Hints of silver among the gold and blue
This will be the last sunrise for February from me, and March will have to start without me. 
I was lucky to get this shot. Later in the morning, council sprayed the roadside verges with poison, and that means I’ll be confined to the house for the next few days until the volatile fumes dissipate. It also means my horse will no longer be able to graze there…… as to the little native creatures…. they must face the risks…..
The world is getting crazier each day….. If it moves, shoot it, if it grows, poison it. Be in control at all times. Never let Nature run Her course. Always believe Man knows best. Lies, lies and more damn lies……
Nighttime
Good morning,
It is nearing two a.m. here in sleepy Southern California; however, sleep refuses to have me, or even make a quick acquaintance. I’ve supplicated to its mercy, and scorned its cruelty, neither of which has done me much good — obviously. My mind is restless. I was an insomniac for over 10 years, during which I received treatment in all its varying forms.
I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being..
In The Northern Mountains
In the Northern Mountains
Cloaked in the white mantle of winter, The great mountain range dreams. Away from others, alone, I listen To a silence filled with presences. As Death is roaming the cold forest Life is waiting, unmoving, hiding. The night has taken over the world, Stars everywhere, sky ablaze. Overhead a bright trail crosses the heavens, Crying to my mind its fear of oblivion.
The glow that illumines
There are two kinds of light – the glow that illumines, and the glare that obscures. ~James Thurber
Afterthoughts on the MSG post, or Hang'em From the Lamp Posts
Hi readers. Thanks for stopping in.
The comment responses to the post about MSG [Culinary Risk Taking – MSG – Root Hog or Die ] surprised me, mainly by the fact a relatively small pool of readers included so many who’ve with MSG reactions. Curiosity led me to do a few web searches for statistics on MSG related ailments.
Dancing underfoot
It was one of those magical mornings, where a slight fog left enough moisture to create wonderful moods, and despite the lovely everchanging views up above, my eyes kept being drawn to the lower levels, to the space around my feet……
While it’s nice to look at the big picture, there can be just as much beauty in the smallness of things.
Day’s End
Ralph Waldo Emerson
What is truth and what is fiction?
Perhaps it’s in the eye of the beholder……
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Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary..
A simple life
One way to achieve a simple life, is to appreciate simple pleasures. I gained a great deal of pleasure from being able to photograph the sunrise this morning. It wasn’t spectacular. That wasn’t important. I was there to see it. That is what mattered.
There is much to commend a simple life. The Simplicity Institute is a starting point. SimpleSunflower is about simple living made simple, and there’s The Simpler Way. There’s simply no excuse for not living more simply!
I hope you simply enjoy this morning’s sunrise 
Incomplete beauty
This is the window of a shop in Milano. This has been shot with my iPhone 3gs. The app used to shot the image was Qbro, editing was done using PhotoForge2, Picgrunger and Scratchcam.
Synthetic fibers and our oceans
First we heard about the world’s biggest garbage dump – made up of the detritus of our time: plastic bottles, plastic bags, DVD cases – floating in our ocean. About 44 percent of all seabirds eat plastic, apparently by mistake, sometimes with fatal effects. And many marine species are affected by plastic garbage—animals are known to swallow plastic bags, which resemble jellyfish in mid-ocean, for example—according to a 2008 study in the journal…
Hot lips – getting up close and personal
It was fun to have my macro lens out again, getting a closer look at flowers.
The gift of love
May each day be filled with love.
Life has taught us
that love does not consist
of gazing at each other
but looking outward
in the same direction.
~Antoine de Saint-Exuperyt
How can I tempt thee – let me count the ways…..
Fresh…..juiced….dried….baked….cider….. Apples……organic….delicious….delectable…..divine♥
Chapter 16 - Leave no Footprints
It’s something to walk for hours in boggy mud and look back and be able to see where you came from. We have had the distinct displeasure of working in some places where you would look back and see nothing but a slight trail that faded every second you watched. It makes me think of how short our lives are.
What do animals think?
This is an image that I took when doing a photo shoot with Fred’s assistance – he’s written about it on his blog.
I also posted it on my RedBubble site, and it brought forth this question – What do the animals think at this time of day? Do they have any sense of time and their place and existence in the Universe, as some humans do?
I’m very interested to get some responses to this question – from all perspectives!
Beach Treasures
If you want to see some lovely photographs of Australian Beach Treasures, have a look at them on ABC Science - they are simply wonderful!
I took this shot of the jellyfish last month, when visiting Beachport, along the Limestone Coast. 
I must go down to the sea again…..as John Mansfield writes:
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way, where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.
When it pans out.
Just lately, I’ve been playing around with slow shutter speeds – after all, when the light is poor, may as well go along with it.
It’s been a bit of fun, and my thanks to the cattle for their co-operation in the project
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No, there’s nothing wrong with your eyes
Remembering Summer…..
Like Fred, I am also missing the warmth of the sun. I know that in a couple of months time, I’ll be looking back in fondness to the warmth of now – it’s just that this first summer in my new location hasn’t felt like summer AT ALL!
Anyway, looking through my files, I found these shots I took one bright warm summer’s morning at the end of last year. Instead of heading east along my road, I had turned west at the gate, and then south at the next intersection, in my search for new perspectives. While it’s a pretty area, it hasn’t quite got the more secluded feel of my usual direction, so I haven’t been there since – on my early morning bike rides that is….. 
The light streams were really nice, but I couldn’t seem to capture them properly that day.
Naturally, I attracted the attention of the locals….
And perhaps this one wanted to join in….
I walked over to that gateway, and saw an area beyond that was low lying, a good place to remember come winter when it fills with water and attracts the water birds.
Yes, I remember that summer’s morning…..
Winter bravery
Winter has arrived ! Some friends just told me about how their friends in the very north of Sweden had had a huge party in a tent at -40 c this weekend and yes, I must admit I was impressed even though I’m not sure I would have stayed very long myself. As I’m writing this Frozen planet is on TV – the amazing series with David Attenborough and it once again brings home to me how well we humans adapt to our circumstances, how we always seem to find a way to survive, to grow and to evolve and…like my fellow crazy swedes in the north just have proved, to have fun.
