Terrigal-31st January 2021

 

Photo of the day-The Trumpet Player

Grandson, Otto, had a trumpet as a Xmas present. He hopes to play in the school band and here he is starting out on his trumpeting career on the 29th December.

Photo taken on the Leica Q2-a new acquisition way back in July which has hardly been used since. Here's hoping 2021 is more productive photographically although the portents are not good.

What a difference a day makes

 

 

After five days of really hot weather with the final day, Australia Day, a scorcher followed by a cool change  there was welcome relief yesterday but today is a really bleak, wet and stormy day although not cold.

The wind howled through the night and my house has Colorbond steel roof and walls--and driving rain sounds like gravel as it hits the walls and roof. It was a noisy night.

I did my regular morning walk today but the wind on the cliff top would have blown a cattle dog off its chain.

Photo taken from The Haven, Terrigal looking south to Avoca Beach which is just visible in the low clouds.

The forecast is for a return to summer conditions starting tomorrow. At least I have not had to water the garden and the rainwater tanks have had a top up.

Australia Day 6.20am

 It's Australia Day-26th January-our national day. It's also very hot. Not quite scorching here in Terrigal where a light sea breeze is slightly taking the edge off the heat-but just a few kilometres inland it is a very different story. We have had 5 days of this hot weather and a cool change promised for late this afternoon will be very welcome.

It's a sad Australia Day for me. Not a day for celebration or even a family get together. Val is declining in respite care and I will visit her this afternoon. Son, Toby, is visiting her this morning. I am staying at home with Phoebe catching up on books and magazines, which are piling up unread, whilst trying to stay cool. 

Memo to self "do not buy any more books until you have read the ones you have bought in the past 6 months".

My enthusiasm for taking photos or writing for this blog or any other media has evaporated. A combination of the enforced stay at home and the all pervading sadness of Val's condition and trepidation about what the future holds.

I took a camera with me yesterday morning on my early morning walk in an effort to at least take one photo worth posting on the blog. I failed to take even one. This morning, discouraged by yesterday's lack of success, I just took my iPhone. I came back with the photo above-two girls looking at their phones-but of course-whilst in front of them is the wonderful seascape of Terrigal Beach, Wamberal Beach, Spoon Bay, Forresters Beach and Cromarty Hill.

Best wishes for Australia Day. Stay cool and stay safe.

Correction-since typing the above 30 mins ago the breeze has dropped and the outside, in the shade, digital thermometer is heading north. It's now 37ºC and climbing fast.

High Summer

 It was a beautiful day again today. Crystal clear and not too hot for comfort. I drove down to Sydney to have lunch with my daughter and family. We went to Dee Why where I took these photos. Everywhere is so crowded because travel outside Australia is not possible and it's pretty restricted interstate in Australia. Hundreds of thousands of Australians who normally would be on the beaches of Bali, Fuji, Phuket or Queensland are holidaying at home here in NSW. 

Driving back home heading north up the M1 the holiday traffic heading back into Sydney was heavier than I had ever seen. It was virtually a 65 km three lane parking lot from the Gosford interchange to the end of the motorway and it may have stretched even further north as I turned off at Gosford.

A beautiful day

 We have been enjoying some really beautiful summer weather the past week and into the weekend-very warm, but not too hot, and crystal clear skies. It's a marked contrast to this time last year when we were blanketed in bushfire smoke day after day.

Phoebe, the grand old lady, was even inspired to go outside and jump onto a sunbed to take in the sunshine this morning. She is not well with a bladder infection which does not seem to be clearing up despite two rounds of antibiotics. I see another vet visit coming up next week.

Mo and Phoebe

 It's been a few weeks since I put up a cat photo so here are two. Firstly above, Mo, a very classy cat on a very classy chair. 

 Mo is solid muscle. I when I picked him up and I was surprised at his weight for his slim build. Mo is one very fit cat. 

In my first version of this photo I cropped it very tight to just Mo and a small part of the back of the chair so Mo was much more prominent but it works a lot better in this wider angle shot.

I have entered this photo into an I-Shot-It cat photo competition and I hope Mo may be in with a chance but you can never tell with photo competitions.

Now in total contrast below a photo of Phoebe, my grand old lady, taken on my iPhone as she was transported in for a hospital visit to see Val a few weeks ago. She was annoyed at not being let out of her carrying cage for a while and she put on her angry face.

 Currently she has a bladder infection and I am having to give her an antibiotic tablet twice a day for ten days. Today was the first day and it did not go well. I saw that angry face again. 

Poor Phoebe is shrinking away. In total contrast to Mo Phoebe looks big but she is all fur and under the fur there is very little body. When I pick her up she feels very light but she is still eating well and although she is finding jumping up onto chairs difficult she is doing very well for her very advanced years. However I fear that the inevitable is not too distant. I will be very distressed when I lose her but she has been an extraordinary cat and friend and I have been so fortunate that she has lived for so long.