Thanks Chin, they raise a ton of money all year long, this is their "really big show" of the year. I've volunteered twice for it. They work very hard during this. Another show that I went to involved a wardrobe malfunction...not the Janet Jackson kind, at least.
Back online, holed up in the same motel I stayed in at the start of my trip 3 months ago. Weather is awful, car has been sold (awaiting pick up).
I have accepted a job back in Cairns Tropical North Queensland working for a campervan rental firm, living 3 beach suburbs north of my ex-wife in a self contained granny flat with access to pool.
All I have to do now is fly back to Brisbane on 17th, stay 1 night in hotel next to the airport, fly to Dubbo in New South Wales to pick up my new motorcycle, ride 500 miles back to Brisbane.
Stay at my daughter's overnight, get the bike registered/rego'd in Queensland and ride it 1200 miles up to Cairns before starting work on the 23rd !
Anyway, here's a shot or 2 of Milford Sound on the South Island
Andy when are you going to get out and do something.
But seriously, have really enjoyed the pictures of your recent travel adventure!
cadman342001 wrote:
...
I have accepted a job back in Cairns Tropical North Queensland working for a campervan rental firm, living 3 beach suburbs north of my ex-wife in a self contained granny flat with access to pool.
All I have to do now is fly back to Brisbane on 17th, stay 1 night in hotel next to the airport, fly to Dubbo in New South Wales to pick up my new motorcycle, ride 500 miles back to Brisbane.
Stay at my daughter's overnight, get the bike registered/rego'd in Queensland and ride it 1200 miles up to Cairns before starting work on the 23rd !...
Andy,
These are just gorgeous! I think I got tired reading all you need to do before the 23rd. Good luck, and may there be no bumps in the road.
Jim
cadman342001 wrote:
Back online, holed up in the same motel I stayed in at the start of my trip 3 months ago. Weather is awful, car has been sold (awaiting pick up).
I have accepted a job back in Cairns Tropical North Queensland working for a campervan rental firm, living 3 beach suburbs north of my ex-wife in a self contained granny flat with access to pool.
All I have to do now is fly back to Brisbane on 17th, stay 1 night in hotel next to the airport, fly to Dubbo in New South Wales to pick up my new motorcycle, ride 500 miles back to Brisbane.
Stay at my daughter's overnight, get the bike registered/rego'd in Queensland and ride it 1200 miles up to Cairns before starting work on the 23rd !
Anyway, here's a shot or 2 of Milford Sound on the South Island
cadman342001 wrote:
All I have to do now is fly back to Brisbane on 17th, stay 1 night in hotel next to the airport, fly to Dubbo in New South Wales to pick up my new motorcycle, ride 500 miles back to Brisbane.
Stay at my daughter's overnight, get the bike registered/rego'd in Queensland and ride it 1200 miles up to Cairns before starting work on the 23rd !
Andy
cadman342001 wrote:
Back online, holed up in the same motel I stayed in at the start of my trip 3 months ago. Weather is awful, car has been sold (awaiting pick up).
I have accepted a job back in Cairns Tropical North Queensland working for a campervan rental firm, living 3 beach suburbs north of my ex-wife in a self contained granny flat with access to pool.
All I have to do now is fly back to Brisbane on 17th, stay 1 night in hotel next to the airport, fly to Dubbo in New South Wales to pick up my new motorcycle, ride 500 miles back to Brisbane.
Stay at my daughter's overnight, get the bike registered/rego'd in Queensland and ride it 1200 miles up to Cairns before starting work on the 23rd !
Anyway, here's a shot or 2 of Milford Sound on the South Island
Fingers crossed. Of course it's Monsoon season in Tropical North Queensland now and the ONLY road does get flooded !
James Markus wrote:
Andy,
These are just gorgeous! I think I got tired reading all you need to do before the 23rd. Good luck, and may there be no bumps in the road.
Jim
Thanks Siphewe, they are everywhere on the South Island, not native and they are trying to eradicate them as they provide cover for predators of the kiwi bird.
The North Island also has huge amounts of flowers that have self seeded (or spread by locals) in most of the roadside verges, usually foxglove, crocosmia, daisies, red hot poker and thousands and thousands of agapanthus !
SiMuMe wrote:
Amazing shots, Andy. You can send the purples to my house.
Phong.nh wrote:
Siphew
Your photos always bring a special look to me. May be you’ve clean air and sunshine over there.
Thank you, Phong. Just lucky, most times. George has a special look. Andy has a special look. We can settle for calling mine the camera look . I hardly post-process the files. The fun and joy is in the handling the camera and taking the picture parts, for me.
cadman342001 wrote:
Back online, holed up in the same motel I stayed in at the start of my trip 3 months ago. Weather is awful, car has been sold (awaiting pick up).
I have accepted a job back in Cairns Tropical North Queensland working for a campervan rental firm, living 3 beach suburbs north of my ex-wife in a self contained granny flat with access to pool.
All I have to do now is fly back to Brisbane on 17th, stay 1 night in hotel next to the airport, fly to Dubbo in New South Wales to pick up my new motorcycle, ride 500 miles back to Brisbane.
Stay at my daughter's overnight, get the bike registered/rego'd in Queensland and ride it 1200 miles up to Cairns before starting work on the 23rd !
Anyway, here's a shot or 2 of Milford Sound on the South Island
cadman342001 wrote:
Thanks Siphewe, they are everywhere on the South Island, not native and they are trying to eradicate them as they provide cover for predators of the kiwi bird.
The North Island also has huge amounts of flowers that have self seeded (or spread by locals) in most of the roadside verges, usually foxglove, crocosmia, daisies, red hot poker and thousands and thousands of agapanthus !
That is very interesting, Andy. Intrigued by these purples, I pointed Google Lens on them and it says they are Lupines. We have Lupines in the garden but they've never flowered. Indeed the leaves are exactly like the ones in your series. Wife is convinced they don't like her. I said must try harder. I'd love these in the garden. The landscape around our area doesn't seem too different from the one in your series. I can see why my wife loves them though, they seem exotic. My garden would have agapanthus and red hot pokers. Hardy, low maintenance stuff.
They were introduced to NZ by British immigrants, some say as an easy means of cattle feed, others that people spread the seeds as a way of bringing some colour to the verges and a reminder of home. There are lots of yellow ones in some places which are a more woody hardy bush and I suspect they are the originally imported variety for cattle feed, the blue/purple/pink ones being later "exotic" varieties.
We used to grow them in the garden in the UK (similar climate) but I definitely haven't seen them in Queensland (they may grow down in Melbourne but I haven't been there for a while).
Why they don't flower for you is a bit of a mystery as even we had great success with them and we had brown fingers !
They literally grow like weeds here and UK and self seed, spread, flower all without much if any help.
My ex-wife was desperate to grow agapanthus in Cairns but too hot/humid but they grow on the nearby Atherton Tablelands where it is a degree or two cooler (celcius). Fine margins I guess !
Andy
SiMuMe wrote:
That is very interesting, Andy. Intrigued by these purples, I pointed Google Lens on them and it says they are Lupines. We have Lupines in the garden but they've never flowered. Indeed the leaves are exactly like the ones in your series. Wife is convinced they don't like her. I said must try harder. I'd love these in the garden. The landscape around our area doesn't seem too different from the one in your series. I can see why my wife loves them though, they seem exotic. My garden would have agapanthus and red hot pokers. Hardy, low maintenance stuff.
. I hardly post-process the files. The fun and joy is in the handling the camera and taking the picture parts, for me. 