Last of the Big Danglers

Where   : Hawksbury River, New South Wales
When    : Tuesday, 30th October 2007, 10-35am
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

Here's a shot of a local fisherman, recently spotted on the Hawksbury at Brooklyn.

This breed of tough, hardened dangle anglers, local men of the fish, is dying out fast, bringing to an end a long history on the Hawksbury River.

Note the wizened features, the working class hands that have only ever driven a pen, a mouse, a bottle opener and a fishing rod - the kind eyes, the cool dude glasses, the warm heart and the weathered face of a million dead catfish - not to mention the cheap Swatch watch bought from a Delhi street trader.

Such are the features typical of the big danglers of the Hawksbury. There's a couple more below in the previous post.

Boys Big Day Out

Where   : Brooklyn, Hawksbury River, New South Wales
When    : Tuesday, 30th October 2007, 10-30am
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

Had a great day today - been out fishin'.

My pal Max has scored a boat - so we went off at 6-30am this morning up to the Hawksbury River, which flows in part through the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. From my place, this is just 15 minutes up the F3, and there we are, launching at Brooklyn and on the water shortly after 7-00pm. Magic.

Max is the driver and our Captain. Paul and I are the deckhands. Here's 2 of us ... not saying who is which, but they're a handsome couple.

I caught 3 catfish and Paul got a small bream, so not a big catch !  We were out there until 2-15pm, so a long day. We chucked the catfish back - jeez, they're an ugly, slimy looking fish, with a nasty looking barb on the neck.

This is a view from the back of Max's boat, looking up the Hawksbury River from the F3 Brooklyn Bridge. You wouldn't be dead for quids on a day like this.

The Hawksbury is NSW's largest estuary and is tidal for 145 km upstream. The complex river system is approximately 480km long and drains some 20,000square kilometres. It rises more than 100 kms south west of Sydney in the Southern Highlands, 100 kms to the west in the Blue Mountains and enters the Pacific Ocean some 100 kms to the North of Sydney.

The main source is in the Cullarin Range in the Southern Highlands, near Crookwell as the Wollondilly River. The Wollondilly passes Goulburn through deep gorges and canyons west of Berrima and Picton until it reaches the Burragorang Valley. Here, the river is joined by the Nattai River and the Cox River and becomes known as the Warragamba River.

Flowing north past Wallacia, the river becomes the Nepean River as it flows through Penrith and joins the Grose River which descends from the Northern Blue Mountains. Here it finally becames the Hawkesbury River.

The Hawkesbury River journeys towards the sea passing Windsor, Wiseman's Ferry, joining with the Colo and Macdonald rivers along the way until it reaches Brooklyn (where this picture was taken). Here, it degenerates into a tidal drowned valley, with many subsystems such as Mooney Mooney, Mullet, Patonga, Berowra and Cowan Creeks, before exiting into the Pacific Ocean at Broken Bay.

It's a Mad Mad 4WD World

There are six large 4WDs here and 2 AWD wagons ... not unusual I might add.  People movers, recreational vehicles, vans with CD players and everything that opens and shuts. I don't care what you call them - urban tanks.

They're all here ...

• Toyota Landcruiser


• Mitsubishi Pajero


• Range Rover


• Subaru Outback


• Honda CR-V


• Nissan Patrol

... then there's the Mercedes, Porsche Cayenne, BMW and Volkswagon desert busters. 

These are the vehicles that Mum does the shopping in, and takes the children to school in too. 30 years ago, the North Shore yuppie Mummies were all driving Mini Mokes Californian, with the dalmation and the afghan hound on the back seat, if it had one. 

We are in the suburbs of Sydney, not Mosquito Creek ! May God save us from the Hummer - I see somebody has started importing these doozies.

Global warming, who cares ? Obviously not the families of Turramurra and Wahroonga - yes you !

After Breakfast ....

Where   : Circular Quay, Sydney
When    : Friday, 26h October, 9-00am
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

Of course things can change ...

Just Another Friday Morning

Where   : Circular Quay, Sydney
When    : Friday, 26th October, 7-15am
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

Every Friday, just about for the last 17 years, I have had breakfast on a boat, on Sydney Harbour, as a Member of the Rotary Club of Sydney Cove.

This is nothing like the traditional Rotary Club ... it's Members are drawn from the City - businessmen and women of all ages. This is not an old man's club.

Here is the view this morning - not a bad bit of real estate - and oh dear, it's the same view every Friday morning, apart from ...

... the fact that we sometimes have to put up with the Queen Elizabeth 2, Pacific Star, Orion, Queen Mary 2 or Sky Princess or another of those huge cruise liners that tie up here at Circular Quay.

This is just the best way to start the end of the working week - breakfast, on the water.

Yes, this was taken from the back of the John Cadman II, and the panorama is absolutely stunning, perhaps the best and certainly one of the most photographed views in the world.

Every Friday - some people would give a fortune for this, whereas we're all "at sea". It's tough.

Jeremy Was a Bull Frog

Had lots of trouble photographing this little bloke.  Let's call him "Jeremy".

Where   : Turramurra, New South Wales
When    : Tuesday, 23rd October, 4-30pm
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

Well, Jeremy is not so little. He would fit in your hand, but only just. I am sure he is just a common garden frog, but I am not sure what sort.

We have lots of "Jeremys", noisily "bock-bock"-ing away all night, attracted by the numerous little pools and water collections in our garden. Jeremy was in a bucket ... and could not get out.

He is beautifully marked and camouflaged as you can see.  This is great for him, but makes a photograph very difficult to capture when he is sitting in the environment that complements his markings, even to the dappling of the afternoon sunlight.

I could get within macro distance, but his breathing rooted the focus; this was taken at about 1 metre on 10x zoom. No flash. Some of the light is real slime reflection and glisten. I am using Photoshop - but a novice - what image adjustments would you make to this original image (I have only resized it).

Anyone know what variety of frog he may be - location, east coast of NSW, Australia ... and of course we are in Spring here, not Autumn.

Oh yes - how did I get him out of the bucket ? Didn't want to touch him, as they give you warts {grin}, so I just tipped the bucket over, and ran.

Millenium Train

Where   : Circular Quay, Sydney
When    : Friday, 19th October, 11-30am
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

Here's a photo I took last Friday morning. This is the Millennium Train.  Look, I don't have a pennant to fly for the State Rail Authority, but I think these city commuter trains are pretty good by any world standard. Not the best maybe, but very comfortable and well designed for a double-decker from the passenger point of view. We now have 34 x 4 car sets, generally configured and operating as 17 x 8 car trains.

Gone are the harsh corner lines, the chrome and black rubber, hose-down plastic seats, vertical and horizontal lines.

Our new commuter trains seem to be almost inspired by 2001 A Space Odyssey or A Clockwork Orange, with interiors highlighted by spiral staircases, improved seating, great lighting, doorway open space and curved architectures.

The Millennium Train, that initially experienced lots of problems with its power consumption, inability to get up some hills at more than a crawl and door opening issues is now back in service, and going well. The train blurb includes these features :

• Surveillance cameras relaying real-time and recorded images


• Improved air-conditioning


• Internal and external destination indicators to include stopping patterns and special information Help points in each vestibule


• All upper and lower saloon seats feature footrests


• Maximum shoulder and seat width


• Greater seating capacity compared to Tangara


• Floor space clear of obstructions to ensure more leg room


• Seats covered in vandal resistant fabric


• Wider stairways with consistent stair levels and numbers


• Highlighted doorways for greater safety

King Parrot

Where   : Turramurra, New South Wales
When    : Sunday, 21st October, 5-30pm
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

This is a King Parrot (alisterus scapularis), in our front garden this afternoon.

These magnificent birds are usually around 40 to 45 cms in length (and stand 20cm tail).

The male king parrot is very striking - he fronts with this brilliant red breast and head, extremely long blue-black tail and rich, dark green body. The female has a dullish green head and body with an equally dull red underbelly. So this is a male, ever the showoff !

Great to see these wonderful birds in the garden ...

They are unsuited to captivity because of their size, but seemingly almost tame, often venturing like this into the suburban areas. They are kept in aviaries and can be bred easily, but may be susceptible to ling disease and calcium deficiency in captivity. In any case, I don't like or really understand why people put birds in cages without their permission.

Although they do not readily panic when approached, a couple of the local lorikeets seem to be able to buzz them away with a great deal of noise and gnashing of beaks.

They are found in humid and heavily forested upland regions of the eastern portion of the continent, including eucalyptus wooded areas in and directly adjacent to subtropical and temperate rainforest. They range from North and Central Queensland to Southern Victoria.

Lane Cover River

Where   : Lane Cover River, New South Wales
When    : Sunday, 21st October, 7-00am
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

On Sundays, I go for a long walk through the Lane Cove River Park with a few pals.  We start our walk right here, on the river, a picturesque spot indeed.

Our walk takes us up the river through the bush, from the Chatswood Weir to De Burgh's Bridge and back .... 1 hour 20 mins so maybe 9-10 kilometres.

This old boat, the "Reliance" looks like the African Queen and belongs to the Steakhouse I think.  They might do afternoon teas and a trip down the river - it merges into the main Sydney Harbour at Woolwich/Northwood/Greenwich area. In fact "Relience" was built at Palm Beach in 1919 and was for many years the mail boat, operating daily between Brooklyn and Wiseman?s Ferry.

Every week we (there are 6 of us on a full morning) engage in the most riveting discussions - this week we covered ...

1. The Poms losing to South Africa in the World Cup (and the fact that they lost on penalties even with Jonny Wilkinson and no tries - generally happy normally to see the Poms beaten, but not by Sarf Arfreekharns)


2. The shambles at yesterday's Caulfield Cup (where the favourite Maldivian got spooked and reared up in the starting gates and another fancied horse, Eskimo Queen, decided not to play and lay down under the gates - horse racing should be banned)


3. Hillary Clinton (will she pick hew own interns - Bill won't let her)


4. USA candidates (will Al Gore and Bloomberg run - No)


5. Who was going to see Carlos Santana in February (I would not miss that !)


6. Another disappointing result at the Sydney Football Stadium (Sydney FC losing to Adelaide - bloody hopeless - Sydney won't make the finals)


7. Sex (can't remember)


8. Speculation
   • Anzon (takeover - AZA price is about $1.85 but looks like ARC has bid $1.70 in scrip and Origin and Santos have walked away - Nexus is outside the tent and personal fight in play - - we are betting Koroknay will win)
   
   
   • Biota (Relenza court case - only worth the damages to be won - a sleeper)
   
   
   • Republic Gold (share price takeoff - gosh,it's upto 9 cents, time to get out)
   
   
   • First Investment Capital (cowboys being taken out by RockSteady - from about $1 down to 5 cents - maybe buy now)


9. Tonight's TV debate between HoWARd and Ruddles (and whether we'd be able to watch it for 90 minutes without falling asleep); interesting that the MC is to be David Speers [who is from Sky News; remember, he interviwed President Bush just before his recent visit] - HoWARd is obviously scared of Kerry O'Brien, Tony Jones and even Ray Martin - maybe Maxine should have volunteered ?)

Crossing the Old Coathanger

Where   : Sydney Harbour
When    : Friday, 19th October, 11-30am
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

On Fridays I often go down to my Rotary Club, which meets on a boat in Sydney Cove.  This morning, I took a few shots of the "Old Coathanger". Looking at the Bridge reminded me of the day I climbed it with my son in 2001 - G had bought me two tickets for my birthday.

This icon of Australia was planned and built in the 1930s, and today carries 8 lanes of traffic, a walkway, a cycleway and a two-track standard gauge railway.  I still get a thrill every time I go over it.

Can you see those tiny specs on the arch ... look like a couple of caterpillars don't they ?  Wait ...  turn on the TZ3 zoom drive at 10X ....

Where   : Sydney Harbour
When    : Friday, 19th October, 11-30am
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

No ... they are two chain gangs !  Ha !

Not too far from the truth - very befitting for a nation that has been built on the sweat and guts of convicts transported from Britain. 

No visitor to Sydney, should miss this adventure. You can cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge on foot, by train, on a bike, by car, taxi or bus - but the best way is to climb right over it !

If you haven't done the Bridge Climb, you really should do this. It's worth coming to Australia just to climb the "Old Coathanger", with its spectacular views of Sydney, the Opera House, the City, arguably the most beautiful harbour in the world and the Blue Mountains. 

It's quite safe. Nobody has fallen off - yet, and yes, you are chained together and to the Bridge ! It's very exciting and very exposed. Yes, I am dead serious, and no - I have no commercial or other connection with this attraction.

It takes 4 hours or so and costs from AUD$180 to AUD$250; you can do the climb at dawn, during the day, in the twilight or at night - if you are real lucky, you may crack an electrical storm while you are in the dark - at the top. There have been hundreds of betrothals, the odd wedding and a few divorces on the span of the Bridge, some right at the top.

The climb takes you up 134 metres above Sydney Harbour, but the descent is a doddle - it's all downhill !  As if you haven't had enough exhilaration and adrenalin rush already, you can look forward to hanging on to the hand rails with your white knuckles for the almost vertical descent down the ladders between the railways lines, with the double-decker trains rattling past within a few feet on both sides - yes, I am very serious. The passengers can see the whites of your eyes and almost touch your sweat and apprehension as they go flying by. This will test your stress tolerance level.

To find out more about the BridgeClimb experience click here. Good luck - and yes, make your will before you leave home, and yes, you will be breathalysed before you're allowed onto the Bridge, and yes - you will need a stiff GT or two afterwards !

Pine-leaved Geebung

Where   : Turramurra
When    : Thursday, 18th October, 10-30am
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

Took another walk this morning into Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, and took more shots of some native plants. 

I am not very good at the names, but my wife is pretty hot on knowing the general species/genus - and then we have a neighbour who has been studying weed management and native spcies at TAFE and she is excellent, so identifying what I shoot is not a problem.

This, so I am told, is Persoonia Pinifolia, generally known as a "geebung", an interesting Australian native shrub indeed ...

There are 60-70 species in this family of the Proteacea, all occur only in Australia - except one species in New Zealand.

This shrub in the photograph is almost 3 metres high, the leaves long and "pine-like", the small yellow flowers borne in the leaf axils at the ends of the branches. Fleshy, green fruits which hang in grape-like and grape-sized clusters rather than bunches, as shown above follow the flowers and never fail to attract attention.

Persoonia are very difficult to propagate from both seed and cuttings, so we generally just have to enjoy them in their native habitat. I am indeed fortunate to live right on the doorstep to one of Australia's finest National Parks.

Low Tide in Turramurra

Where   : Rohini Street, Turramurra
When    : Wednesday, 17th October, 3-15 pm
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

I am at loss to understand why a boat of this size would be towed through a Turramurra high street in the middle of the afternoon.

No matter ... it certainly turned a few heads.  I don't think I have seen a boat in Rohini Street in the last 28 years.

Anyway, it caused quite a stir and lots of stares, stopped the traffic and generated this picture.

The Stunning Waratah

Where   : Turramurra
When    : Wednesday, 17th October, 5-00 pm
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

This is the waratah, or to give its proper name, telopea speciosissima, the floral emblem of New South Wales. Robert Brown (1773-1858) named the genus Telopea in 1810 from specimens collected in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

It is a most magnificent plant much loved originally by the native Australians, on account of a rich honeyed juice which they sipped from its flowers.

The Greek word 'telopos', means 'seen from afar', and refers to the great distance from which the rich, crimson flowers are discernible. The specific name speciosissima is the superlative of the Latin adjective 'speciosus', meaning 'beautiful' or 'handsome'. The shrub may grow to nearly a whopping 20 feet high, sporting erect flower stems, with stunning crimson, round bracht heads, as in this picture, some 5 inches across.

'Waratah', the Aboriginal name for the species, was adopted by early settlers and is related to the grevillea and protea.

Bobbin Head

Where   : Bobbin Head
When    : Tuesday, 16th October, 8-00 am
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

I shot down to Bobbin Head this morning, to try out my new toy, the Panasonic TZ3 in the morning light on the water.

Bobbin Head is very close to where I live, maybe 25kms north of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. It is a very pretty spot, on an inlet of the Hawksbury River and a popular boating, picnic, walking and cycling destination. There is a large marina, and boats for hire, moorings for many gin palaces and stinkboats of all sizes and values.

In addition, the wildlife is full-on ... parrots, lorikeets, wombats, wallabies and of course magnificent flora including eucalypt forest, turpentines, waratahs, banksia, grevillea, callistemon ... but I digress.  I shot a lot of photographs, and here's one of them.

Old Ku-ring-gai

Where   : Wahroonga
When    : Monday, 15th October, 9-25 am
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

Here's a photograph of a typical, traditional heritage home in the leafy 'burbs of Northern Sydney. In a street of MacMansions, gross extravagance, decadence and over capitalisation, some homes sporting more bathrooms than bedrooms, this unpretentious residence looks like a home rather than a car park with living accommodation.

The lines of this simple home are wonderful ... and I love its sweeping, wide verandahs, symmetry and slate roof.

Not only is this residence of architectural and heritage interest, it is also somewhat famous as the one-time home of controversial writer, Frank James - thus a red stain is indelibly left in the purple.

Spot the 'burb

Where   : Woolloomoolloo, The Rocks, Randwick ... maybe somewhere else ?
When    : Sunday, 14th October, 8-15 am
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

Some old property in the Sydney Metropolitan Area - but where ? If you think you may know, have a shot, make a guess. The shadow should perhaps give a clue ?

Red Rattler

Where   : Central Station, Sydney
When    : Thursday 11/10/07, 8-30 pm
Weapon : Sony Cybershot P72

My daughter is doing a BA in Graphic Design at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, so I am forever driving up and down.  Last night though, she popped back to Sydney for the weekend on the train. There's a concert on tonight ... "Good Charlotte" ... whoever they are ! Seems like a long way to come for some apple pie crusty bits, but I guess I'd go to Wagga for the weekend to see Blondie, Led Zeppelin, Martha Davis & the Motels, Roxy Music or Bob Kerr's Whoopee Band !

I took the camera into the station to capture the architecture, and the contrast between the new and old. However, I was captivated by this old train on Platform 1, because ...

... the colours got to me; the blood and gold; they reminded me of the robes over the armour of an old Crusader. It rattled my memory - and took me to the magnificent colours of the effigy of Robert, Duke of Normandy in Gloucester Cathedral.

Robert was the eldest son of William the Conqueror .. interestingly, this type of medieval effigy inspired the design of the tomb of T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia). 

This has the warrior in the crusader position, dressed in arms, legs crossed, right arm over the heart resting on the sword, indicating he had fought in the Holy Land.

Back to the train ... I was intrigued by its great condition, leather seats and woodwork ... and this romantic, defiant glow. It's not a real "red rattler" of course, the sort that was used on the city network here in Sydney even in the 1970s. I think this is an inter-city or outer suburban express train. I am not a real "loconut", so I stand to be corrected.

This old train was resting in the mainline station, in full colours, wheels well-greased, proud, defiant and shining. Ahhh .. what is it about old trains, cars and ships that makes us so nostalgic !

Rock Tossers

Where   : F3 Overpass, Wahroonga, NSW
When    : Today, 9-00am
Weapon : Sony Cybershot P72

This is what it has come to. These cages have been created to prevent idiots chucking rocks from pedestrian bridges onto the cars and trucks passing underneath on our motorways.

Evidently, it is no longer vogue to set alight to old people's homes. The advent of mobile phones is removing public telephone boxes from our streets, so the opportunities for kicking in the side panes or trashing the coin boxes has diminished. It's tough being an irresponsible youth these days.

It is very hard to understand why people might drop rocks onto cars and trucks.  Where's the buzz in that ?

We have had several very stark and sad examples recently, one in particular resulting in the removal of part of the cranium of a young woman. The tossed rock smashed through the rear windscreen of the car in which she was travelling as she sat in the back seat. The missile crushed the back of her skull.

The alleged perpetrator, a mature young man, is currently before the courts. What do you do with people like this ?

I Hate Chatswood

Where   : Chatswood Station, Sydney

When    : 9/10/07, 4-30 pm

Weapon : Sony Cybershot P72

Chatswood gives me the irrits !  The development (shown here in - many levels, horizontals, verticals and dimensions) is all around the station.

The opening of the over-capitalised, short-changed and truncated Chatswood-Epping Line (it should have included a station at Ku-ring-gai CSU Campus and go all the way to Parramatta), is scheduled for 2008.

Pigs.

In any case, Chatswood is a mess. It has no soul. It is getting worse.

Disembarkation at Chatswood, now means that after you descend from the train, there is a journey of adventure. You can  see a train stationary at platform here.

You are forced to descend a staircase to go under the track.

Then you go up the stairs into Help Street (yes, I know !). 

Then you have to walk around the site in Help Street.

After that, you now go up the stairs and then over the top of the track.

Now, you are at the point where this photograph was taken as you go down the steps and into the shopping precinct of Victoria Street, (Hay Street North as we call it). Hey, you are here. Then you are presented with a ribbon shopping strip - a series of mostly grotty unconnected precincts; yes, it's a mess.

I hate Chatswood; there are several shopping complexes, including the rather grubby and tired Lemon Grove, an even more grungey Wallace Centre - PLUS two typically lower-end Westfield meat markets called shopping centres.

However, to be fair, I do quite like the space and the quality shops in Chatswood Chase including DJs, but then I am snob.

Having got there and traversed the complicated complexes looking for the shops you need, it's then back to the snakes and ladders of Chatswood Station.  I hate Chatswood.

St Ives Craft Show

Where   : St. Ives, Sydney

When    : Sunday 7/10/07, 1-30 pm

Weapon : Sony Cybershot P72

SWMBO and I went up to the St. Ives Craft Show on Sunday - this is a great show as it is ONLY craft and homemade stuff. 

There are some 250 stalls, no second-hand wares and no label products.

So the usual load of sharks flogging copper arts and old books, crap watches, tattoos, fabricated paintings and dud door bells like you get up at Nimbin, Uki, The Shannon and places like that are nowhere to be seen.

Here's a couple of characters ... the Brian Brown look-alike on the right is a card - makes garden furniture out of old fence palings - we have some of his stuff, namely a wishing well, a bird feeder and a sort of low, garden coffee table.

The bloke on the left was running this rustic stall, and I thought his face showed an interesting perspective on life. I think I have been there.

Natural Rain

I was out this morning, trying to get an hour's strenuous walk in before the school traffic and 4WDVs hit the tarmac, whilst enjoying the Spring through the beautiful and affluent streets here in Turramurra, Warrawee and Wahroonga.

Everywhere is so green.

This could be partly because many homes in this area may have some sort of water conservation facility in place. This might be as simple as grey water capture, or as serious as whole systems of networked and swithchable tanks.  There are also lighter versions of home-made roof and tank systems and assorted reticulation garden processes. This is good to see.

However, this new wave of aquaphilia has led to a whole new lexicon of garden and fence signage ... and, oh dear ...

Some of the notices and signs are laughable.

Many signs are obviously aimed at advertising the brand of tank or the name of the plumbers. A lot of it though is not so altruistic, it is pathetically the epitome of the full North Shore posturing and chest thumping - a shallow gratification evidently achieved by sentiments such as :

• "Look at us, we are saving water"; or


• "Don't you dare ask why my lawn is so healthy"; or


• "Dob me in and you'll look like a right arse"; or


• "We're using teardrops from heaven, why aren't you"; or


• "I'm actually not using rainwater at all, I thought I would just put up this nice, trendy sign as all the neighbours in this street have got one"; or


• "This notice fits nicely over the faded fence palings previously occupied by the old Neighbourhood Watch and This Is a Safe House signs".

Accordingly, I was delighted this morning to see the sign above, on a fence in Braeside Street, Wahroonga. I thought that the naive hyperbole probably demonstrates that the silly owner was in one of the categories above. Tankers !

Abutilon

This is one of the first photographs - an abutilon in my garden.

Yes, I know it is overexposed - I am just getting to know this camera, and there are so many settings, I am confused.

I am also at last starting to dump my old copy of Paint Shop Pro, which I have been using since 1995.

My daughter is disgusted with that - and has convinced me to now use Photoshop.

Another challenge.

Photography and Mountain Bikes

I am so bored in my youthful dotage, with nothing to do, that I am thinking of messing around with photography, which I know less than 2/3rds of the square root of Sweet Fanny Adams about.

I have this Sony Cybershot P72, with 3.2 mega pixels ... had it for 6 years I think, but never really used it, so now I have been shooting off all sorts of photographs, trying to understand how it works, apart from point and shoot.

I may be able to summon up enough drive now to get my Trek Mountain Bike back in order, and perhaps get out more, as I can no longer run too well (you know the old adage "the older you get the faster you were"), but need the exercise. As I live very close to the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, a railway, the Pacific Highway, the F3 and to Bobbin Head on the Hawksbury River, I can see that this may open up into a whole new field of interest.  We shall see. 

Any comments on my stumbling efforts in photography and how to organise them in a Typepad environment will be well received.  What I need to receive are your suggestions on how I might have made the photograph better either in the camera settings or the composition, as I really am a Philistine here. You can make your comments in private if you wish.

The results of my efforts will appear on this blog from time to time up in the right hand corner. I hope you find them interesting.