More good reads

I've had a few more play dates with my Kindle; it's getting to be an addiction! And to think a few years back I truly thought e-books would never catch on. How wrong could I be?! I must admit, nothing beats having a brand new book in your hand, but if you read by the kilo and haven't much storage space, nothing beats an e-reader.
I've come across some more thrillers I like, among them the Black house trilogy by Peter May. It's about a detective in Scotland who is sent from the 'big smoke' to his home on the Hebridean island of Lewis, to investigate the death of a former school fellow. The books follow this and other investigations, and tell the story of an interesting protagonist and the island that is and was. The books are extremely well written, bringing the Scottish landscape, traditions, and communities to life. I had to read them all in one go, they were so gripping! I've also ordered Peter May's "Hebrides", a photo book of the area, as I hope there may be some shots of Barra and/or Colonsay, where my ancestors come from. More about that when it arrives.
The other book I've been reading is 'Tatiana' by Martin Cruz Smith. Smith's books follow the career of Arkady Renko, a Moscow-based senior investigator who has trouble fitting into the new Russia. He hasn't quite given up on his job and seems always to find a reason to solve just one more murder. This time, he investigates the suicide of a notorious journalist. The trail leads to Kaliningrad and an amber mine. I've read most of the Renko books, and believe Smith has not only captured some of the paradoxes of the  modern Russia, but some of the soul of its people. I read his 'Havana Bay' recently and really enjoyed it.
Not a thriller, but quite a thrilling read, was Elliot Perlman's 'The Street Sweeper'. Perlman is an Australian author and can spin a good yarn. In the "street sweeper" he brings together people from very different backgrounds and teases out the political, historical, and personal circumstances that bring these people together, all on the streets of NewYork. It's a great book to read over a rainy weekend, with a supply of hot chocolate and some cool music.

Photo Challenge: MATCH

Couldn't think of anything that matched - so I thought about matches, as in lighting a match.
I've always been wary of fire, never struck a match until I was an adult, and then only with trepidation. I can now light a candle, but I prefer using the long matches, keeping the flame well away from me. Who knows - maybe I had a bad experience with fire in a previous life?!
So there you have it - my MATCH, and it's a long one!

More clouds

 Yesterday was a wild and woolly day, and perfect for chasing clouds. They brought driving rain and high winds, knocked a tree over, and were best observed from inside.Must have been cold up there!

One am

Poetry.
The stuff of dreams and language.
Ditch syntax,
discard the bonds of punctuation.
And yet
I long for verse and rhyme and meter.
Get over it!

Photo challenge: TRIO

This one had me scratching my head - until this morning, when I remembered this cute sculpture I saw in Montreal. The three bronze ladies are having a good natter about something or other. The TRIO kinda makes me smile when I see it.

Good reads

This little spoof on "Downton Abbey" was definitely a hilarious read! Nothing is sacred, from the Dowager Catness to Mr. Matthmew Clowder and the scandalous behaviour of Lady Minxy. Special treats are the "uninvited but necessary words from the Dowager", who has a bonmot for every occasion.
Classic: "I have nothing against stage people. My great-aunt was the string of a cello."
And so it goes. Very funny.

That was just by-the-by, what I really wanted to write about was a couple of new mystery series I've come across recently. Since I've been having regular - and extended - play dates with my Kindle, I've been checking out the amazon offerings. One of the series I am busily reading my way through is John Lawton's 'Frederick Troy' detective series. I saw the author mentioned in a Sunday Australian newspaper, and thought I'd give him a go. Well, I was in for a treat! These are not your fluffy little detective novels, these juicy tomes pack in convoluted plots, an extensive, detailed knowledge of pre- and post-WW2 history, brilliant (and sometimes surgical) portrayals of the British, beautiful language, and a likable, multifaceted hero. Lawton's been criticised for 'too much history' in his novels, but it's what makes the era come alive. These are the sorts of books I never want to end. I do hope Lawton has a few more 'Troys' in store!
The other series I've started to read is the Inspector Gamache one. This amiable detective is a French Canadian who works at the Surete in Quebec. He finds himself drawn to a small village, Three Pines, by a series of murders. (A bit like Midsomer; soon there will be no villagers left to murder!). When I started reading Louise Penny's series, I wasn't so sure if I'd like her style, but now I'm hooked. The characters are interesting and I love reading about all the little Canadian things I encountered on my last trip to eastern Canada. Even Tim Horton's coffee and poutine get a mention! The books run to appx. 360 pages, so long enough to while away an afternoon.
Lastly, I just finished the latest Donna Leon 'Inspector Brunetti' novel. This is another series I can't get enough of. The inspector, a well-read (and well fed) family man, is a Commissario at the Venetian 'Questura', and solves murders with his sidekick Vianello and the mysterious - and slightly criminal - Elettra, always under the beady eye of their boss, Patta. I like how Leon brings Venice and its inhabitants to life, and the Brunetti characters are very believable. I just feel the inspector should have a cat.
If you haven't read these crime series, try them, you might just be entertained for a few hours.

Photo challenge: COTTON

I'm a little late, but inspiration for this challenge didn't strike until last night, so there you have my my COTTON buds! I thought a close-up of these everyday items might yield an interesting texture. Might play around in Picasa a little more.

Here it is with a little more processing...starting to look like coral.

Photo challenge: Blue

Actually, I'm quite glad not to have to look at that baby head any more! This week's challenge is BLUE, and here's a little BLUE wren that hangs around my garden. At the moment, Mr. Blue and his wife are looking for a good nesting spot. Every now and then they perch in the shrubs and peek through the window. I guess they see Pretzel the cat and think it might not be safe. Little do they know that Mr. P. only dreams of birds these days, doesn't chase them.

Photo word challenge: HEAD

Interesting choice of topic! Well, here's for something unusual - one of Ron Mueck's amazing sculptures. This was the head of a whole newborn sculpture. It was huge, and very lifelike. I found them fascinating but somewhat confronting. He takes everyday people and re-creates them in meticulous detail, but in unreal proportions.
My favourite sculpture was that of two old ladies. I love the expressions on their faces. I can just hear them: "Will you look at that guy! His pants are falling down, and his whities are showing!"

Photo challenge - Lights

I'm a little ahead of myself - possibly to make up for the weeks when I didn't submit anything. But the topic inspired me; I love lights and using light in photography. So I was thinking of the bokeh effect, which I hadn't achieved yet but will make a goal for the future. In the meantime, I used an online post-editing program to achieve a bokeh effect. Bokeh, acording to Wikipedia, is a hazing or blurring effect achieved by a short depth-of-field, (hope I got that right). It presents as blobs of light, and can be achieved with aperture or manual manipulation or filters. I also loved the lights produced by these Christmas stars I saw at a Christkindel Market in Dresden. Every now and then I need a German Christmas and like to visit the Christmas markets. Seeing the picture evokes sounds of carols, and smells of Gluehwein, gingerbread, and roasting chestnuts.

Cold Mountain

The weather report mentioned snow down to 600m today, so we packed the cameras and went for a drive up the mountain. We started off at 8C which quickly turned to 4C in Macedon and 1C on Mt. Macedon. There was a bit of sun about, so we didn't think there'd be too much snow, and indeed, there wasn't enough to build a snowman! Still, a dusting of the white stuff was quite satisfactory and produced some nice shots. I don't know why I get excited about it anyway, I moved here to get away from the snow and slush of Europe!
Whatever; it gave me an opportunity to put on my boots and warm mittens, wrap myself in woolly layers and pretend I'm braving the elements.... My Canadian friends must be laughing by now!
We weren't the only ones checking out the snow situation, a steady stream of cars made its way up the hill and back. I wish I knew somebody who lives up there and could tip me off when the snow's thick on the ground.
On the way back, it seemed appropriate to warm up with a nice hot cuppa, so we stopped at the General Store, which is a friendly place with lots of yummy things to eat and drink and look at. It was blissful just sitting on the window bench and feeling the winter sun on my back, while DH read the paper and enjoyed his cappuchino.

Word Challenge : RED

Haven't been here for a while, what with birthdays, visitors, travel, knitting, quilting, physio....and so on. But this week has been back to normal (well, as normal as possible for me), so I thought I'd add to the challenge again.
This time the word is RED, so I figured I'd go through my recent pictures to see if anything grabbed me.
So here is my RED panda baby! His picture was taken at the Adelaide zoo, where he shared space with another baby and the parents, looking across to the big enclosure where the big pandas were. They kinda stole the show, but these little guys deserve attention too. They're awfully cuddlesome, dontcha think?!

Weekly Challenge: Comfort

This week's word is COMFORT. That didn't take too much brain strain, thankfully. I chose this quilt as something that gives me comfort. It was given to me as a gift from my friend Kathryn, a lovely handquilted dragonfly quilt. I'd never made a quilt just for me to snuggle up with, so this was most welcome! It does duty in spring and autumn, when a doona is too hot, and a sheet is too cool. Combined with a cotton blanket, it's just perfect, keeping me comfortable all night.

Weekly challenge: FELINE

I liked the word of the week - feline! Well, lets face it - I like anything that's remotely connected to animals. I've been owned by quite a few felines (9 at last count) and loved each and every one for their interesting purrsonalities. One thing that always get's my cute-vibe going in cats is their paws. There's just nothing sweeter than kitty-paws! I think these ones belong to Mitzi, now gone to cat heaven.

An autumn walk

Today was a glorious autumn day, even the resident mob was out enjoying the sunshine! It was a perfect day for a walk around Gisborne, and it was lovely to see the trees turning colour. The pinoaks were just stunning, and the other trees in yellow and green provided a wonderful backdrop. Truly a photographer's dream, and our town at it's very best!
Lots of people and dogs were out and about, enjoying the sunshine. Met one intrepid dog owner walking her three "oodles", a 'spoodle' (spaniel-poodle cross), a labradoodle (labrador-poodle cross), and another oodle of which I can't remember the provenance.

I walked along the creek, which was pretty overgrown, although the "Friends of Jackson's Creek" apparently do some cleaning up there. Saw ducks, and I must go back when the sun is shining on the waterlilies and capture some of the flowers.

Found some trees with yellow fruit, not sure what they are, but they provide nice colour too.

Finally, I drove up to St. Andrews, which looked gorgeous with the late afternoon sun on the sandstone, and the colourful foliage in front. Indeed an hour well spent!

Weekly Challenge: Ball

Ok, so no dog to throw a ball for, no fur balls from the cat - what's left? And no, I'm not being rude! Aha! Here's my friend Chris and I having a BALL! We dressed up in our Bollywood outfits and gave our version of Bollywood dancing. Yay!

Red moon rising

Yesterday there was an eclipse of the moon. My camera didn't exactly rise to the occasion, and it was fairly cloudy. So I edited quite heavily on Picasa and came up with this rather gloomy shot. I found a new website called 'blingee' and it's quite fun once you figure out how it works. I thought a raven would look ok here and added this 'stamp' to my photo. Eat your heart out, Edgar Allen!

Weekly challenge: CANINE

Well, that was a pretty easy one this week. I was thinking about canines, both teeth and animals, and opted for this close-up of Claude. Dogs have such soulful eyes, don't you think?!

Week 12 challenge: FREE

We love all the birds visiting our place. We get the transient ones, the ones that visit regularly, and those that stay. The arrival of the black yellow-tailed cockatoo is always heralded by their loud screech. They look so graceful gliding across the paddocks, and keep our shrubs nicely trimmed. Nothing is as free as a bird!

Dog's breakfast

Somehow, my blog settings have been totally muddled up! I can live with it at the moment, but it's not ideal. I need to reset the template settings somehow, but not sure how to do that. Anyway, it taught me not to fiddle with these things. It didn't help when the whole background went black for a few days. I wish I understood more about computers, and how to fix things. Maybe I should do a quick IT degree.... ooops, no forget that...