Challenges.....!

Being the last night of the Perth Royal Show and not actually wanting to experience the crowds, we took a drive up to Reabold Hill 7kms west of Perth. The fantastic views of the city and the Indian Ocean from the boardwalk at the summit are well worth the trip. I did take these shots using a tripod but the distance and total lack of any kind of lighting proved a bit of a challenge for the Lumix using the 24X zoom. The shot below gives you a visual idea of the distance, there's Perth way back there on the horizon.....

I almost forgot to tell you the reason we went up Reabold Hill on the last night of the Perth Royal Show, it was for the fireworks...also quite a distance away and even more challenging and to cut a long story short..tah dah! here is my only firework shot worth showing (and even that's debatable haha!). I must get back there in the daylight and take some shots of the city and the ocean under less formidable circumstances. Hope you have a wonderful Sunday, take care.....

From shadow to reflection.....

The first time I saw this intricate lacework sculpture it was sitting on Cottesloe Beach as part of the 2010 Sculptures by the Sea. It looked fabulous then with the sun glinting off it creating lacy shadows on the white sand. It now resides in a more 'lofty' position making silvery reflections in the water feature in front of the Art Gallery. As a matter of interest the beaches at Cottesloe were closed today, not for the usual shark alert reasons, but because the normally pristine white beaches were swamped in seaweed (check it out!), that's going to be a job and a half to clean up unless mother nature lends a helping hand! Hope you have a lovely weekend, take care and y'know...stay safe.

Believe it or not.....!

Seriously would I tell a fib! I took these two shots yesterday a few minutes apart, looking out to sea on the left the clouds were of biblical proportions, a quick swivel to the right and we have this scene below..it's school hols again in Perth and the marina was swarming with schoolkids eating chish and fips, oh yeh and 'wok in a box'.. there were even a few brave souls who, defying the weather were leaping off the jetty and swimming out to the lido. By the way those humongous clouds were all talk and not much action, I expected more from them! Is it really Friday already, that's a little bit scary right! Did this week fly by as quickly for you? Happy day, hope it's a good one, take care.....

Waddling the gauntlet.....!

After a harrowing ordeal trying to fend off little hands to get the 'kiddies' home, mama duck tucked her head in and had a well earned nap. I love kids, I have two of my own and numerous nephews and nieces..but it really annoyed me when the parents stood by watching as their children got way too close and personal with these little ducklings, distressing mama duck so much that she pecked a finger or two, and who could blame her! What's that I hear? Moi, a grumpy bum! No way haha! Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe.....

Ready the cannons.....!

There are four cannons high on the hill at Kings Park aimed out towards the Swan River just in case of a possible invasion, always best to be prepared oui! Two of them dated 1843 may have been used in the Crimea War and the other two dated 1813/14 by Wellington's army at Waterloo. I wonder what Queen Victoria would have thought of this magnificent vista she surveys here, likewise her son Prince Alfred if he had taken the time on his Australian trip in 1867 to visit WA, I suppose to be fair it would have been a very long way to come in those days, heck most people still think it's a long way to come! If I can convince at least one or two people out there that the journey is well worth it then my job is done haha! Take care on your journey today, stay safe.....

Wildflowers and so much more.....

I went up to Kings Park on Sunday to take photos of the wildflowers for you but I thought eh! how different can they be from here and here so as token flower shots the one above (taken sitting down on the path to get the perspective causing much interest from passers by haha) and below the winding road up the hill to the top of Kings Park lined with everlastings.....

Kings Park has got to be right up there at the top of the list of places to visit when you come to Perth, there  really is something for everyone here. With the Wildflower Festival happening right now there are so many related events, free concerts, the most popular with the little ones and their parents being the Adorable Florables show below, I enjoyed the little fella in the foreground kicking the footy probably thinking 'I'm not looking at any sissy old flowers' haha!....

But  really at anytime of the year Kings Park is a wonderful family destination for picnics, exploring little nooks and crannies, the views across the sweeping lawns are spectacular. I have taken some shots of one or two of the many memorials scattered around the park which I'll post another time. Meanwhile it's been a super relaxing long weekend, back to normal tomorrow, I hope your week is heading in the right direction (?), take care and stay safe.....

Scitech silhouettes.....

One of the many fun things about having great nieces and nephews means that now and then you get invited along to some fun places that might look a little odd if you visited without a toddler in tow! Places designed especially for curious three to seven year olds like Discover Land at Scitech in the City West centre. My three year old great nephew was slightly distracted by the whizz, bang, boom of it all, but he did pull up short here at the light and silhouette screen, made even more fun when he found a box full of props to create many different fun shapes. It's a long weekend here in Perth with the temperature soaring to 34C tomorrow and along with unwanted announcements on the radio about the long, very hot dry summer coming up, I'm starting to dread it already! Hope your week gets off to a good start, take care and stay safe.....To see more silhouettes from around the world click here.