In Isolation

Hello out there from isolation here on Bribie Island, Australia.

So here we are in late April, and like most in the world, I’m staying at home to protect myself and others in the community. In reality, my lifestyle hasn’t changed much. Before the virus arrived, I worked from home and live alone. I don’t go out much, apart from walking along the local beach. But I do miss being able to go to my local cafe for some R & R, catching up with a friend, or reading etc. That old saying “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” comes to mind.

Australia has not been hit as hard as most of the world’s countries. A lot of the reason, in my opinion, is that our Federal government stepped up and acted quickly. I know some Aussies would disagree, but compared to other countries we are so far ahead of coming through.  Just as are our cousins across the pond, New Zealand. We’re not out of the mess just yet, but I am glad that when the virus arrived, I was home in Australia, not the USA which as we know is having a horrible time of it. 

So at the start, I planned for achieving much. Some things I have achieved and I’m happy about that.  Finally sorted out thousands of never to be read again emails, dating back many years (2010 to be exact).  UGH!  I also have been working though my Dropbox files where many important documents live.  Many have gone to the virtual shredder, and my storage is grateful for that.

 

As a photographer, I have umpteen duplicates of photos — some great, others not so.  My virtual cutting room floor is awash with hundreds of sunrise and sunset shots.  There are really only so many one needs. In this exercise, I’ve come across shots that I loved at the time and they still do have an impact upon me.  Like this fellow, found at a farm on the highway to my hometown one day.  He was looking at me through a wire fence and I had a brief window of time to capture him. 

I’ve also got back to reading. Just as I have been battling a writer’s block (hence this being the first post in a long time), I’ve also had trouble maintaining my attention to books.  But I’ve read 2 books in the past month.  First was a small, but interesting read called Down and Out in Paris and London, by George Orwell.  The other I just finished today: The Salt Path, by Raynor Winn. Both non-fiction and both really interesting.

So, tonight I’m pretty happy.  I’ve finally got back to my blog. I hope for it to be a part of my routine now.

Best wishes!

 

 

 

Meandering and pondering life

This morning I got up fairly early and went for a slow meander along the beach, pondering life.  I only took my cell phone with me for photos (I may have mentioned in a previous post that I have severe tendonitis in both hands, making it impossible to use my DSLR — I just don’t have the manual dexterity to be able to hold it nor change settings.  Even carrying a tripod is not feasible right now).

It’s winter here, but the temp was warm enough for me to be in shorts and a shirt without a sweater. We don’t get that cold here on the island anyway, but it’s certainly not normal to be having the temperatures we are right now. Probably should get used to it, given global warming. I live on a small island off the Queensland mainland — Bribie Island. It used to be a sleepy place with a lot of beachy types of people.  Some of them are still here, but also there are young families and retirees. Sadly, with an increase in population, comes big city issues, such as littering and angry drivers. The latter seems to be more exemplified by young men in 4WDs (SUVs) who love to tailgate. One day they’ll learn to slow down (hopefully).

I live on the surf side of the island – in fact, I just walk across the street, over the sand dunes and there is the beach.  On the other side of the island it is protected waterways. Both have their own beauty. The surf is supposed to pick up in intensity the next few days and a number of beaches south of here were closed today.

This photo I took on the walk this morning. Not many others there at the time, probably having a sleep in on a Sunday morning.

Enough for now — I’m pleased with myself for doing a post.  More to come.

Cheers from Australia!

Missing some things…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello to anyone still following me.

It’s been a while (again) since I posted.

A health issue has curtailed my ability to take photographs and also to type. For a year I have been battling horrid pain in my dominant hand and it has finally been determined that I have a severe case of tendonitis. Initially, a cortisone injection into the hand was successful in reducing the inflammation which was the major cause of the pain. That was in March and it lasted till October, when the pain became severe again. 2 subsequent injections have failed, and I am now set to see an orthopedic specialist in the new year.

This experience has shown what it is like for people who lose the use of something. We take so much for granted.

For now, I’ll browse others’ posts and see what you are up to in your lives.

I wish all a happy holiday and a peaceful 2019.

Capturing life…

On Bribie Island where I live, I’ve come to discover that there are a lot of photographers, of varying degrees of skill. The island is well-known for its sunrises and sunsets.  But there are other photo opportunities here as well.  So I came to know of a woman, originally from Germany, but now an Aussie citizen, with an amazing vision when it comes to capturing the environment around her. Not surprisingly, Kathrin Dierich was announced as the July Artist of the month at the local arts centre.  At the launch of her exhibition, she gave a short insight of her work as a photographer and artist (she has had a great year as an artist as well).

Here she is during that talk.  Her photos held my attention for some time. Her discussion and photos have inspired me to improve my own skills.