with growing dismay as the quality of light started to deteriorate.

I reached into my camera bag to remove the 18-125mm all-purpose lens that I normally use. Off it came, to be swiftly replaced by my 70-300mm lens. As the last vestiges of blue sky vanished, to be replaced by 360-degree haze, I knew that I would have to rely on fairly tight compositions instead of wide, generous frames of expensive flying machines from every era.


So there I was at the show, in a light drizzle in the swiftly-gathering dusk, trying to shoot an sleek grey supersonic fighter under a glowering grey sky with very little variance in colour. No sunlight. No contrasts. No shadows. No easy answers. So I ducked around the back of the huge open-air enclosure and opted to embrace the fact that this fighter was basically the same colour as the sky.

I decided to shoot the tightest frames possible. And I opted to shoot each composition as a monochrome. As you know, I do not use filters, nor do I edit my photographs in any way. But because I embraced the challenge, I ended up with a set of half-a-dozen or so images that I'll always be proud of.

Oh, by the way, I'm glad I stuck out my neck and went on Friday. The long-awaited rain bucketed down on the weekend.


For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

Pipe Dream

Yes, It's Okay To Get The Blues

Langkawi, Malaysia, 2008. Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

The Morgue The Merrier

Was He An Overtaker Or An Undertaker?

A Croatian motorist who crashed through an undertakers' window woke up to find himself in an open coffin. The man sailed through the air before landing in a display. "This is third or fourth time I've had a car in my shop," moaned the owner, "and none of them have brought me any business."

FOOTNOTE: Dead easy.

Post Of The Day

Today's winners are Epijunky with Knowing Your Limits and Daryl with Harmony Day. The other top contenders were Corey with I Wish; Jennifer Harvey with Awake; Willow with Sightseeing At Stanford University; Deborah Gamble with Take This Job And Love It; Get A Bigger Cup with It’s Everywhere; Southern Lagniappe with Wonders Of Spring and Taralino with A Face That Always Makes Me Smile. Do pay them a visit and leave a comment if you have time.

You can nominate a post too. Just leave a comment here with the URL or link - and tell us the name of the blogger you are nominating. Righty-o, then, it's over to you ....

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

If you're looking for pistons and tyres and things
The best place to be is in Radiator Springs
There's so much to see and so much to glean
You could even bump into Lightning McQueen

Grin Reaper

Scooby-Doo Gets A New Leash Of Life

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

So there I was, spending my lunch hour wandering around the 2009 Moomba fairground on the banks of the Yarra. Sunny afternoon. Huge crowd. Water-skiers on the Yarra. Music on the PA system. It seems as if the Alexandra Gardens are the focal point of Melbourne.

That's when I spot a familiar goofy smile. High above one of the stalls that is a haven for a game of skill is one of the ultimate prizes - a lifesize Scooby-Doo. I get a couple of tight shots of Scooby and a couple of his clones.

I am about to walk away when I realise that with a little manoeuvring and some tight composition, I can get a shot of Scooby wearing his purple hoodie - with one of Melbourne's most famous modern landmarks in the background.

The skyscraper is Eureka Tower, the highest residential apartment building in the southern hemisphere. The only reason I was able to compose such a tight frame was that I had opted to use my 70-300mm lens that afternoon.

It's hard to tell who was more animated - Scooby-Doo or the photographer.


Visit the creative team behind That's My World Tuesday.