New Year's Eve 2017

New Year's Eve here in Terrigal is big deal this year. I went down to the town at 7.45pm and the Esplanade was packed with families waiting to see the family fireworks at 9.00pm. There were literally thousands in the town and parking was impossible.
Some photos from the town and the fireworks as seen from the balcony of our house.
We were unaware of it at the time-we only found out the next morning-but the fireworks barge anchored off the beach caught fire and set of a substantial explosion.This maybe what I caught in the above photo.Two fireworks technicians located on the barge had to swim ashore.

Walking the dogs

  

 Seen up my street at 6.00 am today. A man walking two very small dogs. The light was beautiful-I had to find a photo in it. This is a big crop. There were garbage bins at the side of the road in the foreground. Taken with the X1. If I had more time it could have been better. I was hoping that one of the dogs was going to have a pee to give me time to get closer.

Season's Greetings

Season's greetings to all followers of the Rolling Road blog. I hope that you have a fun christmas and a happy and peaceful new year.
For all of us I hope that 2018 is peaceful and the mad men, wherever they are, are restrained by cooller heads.
2017 was a bad year for the planet and a particularly bad year for civil society in the USA. It was also my personal annus horribilis. 2018 can only be better.

Despite everything I did manage to take a few good photos through the year-except when I was in hospital even I was defeated there-and my favourite is this one. Taken on the last day of the summer school holidays in January at Avoca Beach, Central Coast of NSW,Australia. It was taken late morning on a very hot day on my Leica X Vario. I completely fluked this one and caught the boy mid air with the two girls framing the scene. It was in the last six for the Sydney Morning Herald 'Summer' photo competition but sadly I missed out on the first and only prize.

Summertime

I've just been up the coast to visit a friend who lives at Blueys Beach on the midcoast in the Myall Lakes NP-280kms north of Sydney. It is a week before the holiday rush starts on this incredibly beautiful stretch of coastline. The beaches were empty and it was hot. Very hot. I drove back down the Pacific Highway this afternoon and for a long stretch north of Raymond Terrace the exterior temperature was showing as 42ºC (107.6ºF) on the car readout. Serious heatwave weather and a major fire risk. I was glad to get home.
Not only are the beaches up there stunning but the surf is superb.The photo above was taken at Cellito Beach south of Blueys. The photos below are the view from the headland above Blueys Beach and the bottom photo shows just one of the beautiful beaches to the north of Seal Rocks.

Friendly native

I went for a walk down to the beach in Terrigal this afternoon with a camera- to get some exercise but also in the hope that a photo would present itself. Climbing the hill back from the lagoon this friendly dragon stuck its head up. The main road was only a metre away and the path was full of people and it was not at all bothered. This is a big crop from a photo taken on the X Vario, I knew that if I got any closer to fill the frame it would have taken off at very high speed back into the undergrowth

A survivor.

Central Camera on Wabash Ave, Chicago is a rarity nowadays-a real camera store loaded with everything a photographer,film or digital user, could ever want and it's been in business since 1899. It may look small from the front but it stretches back and inside it is just wonderful-an Alladin's cave of photographic goodies.When I was in Chicago back in June I went in for a look and to see if I could buy a new Leica battery for my X1. Albert Flesch, the company president,served me.They had the battery and I enjoyed a good chat with Albert. He even gave me a cake - you don't get that if you buy from Amazon.

Another beautiful morning

Yesterday was another stunning morning.Probably the best this summer. At 6.15am the swimmers were  in the sea and some were already out and showering prior to heading off to work.

Meanwhile just down the road -a less than a hundred metres away-all was quiet at the lagoon with a solitary heron-that tiny dot in the water mid photo.

It's a beautiful morning

The light at dawn last Sunday in Terrigal was special. Welcome rain on Saturday had cleared the air as had a stiff breeze. It was crystal clear and there was an extra high tide so there was surf spray in the air-see photo on previous story.
As well as the photo of the nipper's surf carnival I came away with the photo above of the high tide and the guy below with his two dogs. I have seen this guy for the in the last few weeks and have been wanting to photograph him and his dogs. Not as good a shot as I wanted but the dogs were not cooperating.There will be another chance.

An early morning photo

Today was

​a big carnival for the nipper surf lifesavers here in Terrigal. Nippers are juniors aged 5-12-they don't actually patrol the beaches-yet -they are trainees so to speak.

The nippers movement must be very strong as there seemed to be a big turnout for the carnival. By 6.30am it looked as if most participants had arrived and their clubs had erected their awnings on the beach and unloaded all their gear ready for an early start to the competition.

As has been the case for a number of years photography is not allowed on the beach in the competition area during nippers events even by the participant's parents. I was not anticipating taking any photos of the carnival at all-in fact I did not realise it was on until I arrived at the beach nonetheless I was extra careful to keep my camera hidden in my hand as I walked along the esplanade. 

 The sun shining into the lens gave me just the one photo which I thought was worth taking and which I hope has not offended anyone.

 I totally understand why the surf livesaving clubs have had to adopt the "no photography" rules. It's unfortunate but these are the times we live in.

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