Sunday 20 October 2013

A fiery start to summer





It's not often that I find myself praying for a downpour, but with a number of bushfires currently ravaging large parts of the state, nothing could be more welcome right now. We need rain. Plenty of it and preferably for a good few days in a row.
Unfortunately though, that's not what's on the cards. For the moment, the weather forecast is predicting more hot and blustery conditions for the week ahead, which means that really, things could hardly be worse for the fire fighters currently out there saving homes and lives.
For us, 60 kilometres from the nearest fire, it just means there's an orange haze blocking the sun and —depending on the direction of the wind — a distinct smell of burning wood. The kind of smell that, as a European expat, triggers memories of cosy winters spent in front of a log fire, a connotation that is difficult to reconcile with this level of danger and destruction.





It is also a reminder that Australia truly is a country of extremes, where floods and fires are a regular occurrence and where Mother Nature, for all her beauty, truly is in charge. Things happen here on a scale you just don't see in Europe, another aspect of life here that can take some time to get your head around.
And then, on those days when the wind blows in the opposite direction, everything seems deceptively normal, albeit still a bit hot...





For the week ahead, our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the fires, and if anyone would like to provide financial assistance, the Salvation Army is currently running an appeal. In the meantime, we're crossing our fingers for a much needed change in weather conditions, 
xxx




Monday 14 October 2013

All the pretty things #9

All the pretty birds would be a more fitting title for this week's collection of favourite images, which is not too much of a surprise if you consider that I've spent most of this week by the duck pond in Centennial Park.
That's not due to any particular fondness for ducks (though I must admit, they can be entertaining) but more because it was about the coolest place I could think of, a virtual necessity with the mercury hitting 37.3 in the city.  And here's what we saw.
A geese family outing...


An Australian pelican, beating the ducks to it in the race for bread crumbs...





  





 A sacred, or Australian white Ibis. Not quite sure where these birds get their name from, as they're neither particularly white (more grubby), nor sacred (to the contrary, they're typically considered a pest...) But they can't help that, and personally I think this bird is beautiful in its own way...





 And finally, you can always rely on a photogenic black swan for a pretty picture...



Sunday 6 October 2013

All the pretty things #8

It's been a week dedicated to all things naval as Australia commemorated the centennial anniversary of its fleet. Naturally, we couldn’t miss this one in a hundred year event, and so we've spent most of this week enjoying the celebrations.
On Friday, we watched as a procession of over forty warships from around the world sailed into the harbour. Coupled with the sixteen or so tall ships that arrived on Thursday, there's no denying the harbour has been an even busier place than usual...




Saturday was the big day for festivities, with a ceremonial fleet review and an afternoon of spectacular aerial displays...






The day was topped off with a breathtaking light show and fireworks display, depicting the past 100 years of Australian naval history. If you haven't watched the fireworks yet, here's a recap, it's well worth a peek...
But we couldn't finish a week of maritime festivities without taking to the water ourselves. So today, we spent the afternoon paddle boarding Narrabeen lagoon and hanging out with these little guys...