Shooting Star

Here's someone who embodies the spirit of the artwork on his delivery van.  Weaving in and out of city traffic, with flourish and flair, he's certainly a shooting star.

A Scooter named Darling

I've come across this gorgeous red scooter several times in the last week, not always in an easily photographed parking place.  I first spotted it outside the best fish and seafood shop in Woodstock, where I went to buy ingredients for paella.  It's a small place on the corner, packed with discerning shoppers, especially on a Friday morning.  The skilled assistants, with their gleaming deadly knives, scale, debone a fish in minutes, while keeping up a fast line of banter and sharp wit. 

Two days later I spied the scooter outside our local deli coffee shop and on Sunday it was looking nonchalent in front of the glass doors of the icecream shop on the promenade.  Perhaps I'll even get to meet the owner one of these days.

Circles in a Circle

In contemplative mood, while waiting for dinner to finish cooking, I happened  to look down at our evening drinks on the kitchen counter.  The light from the tall window slanted across the glasses making them glow and sparkle and suddenly I saw infinite picture possibilities.

The combinations are endless

I always have to remind myself to look at the tiny picture as well as the larger.  Pictures are all around me just waiting to be discovered.

Please keep Australia in your thoughts

Please keep Australia in your hearts and thoughts.  The devastating floods have caused death, injuries and huge loss of homes and businesses.  It's heartbreaking to see pictures and videos of the extent of the havoc.  We know some of the smaller country towns from our trip to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and in particular came to love the city centre.  On our frequent trips up and down the river we enjoyed stopping off at many of the ferry landings and to see how many of them have been destroyed is beyond belief.  It's going to take a long time and a huge amount of money to recover from this disaster.

The efforts of authorities to rescue people and begin on the long road to recovery, as well as the attitude of people affected by the floods have been admirable and humbling.  I've always read about the Aussie "can do" attitude and now we're seeing this in reality.
 
As a footnote, our family who live away from the Brisbane River in one of the outlying suburbs are safe (and dry) and we are so grateful for this.

New Year's Resolutions

"A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other"

I'm unable to find the attribution of this quote but judging by past performance in keeping my New Year's resolutions, it seems entirely appropriate.  So, no more lists of worthy aims for 2011.  Instead, I will enjoy myself more, laugh more, take more chances and take more photographs!  And in so doing, perhaps make my family's lives in 2011 more enjoyable as well.