authorblog

Heart Starter

2009-07-07T01:00:00.000+11:00

Sign, Sign, Everywhere A Sign

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This shot was taken just over a fortnight ago, as I walked past Flinders Street Station. I noticed there were new posters affixed to the tram shelter between the station and Federation Square.

And I also realised that if I really walked quickly, I'd be able to get a clear shot of the poster through the traffic - with a tram in the background. I wasn't quite quick enough, because the tram was actually moving when I hit the trigger for this shot.

And in case you're wondering what the sticker says up the top of the glass of the tram shelter, it is: "No smoking in covered areas."

Visit the creative team behind That's My World Tuesday.

Sacs Fifth Avenue

2009-07-07T00:01:00.000+11:00

No, It Ain't Blob The Builder

Pulsating blobs filmed in a North Carolina sewer prompting speculation they were an 'alien' lifeform have been identified as worms. The slimy sacs were filmed clinging to the crevices of a sewer and shying away from the light as a camera was passed along the pipes. Footage posted on YouTube attracted more than four million hits.

FOOTNOTE: Not creepy, just crawly.

Post Of The Day

2009-07-06T18:30:00.000+11:00

Today's joint winners are Kat with Peace and Shrinky1 with The Angels Who Touch Us. The other top contenders were In The Gutter with From The Mountains To The Prairies; Bateau de Banane with Never Give A Sucker An Evian Break; Waystation One with Play Ball; Jennifer Harvey with Promise; Expateek with Whilst I Traveled; Denise with Today's Flowers; Valkyrien with Wet, Wild And Beautiful and Eternally Distracted with Blogging Is Like Dating But Without The First Kisses. Do pay them a visit and leave a comment if you have time.

You can nominate a post too. Just leave a comment here with the URL or link - and tell us the name of the blogger you are nominating. Righty-o, then, it's over to you ....

See my photography at Images Sans Frontiers and Red Bubble.

Verse And Worse

2009-07-06T12:30:00.000+11:00

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

So it's "Et tu, Brute"
Remember your parachute, eh
Who thought the world's worst jiver
Would be a great skydiver

Bright Prospects

2009-07-06T01:00:00.001+11:00

Yours, For Just $12 - An Armful Of Colour

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

These shots were taken two weeks ago, on a glorious winter afternoon when the sun was shining brightly and there was no real bite in the wind chill. I detoured through the forecourt of Flinders Street Station, where the flower vendors always add a touch of colour to the day.

Sure enough, among all the long-stemmed roses and a wonderful assortment of other varieties, I spotted these beautiful orange crysanthemums. I had just hit the button on the first frame (above) but I wanted to compose a tighter shot. It took me a split second to adjust the focal length, when all of a sudden the light changed dramatically.

And I mean ... dramatically.

It was as if a burst of light had suddenly illuminated the orange foliage. But the sun hadn't just emerged from a cloud. I was puzzled, and looked to my side - and immediately realised what had happened. Someone standing near me had been blocking the direct sunlight and as soon as he moved, the blooms were bathed in blinding light.

Instead of waiting or moving to a better position (or waiting for a cloud to mask the bright sun) I took the shot anyway, knowing the saturation of light would give me an effect that looked something like an oil painting. I wasn't disappointed ....

Visit Luiz Santilli Jr for the home of Today's Flowers.

Horse Sense

2009-07-06T00:01:00.000+11:00

Rover, Be Careful Of That Clydesdale

A chihuahua has made an amazing recovery in Geelong, Australia after being stepped on by her best mate - a 900kg Clydesdale horse. But she has made a complete recovery. The owner said: "She's had nine lives and it's cost me every time."

FOOTNOTE: Recovery room.

Verse And Worse

2009-07-05T12:30:00.000+11:00

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

A woman called Alice was in love with Tutankhamun
He shoulda left the palace and experimented with farmin'
Instead of being forgotten in those dark pyramids
He coulda grown cotton with a wife and ten kids

You're Right - Black IS Beautiful

2009-07-05T01:00:00.000+11:00

But I Didn't Argue About Who Had Right Of Way

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

These shots were taken during my trip to the Yukon late last year. We were just entering Haines Junction when we noticed a black bear crossing the Alaska Highway.

Throughout that trip, I had two camera around my neck. I had to react fairly quickly here, because the bear had already crossed the highway and was walking off into the trees. He was a fair way away from me, so it would probably have been safe to step out of the car.

But I knew that in the few seconds it would have taken me to jump out of the vehicle, walk clear and line up a shot, he would probably have disappeared. So I took the next best option and shot these through the windscreen.

Not great shots, but I'm glad I took them. Because the bear had disappeared a few seconds later.

Check out the rules at Camera Critters or go to Misty Dawn.

The Sunday Roast

2009-07-05T00:30:00.002+11:00

Canada's Pride: The Best Bar(n) None

This week's interview is with Aims,
who writes the blog Big Blue Barn West.

Okay, Aims, so I'm still gasping for air after fits of laughter brought on by seeing a) your wig and b) your choice of reading material as well as c) the fact that you have echoed one of the themes of the novel by holding a cup of tea. Now that I'm starting to breathe again, here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

Many times I’ve wondered the same thing David – so I’ve thought a lot about this. I blog because it gives me someplace to tell my story as a "published" version has so far eluded me. Telling my story gives me a chance to tell abused people that they aren’t the only ones out there and that it’s okay to talk about it. The header at the top of my blog reads: When I was growing up my parents told me that they beat me because they loved me. This is a true story about a life of abuse – both physical and mental – and my long journey to find ‘true love’.

I have been telling ‘The Man Tales’ – taking people from my childhood where I was abused into a six-year relationship where I was beaten every single day for ‘the fun of it’. I have tried to show that parental abuse often leads to a person seeking out an abusive relationship as they think that is love. I am slowly making my way through my story where I eventually do find true love in a relationship that doesn’t involve beatings.

It also gives me a chance to talk about suicide and depression. Having spent time on a psych ward as a patient – I feel that with blogging I can show people that I’m not only a real person, but one who has disappeared into that hell and come back out the other side a better person. When I finally started to get better from my mental breakdown I swore that I would always try and help others who have been through or suffer from these issues.

From the inside of a psych ward where I was on 24-hr suicide watch – I could see how easy it was to fall through the cracks and end up alone on the street or in a relationship where abuse happens. I could see the stigma that is attached to mental illness and abuse. I wanted to make my own small dent in that stigma and blogging gives me the opportunity to do so. If I can help one single person with my experiences then I am happy.

What's the story behind your blog name?

Almost 15 years ago I went out on a limb and bought a rundown big blue barn. It had sat empty for 4 years before I bought it and I’ve spent all these years renovating it. It’s very important to me because of the amount of effort I’ve spent doing the renovations myself with the help of my brother and nephew and The Man. It is part of the original farm that the town where I live was built around.

Eventually everything I did used the words ‘big blue barn’. When The Man and I were setting up my blog and he asked me what I wanted to call it – Big Blue Barn was the first thing I thought of and of course we added ‘West’ because we live in the west of Canada.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

Of course the best thing is the blogging community. I’ve met so many people in blogland and have developed some very lovely friendships because of it. I also enjoy watching bloggers evolve from newbies into people who want to show you more of themselves as time goes on. Watching the first few tentative steps blossom into the person behind the blog is exciting. Just being able to reach out and touch these people with a comment is very satisfying as well and to have others reach back makes my heart swell.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

The key advice I would give is to just be yourself and to write from your heart – not for others but for yourself. I’d also say be true to your blog. Go with how you want to be seen and stick to it. Even though we are all multi-faceted people – when we sit down to write we usually have a consistent form. Stick with that.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

Like nearly all of the people who have been asked this question I have to say that I too have read so many significant posts that it is hard to pick just one. However…

In 2008 I was nominated for The Best of Blogs and fell into the category ‘Best Inspirational Blog’. During that competition a blogger I read was nominated for Best Mommy Blog. The competition was fast and furious and we were all trying to run campaigns for votes. One day Caroline at Laughing Along In The Dark posted that she wanted anyone who was voting for her to throw all of their votes to Punk Rock Mommy who had cancer. (The post was called Punk Rock Mommy Rocks.) She wanted Punk Rock Mommy to win Best Mommy Blog because of the lift it would give her as she fought this insidious disease (a fight she lost). I was inspired by Caroline’s unselfish attitude and by Punk Rock Mommy’s raw and vibrant words on how to live a life. The unselfish hearts of these two women – joined by blogging – shed another ray of light on my own journey. They made the mountain not so high and the path not so steep. The significance of what they both did has stuck with me ever since.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

This of course was a tough one David because I’ve written about abuse, mental illness and grief. All subjects I have plenty of personal experience with. However – I have to go with my post entitled Let's Talk About Depression And Suicide. This post gave me the opportunity to tell people what they could do for someone who was depressed or suicidal. It is often a very taboo subject and this post gave me the chance to bring it out in the open and to help inform people what it is about (for some) and how they could possibly help. It also showed that people can fall back time and again into a depression and are never completely cured. You never know what is behind a smiling face and you shouldn’t let someone push away your efforts to help them. You have to keep trying or quite possibly lose them forever.

You saw this post, David, and made it Post Of The Day. I was very grateful for that and for this as it gives me the chance to reach some who might never read my blog and who I might be able to help or inspire in some small way. Thank you, David.

Today's Sunday Roast with Aims is the 74rd in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

Huffin' And Puffin

2009-07-05T00:01:00.000+11:00

The Mystery Of The Disappearing Birds

Puffins are to be fitted with satellite transmitters for the first time in an effort to understand a worrying decline in their numbers in the last five years. British scientists are to fit tiny GPS devices to the sea birds' legs to work out what is going wrong.

FOOTNOTE: Calvin decline.

Verse And Worse

2009-07-04T12:30:00.000+11:00

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

He was thrown out of Vegas and accused of cheating
He stole a convertible but the getaway was fleeting
He had a flat tyre so he rang his twin, Steve
Then he remembered the spare jack up his sleeve

Too Many Pink Gins

2009-07-04T01:00:00.000+11:00

Hairstyle's OK, Dulcie, But That Colour's Wrong

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This shot was taken in Montreal's Gay Village area, way back in 2005. I was on a very tight schedule that morning, as I had to check out of my hotel and catch a flight to Toronto, where I had a rental car waiting for me to head out to Muskoka for a few days.

But I'd been told by a friend that I had to spend at least half an hour photographing the sights in this part of the city - and there was certainly no shortage of things to shoot.

This huge figurine was on an exterior wall and I took this and a couple of other frames from the main street. Maybe it was a punk rock venue. Or a pink rock venue.

Visit TNChick's Photo Hunt. Today's theme: "Pink''.

The Flight Of The Bumble Beer

2009-07-04T00:01:00.000+11:00

Nothing’s A Real Insult Here

A bar in Spain is serving up free beer and tapas to customers who insult its bartenders. Casa Pocho, in the beach resort town of Cullera, near Valencia, says its promotional gimmick is working well. The co-owner said: "Even people in their seventies come to insult me."

FOOTNOTE: Tapas dancing.

Post Of The Day

2009-07-03T18:30:00.000+11:00

Today's joint winners are Rooted with Washed By Words and Jientje with Whining And Dining. The other top contenders were Sandy Carlson with National Submarine Memorial; My Retirement Chronicles with Bees In The Garden; Gaston Studio with The Fall; Only A Movie with Kids; Cross Your Ts with Beware The Fleas; Expat From Hell with Into The Streets and Michelle with Day 180 - Pesky Birds. Do pay them a visit and leave a comment if you have time.

You can nominate a post too. Just leave a comment here with the URL or link - and tell us the name of the blogger you are nominating. Righty-o, then, it's over to you ....

See my photography at Images Sans Frontiers and Red Bubble.

Crowning Glory

2009-07-03T11:35:00.000+11:00

A Touch Of Royalty In Outback Australia

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

These shots were taken on 5 June this year, in the tiny Victorian town of Glenrowan. I had just pulled off the interstate Hume Highway, parked the car and was stretching my legs before looking for a hearty breakfast, when I spotted this window.

It's a colonial-era original - the crown signifying royalty and the letters VR signifying "Victoria Regina" which - if you know a bit of Latin, means "Victoria the Queen". Now that's going back more than a century, because Queen Victoria reigned from 1837-1901, if I remember my literature lectures clearly.

And, just for the record, here's a look at the old postbox near the sign.

Visit MamaGeek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.

Verse And Worse

2009-07-03T11:30:00.000+11:00

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

My first cousin Rufus
Is a gold-plated doofus
He lost his new Mercedes-Benz
But thought he'd lent it to his friends

Crane Your Neck

2009-07-03T01:00:00.000+11:00

Yes, This Is A Winter Sky In Melbourne

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

We get a lot of blue skies during our winters here in Australia - and just to prove it, here are a couple of shots I took two Fridays ago. Let me put it all in context for you, however. The coldest nights produce the clearest days. No you don't have to be Einstein to work that out. Let me explain.

A clear sky at night will produce the lowest temperatures, because there is no breeze or cloud cover to keep the land (or land-based objects) warm. So on mornings when my car is covered in a thick layer of ice that even makes the doors difficult to open, I know that the sky is going to be blue for most of the day.

So last Friday, while most of you were enjoying your balmy temperatures, I was de-icing my car and planning what sky shots I was going to take later in the day. And in case you're wondering about the shot below, I haven't flipped my lid. It really does depict the sky - reflected in the chrome exhaust pipe of a motorbike.

For other participants in Dot’s concept, go to Sky Watch HQ.

Red-Hot Chilli Papa

2009-07-03T00:01:00.000+11:00

Never Mind The Spies, Wot About The Spice?

Indian defence scientists are planning to put one of the world's hottest chilli powders into hand grenades – but they say the devices will be used to immobilise people without killing them. The chilli, known as Bhut Jolokia, is said to be a thousand times hotter than commonly used kitchen chilli.

FOOTNOTE: Hot to trot.

Post Of The Day

2009-07-02T18:30:00.000+11:00

Today's winner is Suburb Sanity with Getting Something Off My Chest. The other top contenders were Braja with You Know How I Told You I Loved Cows?; Fireblossom with House Of Kray; Brit Gal Sarah with Chicago; The Diary Of Dagenham Dave with When I First Arrived In The US ...; Shadow with Yield To Sigh; Smitten By Britain with Weird Wednesday; Arkansas Patti with Melinda Update and Vita Stunder with Forgotten. Do pay them a visit and leave a comment if you have time.

You can nominate a post too. Just leave a comment here with the URL or link - and tell us the name of the blogger you are nominating. Righty-o, then, it's over to you ....

See my photography at Images Sans Frontiers and Red Bubble.

Verse And Worse

2009-07-02T12:30:00.000+11:00

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

In the bracing cold of an Outback winter
The teacher, Miss Jessie, sat on a splinter
But worse was to come when she saddled her horse
She signalled her agony to us using Morse

Roll Up, Roll Up

2009-07-02T01:00:00.001+11:00

For All The Fun Of The Fair

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

No, there's no chance of making a grand entrance here - simply because, as the sign says, it's an exit! I shot these two images on Easter Saturday at Luna Park, during our holiday in Sydney this year. We've made several visits to Sydney over the years, but it's the first time we've actually been to Luna Park.

Let's just say a good time was had by all. Three Authorbloglets and three of their closest friends. Two fathers, both having a good time as well - ah, okay, so one of them had a camera around his neck and kept finding lots of quirky images to shoot.

Like this one. I remember thinking at the time, as soon as I saw this sign, that it would be perfect for my regular Thursday post. And just to bring you up to speed, yes, I've had a few queries over the past few weeks about whether I intend to turn "The Doors" into a fully-fledged meme. There is a simple answer. I just don't have enough time to launch and administer a meme.

I do this weekly post because it's fun. But if there's anyone out there who wants to adopt the idea and launch the meme, just let me know.

For earlier posts in this series, check out The Doors Archive.

Save The President From Melting

2009-07-02T00:01:00.003+11:00

Those Aren't Umbrellas, They're Classy Parasols

A new waxwork of Barack Obama has been unveiled in Paris - where it had to be protected from the hot sun by umbrellas. Helpers grabbed umbrellas to shield the waxwork as it was unveiled near the Eiffel Tower before taking up position in the Musée Grevin wax museum.

FOOTNOTE: Brollywood.

Post Of The Day

2009-07-01T18:30:00.001+11:00

Today's joint winners are Mad Manic Mamas with Living With Teen Terrorists Is A Nightmare and Crystal Jigsaw with World Turns and Runee with Stony Faces. The other top contenders were Craig Glenn with What Movie Would You Like To See, Sir?; Blogging Incognito with Chewed Up And Spit Out By Godzilla; Big Blue Barn West with Everyone Needs A Dream; Shirley Wells with The More Hours You Have; Leslie with We're Engaged; Travel Oyster with Idlewild - Paradise Revisited. Do pay them a visit and leave a comment if you have time.

You can nominate a post too. Just leave a comment here with the URL or link - and tell us the name of the blogger you are nominating. Righty-o, then, it's over to you ....

See my photography at Images Sans Frontiers and Red Bubble.

Verse And Worse

2009-07-01T12:30:00.000+11:00

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

When it comes to matters of colours and tones
There’s no printer quicker than Barnaby Jones
Then he told me he was really colour-blind
And his seeing-eyed dog was a wonderful find

X Is For Xtra Special

2009-07-01T01:00:00.001+11:00

Another Feather In This Street Musician's Cap

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Terry Sansom would have to be one of the most unique musicians I've seen anywhere in the world. He’s unique not because he plays the piano in the Bourke Street Mall here in Melbourne - he's unique because he treats it like a fully portable instrument.

He pushes the piano into the mall every day and when he’s finished, he pushes it away again. No fuss, no bother. No worries, mate. Me, I've never pushed a piano anywhere in my life, let along down a public mall, so I can only guess what a huge effort that would be.

And can he play? Mate, let me tell you, he so can play - he has a wide repertoire and he plays with a sense of fun as well. But because Bourke Street Mall is not one of my usual haunts, I'd never seen him until about four weeks ago.

Like I said, I don’t really spend a lot of time in this part of the city, but I was racing through the area one afternoon, in pouring rain. Naturally, I did not take my camera with me. My Pentax is efficiently weather-sealed, but I wasn't going to tempt fate in heavy rain that day. As I raced on foot through the mall, I suddenly heard the sound of a piano.

That’s when I saw him for the first time. Sitting there with a plastic poncho to protect him from the elements - and playing his heart out as the city bustled around him. He wasn’t part of a store promotion. He wasn’t playing with corporate sponsorship.

Just a bloke and his big old piano. Naturally, I had to ask the obvious question. I walked up, put some money in his bucket and asked him how on earth he gets a piano into the mall.

“Van”, he answered in a monosyllable because he was intent on playing. I had to find out more and I had to get some pictures of him. I asked if he would be there the next day, He nodded.

The next day, when I returned with my camera, the weather was clearer. Again I had to ask him how on earth he manages to push a heavy full-size piano around. This time I waited to ask him the question between songs. He told me he loads the piano onto his van at the end of the day and then brings it back into the mall the next day.

So how did he actually push it around? He pointed to the left-hand side of the piano. His eyes twinkled. "There’s a bit of redgum under there and I drilled through it to put a detachable wheel in so I can actually 'steer' the piano."

See, that another thing I’d never thought of. How on earth would you push a piano on your own - and "steer" it to ensure that it travels in the intended direction? It’s not like getting into a Ford, and turning on the ignition, is it? Just one of those things we don't think of because we've never had to do the task before.

I had picked the right day to meet him. With winter's embrace of our city, he was heading up north to seek warmth and longer days. He won’t be back in Melbourne until November.

When I ask permission to take photographs, he nods with a smile. Then he tells me people don’t generally ask permission. But he’s not complaining. He tells me he’s on YouTube. Passers-by film him and upload the clips to the site.

Then he tells me about the German tourists who bought one of his CDs. They took his music back to the factory where they worked - and the CDs were an instant hit. They were so popular that no one was allowed to take them out of the workplace. So they then had to put in an extra order for some more stock!

Does he do gigs? Yes, he says, he's doing a 60th birthday tomorrow. Far from where he lives? He shrugs.

I have to ask one final question. Where does he live?

He gives me a wry grin before he replies. "Wherever I park the van".

POSTSCRIPT: A big thank you to Craig Glenn, who tracked down this YouTube clip of Terry Sansom playing.

For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.