Archibald Fountain

Archibald Fountain
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

While at the Sydney Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park with Wendy and Nick and Mitchell and Liz, Charlie and I managed to score some spectacular night shots of the Archibald Fountain.

The Journey Begins

The Journey Begins
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

Andrew and Heidi's wedding on 30th September 2007.

Lunar Eclipse

Lunar Eclipse
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

Full Lunar Eclipse 28th August 2007 as seen from Emu Plains western Sydney.

Taken with a Pentax K100D and a 300mm lens. Standard stuff no processing.

Misty Mountains

Misty Mountains
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

A day spent down in the magnificent Megalong Valley is rewarded by some sensational photos of the stunning landscape. With the low cloud it reminds me of the Himalayan foothills. Here too, the main mountain range is hidden in the mist.

Smile Please

Smile Please
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

This is my Miss Lizzy at Faheem's Fast Food Newtown, where we shared dinner with our good friends Ian and Linda, after Ian and I returned from our India Adventure.

I'm incredibly proud of her and the work she does both in her job and looking after the 3 Amigos who don't always appreciate her.

Paphiopedilum dayanum

Paphiopedilum dayanum
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

Very busy lately and not able to venture out on photo shoots with Charlie, Ben and Chris so I've had to settle for flowerscapes instead of landscapes.

My New Interest

I caught up with my old mate Ben Sharif after a few years and seems he's semi-retired too and is into photography in a big way. So I dusted off my old cameras, hauled out the digital one and we're now off on regular photo shoots. It's a lot of fun and keeps me out of trouble ... well almost!

Here's my Flickr site.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/purfleetannex

My Tibetan Friend

Those of you who have followed Ian and my Inja Or Bust weblog will be familiar with the Tibetan monks Tamkey and Lekshey we met in Darjeeling (http://www.injaorbust.blogspot.com).

I have kept contact with Tamkey through emails and we correspond about once a week. He is such a gentle soul and gives me news of his studies to become a doctor so he can open a hospital in his village in Tibet.

His last email contained a couple of photos, one with his Mum and one of his family.




I count Tamkey as a true friend and I am humbled by his simple philosophy and life. It is my hope that one day I will be able to visit Tamkey and his family in Tibet.

Rain From Nowhere

For the benefit of those who missed this poem in the Sun-Herald on March 11 2007, here is the link to it......

Rain From Nowhere

It may just be the most important Australian poem of all time.

QEIII-Cam

I recently went up to Tweed Heads to visit my Mum who is 93 and not doing to well.

The QEIII headed north along the Pacific Highway and during the trip we were able to capture some sensational video of night driving on the Pacific Highway.

Check the video here at YouTube

Make sure you turn up your speakers.

Chinese New Year 2007

It's always good to catch up with old friends and what better place and time than Chinese New Year here in Sydney's Chinatown.


I'd been bragging about the excellent Laksa's down at the Phnom Pehn in the Dixon Centre so Tony and Kerry Wright and Liz and I met and enjoyed some tasty food and a few laughs.



Fireworks were still being let off in the streets of Chinatown and there was a festival atmosphere in the air. Of course, the girls wanted to explore the revamped Paddy's Market shopping mall so Tony and I got in a spot of eye exercises while they checked out the hundreds of factory outlook shops.

A great day out and with our wonderful friends.

Only in Australia ... !

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!! OI OI OI!!!

Being Australian is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV.

Oh and Only in Australia can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

Only in Australia do supermarkets make sick people walk all the way to the back of the shop to get their prescriptions while healthy People can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in Australia do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a DIET coke.

Only in Australia do banks leave both doors open and chain the pens to the counters.

Only in Australia do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars on the drive and lock our junk and cheap lawn mower in the garage.

Only in Australia do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have 'call-waiting' so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.

Only in Australia are there disabled parking places in front of a skating rink.

NOT TO MENTION...

3 Aussies die each year testing if a 9v battery works on their tongue.

142 Aussies were injured in 1999 by not removing all pins from new shirts.

58 Aussies are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of screwdrivers.

31 Aussies have died since 1996 by watering their Christmas tree while the fairy lights were plugged in.

8 Aussies had serious burns in 2000 trying on a new jumper with a lit cigarette in their mouth.

A massive 543 Aussies were admitted to Emergency in the last two years after opening bottles of beer with their teeth.

and finally,

In 2000 eight Aussies cracked their skull whilst throwing up into the toilet.

A Classic

Last night, Bill Collins Golden Years of Hollywood featured the 1942 classic Random Harvest with Ronald Coleman and Greer Garson. What struck me during the introduction was the announcement that it was rated G for General Viewing.

Anyone who has seen the movie will agree that it is indeed a classic and one of the most popular romatic films of all time. Written by James Hilton (Lost Horizon etc) it contains no nudity, no swearing, no gratuitous sex scenes, no violence, no unbelieveable car chases, all the ingredients of today's blockbusters, and yet it holds the viewer's attention and what is more, tells a good story.

Random Harvest, like Lost Horizon, is a so-called "feel good" movie but it shows that you don't have to have all that other X and R rated rubbish to make a good film. Unfortunately the morons running the movie business these days don't get it ... they think they have to try and out-shock us with every subsequent release. The "F" word is so common on TV these days that you don't even blink and they are pushing the boundaries even more so who knows what will be next!

I'm not a wowser by any stretch of the imagination but I am thouroughly sick to death of the rubbish dished up as entertainment by people who have no moral standards and even less talent.

Just my thoughts for what they are worth.

The Tibetan Rug

During Ian and my recent trip to India, we spent about 9 days in Puttaparti which is the home of Sai Baba and also my friend Chris.

We dined at several eateries but the Little Tibetan Kitchen was one of our favourites. From its second floor position you could sit and watch the world go by (see our injaorbust blog).


Attached to the restaurant was a little shop where the owner of the restaurant (who was Tibetan) sold craft items of interest. On one wall was a beautiful hand-made Tibetan rug which he told me was used in temples where they were hung across the ceiling. I became mesmerised by this hand-crafted rug and wanted to buy it but the news from home was, "There is no where to put it!" So I left India without the rug.


But when I got home it continued to bug me and I knew I had to have the rug. So, through the efforts of my friend Chris, it was duly purchased and sent back here where it now hangs on the ceiling of the Purfleet Annex.