Su. Ho.

#DailyPictureTheme 15 Apr
This colourful meal eaten in a delightful cafe in Williams was subject to GST, a goods and services #tax of 10%. Introduced in Australia in 2000, the tax rate has not changed since so it’s still easy to calculate.
#westernaustralia #WildHarvestCafe

Plate of brightly coloured salad vegetables and fruits with slices of grilled chicken on the side and decorated with tiny edible flowers. Ingredients include lettuce, yellow capsicum, red onion, cherry Roma tomatoes, carrot, avocado, cucumber and black sesame seeds. It was a taste sensation - so fresh!
More about the GST: Commenced on 1 July 2000, replacing the previous federal wholesale sales tax system, and designed to phase out various State and Territory Government taxes, duties and levies such as banking taxes and stamp duty. The GST funds are not kept at the point of collection but are pooled and then the bunfights begin between the various governments over the allocation of funds!

06:19 PM - Apr 14, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 14 Apr
The #pale new leaves on this Hakea victoria (aka royal or lantern hakea) will soon darken to the resplendent colours of the rest of the plant.
One of the jewels in the biodiversity hotspot that is the Fitzgerald River National Park.
#wildflowersofwesternaustralia

Water droplets adorn the pale orange-green new growth of a Hakea. The mature leaves are scallop shaped with bright orange hearts surrounded by green with orange veining.
This is Hakea victoria, commonly known as royal hakea and lantern hakea. The Noongar name for the plant is Tallyongut.
FYI Fitzgerald River National Park forms the basis of an internationally recognised Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO Man and Biosphere Program). This biodiversity hotspot supports 1,748 identified plant species, representing almost 20% of Western Australia’s described plant species. There are 75 species that are endemic to the park, a further 48 are seldom found elsewhere, and 250 species are listed as rare.

06:48 PM - Apr 13, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 13 Apr
I like everything about this hand-knitted jumper (aka sweater) displayed in the Norsk folkemuseum - the design, colours and #drape are lovely.
It looks warm and cosy, and would definitely brighten a chilly Norwegian day!
#norway #KnittedArt #knitwear

A long-sleeved multicoloured knitted garment is displayed on a headless black mannequin under soft lighting.
The panel across the shoulders and neckline is sky blue. The panels of colour from top to bottom on the torso are purple, burnt orange, sea green, yellow and lime green. For the sleeves they’re yellow, sea green then lime green.
There are small Vs of contrasting colour across some panels, and the garment is also decorated with knitted tabs of different shapes, sizes and colours, and small orange knitted balls.

08:01 PM - Apr 12, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 12 Apr
Little did we know when we called in to the small town of Northampton that it had been invaded by painted fibreglass sheep!
This newsagent sheep is covered in #press clippings.
We almost did a Ewe Turn, the name of this ongoing art project 😁
#westernaustralia #ruralart

A fibreglass sheep standing on a reddish brown paved sidewalk. It is covered with black and white press clippings and crosswords, dappled with splashes of blue text and photos. The hooves are painted bright blue.
Northampton is printed in sans serif font on its flank in the form of horizontal crossword boxes, with the word Times above in serif font. Presumably these comprise the name of the local newspaper.
Words made vertically using the horizontal letters are, from left to right, news, wrap, card, paper and agency.

07:19 PM - Apr 11, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 11 Apr
Freeze, smoke and #sear - these grapes have been through it all with frosts, a bushfire and heat waves. No small-batch vintage this year for our friends 😢
#grampians #pomonal #grapepicking #australia

Looking from above at sky-blue buckets full of sun-damaged Riesling grapes, which were picked as being “best”, mostly because they had some leaf protection from the sun. They still tasted good but there weren’t enough.
Shriveled and cooked grapes were left on the vines to be pruned off later.

07:32 PM - Apr 10, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 10 Apr
To live is to know #pain but we each travel a journey with experiences and responses that are uniquely ours.
I choose to savour the moment, nurture relationships and seek out the beauty in nature to help fill the pages in my life’s diary.

Water droplets have collected in the dips created by veins on a green leaf.

07:36 PM - Apr 09, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 9 Apr (2 of 2)
Shortly after taking this screenshot of the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) app in April 2023, Pardoo weather station in the Pilbara went off line. It had just recorded a wind #gust of 248 km/hour from Cyclone Ilsa. The roadhouse was wiped out 😞
#westernaustralia

A screenshot from my iPhone of the BOM app showing the weather information for Pardoo, Western Australia, at 9.35 pm on 13 April 2023.
The temperature was 26.4 degrees Celsius but there was no estimation for what that felt like given the humidity and wind speed (a number is usually provided).
The forecast is for minimum overnight temperature of 23 degrees Celsius, with a maximum of 35 degrees Celsius the following day.
Then there’s the symbol for a cyclone against a dark background with rain and clouds, representing the night and weather.
Rainfall is expected to be between 15 and 90 mm.
The other weather conditions at the time were wind from the southwest at 211 km/hr, with gusts up to 248 km/hr recorded.
According to the BOM website:
A peak 10-minute mean wind of 118 kn (218 km/h) was recorded at 1327 and 1328 UTC 13 April. A peak 3-second maximum wind gust of 155.9 kn (289 km/h) was recorded at 1323 UTC 13 April.

07:21 PM - Apr 08, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 9 Apr (1 of 2)
Freshly washed clothes pegged on a line strung between verandah posts under cover - add some wind with the occasional #gust and they’ll soon be dry 😎
#solarpunk #westernaustralia

The sun is shining through washing pegged to a line on a front verandah. We can see a green paddock behind, with mowed grass closest to the verandah.
There are two flannelette shirts flapping upside down in the breeze - one green and blue, and the other blue, purple and pink flannelette shirts - and a pair of blue jeans hung upside down by the legs. The pegs are white with brightly coloured inserts of red, green, blue or yellow.

06:47 PM - Apr 08, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 8 Apr
Well-known (maybe!) pigeon saying - Every #step you take is a #step closer to your next feed!

Also - Why fly when you can walk 😁

Piazza del Duomo, San Gimignano, Tuscany
#Italy

A pigeon walking up steps made by laying red-brown bricks in a chevron pattern. The bird is scouring the ground ahead looking for anything remotely edible.

07:13 PM - Apr 07, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 7 Apr
A pre-start vehicle check is an important safety measure to identify and prevent issues before they become more significant while driving.
It’s #worth doing well and should include items like tyres, batteries, fuel, fluids and …….. frogs!
More in alt-text 🐸
#amphibian

A spotted-thighed frog (Litoria cyclorhyncha) squatting on the seat strut of a farm buggy, just waiting to jump on the unsuspecting driver thus frightening them so they veer off the track and drive into the bushes. Except this didn’t happen because we did a pre-start check and found the frog! Happens a lot.
Back to the frog. It’s large and well feed after feasting on insects and spiders in the shed. Its unwebbed fingers have prominent discs. The back is brownish to bronze, and dappled with small dark green patches. It looks unperturbed.

07:49 PM - Apr 06, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 6 Apr
The one and only KCGM Super #Pit on Kalgoorlie’s Golden Mile, one of the richest gold deposits in the world. It has produced over 60 million ounces of #gold since its discovery in 1893.
My geological stomping ground 😁
More in alt-text as usual.
#westernaustralia

Part of a huge open cut mining operation photographed on 6 September 2021 (so it’s bigger now!).
History of mining on the Golden Mile:
The 1893 gold rush in Western Australia led to the discovery of the Golden Mile, one of the richest gold deposits in the world. In 1903, there were 49 operating mines, 100 headframes and more than 3,000 km of underground workings. I went down a few of these in the 1980s for research purposes before they were dug up!
In 1989 all leases along the Mile had been bought up and Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Pty Ltd (KCGM) was formed to manage the operations.
Existing smaller pits were amalgamated into the Super Pit. All underground operations were phased out except for the Mt Charlotte Underground Mine.

10:48 PM - Apr 05, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 5 Apr
This is ruby saltbush, which is highly drought tolerant. The green is easy to distinguish among dry summer grass.
Its berries change to bright red-orange when #ripe and can be eaten raw. The flavour is salty-sweet. Snack food with a difference!
#westernaustralia #bushtucker

Enchylaena tomentosa, commonly known as barrier saltbush or ruby saltbush.
It is covered with clusters of small green leaves that are elongate and fleshy like those of a succulent.
The fruits are small, round and fleshy. Bright green to yellow in colour they are somewhat camouflaged among the leaves. The berries will become more obvious as they ripen to bright red-orange.
This plant is native to Australia. We have low sprawling bushes up to 1 metre in diameter at Djirikartup, and were delighted to discover it is not a weed - one less intruder to pull out!

07:28 PM - Apr 04, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 4 Apr
Our son collected grapes from our vines and my parents’ to made a sourdough starter. He gave us half and it’s still going strong with regular feeding. I make a sourdough loaf every week or so. The bread has a lovely flavour and no chance of going #stale in our house 😋

A loaf tin holding freshly baked sourdough bread. The crust is golden and has four oblique cuts across the top to allow for expansion.
The tin is sitting on an outside table topped by a terracotta mosaic representing grape vines - very appropriate as the sourdough starter was made with grapes!

06:27 PM - Apr 03, 2024 (Edited)

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#DailyPictureTheme 3 Apr
The golden hour!
The sun rises above Perth city buildings and casts its golden glow over the Derbal Yerrigan (Swan River).
DYK The Latin name for #gold is aurum, meaning yellow, from the word aurora (dawn). That’s why the chemical symbol for gold is Au 😁
#westernaustralia

A golden sunrise over city buildings and a river. We are looking along a narrow wooden jetty towards the sun, which is below a thick bank of clouds. The water is gently rippled and looks like molten gold.

08:16 PM - Apr 02, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 2 Apr
For today’s theme I thought of The Signal Station, a restaurant on Mt Nelson near Hobart. Some years ago we caught a bus to see the view but stayed longer for an unplanned afternoon tea. I just learned that its tagline is now “Come for the view, #stay for the food.” I agree!

A bench top along a window is set with afternoon tea. There is a maroon teapot with metal flip lid, a white cup containing tea, a plate with two freshly baked scones and small pots of strawberry jam and cream, and a plate with a slice of cherry cheesecake.
Four tea light candles in red holders within clear glasses are lined up along the sill and the red holders glow in the afternoon light. To their right is a glass of brown sachets of sugar.
The window overlooks the slopes of Mount Nelson and lovely eucalypt trees. It has a 180-degree view of the Tasmanian coast from Hobart to the Tasman Peninsula, the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and beyond.
Note: The Signal Station is a significant heritage site, recording the history of signal communication from Mt Nelson to Port Arthur.

08:05 PM - Apr 01, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 1 Apr
#Come and explore this unique facility. Completed in 1942, the Stick Shed (previously known as the Murtoa No. 1 Grain Store) is Australia’s only remaining emergency grain store built during World War Two.
As usual, more in alt-text!
#wanderoutyonder #victoria #australia

Inside a huge shed looking along its central aisle. Rows of tall timber poles reach up to the pitched roof. The floor is concrete. The scene is lit by skylights.
FYI from www.stickshed.com.au
The facility was built over four months between September 1941 and January 1942 and filled with grain within six months of construction. It was the first emergency bulk wheat storage shed built in Victoria and is the only remaining shed of this type in Australia.
The Stick Shed covers 16,000 square metres under roof, and measures 265 metres long, 60 metres wide and almost 20 metres high at its apex.
A steel shortage meant the shed was built largely from readily available timber, with 560 (56 rows of 10) unmilled mountain ash poles erected into auger-dug footings in the ground. Concrete was manually poured around the footings. Galvanised hoop-iron was used in most structural joints.
Murtoa was selected as the site as it was located within a major wheat cropping area, and adjacent to the main railwa...

07:55 PM - Mar 31, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 31 Mar
When the Djirikartup house was finished, we had to clean up and remove the building waste. What couldn’t be reclaimed, reused or recycled was loaded into a #cage trailer for the 75 km drive to our local rubbish tip.
Using rope and ratchet straps, it was done in one trip!

A trailer with a metal mesh cage on four sides (there are gates at the front and back for access) stands on a gravel driveway with a verandah and paddock in the background.
The trailer is packed with building waste including bags and boxes of concrete rubble, off-cuts of ceramic tiles, ragged pieces of plasterboard, shards of metal and the list goes on.
Blue nylon rope has been used at various levels to compress and tie down the load. The whole load, which rises above the height of the cage, is secured with red ratchet straps.
A piece of concreting mesh is strategically placed on top to deter eagles, pigeons and welcome swallows - just kidding!
I thought it would take three trips to the tip but my brother had different ideas given it’s a 150 km round trip! With the help (weight and strength) of my son, they got it done in one.

06:46 PM - Mar 30, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 30 Mar
The Granite Skywalk provides safe access to great views from Castle Rock in the Porongurups. Visitors scramble over metal holds at the base then climb a ladder to a suspended skywalk built with stainless #steel beams anchored into the vertical rockface.
#westernaustralia

A walkway with metal grate floor and metal and glass walls wraps around a massive granite outcrop.
Stainless steel beams anchor the walkway to the rockface.
It’s a long way to the ground and tree canopies but we have magnificent views across farmland and part of the Porongurup National Park.
The sky is blue.

09:51 PM - Mar 29, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 29 Mar
This ornate #hearth is found in the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire, France.
The porcupine fireplace commemorates the visit of Louis XII to Chaumont.
Personally, I found it over-the-top, dark and foreboding, and much prefer a fire pit for toasting marshmallows with friends 😋

Intricate black metalwork and a screen surround a hearth. The front of the hearth comprises blue and white tiles decorated with fleur-de-lis, which is a common heraldic charge in the shape of a lily.
The fireplace is topped by carved wooden panels. The main feature is a porcupine facing to the left and wearing a crown. The motto reads “Cominus et eminus”, which means near and far. At the time, it was believed that the porcupine could not only protect itself from nearby enemies with its quills, but also to fire them like arrows at distant threats.
The woodwork has gilded features.
The Château as it is today was built in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. It has had a long and twisted history!

11:16 PM - Mar 28, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 28 Mar
A #perk of searching for a picture for the daily theme is reconnecting with some old favourites.
This is The Containbow in 2019, photographed while walking with a friend around the port of Fremantle on our own Swan River walk challenge.
#westernaustralia #artwork #rainbow

Nine recycled shipping containers have been joined along long edges to form an arch.
The containers are painted in solid colours to represent a rainbow. From left to right the colours are red, orange, yellow, lime green, dark green, sky blue, deep blue, violet and pink.
The sky is clear blue and the artwork is set on lawn, which is dried out and yellow as it’s late December and summer.
The installation is 9 metres high, 19 metres long and weighs about 66 tonnes.
This is Marcus Canning’s ‘Rainbow’, which was installed between the bridges at Beach Reserve overlooking the Fremantle port in 2016. It welcomes visitors to the port city.
The Containbow is its nickname for obvious reasons!
I took this photo a couple of months before the faded containers were repainted in the same vibrant colours.

07:48 PM - Mar 27, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 27 Mar
From OpenStreetMap Wiki:
“A #saddle point is the lowest point along a ridge or between two mountain tops and the highest point between adjacent valleys or lowlands. The #saddle is often a drainage divide between different watersheds.”
#westernaustralia #stirlingrangenp

On Sandalwood Road looking south across green paddocks, farm buildings and tall eucalypt trees to the Stirling Range. The sky is pale blue with scattered greyish wisps of clouds just above the mountains.
The range comprises rugged rocky peaks linked by ridges with scrub-covered saddles.
The photo features the eastern half of the Stirling Ridge Walk. From left to right are Ellen Peak (prominent and pointy), Pyungoorup Peak (wide and rugged) then part of Arrow 1, the first of three gently pointed peaks resembling arrow heads pointing to the sky.

06:10 PM - Mar 26, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 26 Mar
There is sad coincidence about my picture for today’s theme.
I’m using a #drum photo from a concert I attended on 8 March 2015 in Perth, Western Australia.
It’s Taylor Hawkins. The Foo Fighters drummer died on 25 March 2022 — two years ago yesterday. 😞

Looking over the silhouetted heads and shoulders of concert goers towards a brightly lit stage. Screens either side of the stage show a drummer with his eyes closed and face screwed up as he drums with abandon, lost in the song. He is bathed in blue light.

08:14 PM - Mar 25, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 25 Mar
Dating back to 1624, Asphodel Cottage is a thatched stone cottage in Tarlton in the Cotswolds. It is a lovely place to stay and explore the region.
The upstairs bedroom is cosy, with exposed beams and a #rug or two on the wooden floor.
#cotswolds

A softly lit bedroom with white walls, exposed ceiling beams (both varnished and white painted wood), an iron-framed queen bed and two soft patterned rectangular rugs on the floor. The floor is caramel coloured wooden boards. The bed has a pastel green doona or duvet, four pillows and a rectangular white cushion in the middle featuring purple flowers (agapanthus?).
We can see through to a brightly lit white bathroom with a white clawfoot bathtub.
The light comes from a chandelier, bedside lamp, small window next to the bed, and larger window in the bathroom.
High on the wall behind the bed is a heraldic shield featuring a lion and a unicorn.

05:48 PM - Mar 24, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 24 Mar
In drier environments, having small leaves shaped like a #needle is an adaptation to reduce water loss due to transpiration.
#westernaustralia #grevilleas

Grevillea leptopoda (I think) growing in sandy lateritic soil next to a gravel road. There is farmland in the distance.
It has long thin leaves shaped like needles, and creamy flowers.
This plant is found from Kalbarri south to Moora, growing among medium to low trees in tall shrubland, mallee or heathland.

08:50 PM - Mar 23, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 23 Mar
Spotted while cycling - a hot air balloon on the #rise .
#loirevalleyfrance

The sky is clear and blue, highlighting a bright red hot air balloon floating overhead with a black base and light brown wicker basket. There are at least ten people in the long rectangular basket.

06:05 AM - Mar 23, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 22 Mar
I really appreciate the signage in Kalbarri National Park. It is relevant and interesting.
And yes, I do #believe that the sandplain is as diverse as a rainforest! I have so many photos 😁
#westernaustralia #wanderoutyonder

Information board with the following text:
“Poor but rich.
Would you believe the scrubby sand plain you just drive through is as diverse as a rainforest?
These poor soils lack the nutrients needed for fast growth and this gives many different plants a chance to survive, not just fast growers.
Poor soils in stable environments also provide opportunities for species to adapt. Many unique, or endemic, species evolve on poor soils.
More than 1.000 plant species are recorded in Kalbarri National Park.”
Snippets of information reference spider orchids, banksias and catspaws, with accompanying coloured illustrations.

04:47 PM - Mar 21, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 21 Mar
Look what I #found on a rock in our garden! A Goniaea australasiae (gumleaf grasshopper).
As a nymph, it resembles a dried gum leaf until it reaches maturity and its wings are fully developed. It feeds on the leaves of acacias and eucalypts.
#westernaustralia

A soft creamy brown grasshopper camouflaged on a rock with similar colouring. It looks like a dried eucalyptus leaf with grasshopper hind legs at the back and two small antennae at the front.

04:52 PM - Mar 20, 2024

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#DailyPictureTheme 20 Mar
Seasons in southwestern Western Australia are best described by the Nyoongar calendar.
Aug-Sep is Djilba (1st #Spring ) with yellow and cream flowers marking the start of the flower extravaganza.
Oct-Nov is Kambarang (2nd #Spring ) when wildflowers of all colours abound.

Petrophile linearis, commonly known as pixie mops, is endemic to southwestern Western Australia.
The flowers look like white starburst fireworks with yellow tips.

06:47 AM - Mar 20, 2024

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