Today was designated as jacaranda flower photo day.........but it was also bush fire burn off day

I decided to go ahead anyway on the basis that i had 3 ok shots that i have put  in the previous post,
 from another area of the city last week....... and one never knows !!!!!!!!

last year i photograped too early and this may be true of this year. never the less i have some pics

 and if i dont get around to any more......i at least have imperfect smoky ones.

the smoke and ash spread a looooong way across the city and was enough to affect my photos

 and a lot of other peoples lungs

  smoke really obvious here

   and here :-(

some flowers from a dog walk late this afternoon...

these are my own fuchsia flowers. From a bush that a friend gave me a cutting of 34 years ago. i have transferred cuttings to 4 houses since then and replanted. 

The blooms are as reliable and as beautiful as ever and the bush

grows to huge heights if not cut back somewhat.

I have seen prettier ones...but this one is mine and full of my memories

i picked 3 ages of flower here.....unfurled pink flowers, opened ones

 and ready to start drooping ones

i love the look of what seems like veins in these baby flowers

out of focus but i have put it in for the colour anyway

i messed with the colour of this just because i could

another trip to RPAH at jacaranda time

these 3 photos were taken at Annandale

outside what used to be the security gatehouse. hope there are no important communications needed here

part of the old Vic block which is looking shabby

front of the Vic block  with the added in ambulance bay for the A&E dept

outside the old maternity hospital....King George V

the main entrance to the hospital......always attractive

just right outside the main entrance doors is this stone

   two of the stained glass windows in the main entrance

walk in the naked man park.

once i was walking here when around a corner came a totally naked man. there was no where for me to go or move to so pulled off the path a bit as best i could. he stopped right beside me and asked......pointing to his wrist "do you have the time "??

errrrrrrrrrr .....no i did not as it happened. i dont wear a watch !!!

he moved on.

that man has since moved from the  area after a lot of activity ranging across a huge national park area

 (so i am told)

i dont often go there by myself anymore which is a pity as it is pretty, 

close enough and the dog enjoys time there

the other day i again persuaded the son to come with me and took a few photos while we were there.

they are not very good photos but are a glimpse of a piece of our neighbourhood

the overhead canopy of trees

there is a lot of dead wood waiting to burn i suspect

dog enjoying herself but obviously getting older and slower....like me

part of the track....with  cars in the background at this section.

which shows that altho much of the walk makes u feel like u are

a long way from anywhere.......in fact you are not

tree roots that provide a handy set of steps 

shadow of me looking down to the national park area where dogs are not allowed.

bit of bushfire and termite damage

some gum nuts

 roughish terrain

my favourite tree

about where i met the naked man

tree at the exit with interesting mould

 a native flower whose name i do not know

i drag along more slowly behind

loving my new bag

i have only twice bought off Etsy and both purchases have been happy ones. this purchase is however ......perfect

i chose the colours and had the size of the standard model made less deep . i measured my favourite leather handbag and had it made much the same size. it has the totally perfect amount of zippered up sections inside and outside, along with a key ring inside. it is colourful and happy looking 

thank you to http://www.etsy.com/shop/tippythai

some belated soap

i did a ding on my back the other week so it was good that i managed to get some soap done .
i have altered my receipe a bit and have now stopped using coconut and am back to
using castor oil which i love for lather. i want to keep my oils stocks minimal and easy.
i will possibly revert (not sure yet) to simply olive oil and castor  as my only oils .
i did that for about a year when i was last doing markets, was really busy and wanted simplicity..
 given i do not live in a house that is soapmaking friendly .
the castor gives such a great lather and feel and i have not used it for a few years now.
i will see how the cookie crumbles, as it really is a nice soap

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People can now buy this  soap so that the money can go to Vinnies.That will  help to add to  the money we will need for the extra food for our local people at Christmas
Every $ counts and all the sales proceeds go direct to my Normanhurst Conference
 which helps support quite a number of familes and single people in the area.

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the black and white soap was meant to have only whispy black bits in it .....but somehow it became more than that.!!

seeing as it was a sort of male combo of fragrances i had to come up with another name.

it is now called "Boys in Black" and is a combo of S-W's

 Green Irish Tweed, Lemongrass

and another S-W fragrance. I rather like it !!

  This pink one is another S-W fragrance called  Black Raspberry and cream.

this is the lovely Mango  in green and tiny tiny  flecks of pink mica

and this one the ever popular Yuzu

which i did in yellow and white for a change

and of course the everlastingly popular Lavender

some photos by my son

These were taken a few months ago down south near the Snowy Mountains

Holts Flat railway siding from days past