TAKE SIXTEEN C

Monday's Critters.

In honour of the 'leap' day.. &*>

The Giant Hedge Grasshopper ... or Valanga irregularis (Acrididae)

It was about four inches not including the antennae.

TAKE FIFTEEN c

MOONdays

Outside my window, last November...

TAKE FOURTEEN c

Saturday Symmetry

Tile 'parquetry' in the Queen Victoria Building, Sydney.

TAKE THIRTEEN c

"The future will either be green... or not at all."
(Bob Brown)

TAKE TWELVE c

It's the Last Thursday of the month. Again...

Yes, lead crystal Christmas decor... ultimate decadence. 

TAKE ELEVEN c

Wings on Wednesday -
YAM's take on the good, the bad, the ugly and the downright hilarious in photographing birds.

Mentioned the magpie last week; the sweet morning caller of OZ.

They are very intelligent birds (as are their cousins the butcherbirds and the currawongs) and will often become quite tame.

TAKE TEN c

Shipping by...

Out little local fishing vessel got a bit of a surprise one morning... As did I. Watching Eilidh Ann, spotted the little navy runner boat and then 'whoosh', up it came...!!!

TAKE NINE c

Monday's Critters

It was tiny - about one centimetre...

Tmesidera rufipennis (Meloidae)

TAKE EIGHT c

SUNdays

Well... it's winter, still...

TAKE SEVEN c

Saturday Symmetry

This building on Queensland's Gold Coast gave me the total space-outs...

TAKE SIX c

"Things are beautiful if you love them."
(Jean Anouilh)

TAKE FIVE c

Thursday's bring something outside the square... This is Alcantrarea Imperialis, a giant form of bromeliad.

TAKE FOUR c

Wings on Wednesday -
YAM's take on the good, the bad, the ugly and the downright hilarious in photographing birds.

A lot of you were taken with the Aussie Butcher Bird last week... that was an adult. This is the juvenile, in its fledging feathers. They have a beautiful, throaty warble not unlike their cousins, the Australian Magpie. For those who wondered about the hook on the end of the beak; these are insect eaters (though occasionally small lizards) and the hook is used to pull bark from trees and other such activities. Their name comes from the habit of hanging their prey from fencelines or thin branches.

TAKE THREE c

Shipping by...

Mein Schiff 4, TUI Cruises, 2015 Valetta

TAKE TWO c

Monday's Critters

The Orange-shouldered Hawk Moth, NSW. Australia

TAKE ONE c

SUNdays

Not to labour the point, but there was really rather a lack of the big yellow orb on my OZ trip.... very disappointing! There was lots of  glare though, suggesting the thing was there, somewhere, up behind... This shot was taken from a speeding train through some extraordinarily filthy glass... One of the Glasshouse Mountains... 'Tibrogargan', to be precise.

Kinda romantic. Close I get to it on this day at least!

TAKE THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY SIX b

Saturday Symmetry...

and yes, you read that heading correctly - it's a leap year after all!!! End of TAKE's third year of blogging and not a day missed. Here's to another 365 in the C series!

This spiral stair case is under the dome of Queen Victoria Building, Sydney city centre. The place was built in 1898 and was originally offices and market stores... now it is 'up market' with designer shops and galleries and eateries.

TAKE THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE b

"Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely."

(Buddha)

TAKE THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FOUR b

Thursday again... watch ....

On Burleigh Beach, QLD's Gold Coast, this lady's stance caught my imagination - and the Fudge's lens.

A bit of soft-focus and trim and voila! a postcard from OZ.

TAKE THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THREE b

Wings on Wednesday -
YAM's take on the good, the bad, the ugly and the downright hilarious in photographing birds.

The Australian Grey Butcherbird. 

TAKE THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY TWO b

Shipping by...

Taken on that same take-off pass of Botany Bay as last week's, only on a wider angle. Here you see the ship from last post and also one under way, accompanied by a number of tugs. That was all the shipping I managed to lay lens on in the Great Downunderparts this visit!

TAKE THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY ONE b

Monday's Critters

As proof of how cool and wet it was on my OZ trip (Nov-Dec), was putting the house rubbish out the door and found this fella on the wheely- bin.

Yup, that's a leech.

Revels in the very fine name of
Gnatbobdellida libbata.

THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY b

SUNdays

Nothing beats being aloft when the sun sets...

THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY NINE b

Saturday Symmetry

Nature comes up trumps on the symmetry. Again.

TAKE THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY EIGHT b

"Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot. Others transform a yellow spot into the sun."
(Pablo Picasso)

TAKE THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY SEVEN b

Thursdays are the anything goes days...

One small detail from the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney City Centre.

TAKE THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX b

Wings on Wednesday -
YAM's take on the good, the bad, the ugly and the downright hilarious of photographing birds.

Noisy Friarbird.

Spotted this one up high at Noose, Sunshine Coast, QLD. Had the lens at full-stretch again!

TAKE THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FIVE b

Shipping by...

As the jet lifted from Australian soil, we looked down upon Botany Bay; at last I got a tanker in my sights again!

TAKE THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FOUR b

Monday's Critters

As stick insects go, this is quite small...