Pink Water

First of all, lets get this straight, I don't plan my blog posts ... at all, ever. If I ever do, I usually forget what it was anyway. Well, I kinda have a plan at the moment that I would regale you with tales of my family visiting, and I will I am sure, just not now. You see I got sidetracked, as always happens. I took more photos since then, as always happens. I found something I really wanted to share, you know the drill ... as always happens.

So instead sharing another part of my family time you are getting a Thursday sunset.

It was one of those sunsets where the actual sunset itself was nothing compared to the lingering twilight. Wispy clouds and changing light, it was certainly something special.

 You know that saying 'a picture is worth a thousand words'. If so, then there is about 24000 words worth of photos here. Well, of those photos I did manage to get a few that captured part of a story. A bit a people watching or street photography, if you will. The story you see might be different from the one I saw.

These two young men (above) were enjoying a quiet evening fishing. I don't know how successful they were but I am sure they were relaxing and enjoying it. The man in the blue shirt was an obvious visitor to the city, and to this country. I'd spotted him down on the rocks capturing the beauty of the sky and city. He must enjoy taking photos because he was completely absorbed by what he was doing. Here he is approaching the young men fishing. He had walked past them but then changed his mind and backtracked to see what they were up to. He wanted to know more about what they were doing, what they were catching and anything else he could find out. When I paused nearby for another photo he was asking about the bait they were using in stilted English. The young men were happy to share what they were doing and show him their bait. This is the kind of tourist I love seeing, they ones that want to absorb as much as they can along the way.

I do enjoy watching people, observing how they interact. Maybe I am just a bit of a sticky beak.

There were plenty of people around to watch while I took photos of the changing sky. Most were either fishing or walking.

This man (above) was with another young man. I don't know if they were related or not but they were well known to each other. They'd obviously been spending their afternoon fishing and it was time to go home. The man pictured wanted to keep on fishing, I think he was hoping for a catch. The other man with him was explaining that it was time to go because they had to get back and cook dinner. What you can't see from this picture is that the man intent on fishing some more has Down syndrome. Sometimes a picture doesn't tell the whole story. Listening to their conversation, it could have been my family with my brother stubbornly wanting to continue on and us trying to convince him that it was time to go. Not that he is into fishing but with many other things. Oh hang on, how many times did this play out over their visit when it came to swimming and other such things?

Other than the people watching I was enjoying the sky watching.

An arm of the marina that is usually shut off any time I go there was open so I got to head down the side as well for a slightly different view. Bonus!

As the brightness of the sun faded the colours in the sky became more vivid and more pink. It even turned the water a shade of pink.

I love my sunset and sunrise wanderings. They are time in my own little bubble and with a camera in hand they aren't so much time for thinking but time for clearing thoughts and just appreciating the here and now. It is a way to relax.

To others I am probably that strange person with a camera, concentrating so hard and stopping in weird places and positions. I think I have perfected the low crouch that looks like I am doing something else.

I am relaxing and enjoying myself though so that is all that matters.

I always take a tonne of photos, trying to capture what I see, what I think is beautiful or interesting. I take the photos for me. Sometimes I get overly excited about that beautiful or interesting thing or getting that moment that you never even predicted would happen, like a bird flying through. In my head I'm always looking at things in terms of how it would look good in a photo. In some ways I think it is a good way to view the world because I'm always looking for those little things but it also means blocking out what isn't in the frame. That isn't always a good thing.

I got a little experimental, trying to capture the colours and scene in the low light. There were many, many wobbly blurred shots but I was excited by what I did get. I guess that teaches me for never taking a tripod anywhere. I did uses a lot of railings, poles and even the ground to still my camera.

As it got darker there were less people wandering along with me.

But there were still people hoping for a catching and just enjoying the evening.

With the fading light the lights came on around the city and marina. I was pretty determined to capture them.

Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.

I was in no hurry though so I tried again and again. Mr Sparky was working late and I had a night off so dinner would wait.

The city lights glowed while the remains of the sunset lingered behind the mountains.

It was busy at the airport (right hand side of most shots) with multiple flights taking off, one after the other.

This gorgeous, magical kind of evening was why I had to share it with you. I still go ahhh inside when looking at these photos as I blog so I hope they give you an nice relaxing ahhh moment too.

What do you like to do to relax?
Are you a people watcher too?

Cloud Topped Mountains and a City by the Sea

To say things are a little damp here in the Far North is probably a bit of an understatement.

My backyard has turned into a water overloaded sponge and the creek overflow or wetland out the back is starting to fill. We are up to 4 or 5 days straight of rain. The Bureau of Meteorology says we have had about 72mm of rain in Cairns in the last 24 hours and it is raining more today. It does however very much depends exactly where you live how much rain there has been.

The best part about this weather system that spreads across the Northern Territory and Queensland, slowly working south, is that it is getting some areas that very much need rain in drought declared areas. Some are watching dams fill that have been empty for months and rivers flow that have been dry for longer than anyone wants to remember. Others are still waiting their turn.

The Station, where I used to work on finally got rain. They watched their house dam fill in a day meaning the job of carting water to use in the house, that has been a necessity for 2mths+, doesn't need to be done for a while now. I can only imagine the excitement and relief that this rain has brought with it. I recall that feeling from when I first moved there and rain arrived just as we were on last reserves at the beginning of my first full year. It is just the beginning of what is needed and hopefully of what is to come.

Because of this I am not complaining about our days and days on end of rain and grey skies. A sunny day would be nice though, it will come.

Yesterday morning I went for a bit of a drive. It wasn't raining and I wanted to get photos of the low clouds on the mountains. It is still something that amazes me.

The clouds were trying to clear so I kept heading around to what I've decided to name First Beach. I wanted to see more clouds on top of mountains, to see the city from the other side and to enjoy a quiet moment outdoors while it wasn't raining.

I got everything I wanted with clouds, a clear view to the city and blue coming through.

Nothing stops for the weather or holidays when it comes to tourism, and this is a city that very much runs on tourism. The boats were still heading out to the reef.

We've had a few mornings where the weather has briefly tried to clear and this was the closest yet. The sun when it was out was hot and burn-ey and the weather competition was heating up the humidity. The rain won out again eventually with is starting to pour yesterday afternoon and raining pretty much non stop since then.

I wasn't the only one out on the beach with a man trying his luck with his net.

Wandering the small beach and taking photos made me feel it was really holiday time, Summer holidays. I backed up that feeling with an afternoon movie while it rained outside. Unfortunately that bubble was busted when I had to go to work that evening. Pity about the need for money for food and such.

It was interesting watching the changing sky while on the beach. I do love the look of showers coming in over the mountains.

It was also pretty cool how clearly I could see Yorkeys Knob, houses and all, poking out into the sea with Double Island a bit off the end.

What a way to relax.

Over the last few days Mr Sparky and I have been talking about and dreaming up plans for the future. It has been so nice to have that time over the long weekend. Some plans are definite and some need to be decided on.

Some things we might just leave to go with the flow though and see what happens. Planning out every detail of life doesn't seem to work that well but sometimes that ship needs a bit of steering.

Have you been thinking on the next year to come?

I find quiet times like this, help me to think on things and to reflect and dream.

Once I thought I'd been in the sun long enough I headed back home but not before stopping for some more roadside photos of the city.

Also stopping for the lines in the sugar cane.

I believe the harvest is finished, they really got a move on for the end.

So even though paddocks of cane are at varying heights, it is all for next year's harvest. It will all start again in less than 12 months.

I find it interesting watching the paddocks change through the season. Also the lines in the cane fields are always something that draws my eye.

 I'm loving this post Christmas quietness while we look to the start of another year.

I am hoping to see the New Years Eve fireworks but am wondering whether they will even be on. New Years Day, well night, I have to work and Mr Sparky is on call so there won't be anything too exciting happening here. 

Do you have any New Years plans?

Are you amazed that the end of the year is nearly here already, like I am?

Christmas at my Place