2024 - MY FLICKR REVIEW...

So, apparently, Flickr have a year in review... So I looked it up to see what happened!!

My shot of a United B747 was my top hit!!

Overall stas below.... Thanks to everyone who enjoys my shots!!

Hoo roo for now...

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Bernie

Stanhopea Orchids

After moving houses back in 2016, I had a couple of the Stanhopea nigroviolacea (Vanilla Orchid Upside Down Orchid) that didn't really survive. Theyre the sort of plant you can literally have in a basket, and almost literally do nothing much more... Or so I thought!

Anyway, I asked my father-in-law if he happened to have any he was about to divide, and if possible, could I grab a couple?? Well I got three, 2 were from a single basket that he divided, and the other was a singluar basket. You see, they have to be in baskets, with Melaluca (Paper Bark Trees) to hold in the bark/soil mixture as they are more of an epiphite type plant! He also told me that the divided pair may not flower as well...

To my delight, both visually and aromaticly, they ALL flowered!!! The divided pair one had three spikes of flowers (two flowers per spike), whilst the other had a singular, and the undivided one, well it had a total of ten, yes thats TEN spikes!!

These started mid December last year, and today, the last spike has opened, so over Christmas, I have had a lovely vanilla scent in the courtyard, wofting into the kitchen and dining area...

IF you can find these delicate orchids, I would recomend them!!

Hoo roo for now...

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Bernie

AUSTINMER BEACH & OCEAN POOL - PROJECT 52

I have wanted to get back into the 'Project 52' for a while, in many ways to challenge my photography and see new things and venure either to parts of Sydney Metro I have not yet been to, or to head further out of Sydney to see what is about...

So in this weeks edition, the first weenend where I will e posting this series, it was off to 'A' for Austinmeer along the upper Illawarra, before you hit Wollongong.

The afternoon before, I checked my Weatherzone app on my mobile, and saw that first light was to be 0510, WOW this was going to be an early start as it was just over an hour to get there! I pushed off at about 0330 just to be sure, and was a very pleasant drive south, windows down, music on, and the road ahead well lit up with the lightbar on the car! Arrived nice and early, and positioned myself atop of the changerooms for the beach, which was like that of a 'lookout' offerring up splendid view across the beach. I set up the camera, programed for a frame to be taken every 20 seconds, and whilst it did its thing, I simply chilled in my campchair.

The Austinmer Rock Pool, also known as ‘ocean pools’ or ‘ocean baths’, was first built in the early 1910s and then rebuilt or replaced several times at various locations along Austinmer Beach. You can still see the remains of the Children’s Bathing Pool at the foot of the steep cliff of Brickyard Point.

Here are some of the pics I got, along with the lifeguards Hut, in the middle of the beach, with the sun just tipping over the horizon of the Tasman Sea.

Hoo roo for now...

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Bernie

Sea Cliff Bridge - Best seen with a drone!

I have been here beofore with my old drone (DJI Phantom 4), but now with the replacement (DJI AIR 3), I am seeing things VERY differently!!!

I feel I have just more freedom with the flying, better camera(s) and the combination is just very picturesque indeed!!!

I started the day early, VERY early (thus no post last night) and had the alarm set for 0330; I woke at 0300! I was heading to a destination for tomorrows post, so after that, I went and revisited the old Sea Cliff Bridge. Opened in December 2005, and at 665 metre long, Sea Cliff Bridge is a highlight along the Grand Pacific Drive. A drive which takes in 140 kilometres worth of coastal scenery from the Royal National Park, Loftus down to Nowra.

HISTORY

Lawrence Hargrave Drive is a spectacular section of Coast Road just north of Wollongong NSW. The Sea Cliff Bridge was built to address geotechnical instability between Clifton and Coalcliff that would result in road closures, sometimes for months at a time.

The Sea Cliff Bridge was created after it was deemed the road that curved alongside the cliff face was unsafe due to rockfall activity that could close the road for months at a time.

The $49 million bridge braces against the Pacific Ocean, up to 70 metres east of the original alignment in places. It consists of a five-span, 450-metre-long balanced cantilever bridge adjoining a seven-span, 203-metre-long incremental launched bridge, sharing a common pier.

The goal of this ambitious project was to provide a fully available road with a design life of 100 years. The bridges incorporate two traffic lanes of 3.5 metres to 3.8 metres and a 2.5-metre shared pathway.

Lawrence Hargrave Drive is named after the famous aviator and the first Australian to fly at the nearby Stanwell Park.

Hoo roo for now...

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Bernie

Back to work it is then...

So today it was a 'back to work' day, not much really happened really there, all normal...

But, I was already planning what I can get with the dron over the weekend! I sort of want to do a post (I am thinking of a Sunday) where I will visit somewhere in the Sydney Metro (maybe even a little wider) and run through the alphabet as I go along... I mean, theres 26 letters in the alphabet and 52 weeks in a year, coincidence?? Maybe not...

So, on Saturday or Sunday I will go to somewhere, that starts with the letter 'A', where, I don't know just yet, so stay tuned there...

In the meantime, here is a pic when I tried this back in 2011, but there was just too many things going on, so I will PROMISE I will complete this, this year...

'Avalon' is on Sydney's Northern Beaches, and a fave of mine that I try to get to every summer, though I am now heading to a more subdued 'Inner Harbour' beach...

Hoo roo for now...

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Bernie

Happy New Year - Welcome to 2025

As a Christmas present to myself, I have finally upgraded my 2016 model DJI Phantom 4 drone. It has served me well over these years, and has travelled well too! But, it was now time to upgrade.... And a DJI AIR 3 it is!!

This new model has significant enhancements over the Phantom 4, camera is far superior, its also small and easier to transport and fly!!

First fly was at the 'Running Man' (Sprinter" from the Sydney Olympics in 2000. This, and two others, were atop of thr Centerpoint Tower and after removal, scattered throughout Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush. However, with the recent upgrade of the M4 (West Connex) tunnel, its now near the Homebush Bay Drive intersection, and has intrigued me since being placed there!! So I had, HAD to get a photo of it!!

Now comfortable with the flight controls, it was the following day or so, the 'Light Horse Interchange' where the M4 (joins the City to thr West) and the M7 (more of a 'Ring Road' from the M5, passing the M4 and joins the M2 to the north). In the very middle of the intersection of the M4 and M7, stands the Australian Light Horse Sculpture Parade is dedicated to the heroic troops who served in the Australian Light Horse, and their horses that could never return. It has a central mast and four sets of red poles, representing the Australian Light Horse on parade. The 55-metre-high mast with its reflective crown, located at the centre of the Light Horse Interchange, provides a focus to the sculpture. The lit mast and crown symbolise a torch in the dark.

NOW, feeling a lot more confident, I headed to the East, and discovered the 'Sydney Motorsport Park (formerly the 'Easter Creek Raceway') where the V8 Supercars race, as well as the speedway (long story involving that) and the drags are held all on the one location...

Time for some more frequent, daily adventures ahead....

Hoo roo for now...

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Bernie

Resting Up - but managed to get something achieved!!

YES, I have been resting, not much choice really when its difficult to do much at all, but I have also been somewhat busy... With ASSISTANCE!!!

I moved house back in the November of 2016. And, late this week, we managed to cut down the boxes I have left to unpack, by 7 or 8!!!

These were bought into me basically, and they were also easy targets, alcohol!!! Now, wines were basically thrown, as were spirits that were open, and beer!!! I am not a beer drinker really, especially XXXX that Queenslanders seem to like, so they were also thrown down the sink!!!

Once sorted, and photographed haha, they were then put into the China Cabinet and set aside now for consumption in the comoing weeks or months (year?) haha

Hoo roo for now...

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Bernie

A fall - and extreme blood pressure!!

WELL WELL WELL..... What have I done!!!

I was up a laddrer, dead-heading the climbing Roses clambering over the arbor over the outdoor dining area, and with a few canes left to tie back, it started to rain... And yeah, rain up a ladder that shiny aluminium, aren't a good combination I found out!!!

As I started to climb down, I slipped off the middle (theres only thee) step, and started my rapid descent, I tried to brace mt fall on the outside dining table (hurt my left thumb in the process), and finally landed on the paving on my right buttock... This did my bad back absolutely NO favours at all, and arranged a GP visit for Tuesday as it was the earliest I could get in...

Anyway, at the Doctors, she asked all the normal things about the fall and injury, gave me some pain relief and then asked to have a look at the Blood Pressure. Well, she was, as I was too, HORRIFIED at the level!! She asked if she could retake it, and I wasn't about to say no, and the second reading was WORSE!!! And whilst it will always rise with pain, the levels were just shocking. So a change in pain relief to something else, and the prescription for BP management, and I was off on my way again...

The following day, I visited my pharmacist, and she re-took my Blood Pressure again to see what was going on, and to report back to the GP...

I was certified OFF work for at least the week, for rest...

Hoo roo for now...

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Bernie

Busy Weekend!!

Well, it has certainly been a busy as weekend... I went out for dinner on Friday directly after work, and it ended up being a late night! Italian was great, with Garlic Prawn - Shelled king prawns, sautéed in cherry tomatoes, garlic and chilli. Served with wood-fired bread, as an entree we shared, and I ordered the Bufala e Gamberi - Buffalo mozzarella & basil topped with prawns and chilli, whilst my mate had the Campagnola - Italian Meat Lovers – ham, salami, sausage and fior di latte cheese!! (we also may have shared there too....) We also finished off with the standard coffee over a chat with a sleeping doggo on the next table!...

Saturday, whilst I went in to do a brief spot to see a mate up from Melbourne, I only stayed a little while, and headed back home to do some housework and stuff; all boring really!!!! Another day, another doggo though!!!

However, today I managed to achieve a lot of things. The half wine barrels with the roses growing over the arbor, I ripped out the Petunias that didn't survive my trip away, with some new trays of flowers to grow, and I also managed to install a security camera system!! Quite proud of that really!!! And finally, ordered some new things online shopping wise, nothing exciting just some new swimmers!! haha

Hoo roo for now...

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Back To Work Blues

Ugh, it was a 'back to work blues' kind of day today....

It was, on the most part, a pretty good day as most of the hype I had heard, wasn't on today, but in the late afternoon, yeah there was a bit of critical thinking needed, and QUICKLY!

We had a driver up north, who would've missed 2 ccritical pickups, but a bit or work, re-routing included, ensured these times were all met... I am yet to see if it all worked out though, but I suspect all is good as I had no calls after I left work!!

ONE more day tomorrow, and hopefully a relatively good day ahead!!! And then out to dinner with a mate, standard thing really!!!

Whats your plans for the weekend?? I just have some editing of photos to get through really, nothing too much!

Hoo roo for now...

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