Friday, December 31, 2010

December Dusk


And so the sun sets on another year. 
How was your 2010? Did you follow through with your resolutions? Do you have any for 2011? I have a list as long as my arm. 2011 is going to be fabulous, I just know it.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Drip Dry


South-East Queensland looks as if it might have seen the back of the rain for the time being. Mushrooms and other fungi of all shapes and sizes have sprung up all over the place and everything is very damp.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Oh, The Flower And The Passion


Third time's a charm as far as my growing passionfruit goes. The other two attempts were pathetic and wilted within a month. This one is threatening to take over one whole side of the building, already covering two windows and the wall in between.

I've never got to the flower stage before so it's quite an event for me. They are so exotic looking and showy. The little red bits are some other struggling flower that is gasping for a bit of light and space but I fear isn't going to last much longer. But there's no way I'm cutting back the passionfruit plant to make room. Not until I get my first actual fruit.
Sometimes you've got to take the hardest line.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Check the Radar, Love!

Most people I know in Brisbane, me included, love to go onto the Bureau of Meteorology website to see what's happening with the local weather. Here's a snapshot of what was happening yesterday here with rain over a large part of south-east Queensland. Properties and towns in other parts of the state have been inundated - you can check out a quick video report here.

I don't think those clothes on my line are ever going to dry!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Faces Facade

Last year I posted a photo of this facade. The council knocked down most of the building leaving the facade. Well one year on, the facade is still here with nothing behind it but mud. The grass and weeds have grown tall and the local graffiti and paste-up artists have had a ball with it. See last year's photo here.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

In A Rusty Holden Ute


A bloke at work has this rusty Holden Ute that he drives around in (see picture) and every time I see it I have to break into Australian Jingle Bells. What's that? you ask... well here's a snippet - you  know the tune so sing along:

Dashing through the bush,in a rusty Holden Ute,Kicking up the dust,esky in the boot,Kelpie by my side,singing Christmas songs,It's Summer time and I am inmy singlet, shorts and thongsOh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut !,Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Happy Christmas!

This is James -  probably the happiest, cheeriest Big Issue seller ever anywhere. I've never seen him without a smile and he always has a kind word for passers by whether you buy the magazine or not. Happy Christmas from him - and me.

By the way, if you pass a Big Issue vendor selling those funny calenders for only $5, they are a great buy.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Turning Away From The Eclipse Skywatch

Ok I was in the wrong spot for the eclipse.. but this was my compensation...
(looking south on Kurilpa Bridge towards William Jolly and Montague Road)

For skies around the world today, check out the brilliant Skywatch Friday.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Tide Is High

Three years ago South East Queensland's dams were just 16% full and we were all taking egg-timers into the shower with us. Now all the dams are full to capacity and they have started doing controlled releases. Wivenhoe, Brisbane's largest dam, is sending hundreds of megalitres down the Brisbane River and out to sea causing some whopper tides (and some flooding!).

Check out Wivenhoe's flood gates at Diane's blog here.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Eclipse Shmiclipse

Last night's lunar eclispe was a bit of a let down. The moon was supposed to be a blood-red colour as it rose but was covered in a bank of cloud. As it turned out, I was standing in completely the wrong place with buildings of the city blocking my view so I wouldn't have seen it anyway. Luckily, my little outing to Kurilpa Bridge wasn't completely in vain. I turned around and got a great sunset instead. This is the view looking towards the State Library (left) and the Gallery of Modern Art (right) with the Skyneedle in the distance.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Monday, December 20, 2010

Rain Stopped Play


The English cricket team in Perth could have done with some of Brisbane's never-ending rain yesterday.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Six White Boomers

Friday night Christmas singing in West End. Topping the bill (with excellent speaking parts for kids) was the Rolf Harris Aussie Christmas classic Six White Boomers.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Storm Cell Skywatch

 Picture: courtesy Network Ten

The weather in Brisbane has been pretty exciting these past couple of days with storms rolling in and dumping hail the size of golf balls in some areas around Brisbane. While I was at work on Wednesday, I happened to be recording the traffic helicopter's camera footage as it was passing by a wild looking storm cell in North Brisbane. I've taken a screen grab from it... pretty cool, huh?

Check out other skies around the world this week at Skywatch Friday and have a fab weekend!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Protest in the Myer Centre


So you're doing a bit of shopping and you see Santa with a big red sack and lots of people dressed in green and red and you automatically think it's going to be something to do with Christmas, don't you? The protesters were encouraging boycotting Israeli products as Christmas gifts. It's a bit complicated explaining the connection between Santa Claus and the Palestine-Israeli conflict to kids who think they're about to get a special preview visit from the big guy. 
I found out later that Prouds jewellers weren't a target. The protesters just happened to be going past there when they were turfed out by the shopping centre security staff.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Hanging Out at Rocking Horse Records

Rocking Horse Records on Albert Street is Queensland's largest independent record shop but is probably just as well known for the kids that hang out the front. "The Cool Kids" as my 8yr daughter calls them. They happily obliged when I asked them for a photo and they told me I was the second person that day that had asked.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Terrible Twos

It's been two years since Brisbane Daily Photo has been online. Actually 2 years and one day but I forgot yesterday. I hope you've enjoyed it so far - it's been hard for me at times to find the inspiration but great to learn about Brisbane and photography at the same time.  A big thankyou to everyone who has visited and commented.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Taxi!

If your desire to have a novel, green mode of transport while giving a hardworking guy an honest wage outweighs the embarrassment of having someone huff and puff to get you and your friend around the hilly streets of Brisbane in full, leisurely view of everyone.... then this is the mode of transport for you.

Friday, December 10, 2010

U2 at Suncorp Stadium

Note to self: get a point and shoot camera to take to gigs of monumental importance. They made me check my camera in at the cloak room because it had a detachable lens and was therefore a professional recording device.

Other than that it was a spectacular night. No rain but plenty of heat, lights, dry ice, sweat, cheers, screams and whistles. All of which were amplified for me any time anything pre-1987 was played. I have sore feet and a hoarse voice today.

Thanks for Oriana for letting me use her picture.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The Cable Guys

Laying the fibre-optics which will one day, hopefully, become part of Australia's National Broadband Network.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings


Note to self: must take real camera to gigs of monumental importance and not my cheap camera phone.

So today I am overlooking the awful quality of my picture to talk about the contents thereof. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings' stunning soul revue exploded onto the stage at the Tivoli on Sunday night. People of all ages and backgrounds made for an unforgettable atmosphere and the crowd members Ms Jones pulled up onto the stage strutted their funky stuff with varying degrees of hilarity.

The venue, in Fortitude Valley, is intimate and elegant with a curved wrought iron balcony and a capacity of 1500. Plush couches are dotted around the outside and upstairs at the back which leaves the front free for you to get down with your bad self and get up close to the music. Talking of the music, if you like your soul funky and your divas with attitude, then this is the band for you.
Here's a taste of what she's like live.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Eagle Farm Wash Out

Saturday was race day at Eagle Farm racecourse.

This photo was taken just after the second race while the officials deliberated on whether the meeting should be cancelled or not due to heavy rain. In the end, the plug was pulled but it didn't dampen spirits. There was a great atmosphere around the stables and people who worked with the horses (and the horses) were more than happy to pose for a snap before they packed up for the day.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Summertime Blues

December the 1st marked the first day of Summer here in Brisbane. It hasn't stopped raining since then and today is no exception. So this one, taken back in May, is for those Brisbane residents who may have forgotten what a blue sky looks like. And for my family back in London who are probably a bit more cheesed off with their weather right now than I am with mine.

Caloundra, Sunshine Coast

Saturday, December 4, 2010

The Little Homemaker

Here's a young Golden Orb Weaver spider going about her business. You get them hanging around in their webs all over Brisbane during the warmer months.  The females grow up to be quite big but they do the right thing and stay in their webs.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Love, Fish, Banksy and Other Stuff

On our way back from dinner last weekend, we ended up hanging out in a neighbour's garden that we didn't know listening to live music (as you do). On one of the walls was this flyer. When I asked about it, I was told Love and Fish are graffiti artists who are having an exhibition which starts today. I'm interested in the idea of graffiti artists being exhibited conventionally like this and getting famous. Look at Banksy - his stuff is worth an absolute fortune now and there is a major scandal if someone accidentally wipes it off. He's had exhibitions in major galleries and people pay good money to see his stuff. Increasingly, artists seem to be using graffiti as a foothold to get noticed... and appealing to a much wider audience because their work is so public. But once they are noticed and their prints are being sold, the whole street-art thing isn't as prolific. I suppose graffiti doesn't pay the rent.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

December Theme Day: Time


30 days is not a great deal of time to cultivate a stylish soup strainer but, as you can see, the boys at work have given it a good go. It's all in the aid of Movember, a charity which raises funds and awareness for men's health by getting guys to grow sponsored moustaches during November each year.

This month's City Daily Photo theme day is Time. I know you're wondering... what has this blatant plug for charity got to do with time? Well... despite it now being December, there's still TIME to donate to this worthy cause on the Movember website here. And: maybe it's TIME for a shave?

For less tenuous takes on today's theme...
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Weed or Not a Weed?

Coming from England, I don't really know much about Australian plants except if it's a native, you're probably ok to stick it in your garden. Having it's own unique eco-system over here means that if you plant the right things it encourages the right insects and wildlife and you don't accidentally wipe out a species of butterfly or tempt a family of cane toads to take up residence in your water-feature. It would all be so easy if I could tell by looking which was a weed or a non-native. 
This one's not a weed, by the way. It is a nice well-behaved substitute for an Umbrella Tree... which is a naughty weed.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Let's Burn Rubber!

 Filming stunts at Movieworld on the Gold Coast through the haze of some serious burn-outs.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Boundary and Vulture

Mouse was in fine form last night busking in his usual spot on the corner of Boundary Street and Vulture Street.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Stick Pose

I nearly missed it walking through the car park at work yesterday - it was on the underside of a wing mirror - but what a beauty! I do love a stick insect and this was 10 centimetres long at least so I bolted for the camera in the car. It was only when I returned and got up close that I noticed the expression on it's little face. Click on the picture for a closer view. Is that a smile?

Friday, November 26, 2010

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Spring Swan Song

One last Jacaranda post for the year. Exams are over and the blossoms are disappearing as fast as summer is approaching.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Street Performer, South Bank

Despite the fire juggling, mini bike wheelies and knife juggling on a 9 foot high unicycle, the boy in the blue was a touch bored.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Queensland Bottle Trees in Anzac Square


Summer is nearly upon us here in Brissy (officially it starts on December 1st) and as things heat up around the city, space in the shade becomes a necessity. Anzac Square is dotted with little doilies of shade from Queensland Bottle Trees, so named because of their bottle-shaped trunk. I reckon they look great. According to Wikipedia, that trunk stores water during droughts.

For those Latin folk out there: Brachychiton Rupestris

Monday, November 22, 2010

Geography Lessons


Down at South Bank, there is a section called Aquativity with all sorts of water activities for kids of all ages - including a big map of Brisbane. The city's tall buildings are represented by grids of fountains which shoot up when you are least expecting it and you can follow the Brisbane river in your bare feet as it winds its way from one side of the city to the other. The Story Bridge is represented by an arc of water (above).

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Red Flowering Ginger


All sorts of things are flowering in the garden right now but this one is the most spectacular. It's a member of the ginger family but I don't think the root is edible.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

The Big Xpress Rebuild

Work has started on the rebuild of the local shop awning after a car crashed into it recently. The driver involved experienced the unfortunate "thong-caught-under-the-accelerator" phenomenom (footwear not underwear).

Friday, November 19, 2010

Oysters Natural


We went out for dinner with friends to A Salt and Battery in St. Lucia last night. Oysters were on the menu for some of us. (Not me - urrghhh!)

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Bar Balls


Upstairs at Cloudland in The Valley, you can find the Crystal Palais bar. It's made up of 19,000 clear balls which catch and throw the light everywhere. 

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Brisbane's Future Stars

Our local school put on a great singing and instrumental concert the other night. The programme included "Whistle While You Work" sung by the junior choir (age 5-8), The Turtles' "Happy Together" sung by the senior choir (age 9-12) and a smoking rendition of Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water" by the senior band (also age 9-12). Rock On!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Deck the Malls


Aargh! Where did the year go? Christmas decorations up in Queen Street Mall already!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Riverside Boardwalk


Great view, flat as a pancake and excellent for riding your bike on.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Sunday Night at the Ferry Stop Skywatch


I can't believe it's never occured to me before but the ferry stop pontoon near my house gives an excellent uninterrupted view of the sky. Here was Sunday's sky at 6:07pm.

Check out other skies around the world posted today at Skywatch Friday.
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