Photographic Exhibition 23-25th August 2013 - Whittlesea, Victoria

I have been invited to participate in the Whittlesea Photography Group Exhibition.

Please feel free to attend, drag along some friends, if you drop me a line, I'll meet you there. Some of the work presented here will be available for sale, but mostly photos from RedBubble - PhotosbyEnigma will be available for you to view and buy if you wish.

I, along with the group will be presenting photos in loose format, frames, (various sizes) and also gift cards, local work, by local artists.

Please come and have a look!

My Favourite Photos of the Week

Taken by me for your enjoyment

Fish Jumping, off the coast of Eden, NSW. 21st April 2011

The first coffee of the day. (chocolate) Pure Heaven! 2th April 2011

Dragonfly IN FLIGHT! Very lucky shot and the only one I have even taken. 15th February 2011

French Bulldog catching some rays at Pambula, NSW 22nd April 2011


Please DO NOT copy any photos on this blog - without my express written permission

I tweet – it doesn’t make me a bad person

I tweet, I play with Twitter. I enjoying talking to people, I enjoy the instant news updates, local, national and international. I enjoy the one on one conversations possible via DM (private messaging) I enjoy the interaction provided by the @ (mentions) facility.

People are constantly asking me why I bother wasting my time, because that is what they see Twitter as, a waste of time. Like any social media it CAN be a time-waster, but used in the right way can be an excellent way of keeping up to date instantly with news either locally or internationally or even something as simple as a road closure or traffic accident in your local area.

I love the fact I can pop in and out of Twitter and not miss anything. If someone wants to include me in a conversation they mention you and it pops up in your time line as a mention. It could sit there for 1-2 hours, or even days and you can still follow the conversation. Not everybody has access 24/7 – not everyone wants access 24/7.

As my work involves computers, I have access almost 24/7. But that doesn’t mean that I participate 24/7.

I see Twitter as one big world-wide neighbourhood; people ask for help, people look for support. People share their good news, people share their bad.

The trick to Twitter is not to try and keep up with each and every tweet that people have broadcast, since you were last active. Just wipe everything in past, check your mentions and pop right back into the stream of tweets.

Say good morning, wander off for a coffee, and maybe go to work. Pop in later and see who has what to say. Different times of the day have different nations online. You rotate through the world depending on what time where and who’s doing what.

You don’t have to participate if you don’t want; you could be a voyeur and just watch. Or you can participate to the max and not miss one tweet or call for help. It’s completely up the user, as to how they choose to participate.

Twitter has also come to the forefront in cases of emergencies. From the Australian Bushfires to the Haiti Earthquake to the New Zealand Earthquakes, to the Natural Gas line explosion in San Bruno, California.

Hash tags have been developed, that assist the Twitter user in following topics of interest. At the time of writing this the most popular hash tags were:-
#neverforget in relation to the events of 9/11
#Clijsters in relation to the US Tennis Open
#IMORTAL TRICOLOR is a homosexual Brazilian football team. (<-- I’m not sure I want to know where this one came from.)

Why not jump in and join all the bad people and have some fun, meet some good people, both online and off (which I have done several times)

Do the Twitter thing and become a twerp and release some tweets on the world!

Dying for your music

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you”, will be a phrase heard more often as the years pass. Since the conception of personal music players, currently known as iPods, or even iPhones, the state of our ears, thus our hearing has declined dramatically.

This not only affects our hearing, but also our speech, or even the ability to learn or even cross a busy road. If you can’t hear yourself speak, then it is likely that your speech will deteriorate with time, unless you are very aware that this is the case. If you can’t hear the teacher speak, then of course you will not be able to learn everything that is being covered in the course/lesson. If you are crossing at an unmarked crossing on the road, you may not hear a car, a bicycle or even an emergency vehicle and thus place yourself in danger, without even realizing it. Hearing loss can and will impact your life in ways you wouldn’t even think possible, until it is too late.

According to a recent large scale report from scientists of the European Commission examined the use of personal music players such as the iPod and they determined as many as 1 in 10 users of personal music players are at risk of suffer permanent hearing loss if they listen to a PMP at high levels more than one hour a day for five years.

The impact on understanding the world around you - Noise-induced hearing loss makes it difficult to understand what is being said in restaurants and other places with background noise. Conversations sound muffled, as if coming through a hotel room wall. It also becomes difficult to hear high-frequency, soft consonants, such as "s," "t," "f," "h" and the "sh" sound.

Imagine having a church bells ringing in your ears constantly – it may not be that loud – but from 2 blocks away, the sound is the same. That is called Tinnitus and while tinnitus may come and go for some, it’s constant for others and can be a particularly frustrating. Around half of those who suffer from it find their sleep is affected, which in turn can cause tiredness that both impacts their ability to work and the quality of their home life or even their social life and communication.

There is no cure – other than hearing aids, which although with new technology are now almost invisible. Imagine having to ‘plug into’ the world EVERY day for the rest of your life, just so you can hear your children speak.

There are others forms of hearing loss, most often industrial hearing loss, but with the implementation of OH&S policies, the incidence of this type of hearing loss is being greatly reduced.

Jeff Rich, former drummer of Status Quo, warned people against misguided over-confidence and against ignoring the scientific proof that loud noise causes hearing loss. He was unaware of this when he played in his band. As a result Rich has lost 70 percent of his hearing in his right ear and 50 percent in his left. He now requires hearing aids to function in society.

It is estimated that, one in eight children or young adolescents in the 6-19 year age group suffers from hearing loss caused by excessive noise. Once you lose part of your hearing, it is lost forever.
Remember – once the ability to hear clearly is no longer present, you may have trouble communicating with others, communicating with your employer or even doing your job at the required standard if your hearing is an important part of performing your job, for example answering the telephone.

Turn that iPod down, turn that stereo down and remember once your hearing has left the building, it will never return!

The animals went in two by two

The animals went in two by two, hurrah! hurrah!

The animals went in two by two, hurrah! hurrah!

The animals went in two by two, the elephant and the kangaroo.

And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain.

Today being the first day of school holidays, 7th Dec 2009 (lucky me) My second born finished school 2 weeks earlier than other schools.

Anyway – almost Ms18 – decided to treat him (at my expense) and take him to the zoo and said that if he misbehaved she would handcuff him to a monkey and if that didn’t work – would throw him to the lions!

By 11am – there were still no tears and no misbehaving. Mstr12 is saying the whole day is great, and Ms18 said it was easy getting to the zoo on public transport.

Just received a phone call from Mstr12 – can I delete some of the photos off my memory card? – Ummmm, what photos? The ones I took last holidays. How much room do you have on the memory card? – Oh 343 more pictures! – FFS – talk about putting the cart before the horse.

All’s quiet at 2.30pm – fingers crossed Ms18 hasn’t fed Mstr12 to the lions!

The train ride home saw a grown man offer Mstr12 some lollies, Ms18 went off her rocker. I’m sorry but in this world of rock spiders and similar, a grown man can’t go doing that on public transport, it’s just so wrong. I know – I am becoming untrusting, but seriously………….Mstr12 looks younger than his years and is quite petite for a boy. Makes you wonder.

Besides that – the day was a great successful and two children (yes Ms18 is still my child) had a wonderful time.

The weather is somewhat changed today – wet and raining – but surprisingly not cold! – Thanks for the good show Melbourne.

The tooth-fairy predicament

The excitement of a lost tooth;the excitement of placing the lost tooth in the glass on the bathroom vanity or under the pillow.

And then it is time for the tooth fairy to do his/her work.

Waiting, waiting the tooth fairy waits for the child to sleep. The child is excited, it’s getting late.

The tooth-fairy nods off, the tooth forgotten.

The tooth-fairy finds a pillow to rest their weary head. The tooth fairy falls asleep.

The sun is rising, oh no, the tooth fairy forgot.

Mad rush, the child is awake, the tooth-fairy can’t visit now, the tooth fairy despairs.

But there is a solution!

The tooth-fairy was tired, I am sure they haven’t forgotten. The tooth fairy will come tomorrow, don’t worry little one, I promise.

Not all is lost – just be convincing and your little one will believe for one more day.

Wish the tooth fairy well – without belief there is no magic and the world would be a sad place.

Merry Christmas

“HO HO HO” Says Santa as he departs on his sleigh pulled by Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Today is the day – that the kids haven’t slept, that the elves have been busy in the garage, putting everything together until way after midnight.

The day is hot, the stove is on, how crazy is that? – Everyone is running around like chooks without a head. The table yet to be set, the chairs yet to be dusted off and matched as best as can be and placed at the numerous tables. Make sure there is enough ice, if you can find somewhere open that has ice to sell.

The temperature is rising, the kids are tired and cranky already, it’s only 9am. Do you turn the air-conditioner on yet – or wait a little while?

Oh no……. you forgot the cream for the dessert, where can you buy some now on Christmas day?

You manage to get some cream. The realize that little Johnny’s present needs batteries, another dash down to the service station, where at the counter it is 10 deep with people all having the same problem.

Home again, the family starts arriving. Suddenly you realize that you have placed Uncle Jack and Uncle Tom next to each other. Don’t you remember last year? They both drank too much and nearly ended up in fisty-cuffs. Quickly change the name placings.

Oh……. I wish we lived closer to the beach, we could all be down on the beach, watching the kids in the water and have more room.

But then again…………… who would swap a tradition for something that might be more fun, but less stressful and less meaning. You can go to the beach anytime you want.

Merry Christmas and remember it’s one day of the year and it might be stressful – but you look back on the memories!

HO HO HO and a Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Holiday Season - It's Christmas Time

It’s now officially the holiday season or as us Aussies call it the Christmas Break. This is the time we go mad and drive 100’s of miles and think nothing of it.

Like you – this blog is going to take a holiday also

There will be postings on the
25.12.09
26.12.09
27.12.09
31.12.09
01.01.10
02.01.10
03.01.10
09.01.10
10.01.10

And normal programming will re-commence on the 11th January!

Stay Safe, stay cool and remember if a fire threatens you - leave if you don't feel comfortable

I'll see you on the 11th unless something important comes up that needs discussing!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

HS

Are we there yet? - The Season to be Silly

It’s Christmas, the time we go away on holiday, the time we go visit relatives in far flung places, the time we spend far too much of confined in a metal box on wheels, with too many kids screaming “Are we there yet?”

It’s the silly season. The time we make silly decisions and decide that the 1000km drive to Aunty Flo’s place is a great idea. We forget that it would be 40’C in the shade and that the air-conditioning in the car is not what it used to be.

We are silly to assume that the kids would behave. We forgot last year, when we left little Johnny at the rest stop with his big sister. We forgot that the everyone else has the same silly ideas, about going to visit their Aunty Jo.

Are we there yet? – what else can I say?

Some hints and safety tips to ensure you stay on the road and get there in one piece.
1. Make sure the driver is well rested and if possible, both adults should take turns in driving, switching every 2 hours at a rest stop where everyone can stretch their legs.
2. Each person the vehicle must by law have their own seatbelt. DO NOT share seatbelts, that could kill someone, even in a minor accident
3. Each child under the age of 7yo must be in an approved child restraint, the safest position in the car is the centre back seat
4. No children under the age of 12 to ride in the front seat, there is scientific evidence that a child under the age of 12yo, may be grievously harmed by the airbag, which is designed for adults.
5. There is a 35% increase in safety when passengers ride in the backseat!
6. Do not overcrowded the passenger space with luggage, it might be inconvenient, but take a trailer, it doesn't use much more fuel and makes life so much more comfortable(and sane).
7. Allow the children to take 1-2 toys with them, that can be used to amuse them whilst in the car
8. If using portable DVD players etc., make sure you have comfortable ear phones for the children, so you can still have an adult conversation with the driver/passenger
9. Don’t be afraid to stop if you see something interesting. It breaks the journey and doesn’t take that long.
10. Take some food and drink with you, saves money AND time and let’s everyone have something they like and tastes good. Just make sure it is chilled with iceblocks etc.

It’s dangerous out there, take care and remember no-one died being late. Speed kills.

XXOO

Christmas Tree – Real or Fake?

T’was the week before Christmas, no decorations up – you are busy – you are rushed. You can’t be bothered. Then the kids start complaining.

The mess of a real tree or the old reliable fake tree from storage?

You toss the ideas around and figure the fake tree from the shed. Who wants pine needles everywhere, sure they smell is nice, but after a week the real tree starts to look decidedly tired. So out with the real, and in with the 20 year old antique!

My tree is 23 years old this year, and I gather many others have similarly geriatric trees, residing in their storage areas, be it in the shed or the roof space!

First a little history and then into the Bad 'V' Good of a each type of tree!

The first artificial tree originated in Germany, towards the end of the 1800’s and comprised of metal wire trees, covered in feathers, which often had been dyed green to imitate the colours of a real pine tree. In the 1930’s, the Addis brush Company (which also made toilet brushes) started making brush trees using the same machines as those that made the toilet brushes. This design was patented in the 1950’s. Since then artificial trees have grown in both size and quality.

So now, let’s look at the difference between the two – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Real Tree
Real Trees cost more, as they are purchased new each year
In the growing process, real trees absorb carbon dioxide, which is a good thing
Real trees MAY be more of a fire risk as they dry out and the lights are turned on
Real trees allow the scent of pine to permeate the house
Visitors to your house MAY be allergy to pine needles
Provides jobs in the growing, transportation and sale processes
Need constant tending, with water and pine needle pick-up
Has a limited indoor life span
Dispose of the tree can be a problem
Estimated Annual Contribution of Greenhouse gases is 3kg per annum

Fake Tree
The ongoing monetary cost decreases with each year of use
A slightly less of a fire risk than real trees – as branches are insulated
No smell
NO allergy concerns
No on-going job prospects, once the tree has been purchased
No tending required, once tree has been erected
No life-span restrictions – although disposal may be an issue if and when required
No immediate disposal issues
Some cheaper trees do look cheap, and visually worse than a ‘real’ tree
Time is required to assemble the tree and make it look good before decorated
To negate the environmental impact you need to keep your tree for 20 years, (average 6yrs)
Fake trees may contain toxic materials such as lead.
Estimated Annual Contribution of Greenhouse gases is 8kg per annum

There are pros and cons with both types of trees, like always convenience is a big factor in choosing which tree is right for you.

There is another option you could consider. If you have the room in your backyard, why not grow a potted pine, something like a Douglas Fir – which is a tree, that is quite rare. The only thing you have to remember is that the work of that Christmas tree is a weekly thing and not just once a year. It certainly is a feasible idea, just involved more work.

I prefer a fake tree – not just because of the cost, but it is simple and easy to erect, no chasing around, if I want to erect my tree at midnight on Christmas Eve, I can do that. A real tree you wouldn’t be able to do that.

Viva la tree – what are your thoughts? – Fake over Green? Green over Fake? Would love your input, perhaps you are making that choice as we speak? – Let us know – appreciated!

An Experiment in TV

It must be getting closer to Christmas, all the free-to-air (FTA)TV stations have reverted to repeats and treating the viewer like a guinea pig, or is that monkey? When you get a reward for acting the way they want you to.

Every year, early to mid November all the regular shows that I enjoy watching on FTA TV are removed or moved to some stupid time slot. Doesn’t matter that I record everything I watch, it matters that the timing of the recording is no longer relevant and I have to re-set everything.

So once were I might be watching CSI or Criminal Minds, or some other mildly interesting but mind-numbing show, I get some stupid show about ‘bewdiful’ people in the USA parading around on red carpet and acting the goat.

I’m sorry, that’s NOT why I watch your crappy channel and why I supplement my viewing with Foxtel.

Foxtel has its’ own dangers, too much garbage, made by second rate producers, but some and I stress some of the shows can be very interesting, if you can get past the introduction.

I watch Foxtel mostly for the factual/truth/discovery type programs and reserve the FTA viewing for my more light-hearted, less involved type viewing.

I don’t particularly like too much choice, it makes life confusing, why have 200 stations, when perhaps 50 with high quality content would suffice?

I remember when Foxtel first came on the scene, people thought it was the best thing out. I resisted acquiring Foxtel for many many years, remembering that Foxtel made its’ debut onto the Australia market in 1995. What I saw of it then, only impressed upon me the fact you were paying for repeat TV every 8-12 hours. In other words in Aussie slang, a wank of a feature. Only get if you wanted to impress your mates with how much money you have.

FTA TV remained my best friend for the next 12 years. I refused to pay for something that I could otherwise receive for free and the content was not often repeated.

One day things changed. I was stuck on the couch for 4 months and Foxtel saved my butt, or at least my mind. I still record everything I want to watch from FTA TV, and watch live anything that catches my fancy on Foxtel, when I get the time to sit down.

I still say that FTA TV has a place in our life and I believe that those less fortunate who can’t/or shouldn’t afford Foxtel, should still be able to learn something from FTA TV, even if it is how to clean the kitchen or do the odd home renovation. FTA TV is not for dummies, it is for Aussies, who shouldn’t have to pay for quality TV viewing in what the TV stations consider off-peak viewing periods.

**FTA = Free-to-Air TV

What are you laughing at?

How many times have you heard this statement? – be it from a workmate, a lover, friends or partner.

I read anything in the printed the form and if there is no book handy, often a novel, I will read the back of the cereal packet. I love reading. I’ll read almost anything.

I was reading a cheap novel, not even sure where it came from, probably swapped between other book lovers, as often happens. This exert made me laugh and put a smile on my face. Just imagine me as Bertha

“Bertha wasn’t worried about Indians bothering her; she knew they thought it was bad medicine to mess with crazy people. And what could be crazier than an old woman on a mule out here by herself?”

From Jessie’s Outlaw, Author:Cheryl Anne Porter 1993

What books have you read that bring out bouts of laughter, giggles or even tears?

Your feedback is greatly appreciated!