Post Of The Day

Today's joint winners are Med Kamera Pa Tur with Sky Watch; Fireblossom with Tales Of Shocking True Crime and French Fancy with Yes, I Once Stole. The other top contenders were Cooking Blind with Some Of This Is True; And I Still Think So with Those Sultry, Sticky Tennessee Williams Days; San Merideth with Dreaming It Forward; Jenny Mac with Sculpture: It's An Art Form; Powell Power with A Helpful Letter ...; Heavenly Housewife with Liberty Cream Tea; Incense And Peppermints with In Which I Humiliate My Mother; RedMummy Rambles On with About Not Being Menopausal At All; Saturday's Child with Blue Hairs Returning To School; Nikon Sniper with After The Storm and As If C'est What with Gordon Waller. 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 ....

See my photography at Images Sans Frontiers and Red Bubble.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

Columbus declared the Huns were too clannish
And even worse, "they couldn't speak Spanish"
But amidst admiration for the joy of migration
He applauded each nation that conquered inflation

Head Start

The Great Aussie Salute

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

The word "G'day" is instantly recognisable around the world as the quintessential Australian greeting. Over the years, I’ve seen many great depictions of the word, but this one was unique. I was at the Temora Aviation Museum in early June, watching an air show, when I noticed this person in the crowd ahead of me.

Have you ever tried taking a photograph of someone’s head when they’re watching fighters go screaming past in the sky? Let me tell you, it’s a mighty tough gig. It’s a bit like trying to do the same thing at a tennis match, when people’s heads constantly move side to side.

The weather was foggy at the start and the light wasn’t great later on, when the pilots got the all-clear, and to add to my problem, this gentleman was actually sitting under cover and a long way away from me. However, I had a long lens (70-300mm) on the camera, so this is as natural a shot as I could produce in the conditions – and it’s as Aussie a sight as you’ll ever see.

And to answer your question, G'day is simply a contraction of the phrase "Good day".


Visit MamaGeek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.

Sign, Along The Dotted Line

The Concept Is Up In The Air

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

These two shots weren't really planned. They were shot a couple of weeks ago when I was walking towards Southbank in the afternoon. I was squinting up at the bright sunshine, to see which way the cloudbanks were moving.

As I did so, I noticed that I was on the "wrong" side of this giant sign above the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, so of course I had to take a shot because the quirkiness of the lettering appealed to me.

And in case you're wondering, this is what the sign looks like if you're on the "right" side looking up at it.


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

Wild And Woolly

I've Got A Trombone To Pick With You

Classical composer Gustav Holst was once ticked off by a Cotswold farmer for playing his trombone too loudly and making his sheep lamb early, researchers have discovered. They revealed: "An irate farmer came rushing up to him and said, 'You are causing all this trouble with our sheep. They are lambing too soon, with this noise going on'."

FOOTNOTE: Very sheepish.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

Music gets my vote
Since we must always take note
And art's not a medium
That could ever cause tedium

Which Pokemon Are You?

And Why Are You Guarding This Doorway?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Doesn't this artwork remind you of the famous Pokemons? Remember the pocket monsters that took over the world a few years ago?

This is not really one of them. The image was shot in Hosier Lane, in Melbourne's central business district, about a fortnight ago. It's a narrow thoroughfare dating back to Melbourne's early development, but it has been transformed by urban art into what I call "a street of a million images".

Just when you think you've seen the most striking piece of art, another one forces you to re-evaluate.

If you look really carefully at this image you'll actually notice that this is actually a doorway and you can see a small silvery lock in the dead-centre of my frame. And do you see the lettering that says "CTCV" on the top left?

Interesting story, that .... the graffiti actually says "Sod CTCV". Well, okay, so it doesn't really say "Sod"; it uses a four-letter synonym. And whoever scrawled the message must have meant to write "CCTV" for closed-circuit television, instead.

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

Quit Clowning Around, Dear

With This (Circus) Ring I Thee Wed

A Welsh clown gave his most nerve-racking performance - by proposing to his girlfriend in a circus ring in Colwyn Bay. He said going down on one knee in front of 500 people was tough. "I was really frightened she’d say no, but luckily after a few seconds she said yes, and the audience clapped and cheered."

FOOTNOTE: Tough act to follow.

Post Of The Day

Today's winner is Pinkerbell with Bye Bye Baby. The other top contenders were Arne with Madonna and Michael Plus Trine And Rikke; Willow’s Cottage with Day At The Beach, La Jolla Style; Visual Norway with Boat And Buoy; Bumpkin Bears with In The Footsteps Of Beatrix Potter; Brookeville Daily Photo with Rain On Saturday; Kym with Judge Ye Not and The Victorian Parlor with Good Morning From Terra Cottage. 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 ....

See my photography at Images Sans Frontiers and Red Bubble.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

When they voted to replace the age-old thimble
As the town's much-loved corporate symbol
The ladies stormed the hall and shut out the gentry
And chanted slogans near a sign saying "No entry"

B Is For Buddy Holly

Like They Say, Folks, The Show Must Go On

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

A couple of weeks ago, I was walking towards Southbank when I noticed a vivid pink bus. I quickly grabbed the camera from around my neck when I realised it was actually heading towards Crown casino – and if I was quick enough, I’d be able to shoot a couple of frames.

Now it’s time for a confession – I stood behind the bus as its driver reversed slowly but carefully down a thoroughfare shared by pedestrians. No, it’s not as stupid as it sounds. There was a set of bollards prominently placed, so that no traffic can pass a certain point. I made sure the bollards were between me and the reversing bus.


At that point, I realised that the bus was actually the tour vehicle for "Buddy The Musical", the latest theatrical production on the life of Buddy Holly – and that the personalised number plate actually proclaimed BHOLLY. That’s why the first frame in this series is deliberately composed to include the blue-and-white number plate which you did notice, didn’t you!

On another note, yes, it’s still six months away from the traditional decorative use of holly. But you have to remember that it’s still winter here, so if you’re going with the Christmas In July theme, there’s nothing better than some extra Holly!


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

Lock, Stock And Crisis

Going Into Lockdown Mode

A retired prison officer and his wife became a historic jail's first inmates in nearly a century when they were accidentally locked in by staff. The couple were still exploring Britain's Ruthin Gaol and arrived at the souvenir shop to find it deserted with all the windows and doors locked.

FOOTNOTE: Key sera, sera.

Post Of The Day

Today's joint winner is Jennifer Harvey with The Leaving. The other top contenders were Shadow with Diamonds In The Sky; East Gwillimbury Wow! with The Web She Weaves; Sylvia K with Close To Home; Cheltenham Daily Photo with Remembering Alex Ross; Tranquility And Turmoil with Sunflower Fields And Wine Tasting; Deborah Godin with Summer Days And Summer Nights; Joy Is My Goal with Antiques In Weatherford and Sandy Carlson with Nighty Night, Woodbury. 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 ....

See my photography at Images Sans Frontiers and Red Bubble.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

You gotta love the tale of the lonely Cinderella
Who went to the ball and met a handsome fella
But the ugly stepsisters who tried to encroach
Were thwarted by the footmen and the pumpkin coach

Taking Steps

Long Winter Shadows On A Melbourne Afternoon

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Even though it's winter here, the afternoon sun can sometimes produce great shadows. About ten days ago, I was going to take a straight-on shot of these steps. Then I thought it would be far more interesting to wait a few minutes and actually try and get a shot of feet on the steps as someone walked past.

I was standing on the Yarra side of the Melbourne Exhibition Centre and you'd reckon there'd be a lot of people walking past. But no, I had to wait a few minutes and I was determined to shoot the first person, without asking them to walk at a particular angle or at a certain pace.

It's an interesting task, because you don't know whether the person is going to walk straight, diagonally, up the stairs or down them.

Luckily this person strode along the top of the walkway and I was able to get a perfectly candid, unposed shot of his shoes - and a clearly defined shadow.

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

Cue The Theme Music From Jaws

Things Seemed To Be Going So Swimmingly, Dear

British men find the prospect of asking a woman to marry them almost as scary as swimming with sharks, according to a new survey. Four out of five men were so petrified of proposing that they preferred to forego tradition and wait for their girlfriends to propose to them.

FOOTNOTE: Slight hitch.

Post of The Day

Today's joint winners are Waystation One with Special and Kathleen with You Don't Always Get What You Want. The other top contenders were Sarah Laurence with Wild Things; Misty Dawn with Camera Critters 68; Ellen Abbott with Up Close; Kathy's Kampground Kapers with Try To Stay Positive; Freckled Writer with Kokopelli Moondance; Whitterer on Autism with I Am Be…. and Pat Houseworth with Another Trip To The Air Force Museum. 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 ....

See my photography at Images Sans Frontiers and Red Bubble.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

Did you hear the saga of Raggedy Ann?
She was put in the wash and her colour ran
She was auctioned on eBay by her disappointed owner
And she was sold at a premium, for three thousand kroner

Wattle I Shoot Next?

It's Like Watching Golden Snowflakes

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Now that there's just over a month before we move from winter into spring, the colours are slowly coming alive. Yes, the ski slopes are getting fresh, deep snow. Yes, there's been a bit of rain. Yes, we're still getting frosty mornings. Yes, the wind still bites through you even when the sun is shining brightly.

But the wattle has been blooming for a couple of weeks now - always the first sign that warmer weather is promised in the next few weeks.


I shot these images last weekend, but I should have known better. It's very hard to shoot close-ups of wattle, even in the slightest breeze.

Because each wattle blossom is so minute - they are literally about a centimetre across, they dance and bob around wildly, even in a gentle breeze. The day I took these shots, the breeze would have put some laundromats out of business, it was so brisk.

Because these are only low-resolution images, a lot of the sharpness drops out. But if I continually posted high-res images here, the blog would take much longer to load. However, I will post one of these shots on my RedBubble site, so you can view it there.


One of the really interesting things about shooting wattle is the graceful shape and colour of the miniature leaves that surround the blossoms. This image (above) was actually shot while I crouched down below a branch - just to give you a slightly different perspective of a beautiful tree and its colours.

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

Skipper Scuppered

It’s Not Plain Sailing, After All

Italian coastguards failed to see the funny side after two men turned a bright pink Maserati into a waterproof car-boat for a trip to the seaside. The men thought the vehicle’s documentation would also cover them for sailing after they drove down the beach and into the water at Forte dei Marmi. But they were fined several hundred euros and the Maserati was confiscated.

FOOTNOTE: To hull and back.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

I went to college with a bloke called Peter
Who drank cans of Coke by the megalitre
But now he works as a chemist in Haiti
And he says all he drinks is Earl Grey tea

Off The Beaten Track

Dunno About Snowmobiles, Where's That Caribou?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

If you're wondering where this shot was taken, let me give you a clue. Yes, we have snowmobiles in Australia. But no, we don't have caribou. So you're thinking I took this shot when I was in the Yukon last year? Yep, you're right.

This was taken on the picturesque Coal Road outside Whitehorse and even though there was a cool breeze blowing off the mountains that were capped with the previous season's snow, there was brilliant sunshine on the autumn foliage all around me.

But here's a grammatical question. Does the sign apply to the caribou, as in the command "Caribou, stay on trail"? No, it takes a second or two for my brain to realise the command is for us humans, as in "Take it easy, mate, there are caribou here - so it's safer if you stay on the track."

Yup. I knew that.

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

The Sunday Roast

No, It Ain't Standard Operating Procedure

This week's interview is with the blogger Kirti Patel,
who writes the blog K The Blogger

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

It's funny because before this year, I had NO IDEA what blogging or bloggers were. If you had told me about the blogosphere before I probably would have said that it sounds like a bunch of people who have no lives ...LOL... And now, I'm one of you!

I started blogging earlier this year after I went to a conference for aspiring writers. Someone there suggested that I start blogging as a way of breaking into the writing world. So, adventurer that I am, I came home and jumped right in! I have discovered that blogging keeps me motivated to write and I think it's helping me become a better writer, too. Most importantly, it helps me keep my sanity--it's my refuge from the world! Here's a post I wrote on this topic: Sunlight In Our Japanese Maple.

What's the story behind the blog name?

My blog started out under a different name (The Birth of a Notion) but then I changed it to 'K' after a conversation with a friend. I was telling her that I thought my blog was all over the place with so many different subjects (family, kids, recipes, books, art, fashion, etc) and that I was worried that I was scaring people away with all the scattered topics. So, she asked me "Well, if your blog was a magazine, which magazine would it be?" That turned out to be such a great question!

After a little deliberation, we decided that it was closest to The O Magazine (by Oprah) because of all the various topics it covers. So, I thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be funny if I called my blog 'K'?" I think it works because I actually tell people to call me 'K' in real life because my first name is hard to pronounce (Kirti). Here's the post I wrote the day I changed the name to K - aka the Blog Formerly Known As The Birth Of A Notion.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

Hmm ... there are a LOT of great things about being a blogger. I guess the best thing is that I feel like a real writer now. I now have a small group of followers that keeps up with my writing regularly. I have no idea why they would care, but I'm glad--it's nice to have a little audience that appreciates my stuff.

And, for the first time in my life, I feel like that book I've been dreaming about writing will actually get written someday. In the few months that I've been doing this, I've written over a hundred posts and thousands of words. There is a book in me -- I just know it!

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

Just do it! The way to learn is to just get in there and do it. Don't obsess so much about every post. I know that's easier said than done, because I obsess over my posts, too. Just remember that no one is reading it as closely as you are, so RELAX! I keep reminding myself that too. It takes the pressure off so that your words can flow better.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

I have read so many great posts by so many different bloggers! The blogosphere is a wonderful world full of great minds and great inspiration. In my humble opinion, one of the very best bloggers out there is my friend T.'s blog How A Plate Of Broccoli Got Me Thinking About God. I am always impressed by her writing. I actually find her blog extremely intimidating because she is so smart and insightful.

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

I guess the most significant blog post I ever wrote is probably Wealthy, which I wrote for my mom for her 60th birthday. I managed to get that published in a magazine, too, which was a great thrill and also a great present for my mom. I actually think I had some beginner's luck with that one because it was the first story I ever submitted anywhere and it got accepted. (It's also going to be published in a book of short stories that's being developed by a company called Metaphorical Ink.)

Thank you, David, for this amazing opportunity! You have been a great help and inspiration to a newbie in the blogosphere.


Today's Sunday Roast with Kirti is the 77th in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

Crash Course

Rather Alien To Their Nature

A Sussex primary school pretended a teacher had been abducted by aliens - in order to promote creative writing skills. Pupils were told an alien craft had crashed near the school and pupils were encouraged to "follow a trail of debris". Sussex Police set up a crime scene in the area.

FOOTNOTE: Sussex education.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

Just resist the temptation to rest on your laurels
While your heart and your cranium indulge in some quarrels
Work hard at med school and you’ll soon be a surgeon
You’ll have your own Bentley, without too much splurgin'

Steel Yourself

All Fired Up For The Barbecue Season

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Yes, Australia is famous for its outdoors lifestyle and its barbecue culture. And yes, the days are getting longer again. The winter solstice was almost five weeks ago and the sun is rising earlier and setting later each day, despite the frost and the cold and the chilly winds.

But it’s time to check out the barbecues again. Any day is good for a barbie, as we call them here.

You don’t need an excuse to fire up the burners and toss some olive oil on a sizzling hot plate. But I’d better duck outdoors and check that the gas cylinder is full, before I light up each burner and get the gleaming utensils out again.

Keep 'em clean and keep 'em sharp. Now that’s what I call real cutting edge.


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

Face Value

Too Late For A Wanted Poster, Mister Turpin

Police have released an e-fit of English highwayman Dick Turpin - 270 years after he was hanged. They used newspaper clippings from the London Gazette between 1735-1737 and technology to create the first realistic picture of him.

FOOTNOTE: Thief of time.

Post Of The Day

Today's joint winners are Your Mother Knows But Won't Tell You with The Gift Of Grief and Willow Manor with Shoe. The other top contenders were A New York Magpie's Eye with More Buried Treasure; French Fancy with Highs And Lows Of Yesterday; Mrs Nesbitt with In My Element For Teesside Hospice; My Chaos My Bliss with Camping School; Buried With Children with Maybe It's Because; Curiouser And Curiouser with Will I Ever?; Hibiscus Moon with Last Quarter Moon Last Night; Hadriana's Treasures with Now I Can Tell You The Whole Story, Part 1; Nota Bene with The Last Time and Tales Of Extraordinary Ordinariness with A Very Bad 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 ....

See my photography at Images Sans Frontiers and Red Bubble.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

She pursed her lips and called him a heel
For daring to try his real-estate spiel
He replied that his logic was as safe as houses
But she said that it didn’t apply to spouses

First Of The Winter Buds

Yes, There’s Beauty In Grey Starkness

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This shot of a weeping cherry branch was taken last weekend, just after we crossed the halfway point of our Australian winter. The isolated leaves, furled tight and crisp, are a stubborn reminder that sometimes not all foliage falls to the ground.

As I lined up the shot and even after I had put the camera away, I resisted the impulse to reach out and touch the leaves, which I imagine would have felt as brittle as centuries-old parchment.

I often get asked just how cold Melbourne gets in winter. It’s colder than Sydney but not as cold as Canberra, where sub-zero nights are par for the course.

But we often get ice on the car and heavy frosts are common as well – which is precisely why I prune my roses later than most people. Why? Because there’s not much sense in subjecting tender new shoots to cruel frost.

But yes, there was a recent snowfall that attracted a lot of attention –because it blanketed Kinglake, one of many areas here that were destroyed by the February bushfires. Maybe it was a special, symbolic reassurance from Nature.

Visit MamaGeek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.

Tall Story

Taking The Wind Out Of My Sails

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

These shots were taken exactly a week ago, at lunchtime last Friday. I’ve been wanting to do something different for this theme for a while and I realised that if I took a long walk past the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, I would be able to get some unusual sky shots with the rigging of a genuine sailing vessel.

The Polly Woodside is a great Melbourne landmark. She was a 19th-century vessel built in Belfast, Ireland by the shipbuilders Workman Clark & Co Ltd. The story behind her name is interesting, because the Irish owner, William Woodside, named her after his wife. But here’s an interesting twist. His wife’s name was Marian, although her nickname was Polly, hence the vessel’s name.


In the early Seventies, she was restored to be a museum ship for The National Trust. As I approached her from a distance, I was struck by the thought that I’d never photographed an actual sailing ship before. Modern vessels, yes. Yachts, yes. Ocean liners, yes. But sailing ships that actually operate under wind power? Make that a big no.

However, these shots proved slightly more challenging that I first thought. I had forgotten – or perhaps I just did not know – that the vessel was actually in dry dock. For starters, this meant that you couldn’t just rock up, walk around and take a number and walk aboard. I was restricted to shooting outside the barriers, of course, so I had to be creative with the way I interpreted the sight through my lens.

The winter sky was mainly grey, but there were some strong patches of sunshine, which made for very interesting light conditions. These shots were taken from the beautiful prow, looking back over the main mast.


I guess in retrospect it’s an interesting view because the sails were not actually hoisted – which in turn means that the rigging is the central focus. There was no shortage of perspective, because the main mast is estimated to be as tall as a 10-storey building.

This final shot was taken from near the stern of the sailing ship. I had the camera slung over my shoulder when I saw the single gull flying towards me. Raising the camera as quickly as I could and without any time to check the settings, I just hit the trigger as quickly as I could.

As you can see, I just about managed to get the gull in the frame and I actually think the low, long silhouette of the building on the left adds an interesting counterpoint to the graceful geometry of the Polly Woodside.


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

Sight For Sore Eyes

Eye Can See Clearly Now

A German company is making contact lenses for animals, including lions, giraffes, tigers and bears, with cataracts. The acrylic intraocular lenses are custom-made to fit each animal. Clients include a sea lion with blurred vision, a formerly blind kangaroo and a partially sighted lioness at a Romanian zoo.

FOOTNOTE: Big cat cataract.

Post Of The Day

Today's joint winners are Eternally Distracted with A Moment Of Reflection and Merisi with Midsummer Afternoon In Venice. The other top contenders were Alyson with House Hunting In Beantown; Blissfully Boring with The Older The Fiddler, The Sweeter The Tune; Suburb Sanity with Is Thou Shalt Not Tip The 11th Commandment?; French Essence with Shoe Strategy; A Beautiful Truth with Blank; Stony River Farm with Sunday Driving and Oia Santorini with Comfortably Numb. 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 ....

See my photography at Images Sans Frontiers and Red Bubble.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

My next-door neighbour Mary
Turned her yard into a prairie
She wears cowboy shirts and collars
As she stomps, whoops and hollers

Playing To The Gallery

Hang Around Any Time - It Works For The Art

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This shot was taken in 2005, when I spent a couple of days in beautiful Quebec City in mid-September. The weather wasn't too flash when I was there, but that minor point didn't deter me from exploring every nook and cranny of the city and photographing everything that caught my eye.

This was taken on my first evening, when I literally sheltered from doorway to doorway in the Lower Town, just so my cameras wouldn't get too wet. Opposite me on the cobbled street was this warm, inviting art gallery. Should I spend five minutes inside? No, I decided instead to take a quick shot and move on.

Why? Five minutes in a gallery could have meant I missed a few photographs as dusk approached. But I did love the fact that the frame of the burgundy door was a perfect match for the frame of the window.

Yep, that's a lot of great frames for a single gallery.

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

Nun The Wiser

That’s What You Call A Quick Response

Three Italian nuns who were pulled up in their Ford Fiesta for speeding told police they were on their way to check on the Pope, who had fallen over and hurt himself. Police said the nun who was driving, "will be making sure she confesses her bad driving the next time she goes to confession".

FOOTNOTE: Sister act.

Post Of The Day

Today's winner is Fireblossom with Do Not Think. The other top contenders were Rune with Anchor; I Love Old Cameras with Monochrome Weekly; Sydney Eye with Sounding The Heart; Loud Silence with Blissfully Unaware; Geogypsy with Storm Watching; Sylvia K with Evening Words, Wisdom And Beauty; Tales From Twisty Lane with My World; Blogging Incognito with Maybe My Childhood Predisposed Me To …..; Sande with All Things Chocolate. 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 ....

See my photography at Images Sans Frontiers and Red Bubble.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

The queen of tarts, she rang Spare Parts
To buy some wheels for her billy carts
But the king did deem, with his eyes a-gleam
That friction should be replaced by steam

A Is For Angel

This Melbourne Landmark Is Larger Than Life

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

So, did you spot the angel in the photograph above? No, don't look in the sky. The large sculpture by the riverside is called "The Angel". One of Deborah Halpern's signature pieces of art, it was commissioned 22 years ago, in 1987, for Australia’s Bicentennial celebrations the following year.

This sequence of images was shot exactly two years ago, on an icy cold Melbourne winter day. And just in case you're looking at the image above and thinking the trees don't look like our normal Aussie gum trees, you're dead right. They're actually English elms, planted all along the Yarra River by the early settlers.


I was standing at the area of parkland known as Birrarung Marr, photographing Deborah Halpern's masterpiece when I realised that if I stood under the 30-foot tall (almost 10 metres) work of art , I could actually use its shape as a triangular frame for the cityscape.

Angel's first home was actually the south moat of the nearby National Gallery Victoria, or NGV, but it was moved in 2006 to its present spot at Birrarung Marr.

This shot (above) was taken under the work of art, looking directly across the river. A few second after I took that frame, I wondered if I would somehow be able to find an angle where I could actually photograph Princes Bridge.

The short answer was yes. As you can see from the image below, I was able to compose an asymmetrical shot to include not only all three spans of the prominent bridge, but even the surface of the Yarra, as well as the towering Rialto. It used to be Melbourne's tallest building until Eureka Tower (visible in the second frame) took that distinction when it opened in 2006.


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

Fag End Of The Day

Sounds Like A Matter Of Life And Debt

A US man bought a packet of cigarettes from his local petrol station - only to find his card charged $23 quadrillion. The exact amount was $23,148,855,308,184 - many times the US national debt. Rather than hold him to making the repayments, the bank agreed to correct the error.

FOOTNOTE: Smoke and mirrors.

Post Of The Day

Today's winners are The Depp Effect with Tripod Sid and Shrinky with Dancing To A Fine Tune. The other top contenders were The Fifty Factor with Dating: Chapter Four; Maggie May with Grandchildren; Hilary with Queens, Kings And Wings; Add Humor And Faith with A Cutting Comment; Kathy’s Kampground Kapers with Harmony – Not Really and Daryl with Shark!?. 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 ....

See my photography at Images Sans Frontiers and Red Bubble.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

She offered to take her brand-new beau
For a midnight spin in her red Peugeot
But he was so shocked he could hardly speak
When she missed a turn and splashed into the creek

Image Building

Hello Dali, Well, Hello Dali

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I reckon I've walked past this building dozens of times, but what caught my attention about five weeks ago, when I took these shots, was the interesting, moody sky reflected in the sharply segmented exterior glass of the structure.

It was a grey winter day with scattered patches of blue sky, and I stood there for a few seconds, enthralled by the wonderful reflection I could see. You see, this building is on the south side of the Yarra, but because of where I was standing, I could actually see the reflection of the Optus building and other offices on the other side of the river bank.

Then when I sat down at my computer later and examined the images, something caught my eye. See how the word "Optus" is reversed - as you'd expect in a mirror image?

Now look at the bottom image and have a look at the very dark flag (in the bottom left-hand corner) advertising the Salvador Dali exhibition. Well, here's the puzzle - the lettering is the right way round.

It took me at least a minute to figure it out. The flag was obviously flying the wrong way round in the crisp, cold breeze - but the reflection has inverted it to seem "normal".


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