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a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives · 10 months

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‘It’s the relationship I knew I wanted’: Scrublands star on learning to commit

Luke Arnold is an actor and writer who is best known for playing Michael Hutchence in Never Tear Us Apart. The 39-year-old discusses the endearing nickname he called his little sister as a child, a silly but romantic Christmas gesture and what he is most proud of in his current relationship.

“It’s interesting to reflect on the actresses I admired before I got into the acting industry who later became colleagues, like Heather Graham.”

My maternal great-great-grandmother thought her name was Jean, but when she was 70 she found her birth certificate, which said Jane. Her mother died when she was young, so I’m not sure what went wrong there, but she was still Jean to us all.

Some of my first memories are getting handwritten and recorded poems on cassettes from her. Looking at them recently, I can see the influence their form and patterns have had on my own writing.

When I was young, my maternal granny, Valerie, lived on a sailing boat with my step granddad. They also travelled around Australia on a motorbike. They were a great example of the freewheeling, bohemian lifestyle that was definitely passed down to me.

My parents, Nola and Colin, met while picking fruit. Mum is not the tallest lady and trained to become a jockey. It was her passion from a young age, but in the late 1970s she found the male-dominant culture of the racing industry too tough to realise her dream.

Mum is an enthusiastic and bubbly person. Before my younger sister, Ashley, and my brother, George, were born, I had her full attention for two years. It was great, as it meant that when I started school, I was on my way to reading and writing.

When I was just a baby myself, I used to call my sister “my little darling”, as we were so close. In the teen years we grew apart a bit, but since 2019 we’ve become close again. Ashley’s a web designer and is living the life of a digital nomad.

My first celebrity crush was Amy Jo Johnson, the actress who played the Pink Power Ranger on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

It’s interesting to reflect on the actresses I admired before I got into the acting industry who later became colleagues, like Heather Graham, star of Boogie Nights, which is one of my favourite films. When Heather enlisted me to act opposite her on her 2018 film Half Magic, it was a “pinch-me” moment. One minute I would be talking to her as a colleague, then the next I’d think, “You’re HEATHER GRAHAM!”

My first serious relationship was with Hayley at Sunshine Beach High School in Queensland. We bonded over acting and performing. It was nice to meet a girl after my teenage years in Sydney, where I’d worked as a clown, doing parties and magic, mostly around dudes.

While at drama school [WAAPA in Perth], I picked up a girlfriend from the airport dressed in wrapping paper. I’d asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she’d replied, “Just you.” I took that literally. It was a silly, ridiculous, romantic gesture. I’m glad camera phones weren’t a big thing back then.

In the 2022 NITV SBS series True Colours, Rarriwuy Hick and I both played detectives. Filming that was a huge education for me. My touchstones on the Northern Territory set were the women – Rurriway and Arrernte/Warlpiri woman Marie Ellis, with whom we consulted daily to follow cultural protocol.

It was nerve-racking to be the white fella who was ignorant of so many things. But the First Nations people had such generosity teaching me about that part of the country, and about the practices that impacted storylines, like men’s business, kinship and payback. There was overwhelming care for us outsiders coming in.

I’ve been with my current partner, Laura, for a year. We met while making a film 16 years ago and I was completely and madly infatuated with her. We were both young and at that time I was ill-equipped to handle such strong feelings.

We had a couple of false starts that left us both feeling tender, but we kept returning to the flame. Something I’m proud of is that we kept showing up, as it would have been easy to just turn it into a story of heartbreak and not deal with it.

We’ve always been great friends throughout it all. Laura is the person I want to call with good news, with a question, or if I’m anxious about something. It’s the relationship I knew I wanted, and I’m very grateful to be in it now.

Luke Arnold stars in Scrublands, premiering November 16 on Stan.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

#black sails #luke arnold #scrublands #stan australia #interview #the sydney morning herald #news

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mike-cooper · 2 years

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Revelations, reflections and recollections.

The following are some of stories of the inspiration behind some of my records; there is always a story, plus some other travel tales, revelations, reflections and recollections. RAFT ONE - Willam Willis - Age Unlimited. Basement Books in Melbourne. A treasury of second hand books that I visit regularly whenever I am in that city. I head straight for the Travel - Pacific section. My library is stuffed with volumes that I bought in that ‘beach beneath the street’. This particular day I am drawn to a small volume titled The Seven Sisters by William Willis because it has what looks like a raft embossed in the righthand bottom corner of the cover in gold. I had been assigned to read The Kon Tiki Expedition at school in my last few years there. That and The Tempest by William Shakespeare were my English Literature Exam books. Easy, inspiring and obviously impressive to me. Thor Heyerdahl was all I knew about rafting and the Pacific until William Willis came into my hands. Here was a man who had sailed 2,200 miles further than Heyerdah across the Pacific Ocean so how come no one talked about him and why did he not have a million tourists visiting a museum dedicated to him like Heyerdahl’s in Oslo I wondered. In 1954 just seven years after Heyerdahl had drifted with his crew of five across the Pacific from Peru to the Tuamotu Islands Willis drifted as far as Samoa from Callao single handedly!! He was 61 years old at that time and had suffered a hernia the day he left. He continued to be plagued by this throughout the voyage and at one point even had to hang himself upside down with a rope around one ankle suspended from a sail spar to relieve himself of pain and put his intestine back inside. His diet for almost the whole voyage was 50 pounds of Canihua grain, 70 pounds of Barley, 70 pounds of brown sugar, 50 cans of lemon juice, 2 pounds of tea, 50 cans of instant coffee and 120 gallons of fresh water. He claims that he hardly ever even saw fish let alone caught them and that practically the only ones he did eat were flying fish that happened to land on the deck by mistake and that the cat he had taken with him (as well as a parrot) didn’t get to eat first. The cat incidentally completed the whole trip with Willis but the parrot was killed by the cat a couple of days before completion of the voyage. it had taken Willis 115 days to sail the 6,700 miles. Willis left his raft and bequeathed it to the Samoans who built a small museum around it which it seems burnt down at some point. The raft itself was built from seven balsa wood tree trunks and Willis had named it Seven Little Sisters. Ten year later when Willis was 73 he built another raft based on his first and left Callao in Peru on 5th July 1963 with the intention of a complete crossing to Australia. He arrived in Apia where he made a lengthy repair stop before continuing on towards has final goal. After 204 days of rafting he arrived in Tully in northern Queensland on the east coast of Australia, after a treacherous crossing of the Great Barrier Reef. From Tully his raft was towed, with almost disastrous results, down the coast to Sydney where he made a glorious entry under Sydney Harbour Bridge. Rafts do not take kindly to being towed, preferring to take their time under their own motivation. After all his raft was named Age Unlimited. Willis unfortunately came to an inglorious end attempting to cross the Atlantic in May 1968 in a small sailing boat. It was not the first time he had tried this and his boat was found drifting half submerged 400 miles from the Irish coast, but Willis was never found only his journal with a final entry on July 21st 1968. It had been drifting, presumably without Willis for two months. RAFT TWO - Vital Alsar - La Balsa y Las Balsas. Vital: “necessary for the success or continued existence of something; extremely important” Where to begin. Basement books again? The Maritime Museum in Ballina? A dumpster in the street in Valencia. Where to end …..Vera Cruz maybe..or in reverse perhaps, or both beginning and ending? Vera Cruz is famous for the quality of its hot chocolate best consumed maybe at La Parroquia de Veracruz in the port, which is where we went. Worth it if only for the theatre of pouring. In fact there is nothing special about the place at all and it is almost always crowded and you wait to be seated. Which we did. And the pouring is spectacular and very similar to the pouring of cider, or Sidra or Sagardoa, as it is known in the Asturian, Basque and Galician areas of Spain, or Cantabria which is where Vital Alsar was born. Again searching the arcane Pacific section in Basement books in Melbourne where I had discovered William Willis I pull out a volume that has on its spine “La Balsa To Australia - The Longest Raft Voyage In History” by Vital Alsar. This tells me the story of Vital’s third, and second successful, trip drifting across the Pacific. He was of course familiar with the Non Tiki expedition, having read it in, of all places, Morocco, when doing military service in the Spanish Army and felt the urge to replicate it. In 1966 he made, in the now established tradition of Pacific rafters, a balsa wood raft which sank after 143 days with Vital and crew member and friend Marc Modena being rescued by a passing ship near the Galapagos Islands. That raft was named Pacifica. In 1970 La Balsa is launched in the Rio Guayas with four men on board and was being towed towards the Gulf Of Guayaquil and the open ocean for the start of what would become the longest non stop journey by raft ever made. William Willis had also achieve this remember, but although he was alone he had made a lengthy repair stop in Apia in Samoa. The two had met at the explorers club in Manhattan prior to Vital’s Pacifica raft excursion where Willis had told Vital it was impossible, but then changed his mind later and said that he thought Vital might make it. Vital and his crew took 161 days to navigate the La Balsa Pacific and arrive in Mooloolaba in Queensland on the East Coast of Australia about 97 kilometres north of Brisbane. Ballina - A mostly retirement town 160 kilometres south of Brisbane on the Richmond River which empties into the Pacific Ocean at Ballina. It has two surf beaches the North Wall and the South Wall. The South Wall is a winter surf beach whereas The North Wall is a summer surf beach and has a permanent shark warning, which does not deter most surfers. Its other claim to fame is the worlds biggest prawn model which used to sit atop a restaurant in former years. The restaurant closed and for may years the Big Prawn was deserted but the actual prawn sat there until a hardware chain, Bunnings, bought the site and rescued the prawn which now sits beside its carpark entrance. Unsettled. Ballina normally has a copious 1,817.9 mm (71.6 in) of rainfall annually, but during my 2017 tour of Australia a cyclone crossed the north eastern coast of Australia and travelled slowly south, eventually ending up in New Zealand causing very extreme flooding. I was due to give an audio visual concert with my colleague Grayson Cooke, who lives in Ballina, at Southern Cross University in Lismore where he works. Lismore was inundated with several metres of floodwater; the university was closed, roads impassable, raging river, floating islands of debris from the hinterlands sailing past the window (his apartment is right on the river) and the concert is cancelled. Instead we decided to do a 'live stream' on social media from Grayson's apartment. I had travelled on this tour with no guitar, my usual instrument and was borrowing one from someone wherever I played. But I had my iPhone with a virtual digital steel guitar app installed, hooked up to my mini Kaos Pad, a long delay pedal, and a Samsung tablet with a John Cage prepared piano app. Grayson screened and manipulated video from his Unsettled audio visual installation (for which I did the music) that was at that time being show in Adelaide at the same time. I released the resulting audio on my Bandcamp page. Prior to the cyclone arriving, or maybe on a previous visit to Ballina, I was admiring pelicans nesting on the top of a lamp post alongside the river when I noticed I was outside a building advertising itself as the Ballina Naval and Martime Museum. Why not enter? Totally surprised to see inside a balsa wood raft, but not just any old balsa wood raft it was THE raft. One of three that in 1973 Vital Alsar had sailed across the Pacific Ocean with 12 comrades from Ecuador to Ballina for the second time. Guayaquil to Ballina. This third voyage in 1972 featuring three rafts reached Ballina on the east coast of Australia after 179 days. One of the three rafts began to break up when the Australian navy attempted to tow it ashore. The other two were moored in the Richmond river for some months until they discovered that they were starting to rot. The raft presently in the Ballina Maritime Museum is a composite of the two. While I was writing this in 2020 Vital died on the 15th September aged 87. His life after the epic raft voyages continued to be dedicated to the sea and sailing. In 1977,he built 3 brigs in Guayaquil navigating the Amazon river and the Atlantic Ocean, 11,000 nautical miles, until reaching Santander in Spain. The brigs can be seen in the Magdalena Palace in Santander as can a replica raft as well. His last expedition was “Zamná”, sailing from the island of Cozumel (Mexico) to Greece, stopping at many American, European and North African ports before returning to Mexico. This last voyage between 2009-2010 aboard the trimaran was built in the port of Alvarado and named Zamná after the Mayan god of knowledge. Aboard was a Mayan boy, his father and twelve other crew members carrying an emotional message of peace - “El Niño, La Mar and La Paz”. Sail on, sail on sailor.

#mikecooper room40 ambientelectronicexotica raft williamwillis vitalalsar

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lindoig8 · 3 years

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Friday to Sunday - 9-11 July

Friday

We walked across to the Information Centre in the morning to try to book some tours. Heather had numerous phone calls and emails with a guy from there over several weeks (I think she started in Halls Creek) but had been unable to firm anything up because we couldn’t say exactly when we would arrive and because they don’t run the tours every day unless there is sufficient demand. One of the tours we wanted to do was a 4WD tagalong and they were just starting one as we arrived and there was room for one more car so they waited while I ran back to the caravan park (just across the road) to get our car and off we went.

It was really interesting. We started at the Information Centre and drove down to the Thermal Spring (the Bore). From there, we drove out to the historic Albert River bridge and its modern replacement side by side. Back into town and crawling through the scrub to see the last remaining post from the old port. Burketown was a flourishing port for some years but obviously, that ceased to be a long time ago. But there is a fancy new ‘port’: a large jetty and boat ramp, opened only about 2 years ago according to our guide. (I suspect it might be a little older than that, because it looks just like it did last time we saw it 4 years ago.)

At each stop, we were regaled with a little history, including some aboriginal stories and information about the plants and animals in the area. We learned a little about the medicinal uses of some plants and how to tell if it is safe to eat some of their fruits. At the port, we heard lots of stories about crocodiles – Brenton (our guide) and Patrick (his assistant) had lots of fascinating tales to tell and Brenton said he could talk about crocodiles all day – and I think he really could.

We set off again to see the remains of the abattoir and meatworks that was once a thriving local industry, but which is now just a rusting mouldering collection of defunct tanks and equipment slowly being eaten by the surrounding bush. Looking at the town now, it is hard to imagine it being a significant port, with industrial and commercial importance, servicing the whole of northern Queensland into the Northern Territory, but the evidence is there if you have knowledgeable people to point it out to you.

Then it was a drive out onto Australia’s largest saltpan – and it is huge. It is totally barren and we only drove a few kilometres out to where they do their Storytelling and Stargazing tours that we still hope to see – but it obviously goes many kilometres further and would be irrevocably treacherous with only a small shower of rain. They told us about people getting lost out there with no signage or landmarks to show them which way to go back to Burketown – and of course, this entire part of the country is under water during the wet months. Vehicles that get bogged are essentially lost for ever – so much of the saltpan is boggy that once a vehicle becomes bogged, nobody else can get close enough to help them out again. Even if they did get out of the bog, they would immediately bog again.

It was then a longish drive to Woods Lake, our next stop. We were the last car in the convoy with seven cars in front of us creating a veritable dust-storm but we are used to that by now. The drivers of some of the other shiny clean cars seemed less anxious to drive in anyone else’s wake so we were all strung out over about a kilometre and a half.

Woods Lake is apparently a paradise in the wet, but it is a desolate dry lakebed at present. Again, we heard lots more aboriginal stories and survival hints – our guides were really great. I admit to some reluctance to go on indigenous tours because they are so often ‘poor me, look what the wicked whities have done to us’ diatribes – but this one was really great. We heard about some of the atrocities, but they were related in a pragmatic way with a ‘this is what happened, but let’s just make it better in the future’ attitude. I am not denying history, but every civilisation (and non-civilisation) has dark times in its past and I think it pointless to carp on forever about things that can’t be changed. It was quite refreshing to hear a more positive view of the future without a massive demand for compensation from our guides.

Our final stop was at the Nicholson River Crossing: a ford where half a centimetre of water was washing the road – but which is several metres under water in the Wet. Upstream from the crossing it is freshwater, whilst downstream it is salt. And there are lots of both salt- and fresh-water crocodiles there. We didn't see any but it seems that both species inhabit both sides of the crossing so nobody felt any inclination to have a paddle.

They set up tables and chairs on the edge of the road and provided tea, coffee and muffins and we sat around and chatted for quite a while. Our 3-hour tour lasted almost 5 hours and our guides would perhaps still be chatting with us if some people hadn’t needed to leave and break up the party. Overall, it was an excellent tour with heaps of interesting information and things to see and hear about.

Back at the Information Centre, we managed to book on a Sunset Cruise on the Albert River – out to the mouth of the river on the Gulf. That is on Monday evening, but we are still waiting to see if we can go on the Stargazing one on Tuesday.

By then, it was mid-afternoon and we had only eaten a muffin each, but we decided to share a packet of chips and have a slightly earlier dinner. We roasted some lamb in our double-sided pan and it was delicious – but we were starving by the time it was ready.

Saturday

Most of the day, we just stayed around camp. We did a couple of loads of washing and went out to the shop in the afternoon – only to find that both shops were closed until Monday. Fortunately, nothing on our list was urgent.

At night, we watched the last episode of The Cliff, a short Icelandic police series – quite well done and it reminded us how much we want to spend more time in that beautiful country – but of course, we were relying on the subtitles because neither of us speak a lot of Icelandic! Sometimes it was a little hard to follow when the dialogue sped up beyond our reading ability.

Sunday

We decided to go out for lunch and wanted to check out the Tyrranna Roadhouse, 30-odd kilometres towards Borroloola. We may need to stay there if we can’t extend our stay in Burketown and wanted to have a look at the place – so decided to buy lunch out there. It was an interesting drive out there with lots of raptors picking at numerous roadkill victims along the way. There were the usual 20 or 30 Black and Whistling Kites, but also a White-bellied Sea-Eagle and about 6 or 8 Wedgies – on the way back, we saw absolutely nothing! Very strange……

Unfortunately, it was cleaning day at Tyrranna and their kitchen was closed so we came back to Burketown and went to the pub. Alas, it wasn’t serving lunch either but they directed us to the little restaurant and takeaway shop across the road and suggested we buy something there and bring it back to the pub where we could get a drink to enjoy with our meal. We did this and brought fish and chips back and had a cold one while we sat in the open window of the pub and watched a tiny bit of the world go by.

It was still pretty hot, but it cooled down later in the afternoon and I went out again to see if I could find some more birds in a different part of the wetland created by the Bore. I saw a few birds, but nothing of note. We also caught up with some of the kids by phone late in the day so that was nice too.

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sunsetsafaris · 5 years

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Great Barrier Reef Holidays Tours That Depart From Queensland

Between the coastal town of Bundaberg and the northern tip of Cape York in Australia lies one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Considered as one of the seven natural wonders of the world the Great Barrier Reef is one of the must see destinations and both domestic as well as foreign tourists flock here to be a p[art of the amazing water world. Comprising of 3000 individual reef systems, coral cays and hundreds of beautiful islands this is undoubtedly one of the places you cannot miss out if you are planning to visit Australia. This world heritage listed place is synonymous with Australian tourism and the revenue generated from here is a sizable part of the national economy. Those who plan to visit the place look forward a whole bunch of activities promised to them by the tour operators.

Going by the popularity of the place it’s natural to find a lot many travel and tour companies who will offer you a variety of packages but then one should read the fine prints, compare the prices and read the reviews to book the one that would be best from all angle. Sunset Safaris is one of the most popular tour operators in this area and they offer some great packages to visit Moreton Island, Fraser Island and the Great Barrier Reefs. You can book a package to see one of these places or if you have sufficient time in hand then you can take the tour package to see both Fraser Island and Great Barrier Reef Tours.

Your Australian adventure begins from the very moment you book your tour and physically it starts when you start your journey with Sunset Safari. The tour company can pick you up from pre-determined points in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast or Noosa and you will be travelling in their very comfortable 4WD coaches and enjoy the beauty of Queensland on the way. The tour package includes a free visit to an Australian boutique zoo where you will get a chance to cuddle a Koala, feed kangaroos, watch crocodile feeding and see some of the most venomous snakes in the region. The stopover in Mamminos is a welcome break for the visitors where they get to taste some homemade ice creams and farm fresh sugar canes which is a seasonal affair. The other freebies that comes with this package will include guided snorkel school tour, fish feeding tour and a visit to Mon Repos; the turtle conservation centre.

The tourists are taken in the biggest and most luxurious boat in the region for an entire day and this gives them a chance to get acquainted with this amazing creation of nature. If you are lucky enough to be there during the whale season then you will see the mighty Humpback Whales in their home stretch. Through the glass bottom boats you will see the beautiful corals and thousands of reef fishes as they make their way under water. But the best way to see the beauty of this water park is when you go for scuba diving (an optional activity) or snorkel in the clear blue waters. All the snorkelling gears and body suits are provided by the company and in fact you can try out deep sea fishing by paying a nominal amount.

The Great Barrier Reef Packages tour guides will take you to lady Musgrave islands for a guided coral cay walk and you can swim to your heart’s content as it’s a totally sting free zone. There will also a lot of optional activities like tennis lessons, surfing lesson or a visit to the Bundaberg rum factory. All the meals are provided for by the company and by the time you will finish the tour you will have made memories to last you a lifetime.

For more details about Great Barrier Reef Vacation just move on www.sunsetsafaris.com.au

#Ultimate Australian Adventure Tours #Great Barrier Reef Tours #Great Barrier Reef Holidays #Great Barrier Reef vacation #Great Barrier Reef Packages #Great Barrier Reef Holidays Packages #Great Barrier Reef Tour Packages

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xxafterthestormxx · 7 years

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Prompt: It's Klaus birthday in NOLA and Rebekah secretly sent an invitation for Caroline, because the siblings have a secret bet going on about who's present gonna be the best. After 1000 what does one give to someone who can get whatever he wants :D

Kol is sipping a margarita, splayed out on one of the leather couches in their lounge room when she gets back from her shopping expedition in New Orleans.

The radio is on, playing one of those inane pop tunes that Kol for some reason seemed to love, and his foot is swaying lazily to the beat as he stares up at the fan whirring lazily on the ceiling above them.

“What on Earth are you doing?” She asks of Kol, whose eyes flick towards her, a self satisfied smile creeping across his face when he sees her.

“Celebrating.” Kol says with great relish, taking a sip of his margarita. “Can I offer you a drink, sister?”

“Knowing you you’ve probably spiked it with some sort of sleeping potion, so it’ll be a hard pass this time.” She replies with disdain, remembering the last time Elijah had accepted a drink from Kol, and had then promptly broken out in hives that had taken quite a few days to disappear, and only with the assistance of a witch that owed Elijah quite a few favours.

Kol had ended up with a dagger in his chest for a month before Elijah had deigned to make amends with him.

“God you’re all no fun.” Kol mumbles under his breath, sitting up on the couch and planting his booted feet on the floor. “And since you never asked what I was celebrating, I’m going to tell you anyway.”

“Of course you are.” She remarks dryly, tapping her foot against the floor, cursing the humidity that seemed to hang over New Orleans at this time of the year like an unpleasant shroud.

Already she can feel her hair sticking to the back of her neck, her clothes pressing to her skin unpleasantly. Maybe she could go for a swim a little later.

“Well, as you well know Bekah, Nik’s birthday is coming up. And I know that we all try and one up each other when it comes to buying him a gift. God knows why considering how many times he’s daggered us all… If anything he should be buying us presents to make up for it.” Kol is just thinking out loud now, and she can’t help but sigh, massaging her temples.

In fact, Nik had brought her plenty of gifts to make up for the whole daggering thing, knowing that she was materialistic at heart and was far more likely to respond positively to that than murmured platitudes and constant apologies.

She wouldn’t give up her designer wardrobe, villa in Tuscany, and private island for anything.

“Get to the point.” She snarls as Kol continues to mumble under his breath.

“Fine. I just want to tell you and Elijah that you shouldn’t bother trying this year, because I’ve got him the present to end all presents. The perfect gift.”

“You do?” She asks incredulously, because Kol’s idea of a perfect gift is usually a stripper or a gift voucher to some obscure store.

“I do.” Kol says with another smug smile. “So just don’t even go there this year Bekah. You’re not going to beat me!”

With that, Kol drains the rest of his margarita, falling back to lie on the couch once more.

Justin Bieber starts playing on the radio, and as she marches out of the room to escape the stupidity of the song, an idea begins to form in her mind.

Kol wasn’t going to know what hit him.

“I could get used to this.” Caroline Forbes remarks with a laugh, reclining on the pure white sand as the sun beats fiercely down on her skin.

“I’m not sure about the heat.” Enzo has propped himself up on her elbow next to her, Ray Bans covering most of his features as he takes in the crystalline blue water. “Although it is a beautiful corner of the world.”

She’d been dying to come to Australia for some time now, and she and Enzo had spent the last few months wandering the massive island continent. As she very quickly discovered, there was so much more to Australia than the cosmopolitan city of Sydney.

They went dune boarding at Port Stephens, a little coastal town three hours north east of the capital of NSW. They spent a week on the Gold Coast, checking out the bars and clubs that peppered the famous city.

They spent another week on a cattle ranch in the far flung part of Queensland that no one else ever seemed to go to, made friends with the locals as they had to revert back to animal blood momentarily.

The Northern Territory was amazing, as had been Western Australia. The Barossa Valley had been a favourite, rich wine country with vineyards stretching as far as the eye could see.

Enzo had loved Melbourne, loved the coffee culture and all the hip little laneway bars that were only discovered if you stumbled across them by accident. Someone had suggested the Whitsundays for their next destination, and after looking at some pictures online she and Enzo had very quickly booked one of the resorts there.

The past few days had been spent snorkelling on the Great Barrier reef, reclining on the deck of the sailboat they had hired, swimming in clear blue waters, and sampling some of the amazing food at the various restaurants dotted around the island.

She thanked her lucky stars that she technically couldn’t put on weight now that she was dead and all, so had absolutely no guilt about helping herself to a second or third plate of food at dinner time, washing it down with some wine.

“That it is.” She agrees quietly with Enzo, sipping at her bottle of water, watching clouds scud across the cornflower blue sky.

Someone whistles at them from the shore line, and she raises her hand in acknowledgement towards the skipper of their boat, sitting up and beginning to gather her belongings, shoving them back into the canvas beach bag she carried with her.

She dusts the sane off her as she and Enzo make their way over to the boat, ankle deep in the cool water before they're being handed up onto the deck.

When she gets back to their room, she’s surprised to see an envelope addressed to her. She hadn’t given anyone an address while she’d been travelling, and so she approaches the envelope with a healthy dose of caution.

Picking it up between two fingers, she gingerly breaks the wax seal on the back, pulling out the parchment within and unfolding it quickly.

Caroline,

My brother is celebrating his birthday this year. Although I’m not particularly eager to see you anytime soon, I know that Nik would like it. Details are within.

Rebekah

She can’t help but cover her mouth, snorting with laughter as she hands the folded up piece of paper to Enzo to read.

“Rather direct, isn’t she?”

“Yes, that always has been her m.o.” She replies with another soft laugh, eyes scanning the contents of the invitation before tossing it onto the bed.

“So are you going to go?” Enzo questions curiously, leaning over to read the invitation as well.

“I don’t know. Maybe?” She answers it like a question, becuase to be honest she's still not half sure herself.

Enzo raises an eyebrow at that.

“Maybe? That's a complete 180 from last year when it was a flat out no. Could it be that your feelings towards the big bad hybrid have changed?”

She hits Enzo on the arm good naturedly.

“It’s not like that. It’ll just be… good to see him.” She trails off lamely, knowing that it's a pathetic excuse if ever she's heard one.

To be honest, she'd been thinking about Klaus a lot more lately. She hadn't seen him in almost a decade, the last time being quite a memorable weekend they’d spent together in Tuscany, when they hadn’t done much more than have sex and drink wine from teh surrounding vineyards.

Most of the weekend had been spent in bed, Klaus determined to show her just how good they were with each other, which they were. Klaus continued to be the best sex of her lfie, and if the infuriating smile that he wore on his face every time he brought her to climax was anything to go by, he knew it as well.

But they both had other priorities. She was content to continue her nomadic lifestyle, discovering some of the far flung and forgotten corners of the world, Enzo in tow more often than not.

Klaus had settled into his life in New Orleans, ruling the city with an iron fist, his siblings still with him.

She’d never been. Setting foot into his city would be sending a message, that she was willing to entertain the idea of a forever with him. And she hadn’t been ready for that yet. But now…

“I can see that your mind has already been made up.” Enzo replies with a slow smile. “Are you sure?”

She just takes a deep breath, squaring her shoulders.

“I’m going to need a dress.”

The party below them is in full swing, members of the supernatural community mingling in the courtyard below them.

Kol leans on the balcony beside her, hair swept artfully away from his forehead, tuxedo clinging to the firm lines of his body. He sips at his drink, glancing at her for a moment.

“Did you even try to get him something this year?” He asks with a chuckle. “You’ve been surprisingly tight lipped this year sister.”

She smooths down the front of her black party dress, raising her own glass to her lips as she takes a drink.

“I tried something different this year. Apparently it didn’t work out.” She notes with a shrug, downing the rest of her drink and setting the now empty glass on the tray of a passing waiter.

Kol stares at her for a long moment, trying to figure out the meaning behind her words.

“Shame.” He pronounces with a shrug. “You’re usually much better at this. Did you order something online and it didnt’ arrive on time or something?”

She just smiles to herself, phone buzzing in her hand.

“Something like that.”

And then she thumbs into the message, reading the two words displayed across her screen.

She’s here.

The doorman of course, had been under strict instructions to keep an eye out for Caroline. He’d been provided with a picture of the baby vampire, one from her Mystic Falls days where she’d been polished and primped and wearing a ballgown.

All the same, Caroline Forbes was rather hard to miss, even dressed in plain clothes with her hair in disarray. She would know because she’d seen the girl in such a state during one memorable run in at the MIkaelson mansion in Mystic Falls.

It hadn’t taken a genius to know exactly why Caroline was doing the walk of shame at such an infernal hour of the morning. The younger girl had blushed, hair falling into her face as she had whispered a soft goodbye before letting herself out into the weak early morning light.

She had mentioned this as an aside to Kol, who had promptly teased Nik about it. Nik had snapped his neck and they hadn’t mentioned it since.

“Am I boring you?” Kol’s voice abruptly interrupts her train of thought, and she locks her phone, eyes flicking up towards her brother, who’s staring at her like she’s just grown a second head. “Where did you go just now?”

She just draws herself up to her full height, snagging another flute of champagne.

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch brother.”

The doorman is staring at her strangely. She can’t imagine why, because she most certainly does not have lipstick on her teeth (she checked). The navy blue party dress that she’s wearing makes her tanned legs look a mile long, and accentuates the curves of her body.

Her hair, which she had spent a ridiculous amount of time on, was twisted into an elegant up do, and she was wearing a necklace that Klaus had gifted to her during their time in Tuscany.

The short of it was, she looked a million bucks.

“Caroline Forbes.” A voice drawls as she steps into the entrance of the courtyard.

Rebekah Mikaelson hasn’t changed a bit, that bored expression on her face ever present. She’s wearing a killer pair of Manolos and she can’t help but eye off the striking shoes with a bit of jealousy.

“Rebekah.” She finally answers, swallowing around the lump in her throat as Rebekah just smiles, pressing a drink into her hand.

“I didn’t think you were going to come.” Rebekah sips at her own drink as she turns, moving more towards the crowd of people, a few of whom eye them off with barely concealed curiosity. “You know, since I didn’t receive your RSVP or anything like that.”

“Sorry.” She replies to the older vampire, smoothing a hand over her hair. “I was undecided until quite recently. I did send word but apparently you didn’t get the message in time.”

“No matter.” Rebekah waves a hand dismissively. “You’re here now and that’s all that matters.”

Rebekah tilts her gaze upwards towards the balcony, and she follows the line of the Original’s gaze. Kol Mikaelson has a drink in her hand, and is gaping at her with his mouth hanging open rather unattractively.

Within split seconds his gaze lands on Rebekah, eyes narrowing as he raises his drink towards his sister in a toast for some reason.

“What was that about?” She asks Rebekah, who lifts one shoulder in an elegant shrug as the crowd clears momentarily and she spots Klaus from across the room.

He looks entirely at ease in this particular setting, his tuxedo clinging sharply to the lines of his broad shoulders, pants tailored to within an inch of their life. He’s got his head thrown back in laughter as he talks to another man, drink in hand and looking like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“What on earth has he done to his hair?” She hisses towards Rebekah in horror. “It looks atrocious.”

She sees Klaus stiffen at that, and curses his superior Hybrid hearing as his gaze suddenly lands on her, eyes dark.

It’s perhaps the first time that she’s seen him truly caught off guard, and she can’t help but raise her glass to her lips, not realising just how much liquid courage she’d need to fortify herself with for this particular encounter.

The crowd seems to part before Klaus as he moves towards her, Rebekah giving her a gentle nudge, encouraging her to meet him halfway.

If that wasn’t a metaphor for their relationship, she didn’t know what was.

Klaus stops before her, gaze indecipherable as he reaches out, traces a gentle hand along her cheekbone.

The weight of the curious gazes around her is heavy, and she can’t help but lean into his touch as he bends, taking her hand in his, pressing a gentle kiss to it.

He straightens, and his smile is like the sun.

“Hello Caroline.”

It feels strange, being on Klaus’ arm. For a moment, she can’t help but think that Klaus is showing her off, demonstrating his power.

Until he begins introducing her to people, a hand resting dangerously on her lower back, thumb rubbing circles into where her dress does not cover up the skin of her back.

He seems content to take a backseat in their conversation, instead observing silently as she exchanges greetings with various witches and werewolves and vampires.

She sips at her drink as someone else comes to greet Klaus, and it takes a moment for her to realise why this time is so different. Klaus isn’t treating her like an object. He never has, a byproduct of his thousand or so years of existence.

No. Klaus is treating her like an equal, and the thought of that sends a thrill down her spine. So when there’s a break in the conversation she twines an arm around his waist, pressing a quick kiss to his neck.

In response Klaus pulls her closer to him but doesn’t comment, carrying on his conversation effortlessly.

Hours later as the guests begin to filter out into the street, Klaus pulls her in close to her chest.

“What are you doing here Caroline?” He asks in a low voice, tone dangerous. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, of course I am.”

She meets his gaze confidently, hand drifting up his chest to fix the lapel of his dinner jacket.

“I’m here for you Klaus.” She tells him with a smile. “You remember that weekend in Tuscany, when you let me go without a word of protest?”

Klaus’ lips curl into a smirk.

“How could I forget Tuscany?”

“You didn’t push me. And I was grateful for that, even though I did know that you wouldn’t wait around forever for me. And when you kept your distance in the following years, I was grateful. But I also missed not having you around.”

Her eyes drop to the crisp lines of his shirt as her hands drift down towards his waist. His breath is hot against her cheek, and he’s gone unnaturally still as he waits to hear the next words out of her mouth.

“You offered me forever and I wasn’t ready then. But I am now.” She says softly, hands sliding up his chest, twining around his neck as his gaze darkens, mouth hanging open in surprise. “If you’ll still have me of course.

Klaus’ lips against hers is the only answer he provides, the only answer she needs. Klaus kisses her like he’s a starving man, like he’s been deprived of something for so long.

She’s scarcely less eager to return his embrace, missing the feeling of him, the familiar smell of him.

She doesn’t protest when Klaus picks her up in his arms, using his vamp speed to get the from the courtyard to what is undoubtedly his bedroom.

He’s got her pressed up against the closed door before she can even think about it, lips hot against the skin of her neck as he nips at her with a content sigh.

His jacket drops to the floor, and she helps him unbutton his shirt, no doubt in her mind as to the direction that this is heading.

Her hands roam over the skin of his chest, catalouging all the new scars that he’s acquired since she saw him last, hand pausing over a particularly nasty looking scar, no doubt caused by some sort of stabbing.

“You’ll have to tell me that story later.” She murmurs, tipping a finger under his chin and kissing him gently.

“Later.” Klaus agrees in a low voice, hands pausing at the seams of her dress.

She’s reversed their positions in an instant, Klaus pressed up against the door with a surprised look on his face.

“Don’t you dare rip this dress.” She hisses at him, knowing his proclivity for destroying her clothes when he’s in this sort of mood. “I like this one.”

His low chuckle curls around her, a warm feeling in the bottom of her stomach as he turns her gently by the shoulders, a hot open mouthed kiss pressed to the side of her neck.

His hands on the zipper are like fire as he pulls it down slowly, fingers brushing over the exposed skin of her back as he pushes the dress from her shoulders.

It pools at her feet, and she hears his breath hitch in his throat as he runs a gentle hand down her back.

“I’ve missed this.” Klaus murmurs to her, walking her backwards towards his bed, both of them kicking off their shoes, Klaus shucking his socks as they go.

He grips her by the hips, easily lifting her up and tossing her onto the mattress, a giggle escaping her lips as Klaus’s gaze darkens.

“Come here.” She beckons to him as Klaus crawls between her knees, covering her body with his as he takes her into his arms.

The feeling is unfamiliar and familiar all at once, Klaus’ erection pressing into her core as she tangles her lips with his.

A soft moan escapes her as Klaus’ lips scorch a hot trail down her throat, face nuzzling between the valley of her breasts, stubble scratching against her sensitive skin.

“Pants off.” She orders after a momentary pause, Klaus chuckling as he does her bidding.

“A little eager aren’t we?” He asks her with an infuriating smile as he hooks long fingers into the waistband of her panties.

“We’ve got ten years to make up for.” She just breathes, watching as his face softens, hand coming up to cup her cheek delicately as he lines up his body with hers, cock nudging gently at her entrance.

She can’t help but gasp at the feeling, heel nudging at his arse as he smiles down at her.

“We’ve got all the time in the world sweetheart.” He replies before pushing into her heat with one, smooth stroke.

She’s missed this, the feeling of being filled by him, and her eyes roll back into her head at just how good it is, at how good he is.

Klaus had learnt to read her body with an almost eerie sixth sense, and he puts all of his learned knowledge into practice as he sets a rhythm that has her unable to do much more than gasp and hold on for the ride.

Klaus rolls suddenly, reversing their positions as she sways above him, a little startled. Klaus just smiles, still hard inside her as he guides her arms around his broad shoulders, hands hot around her waist as he helps to lift her, guide her up and down.

She’s always loved this position with him, loved the power and the look of awe that always creeped across his face when he saw her like this.

She bends down to kiss him, rolling her hips in a gentle rhythm against his. Klaus’ hand traces down the front of her body, thumb pinpointing her clit with an unerring accuracy.

She shudders a little when he presses there, rhythm broken momentarily as she opens her mouth in a silent moan.

She can feel the tell tale build in her core, the ache becoming almost unbearable as she increases her rhythm, anchoring her hands on his shoulders as he begins to thrust up into her with a look of concentration on his face.

She falls apart in his arms, Klaus catching her, turning and pressing her down into the mattress as he continues to drive into her, the pleasure edging into pain at the sensitivity.

Klaus knows this though, gentles the movement of his hips until it curls low in her belly once more, building impossibly fast to her peak.

They come together this time, her name on his lips as he buries his face into her neck, feels the heat of him inside her.

She runs a hand through his sweat dampened hair, breathing slowly returning to normal as he pulls out and heads for the bathroom, returning in the next few moments with a damp cloth to wipe themselves down with.

When he’s done he pulls her into the circle of his arms, a content exhale as he props one arm under his head, staring up at the ceiling.

They don’t have to say much. They never do in moments like this. But she feels like she has to say this.

“I love you.” She whispers into the skin of his chest, Klaus stiffening momentarily around her before he’s pressing a gentle kiss to the back of her hand, eyes brimming with emotion.

He doesn’t say it back but that’s okay. She knows that he’s felt this way about her for a long time, and she’s not going to get hung up on her insecurities like she used to when it came to him.

The moment is perfect, and she wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I hope you’ve got space in your wardrobe for all my clothes.” She voices out loud suddenly, propping herself up on her elbow to face him.

Klaus’ burst of startled laughter is like music to her hears.

On the lower levels of the house, Rebekah Mikaelson pours herself a victory drink, Kol glowering on the lounge opposite her as the fire crackles merrily away in the hearth.

“Do you concede?” She asks of Kol, who just glares at her, cracking his knuckles a little threateningly.

“I concede.”

#klaroline #klaroline drabbles #Anonymous

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thatsnotcanonpodcasts · 5 years

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Second Galaxy, Space Hotel & Creative Emmys

I’m a Nerd and I’m okay, I play all night and I sleep all day, I read science journals, I eat my lunch I ride on the hover train (I wish). Welcome back to another exciting and fun filled episode from those whacky Nerds. First up this week we have a story about China influencing game studios to block any references to protests in Hong Kong. Obviously we weren’t approached, probably because of Buck’s rants. But this is kind of bad as it is enforcing the propaganda of a military regime. So please listen in and then go forth and show support for Hong Kong in its bid for democratic freedom from oppression. Viva la revolution!

Next up we look at news of resorts and hotels being planned for space. That’s right, hotels in orbit! You will be able to play basketball in one if you are so inclined. There is even mention of accommodation available on the ISS for a price, but no airport transfers, sorry. So if you know anyone expecting a return visit from aliens and wanting to avoid those pesky immigration queues then this might be just the ticket.

Then we look at the Emmy awards, particularly the creative side. They took place recently and there are some interesting winners to take a look at. There are the usual suspects that are to be expected, such as Game of Thrones, but also others such as “Age of Sail.” So take a look through the list and see who you like and also if there is something you like and we over looked it.

As always we have the shout outs, remembrances, birthdays, and special events from this week in history. We are planning on being at Supanova again this year, if you are let us know and we will be happy to see you. Until next time stay safe, take care of each other and stay hydrated.

EPISODE NOTES:

Hong Kong protest references removed in game - https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/d4brd7/mobile_game_second_galaxy_removing_guilds_with/

A Space hotel experience - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/fake-gravity-and-supersized-basketball-a-look-inside-the-space-hotel-experience/ar-AAHhTCr

2019 Creative Emmy Awards and the winners - https://deadline.com/2019/09/creative-arts-emmy-awards-2019-winners-list-1202734630/

Games currently playing

Buck

– The Orville Fan experience - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1096200/The_Orville__Interactive_Fan_Experience/

Professor

– Creeper World : Anniversary Edition - https://store.steampowered.com/app/422910/Creeper_World_Anniversary_Edition/

– Warframe - https://store.steampowered.com/app/230410/Warframe/

Read More | BBC News

Nature Briton killed by sea snake in Australia, in 2018-10-05 04:43:39

#Nature of Business in the Current Market

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blogcompetnetall · 6 years

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The waters around northern Australia are a hotspot for sea snakes

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Nature Briton killed by sea snake in Australia, in 2018-10-05 04:43:39

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computacionalblog · 6 years

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The waters around northern Australia are a hotspot for sea snakes

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internetbasic9 · 6 years

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Nature

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The waters around northern Australia are a hotspot for sea snakes

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#Nature of Business in the Current Market

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magicwebsitesnet · 6 years

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The waters around northern Australia are a hotspot for sea snakes

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lindoig · 7 years

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Days 68 to 74

Just to orient ourselves, Day 68 was Monday, 3 July! (And I am posting this on Sunday, 9 July.)

It started with me taking the car in for its 70,000Km service and walking back the 200 metres to the van for breakfast. We did a load of washing in preparation for moving on again on Tuesday (at last – starting to get a little stir-crazy after 9 days propped in Katherine with not a lot of things to do apart from working around the van). I went birding and photographing along the river in the afternoon and the first thing I saw was a small red-bellied black snake crossing the path a metre ahead of me. I took a pic of it, but it was hiding its head in the grass so it just looks like a shiny black rope. We saw a somewhat larger one on Thursday when we were driving so I tossed out the anchor, but it (the snake, not the anchor) also seemed more anxious to slither away than getting its photo taken.

We had had a looooong phone call with Deanne on Sunday, mainly chatting about our overseas travel plans for 2018 – 3 weeks around Ireland in a campervan, a 10-day eco-cruise in the Scottish Isles, 3 weeks campervanning in Scotland, by train to London and on to Istanbul (retracing the Orient Express), then some time in Turkey, a little driving, but mainly training to Beijing (with some stopovers), a mini-tour of China and home again – but everything after Scotland is still subject to negotiation. Deanne and Rob may be in Asia about the same time as us and we hope to cross paths if that happens. It got us quite excited!

It is now almost a week later and I haven’t written anything in all that time – just too busy relaxing I think. It is not always easy finding a block of time to update my blog and it is too hard to do it a couple of sentences at a time.

We are now in Kununurra – and that means that in the last 3 months, we have caravanned in all Australian States and the Northern Territory. That is certainly a first for us. Even when travelling for work, I probably never visited all the States in 3 months and only ever went to the NT on business once or maybe twice. It wasn’t on my Bucket List, but I am happy to tick it nonetheless.

The week has zipped past. Tuesday, we hit the road again and it was a great feeling. Everything seemed brighter and sharper away from Katherine’s ‘Big Smoke’ – the senses seemed more acute and the colours were brighter and the sounds clearer. Love this country! It was the hottest day we have had since leaving home (mid-30s, and the sun burns fiercely when directly overhead so far north) and they have all seemed much the same since then.

We were hassled out of the caravan park in the morning. They had someone parked at the gate early in the morning waiting for our site and the manager sat on his motor-bike almost beside our van to geeing us along while we were packing up. Even though we were off the site by about 10:10am (normal checkout is 10am but many parks won’t let new bookings in until after 2pm), it was a little confronting to have him sitting there for half an hour hurrying us up.

At last, Katherine was behind us and we were on our way to Timber Creek, stopping at the Victoria River Roadhouse at lunchtime. We drove down to the river and walked around the rocks, but it was very hot so we didn’t linger long. Interestingly, we got quite a good view of a grey falcon when driving down to the river and on the way back, it perched and posed beautifully for us in a tree close to the side of the road for us – Sean Dooley, eat your heart out! (For those who don’t know, Sean is a well-known birder, but he has never seen a grey falcon – so frequently asserts that there is no such bird. This was our 7th confirmed sighting, 6 of them really good views!!)

We started a walk at Joe Creek in the Judbarra National Park and saw some spectacular rocky cliffs, but it was simply too hot to do the uphill stretch so we retraced our steps back to the car. Strangely, it seemed at least twice as far back to the car as when heading out – maybe we were dehydrated or something, but it was hard work – but worth it for the spectacle.

An interesting aspect of the day’s drive was the absence of ‘dressed’ anthills. We have seen three varieties of anthills in our travels: more-or-less conical ones, often no more than a metre high (but some are quite high); the ‘magnetic’ ones that align north-south to control the heat in parts of the nest; and some larger dome-shaped blobs, as if a kid had thrown them together by chucking handfuls of mud at them, all lumpy and unsymmetrical. The main ones, and there must be many millions of them, are the first type and all the way up the Stuart Highway and east into Queensland, there are thousands that have been dressed up in shirts, hats, bras, coats, you name it. Some even have pants draped across them (difficult to get the legs in as you may have guessed). Every conceivable outfit and variation seems to be represented – hi-vis vests, hard-hats, crash helmets, uniforms of all sorts, fatigues, bikinis, with sashes, pipes, broom handles for arms, it goes on – and on and on – thousands of them in all states of disrepair. But I saw only one dressed anthill (with just a bra and panties so maybe she was almost undressed) all the way from Katherine to Kununurra.

We arrived at the Timber Creek Caravan Park, just in time to see the croc-feeding they do three times a week. Boooooring…… they dangled some scraps of meat in front of a couple of small freshwater crocs that seemed to have little interest in it, but one had a bit of a go just to keep the crowd happy. What was more interesting was the kite feeding. They tossed small pieces of meat up and the black kites and whistlers dived and lunged to catch them on the wing – before they hit the ground where a hungry dog was enthusiastically lapping up the leftovers. The kids got into the act and enjoyed it and I got a few pics – and gave a little lesson to some of them about how to recognise the various kites. A really interesting thing happened as everyone was heading back to their vans. A barking owl appeared from nowhere and attacked two kites that were perched where it wanted to sit. It won – easily – and then sat and posed for me to take several photos. Remember what I said about how hard it is to see and identify nocturnal birds – that was our third in about a week!

The caravan park was inhabited a large colony of bats with their distinctive odour (and their incessant rowdy bickering) permeating the air throughout the day – but mercifully not at night when they all took off to feed in someone else’s backyard. At night, it was the road-trains that parked immediately outside the park with their motors and freezer units blaring away all night. Most inconsiderate for the tourists trying to get some sleep after a tiring day reading and knitting and chatting and maybe fishing……! We are in a somewhat similar situation at Kununurra, surrounded by screaming bats all day, but fortunately no trucks at night.

We booked a cruise on the Victoria River (NT’s largest and even in the Dry, it is huge). We explored the area during the heat of the day, including a drive to a few river access points and up along the escarpment to some great scenic lookouts and one over the town. Then we boarded an old bus to take us out to where the boat was waiting. We cruised 70km downstream, checking out the crocs and their hundreds of wallabies prey – and some birds – and had a finger-food dinner on a pontoon in the middle of the river before returning just after dark. It was a good cruise and wonderfully cool on the water, but I felt the cruise-captain could have taken a little more time creeping up on some of the wildlife instead of roaring in on it and scaring them away before we got close enough for really good photos. On return to camp, we were still a little peckish to bought some greasies from the pub before watching another DVD.

The next day, we set ourselves a challenge and we are so glad we did. We have numerous 4WD and adventure travelling DVDs with us and we watched one about the Binns Track that runs for over 1000 km over some pretty extreme terrain. We weren’t about to do that, but we did the first 150km of it, including our own bit of extreme terrain. We drove out and down the Bullita Access Track and had lunch at the old Bullita Homestead – a quaint and very interesting old place, amazingly small for what was a working station for over a hundred years, nestled on a beautiful river with a mammoth boab outside. We saw hundreds of boabs that day, from mere saplings to 3000-year-old monsters. The trunks come in an amazing variety of shapes: round, square, bifurcated, trifurcated, quadfurcated, conical, inverted conical, smooth, gnarled, branched, symmetrical and asymmetrical – a most unusual tree and the older ones are quite awe-inspiring. I just love them. They call them the upside-down tree because when they have no leaves (now – in the Dry), their branches look like roots running in all directions and at all angles.

We also called in to Limestone Gorge. It is a limestone gorge (yes, really) that is quite a few kilometres long and the end is accessed by driving down a ‘track’ that is simply large rough river boulders. It is a very dramatic gorge, mainly in blacks and greys with a bit of yellowish-cream in recently broken and unweathered places, but we just took some pics and headed back to the real objective of the day – the Tuwakam Track. It is only 20km long and joins the Bullita road with the Buchanan ‘Highway’, but the guide says to allow 3 hours in good conditions – strictly high clearance 4WDs only. It was a lot of fun and we really only took a bit over 2 hours. Some parts were reasonably good going – I got up to about 20 kph a couple of times – but a lot of it was ungraded rock and I was frequently walking the car over boulders twice the size of watermelons for 100 metres at a time. We crossed a few creeks and creek-beds and some of the entry and exit angles were daunting. Several times, I thought the car would simply not climb such steep exits, but in 4WD low and with a heavy foot, it just ploughed ahead wherever I pointed it. It truly is an amazing vehicle. We saw a few wild donkeys and a snake along the track, but at the time, my focus was more on the track than the wildlife. We met up with a young couple with two little kids doing the Track too – she is a travel writer and writes about travelling in extreme places with kids. We chatted with them for quite a while when we reached the Buchanan – and they headed back to Timber Creek, but we still wanted to go further to Jasper Gorge. That was about 30km further south on the Buchanan and it was VERY different from the Limestone Gorge of the morning. Similar structure with huge rocks and dramatic cliffs, but all in darker, richer reds, maroons and oranges. We walked around exploring for a while, but we had 150km or so, mainly on rough roads, to get back in time for dinner so we set off into the dusk. There was another couple setting up to camp overnight at the Gorge and we thought they would enjoy a nice quiet night on their own under the stars – but we saw quite a lot of cars, including a few hoons, heading down to join them as we headed north again. It was a great day, a real adventure for us, certainly more extreme than anything we have attempted before and we came through without a scratch. The round trip was exactly 300km, well over 200 on dirt roads and despite the Tuwakam Track only being 20km, it was a standout adventure for both of us. Certainly a confidence booster for next time, whatever, wherever and whenever that may be.

Next day, we moved on west again and had planned to stay in the Keep River National Park, touted as a good birdwatching place. We stopped at the Ranger station, ate our lunch and looked at the display there, and I cruised the lagoon at the back, photographing birds and water-lilies – it was quite lovely, but very hot. I also noticed that our caravan was leaking – one of our water tanks was dribbling water. We will have to get it fixed, but it looks like a cracked hose in a very difficult place to reach so I think I will get someone else to do the hard part. One tyre has scrubbed out very badly and we have a couple of other small things to get fixed so hopefully, we can find someone with time to do these things while we are in Kununurra.

We drove through the rest of the National Park looking for a place to camp, but unfortunately, both camp-grounds were fully occupied. The Park was a bit disappointing, not at all what we expected (in our ignorance), hot and dusty with long walks to get to any of the places we wanted to see so with a leaky water tank, we deemed it better to head across the border and stay at Kununurra instead.

We arrived here late afternoon on Friday only to find our first-choice van park full. So was our second choice so we let our fingers do the walking and we eventually managed to get the last site available in a Big Four Discovery Park. Big 4s are my least favourite parks – over $50 a night, jam-packed against everyone else and with more draconian regimentation than anywhere else. They are usually manicured to within an inch of destruction - so don’t dare walk on the grass or do anything much else. As luck would have it, this one doesn’t seem so bad and it certainly hasn’t seen a manicurist for some time. The design is less than optimal, but we are on a good site, a little separated from our neighbours – even if it was almost impossible to reverse into the allocated space. We are not much more than 50 metres from the lake and the facilities are close-by too so we don’t have much to complain about. We have booked some great adventures for during the week so managed to extend our stay until Friday – I just hope we can get our maintenance jobs done before then, because we are heading for the Gibb River Road after that – one of the most iconic trips in outback Aussie travelling folklore.

Yesterday (Saturday) we needed some down-time so we took it very easy, hiding out under the air conditioner for most of the day. We did a couple of small maintenance jobs and a bit of cleaning – and the ‘weekly shopping’ at Coles in the late arvo, but not much else. I did a big review of our birding log – currently 230 for the trip and 41 newies for us – and caught up with several days’ email from when we had no service at all.

Today, we have done the washing and updated our blogs a bit, but very soon, we have to get up to Reception because we are going on a Sunset cruise on Lake Kununurra – with a BBQ dinner at dusk. Incidentally, keeping up with time is a bit difficult. We crossed the border and picked up 90 minutes, but going from the extreme west of one time zone to the extreme east of another means that the difference in ‘solar time’ is more like 3 hours – we are awake by about 5.30, but it is dark again by just after 5 in the afternoon – seems very weird, especially with such short twilights in these latitudes.

I will post this now before our cruise and add some relevant pics in the next day or two.

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fadingfartconnoisseur · 7 years

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The Most Photogenic Places I’ve Ever Visited

Any destination can be a photographer’s paradise if you’re creative enough. But some places are massive overachievers! I’ve visited some countries, cities, and regions where beautiful shots lurk around every corner.

And it’s not always the places you think. I don’t always have the best luck shooting photos in Italy, for example. And as gorgeous as Savannah is, the shadows from the ubiquitous oak trees make it a challenge to photograph. And I was so upset when my first trip to Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, was a near-disaster due to poor photography conditions.

But when a destination gets it right, I have treasures that will last me a lifetime.

Here are my picks for the 10 most photogenic places I’ve ever visited. Some of them are obvious, like Paris and New York — but I’m sure at least a few of them will surprise you.

Copenhagen

I couldn’t believe how many great photos I got in Copenhagen. I don’t say that to brag about my skills; I say that because I was flabbergasted at how every aspect of the city was begging to be photographed. I had to restrain myself from covering my whole apartment in framed Copenhagen photos!

So, what should you look for in Copenhagen? I take a lot of photos of bicycles ordinarily, and Copenhagen is bike-crazy metropolis.

The Nyhavn, the famous ship-filled wharf along a canal, is the most photographed site in the city. I also happened to be there for Sankt Hans, when bonfires are lit in the canal and led to some awesome colors.

The picture with the lines was taken at the Superkilen, which is a great spot for black and white photography. That shot hangs in my black-and-white bathroom today.

Oh, and also get photos of very tall, very attractive people clad in nothing but black and charcoal gray.

Japan

I’m putting the entire country on this list because literally every part of Japan is a photographer’s paradise. Whether you’re in cities, more traditional areas, or in the wilderness, you’ll get to enjoy some of the world’s most beautiful light.

I urge you to see as much of Japan as humanly possible. Some of my favorite places for photography were the Dotonbori neighborhood of Osaka at sunset, Kyoto for the temples and rare geisha-spotting, the tech-crazy Akihabara neighborhood of Tokyo, and of course Shibuya Crossing.

One thing I’ve always said is that Japan turns you into a stereotypical Japanese tourist — suddenly you want to photograph everything because it’s so different! From vending machines to trash cans, everything is worthy of a photo. And Japanese people are lovely and a lot of fun; many of them turn into total hams when they see a tourist with a camera!

Cherry blossom season is, of course, a very popular and photogenic time to visit, but it can be tough timing it right. Personally, I’d love to visit in the fall when the leaves change.

Istanbul

I’ll spare you the Istanbul is where East meets West and old meets new drivel (god, I hate that so much) — Istanbul is on my list because nowhere else looks like it. I don’t know any other city that looks just as good up close (details in markets! Tulip-shaped tea glasses!) and far away (mosques and minarets dotting the skyline! Colorful seaside buildings!).

There’s so much to see in Istanbul, you could be occupied for weeks. I would start by visiting the Grand Bazaar, Spice Market, and every market that crosses your path. Bowls of olives, brightly colored spices, detailed lamps and hand-painted dishes make for amazing photos.

Istanbul has an amazing skyline and there are fabulous views from the Galata Tower. Istanbul also has some cool neighborhoods — I recommend checking out the hip zone of Kadikoy and the colorful Armenian neighborhood of Kumkapi.

One last thing to photograph — cats. Stray cats are all over Istanbul and they’re well cared for by the locals. Some of those cats are better-looking than most people!

Rural Australia

I’ve been to Australia twice, visiting four of its states, and while the cities are great, it’s the outdoors where Australia truly shines. In no other place in the world have I had as many “I can’t believe this place exists” feelings as I did in Australia. Some of the national parks make you feel like you’re at the beginning of time, a dinosaur lurking around the corner.

Some of my favorite photography spots are Uluru, Litchfield, and Kakadu National Parks in the Northern Territory and Hutt Lagoon (pink lake!), Shark Bay, the Pinnacles Desert, Rottnest Island, and Karijini National Park in Western Australia. I would love to explore the Kimberley, Queensland and Tasmania.

The challenge in rural Australia is getting around safely. WA in particular is very sparsely populated and there is very little public transit; most people either drive themselves or take an organized tour. Of course, driving leads to its own challenges, particularly when kangaroos like to jump in front of your car at night.

Pack your wide-angle for the landscapes and your zoom for the wildlife. And be prepared to take a million selfies with the quokkas!

Oia, Santorini

Ah, the island that launched a thousand calendars. Santorini might be a giant cliché at this point, but clichés exist for a reason. And Santorini’s crown jewel is Oia, the white village on the northern tip of the island.

Oia has been photographed a million different ways, so finding your own take on the village can be a challenge. My recommendation? Just make peace with that fact and take whatever kinds of shots make you happy.

If you want to get the key sunset picture, shot from the fort, I recommend heading there an hour or so before sunset. Bring a book to read; you’ll be glad you have something to do. And don’t leave as soon as the sun dips beneath the surface — stick around for Blue Hour!

Another tip can be photographing the sunset in the opposite direction. It can be surprisingly entertaining to get photos of hundreds of tourists lined up with their cameras.

New York City

It’s a city full of icons. How could New York not be on my list? My only crime is that living here, I treat it less like a travel destination and don’t have nearly as many photos as I should! (That will hopefully change this flower season. I need photos of New York in bloom!)

So, what should you photograph in New York? Definitely get the icons in: Times Square at night, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Staten Island ferry, Central Park. If you want views from above, head to Top of the Rock or One World Trade Center (the Empire State Building is popular, but isn’t the point to have the Empire State Building in the photo?).

But I think the best New York photography comes from neighborhood wandering and seeing what comes your way. Some of my favorite neighborhoods for photography are the West Village, Bushwick, Harlem, SoHo, and the Lower East Side. Spend the bulk of your time here — and don’t fall into the trap of spending most of your time in midtown. Midtown is boring.

Season-wise, you can’t beat spring when everything is in bloom!

Nicaragua

Of all the countries in Latin America, I feel like Nicaragua was the best for photography. (“Not Mexico?!” yells everyone. Sorry, that’s how I feel! Maybe I’ll change my mind when I visit Guanajuato and Oaxaca.) Not only was Nicaragua one of the most colorful countries I’ve visited, it also has the rare combination of extremely photogenic cities and extremely photogenic rural areas.

Nicaragua is a place to focus on details and colors. Think markets, street art, all the fruits you can find. And try to visit at least one volcano; they’re all over the country.

I found León to be the richest photography destination in the country, so many colors and markets, plus that incredible white roof on top of the cathedral. And while I didn’t have a great volcano boarding experience with Bigfoot Hostel, you can’t deny that their orange jumpsuits against the black volcano and blue sky make for some striking shots.

And a little tip: your Instagram followers will love tropical shots of Little Corn Island the most.

Paris

I don’t have to explain why. You already know.

Like New York, I find it best to knock the Paris icons off your list and then dig deep into the neighborhoods. Some of my Paris neighborhoods for photography are Montmartre, St. Germain-des-Pres, and the Marais. My new favorite street in Paris is Rue Montorgueil in the 2nd, which is covered with food shops and cafes so perfect that they look like they’re out of a movie.

But if you’re looking for the best views of Paris, I recommend the top of the Arc de Triomphe, the towers of Notre Dame (gargoyles!), the Montparnasse Tower (I hate that building so much, so when you’re up there you don’t see it!), and the top of the Printemps department store.

Do be prepared for less than ideal weather. One thing that doesn’t get said often enough is that Paris generally has gray weather with sprinklings of rain, not unlike London. Don’t fight it; lean into it and learn to love your gray photos.

Want more? I’ve got 100 travel tips for Paris.

Lake Ohrid, Macedonia

The Balkans are my favorite region in the world to travel, and Macedonia is a particular delight. The first place I visited in the country was Ohrid, the town on the banks of Lake Ohrid (which spans both Macedonia and Albania) and it astounded me with its understated beauty. I’ve never seen water meld into the sky more cleanly than on Lake Ohrid.

I’ve only visited the Macedonian side, so I can’t speak to Albanian shores, but the town of Ohrid is a great place to base yourself. Everyone gets photos of Sveti Jovan, that famous church overlooking a cliff on top of the lake, and make sure you go inside the churches, too — they’re just as interesting as the outside.

One of the best things I did was take a boat trip to Sveti Naum, a few towns away. It’s home to pretty shoreline, an abundance of wild peacocks, and young Macedonian men who don’t speak a word of English but cut you pieces of watermelon with an enormous knife.

Get photos of the lake from every angle — I especially love shots of swimmers from high above.

Also, Macedonia is one of the cheapest countries in Europe and they make surprisingly good wine. Use those facts to your advantage.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a feast for the eyes. So many colors, so many interesting landscapes, an interesting blend of cultures, religions, and people. There is quite a lot packed into this small island, and I was deeply enamored with what I saw.

My favorite photography spot in the country was Galle, home to a Dutch colonial settlement, a fort, and clear cerulean waters. Galle also makes a good base for exploring the nearby beaches. Another must-photograph destination is Sigiriya, home to a giant rock in the middle of the countryside.

Two things that you shouldn’t miss photographing in Sri Lanka: women in their gorgeous dresses, and the tuk-tuks, which are somehow a million times nicer than the ones you’d see in Southeast Asia. And if you’re into mountains or temples, Sri Lanka has both in spades.

While I haven’t been to India, lots of my friends have said that Sri Lanka is so much cleaner and calmer than India. There’s something to be said for that.

Photography Notes: These days the camera I use is a Fuji X-T1, which has dropped in price now that the Fuji X-T2 has come out. I’ve tried the X-T2 and love it, but I don’t feel a pressing need to upgrade at this time.

I use two lenses: my main walking-around lens is the 18-135mm 3.5-5.6, which is versatile enough for most of the shots I take, and I also have a 16mm 1.4 wide-angle lens, which is FAST and FANTASTIC.

I’m also a big fan of the Pacsafe Camsafe V17 anti-theft bag, which is big enough for all my photography and tech gear yet small enough to put beneath the seat in front of me on a plane.

What are the most photogenic places you’ve ever visited?

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footyplusau · 7 years

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The man who has stood beside Ben Cousins

The report over the radio said it all: “When the verdict was read out, Ben Cousins looked to his father in the gallery …”

Yup. In the one-time Brownlow medallist’s darkest hour on Tuesday – off to serious prison, and not just for a few nights either, but a whole year – Cousins looks to his dad, and he is there, just as he has always been there.

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Dear ScoMo, it’s a matter of trust.

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Ben Cousins sentenced to one year in jail

Ben Cousins is sentenced to one year in jail over stalking and drug possession. Audio: 6PR.

Dear ScoMo, it’s a matter of trust.

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Dear ScoMo, it’s a matter of trust.

Cartoonist Matt Davidson examines Scott Morrison’s credibility problem ahead of the 2017 budget.

Infrastructure fund ‘as dodgy as Lehman Brothers’

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Infrastructure fund ‘as dodgy as Lehman …

Infrastructure fund ‘as dodgy as Lehman Brothers’

Wayne Swan alleges that the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility “risks becoming little more than a publicly-funded slush fund for the Liberals”.

Cyclone Debbie’s power ‘extraordinary’

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Cyclone Debbie’s power ‘extraordinary’

Survivors of Cyclone Debbie count the cost and relive the devastation but claim that it “didn’t beat us”.

That question is contemptible: PM

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That question is contemptible: PM

Malcolm Turnbull gives Adam Bandt a spray during question time, telling the Greens MP he’s using the Queensland cyclone disaster for political gain.

The return of Peter Slipper

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The return of Peter Slipper

The former speaker has made his first appearance at Parliament House since losing his seat in 2013, reflecting on his mental health issues and legal battles.

Cyclone Debbie and the damage done

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Cyclone Debbie and the damage done

The tropical cyclone uprooted trees, washed boats ashore and even blew a grounded plane onto its roof. With vision by ABC News 24.

MP’s open-mic howler

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MP’s open-mic howler

Labor’s Brendan O’Connor asks a most unexpected question during question time.

Ben Cousins sentenced to one year in jail

Ben Cousins is sentenced to one year in jail over stalking and drug possession. Audio: 6PR.

Listen, I don’t particularly know why I have always followed the interaction of Ben Cousins and his father Bryan over the years, I just have. In that time his father has moved from quiet pride, to overwhelming pride, to worry, to obvious frustration, to outright despair. But the whole time he’s been there, always there!

And if it is common to put the lives of sports stars in the spotlight time and again to draw salutary lessons from what they have done right and what they have done wrong, I hope Mr Cousins might forgive the intrusion if, just this once, I momentarily widen the arc of that spotlight to bring in, too, the man with the agonised look in his eyes, just off stage – to record my deepest admiration for his paternal stoicism.

As it happens, Bryan Cousins already had his fair share of the spotlight, and was nothing less than an Aussie rules legend in the west for having played no fewer than 238 games for Perth and winning the Sandover Medal, and he was good enough to have also played for Geelong.

Despite that, in young Cousins’ glory years, he was never one to push himself forward, to get any reflected glory. People in Perth at that time tell me he was all but invisible, just another face in the stands, though perhaps beaming more than anyone.

Only when the substance abuse became public, 10 or so years ago, when Ben was suspended indefinitely for his trouble, did Bryan Cousins step forward, saying to the press with great dignity, “I am making this statement today not on behalf of Ben, but as a father on behalf of his son … Ben’s problem relates to substance abuse and he faces a great challenge. Our family understands this is a problem that is faced by so many other Australian families … There is no simple answer to the problem and in the process of overcoming it there will be obstacles and hurdles, some of which we may stumble at.”

Across Australia, I imagine, families with offspring gripped by substance abuse would have nodded knowingly, and even, perhaps drawn some strength from his words. If this can happen to a superstar, it can happen to anyone, and this bloke is showing the way: calm, loving, resilience.

Father and son: Ben Cousins and his father Bryan after being awarded the Brownlow Medal in 2005. Photo: AAP

Mr Cousins was quick to put things in perspective, for all those carrying on about the impact on Ben’s football career.

“It is … not the foremost issue in my mind,” he said. “When someone has a health issue of any significance, your first objective is to get them healthy again. I think every parent, when your children are growing up – and we have four – you are aware of issues I refer to as community problems. I think you all think ‘It won’t happen to one of my children’, and when they become involved in any sort of activity that is of concern to you. It does jolt you and I think you have just got to remain aware that the opportunities are there and this is not an issue that is going to go away.”

And so it proved, as his son’s descent into hell continued over the next decade.

When, in November 2007, Ben was reported missing, Mr Cousins choked back tears saying: “As a parent, I am disappointed that it is necessary for me to make a statement today about Ben’s welfare due to the ongoing fabricated stories and blatant untruths that have appeared in the media. The facts are these: Ben is not missing and has not been missing at any time whilst in the US. I spoke to him myself late last night. I have always known exactly where he is …”

A year later he acknowledged he’d made mistakes, and publicly lashed himself for not having realised the extent of Ben’s addiction earlier. “It has been a tough journey for us. The old parental instinct works pretty well [but] I didn’t follow mine at the initial stages and I wish now I had. It may not have necessarily changed where we’ve got to, but there was a fair chance it would have done.”

Two years later, in August 2010 after Ben made it back to the AFL with Richmond, , Mr Cousins was asked if Ben ever felt suicidal, and was frank. “Yes he did. [I made a pact with Ben, whereby if he] ever felt like that, that he would always speak to me.”

Had Ben ever said sorry to him for the trouble he had put him through?

“Prior to his comeback game … he thanked me for all the support I’ve given him … [which was saying] sorry in the most important way for me,” he said.

As to the toll it took on him and the family, he was honest:

“We’ve been a very lucky family, with the cards that we’ve been dealt as a family, and I said if this is our real big test, you know, this is the test of our family, let’s bring it on. It broke my heart some of the things he did but I never ever once considered giving up. I just urge you never to give up, you know you’ve just got to hang in there and it does turn.”

Well, in this case, it hasn’t yet.

Last December a family friend, Eddie Natale, was quoted in the Herald Sun saying: “They are having a few ups and downs in their relationship, but Bryan loves his boy. Bryan was crying with me yesterday and asking what more he could do?”

From this distance, I would say nothing. And the fact that he is not only still there, all these years on, but is the first one his son looks to in his darkest moment is a tribute to him, and I, for one, salute his extraordinary stoicism and dignity, in the face of overwhelming challenges.

Twitter: @Peter_Fitz

Lifeline 13 11 14

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