323

~ Check Mate ~

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Two slightly bent and twisted Knights prepare to do battle on a slightly bent and twisted board ... Odd kind of offering from a slightly bent and twisted photographer huh ?! :)

324
~ You Can't Keep a Good Geranium Down ~

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After the destruction of the near cyclonic winds and rain through the area recently, it's wonderful to see nature fighting back ... more determined and more beautiful than ever ...

325

~ Pussycat, Pussycat ... ~

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How can something so sweet and adorable look so evil ? ... Two very penetrating eyes offset against a soft furry face that's just made for cuddling :)

326
~ I Love My Job ~

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You know what's almost as good as being paid to photograph fine food in an idyllic setting ? ... Getting to relax in said idyllic setting after the shoot and devour all that fine food :) ... (Shame they wouldn't let me open the Moet though ... )

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327

~ How Much can a Koala Bear ? ~

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Ok .. I know ... before you feel the need to correct me, a Koala is not really a bear as such ... Meet Krusty, our occasional nocturnal visitor in the parklands by the lake. If you look carefully, you can see his unfinished breakfast just above his right ear.

328
~ Feathers & Fur ~

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A double-shot of friends from the animal kingdom ... Above is Max, my wonderfully faithful companion of many years who is now, sadly, getting very old and tired .. a true friend and a constant source of unconditional love at all times ... Below is Pearl, a most hyperactive white budgerigar who is determined that one day she WILL get that damned bell out of it's technicolour cage !

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329

~ Raindrops are falling on my ... pool ~

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Steve Parish once told me that the best days for photography are overcast or rainy days ... I understood what he meant today ... I took a kazillion shots of water drops falling into the pool from the shade sail above ... These are four I picked out ... the first two just for their sheer beauty ... the second two because of the way the splashes can mess with your imagination !

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Variation on the theme above ... It's amazing what we DON'T see ... and to think, I was just sitting there wishing the rain would stop ...

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See the tiny little newborn dolphin who popped up from the pool to say hello ?!

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... and here's Aquaman diving into the icy blue depths on another mission for truth, justice and the aquatic way !

330
~ While My Guitar Gently Peeps ~

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My beloved custom Maton guitar ... reflecting her owners' love and perpetual admiration ... at times like this I can see myself getting ahead :)

331

~ Sitting Pretty ~

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"High on a hill lived a lonely deck-chair" ... Ok, well I don't think it lived there, but it would appear someone in too much of a hurry left said chair behind ... sad really, such a pretty thing it was too ... Has a bit of a Van Gogh / Gaugan / Picasso feel to it, (well I think anyway) ...

332
~ Those Were the Days ~

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A noisy sepia effect was used in an effort to capture the era this face suggested to me .. an innocence perhaps in a way reminiscent of a time sadly long gone ...

333
~ Smokin' Grass ~

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Ok, well YOU come up with a better title ... Down by the sugar mills where the smoke stack spews it's load into the air, in stark contrast to the landscape of magnificent trees and mile after mile of cane fields ...

334

~ Rusty Relic ~

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Ha ... with a title like 'Rusty Relic' you were expecting a self-portrait weren't you ?! ... Just thought I'd beat you to the punch-line, people ! :)

335
~ Ugly Sisters ~

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With Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song' as a soundtrack (inspired by Snow White in Shrek III), meet three rather scary looking sisters. I would have loved to have taken this photo during a violent electrical storm with a backdrop of lightning and threatening skies, however mother nature gave me this lovely day instead ... and who am I to argue with mother nature, (particularly if THESE are her daughters !)

336

~ War of the Worlds ~

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"... and still they come" ... An Orson-esque take of the invasion of our bay. "As night closes in, the giant mechanical creatures groan into life ... inching their way slowly from the ocean towards the unsuspecting city ..."

337
~ On Reflection ~

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Something of a nautical but nice theme ... a family of Poles looking for a sea-change perhaps ? ... Maybe this place could be exactly what they're looking for ... it is, after all, without pier ... ahhh, what would I know, I'm just a buoy ...

338

~ Against the Wind ~

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As the storm rages, the metallic figure of the ibis forges forward through the wind and debris ... seeking shelter ... seeking safe haven ... seeking position number 338 on the Echoes of the RiverSong Blog ...

339
~ The Things I've Seen ... ~

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Still in a black and white mood ... These beautiful eyes are 94 years old ... to imagine the things they would have seen ... there is so much character in the older faces around us ... so much expression ... the things they would have forgotten that we are yet to even experience

340

~ Funny Guy ~

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The people you meet in dark places ... Widely acclaimed DJ and radio announcer MM asks if anyone can remember where he left his sunglasses ...

341
~ Respect ~

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I was sincerely moved by the presence of this elderly gentleman at an Anzac Day dawn service I had to cover for the magazine I was working on at the time ... The gathering was large, the crowd was quite diverse, from young children with no concept as to why they were standing in a cemetary at 6.30 in the morning, to the ex-service men and women who were there, as they had been every year, to show their respect to fallen comrades. This particular gentleman arrived alone and was confined to an electric wheelchair. At the start of the service, I saw him painstakingly struggle (without aid) to find his feet ... he remained standing (very obviously in great discomfort) for the entire duration of the ceremony ... I never got the chance to speak with him, yet he inspired me greatly. It's funny how some things leave a profound impression on you ... this was such a moment for me.

342

~ More of God's Art ~

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Continuing along with the macro theme ... This weeks guessing competition is to see who can correctly identify the two objects in the photos ... 1st prize is a ... ok, there's no first prize ... or any other for that matter ... just impress me ok !

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343
~ Close To Nature ~

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I have been encouraged by 'Lucky G' to do a little close-up photography of late, and he was kind enough to even find and give to me the subject matter for such an exercise ... here it is along with a few 'extras' ...

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344

~ Crown of Thorns ~

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Not a lot to say about this ... it's a piece of modern 'art' ... Sculpture, (as best I understand it), is a form which supposedly draws the viewer to their own conclusions as to the meaning behind it ... I'm not sure where this came from, or where it's going, but I'm open to others' ideas ...

345
~ What are YOU lookin' at ? ... ~

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At the risk of being accused of having a pelican fixation I submit the above ... Amazing creatures these ... so big ... Beats me why KFC continue to persevere with those scrawny little chickens ...

346

~ Aussie .. Aussie .. Aussie ~

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A gum tree, a crop of sugar cane, a hay bale, smoke from a distant bushfire ... yep, it doesn't get much more Aussie than that !

347
~ Just Because I Can .... ~

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Still playing with the manipulation of images ... it's amazing, through the marvels of modern technology, you can even make a Holden look like a half-decent car ! Bottom image is the original pic, top is the 'modified' car. Perhaps I should hire myself out to the General, designing new vehicles for them ... heaven knows, I couldn't do any worse than the mob they have doing it now ! (All in fun folks ... all in fun) :)

348

~ Anybody Home ? ~

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Somewhere between the Rocky Point Sugar Mill and the Prawn Farm lies this abandoned relic from the past ... The views from it's hilltop location were spectacular, though the only life there to appreciate the glorious vista were a couple of cows who remained seemingly disinterested ... Perhaps after I had left, in true Gary Larson 'Far Side' style they may have muttered something along the lines of, "Thank God he's gone ... now THIS is the life !"

349
~ Mine ... Mine ... Mine ... ~

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"What a funny old bird is the pelican

It's beak can hold more than it's belly can"

It may have the bigger beak, but it's the seagull that got the fish this time ! From the foreshores of Cabbage Tree Point is this glimpse of feathered jealousy.