276
~ What ... More Hens ? ~

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Ohhhh, MOOR hens ... gotcha ! It's that time of the year when a young water-fowls' thoughts are only of romance ... these critters are chasing each other 'round the lake from dawn 'til dusk at the moment, and it is quite a comic sight ... they remind me of the road runner being pursued by Wylie E. Coyote ...

277

~ Grand Entrance ~
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Remember back in the good old days when they actually provided doors for this purpose ?

278
~ Old Salt - Part II ~

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Ok, in reference to the previous photo posted ... this is the original pic (or part thereof), now call me a cynic, but this is NOT dressing to keep the sun out ... this is serious cover-up camouflage ... when I was seen with the camera, said black ninja disappeared hastily below ... Any thoughts ? ... I reckon it's Nicole Kidman but I'm open to suggestion ! :)

279

~ Old Salt ~
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What a life ... cruising out through the heads with not a care in the world (except for the sinister figure in all black standing right behind him not seen in this crop of the photograph) ... more will be revealed soon !

280
~ Little Nipper ~

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"I don't know what it is either, but it took me forever to climb up here, so go find your own ..." said the crab as he shook his claw threateningly at the intruder ....

281

~ Trumpy Time ~
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Man's second best friend ... will THIS man's anyway :) ... Hey I figure that if man's best friend is his dog, yet diamonds are a girl's best friend ... then man deserves a back-up !

282
~ Flying Fortress ~

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Just when you thought we had gotten past the over-use of gratuitous pelican shots here's another ...

283

~ Highly Strung ~
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Meet Victor ... Victor was born in the USA in the 1940's ... he emigrated to Australia at a time unknown, and was later sold by his family for alcohol. Fortunately he was adopted by a caring and considerate man who allows him to hang around his house all day ... lucky break for Victor huh ?! :)

284
~ Settle Petal ~

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Gotta love those colours ... another geranium is it ? ... I don't know, it's pretty whatever it is :)

285

~ Fringe Dweller ~
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Just a little off the back and sides please ... DON'T touch the front !!!!

286
~ Self Portrait ~

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Just purely to satisfy my own curiousity ... had to try ... it's hard taking a photo with both eyes open !

287

~ Bummer Dude ! ~
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Misreading his guests' comment of, "I think the tide's gone out", the skipper promptly refilled his friends glass and apologised for being such a poor host ...

288
~ Celtic Class ~

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My beloved Bodhran (traditional Irish hand-drum)

289

~ Fly on the Wall ~
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.................................... literally ......................................

290
~ Unplugged ~

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The plughole in the kitchen sink was looking decidedly tired and ordinary ... so I chromed it :)

291

~ The Eyes Have It ~
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Black and white gets a hint of colour as a subtle feature lift ...

292
~ Sparks Fly from Her Fingertips ... ~

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The colourful world of the humble sparkler evolves from novelty item to art piece ...

293

~ Not Fade Away ~
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Reminiscent of those wash-out prints everybody used to have in the 70's ... not sure of the artists name ... was it Sarah Moon ? ... That rings a bell ...

294

~ Of Colours & Shapes ~

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This could be anywhere in the world really ... sadly though, my travel budget is somewhat limited, so it's all quite close to home really ...

295
~ Anyones' Guess ~
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Quick quiz time again ... what are we looking at here ?

296

~ Knot As It Would Seem ~

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Nature creates some wonderful visual effects all it's own ... almost like a technicolour cyclones eye where a branch used to be ...

297
~ Moving Targets ~
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I made an interesting discovery today ... perhaps one of the most difficult, non-obliging and unpredictable subjects to photograph would have to be the dragonfly ... I have to take a Panadol now and have a lie down ....

298

~ Attitude ~

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You didn't think that with these gorgeous little fluffy critters around I could post just ONE photo of them did you ? This shot proves that just because you're only a few days old, doesn't mean you can't have attitude ! :)

299
~ Announcing the Arrival of ... (x 11) ~
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Spring is most definitely in the air, and the resident magpie geese on the lake here have delivered another delightful clutch (?) of the most adorable little goslings ... let's hope the hawks, eels, and other predators stay away this year ...

300

~ Here's the Church, and Here's the Steeple ... ~

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A fortuitous lens flair adds an "Almighty" touch to this old church (along with a bit of filter fiddling) ...

301
~ Painting the Painter ~
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A local artist captured painting wildlife in the wetlands ... thought it moderately appropriate that I treat her portrait in the style of a painting as well ... also a momentary escape from vivid colours

302

~ ... And Stay Out ! ~

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A pecking order is established ... after all, a mans' log is his castle ...

303
~ I Can See My House From Here ! ~
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Taking in the view from a potted penthouse, this tiny arachnid contemplates the options of moving up to a better web address ...

304

~ A Friendly Portrait ~

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The animated face of an old work colleague (perhaps I should say "ex-work colleague" for fear of retribution re the "old" thing) ...

305
~ Beautiful One Day ... Perfect The Next ~
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As if it was ever in doubt anyway ... further proof that this beautiful land is INDEED God's Own Country

306

~ Kiss me you fool ... ~

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Mick Jagger makes a solo career come-back sporting a whole new look ... or is it perhaps Vince Gill ?

307
~ Pub Crawl ~
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I'm sure that many punters wearing the wobbly boot have crawled along this stretch of footpath over the years ... outside the beautiful old Grand View Hotel ...

308

~ Norma Jean ~

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Well ... it's a candle in the wind isn't it ???? ... Gee this is a tough crowd ... I'm dying here !

309
~ Sail Away ~
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There it was, quietly making passage amidst the pleasure craft and power cruisers ... a vision of all those things that drew mariners to the sea in days gone by ....... one day ........

310

~ Life Cycle (photo 312) - Revisited ~

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At the persistence of LuckyG (whose suggestions were ALL good), I will now 'fess up ... the original photograph (un-retouched above) was cropped and treated in the way it was to hide the fact that it was in fact a 6 inch model standing in front of a mock orange bush ... I deliberately avoided close-ups as the detail would be a dead give-away ... prior to my being publicly exposed (thanks LG *wink*), a growing number of folk were asking how I came to get hold of this great old bike ... Oh well, it was good while it lasted ! :o)

311

~ Spider Spider On The Wall .... ~

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Tried a number of different methods to breathe some life into this shot ... nothing quite seemed to capture the attention or the imagination ... then along came a ... solarizing filter ... brought the whole web to life and a depth of field thing that I liked ... (and let's just remember, it IS all about me after all ! :o)

312
~ Life Cycle ~
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A forgotten era is recalled when helmets were for soldiers, suspension was for bridges, and scars on the shin from an unpredictable kick-starter were considered to be part of the uniform ...

313

~ Norwegian Blue ~

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Ok, so he's not really a Norwegian Blue, nor is he an ex-parrot that has 'ceased to be', but Fred here is nonetheless one of the most personality plus friends anyone could hope to have ... Say hello Fred ... Fred ... FRED

314
~ What the ...... ? ~

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You can say what you like, but I still maintain that the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service are a most accomodating bunch, and generous to a "T" ... (apparently)

315

~ Objet D'Inanimate ~

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(Please excuse my French) ... a couple of stray women I found loitering around the house ...

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316
~ Golfers Delight ~

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Pretty much self-explanatory ... and possibly the last gratuitous birdie shot for a while ...

317

~ An (ob) Noxious Bouquet ~

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... and to think, the plant that is capable of expressing itself in this way is considered to be a noxious weed ... go figure ...

318
~ Oh ... Grate ! ~

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I sat for hours trying to come up with some witty comment to go with this picture, but alas I was just left feeling drained so I gave up ...

319

~ Chasing Birds ~

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The last few posts are the results of a day wandering about through the Eprapah Wetlands reserves ... Whilst the birdlife was minimal on the day, I managed to grab a few "sneaky's" although I would love to have cornered one of the whip-birds, elusive little critters they are. Still managed to track down a koala or two, and an assortment of roos and wallaby's. Above and below are two of the 'consenting' subjects, good enough to stop by for a split second or two .. Have a few other shots from there that may pop up into the blog at some stage in the future, if and when I figure out how to treat them :)

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320
~ Tap Dancing ~

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I attempted tap dancing once ... had to give it up though, I fell into the sink and broke my leg ... but that's another story ... An old tap covered in spider webs just begs to be given the treatment .. so the treatment it got ! :)

321

~ The Castle ~

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Reminiscent of spooky movies with castles on craggy mountainsides jutting out of the water, swirling mists and melodramatic music ...

322
~ The Face of Australia ~

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The face of a real Aussie "Bushy" ... and like most of his kind, genuine, straight up-and-down, and a gentle giant ...