Ali's 365 Challenge

Schutzenfest 2010

2010-01-11T21:58:00.000-08:00

It was an absolute 'stinker' at this years Schutzenfest. It got up to 42°C and the temperatures didn't abate until today when they finally came down. It was 44°C yesterday, so I am glad that i wasn't at home and was in the cool of the work aircon. At least today we have had some much needed rain (it hasn't rained since before Christmas).

Anyway here are some pics of the extraordinarily small crowds and the Klemzig Oompah band doing their best to keep "Oompah-pahing" on stage and stay cool.

The plan for 2010

2010-01-11T21:50:00.000-08:00

Although I have enjoyed the 365 challenge in 2009 I haven't been as committed to it as I would have liked to have been, so in 2010 I won't be posting photos everyday. I have found it quite challenging to do a photo each day and missed whole weeks and then in the end I was too sporadic. I have decided to keep this blog and just post some photos to it every now and then with the things photos that interest me and of what I am doing.

Thank you to everyone who has followed along with my blog so far and left comments. I am still following all the other blogs and I really hope that I keep up my commenting etc.

249/365 - Gingerbread Countdown, House no. 3

2009-12-16T14:01:00.000-08:00

This is my final Gingerbreadhouse and the one which will be the most popular with the kids in the family I think. This one has Freckles covering the whole roof and yello, organe and green mini jelly beans running along the roof line. The windows are made out of green LifeSavers and the final touch is the plastic Santa standing outside the front door!

248/365 - Gingerbread Countdown, House 2 cont.

2009-12-13T14:07:00.000-08:00

This is the other side of house no 2. and definitely still my favourite house that I've made this year. The windows on this side are just piped on with multicoloured cachous on the joins.

247/365 - Gingerbread Countdown, House 2.

2009-12-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

This house is actually my favourite this year. Why? Because it is pink!

The roof is piped in a criss-cross pattern with royal icing with pink musk sticks cut to make stars. The Iciles are make from little blobs of royal icing. The corners and base of the house is covered in pink and purple mini jelly beans and the sides covered with Freckles and Chicos. I particularly like this house because of it's red stained glass windows made out of melted red Lifesavers and the window sills have silver cachous to add a bit of sparkle.

I can tell that I have got better at piping this year and have actually managed to make some shapes with the nozzle instead of just blobs! It's hard work though and my arms and hands were very sore the next day - it doesn't help that the icing you use for Gingerbread houses is designed to be like glue. I might just have to get a bit more creative next year....

246/365 - Gingerbread countdown, House 1 cont.

2009-12-09T22:33:00.001-08:00

This is the other side of House no. 1 and it basically has the same sweets on it that the other side did. The only differences are the little Chicos stuck to the wall. If you have never had a Chico before they are hard to explain. They are like Jelly babies but have a really soft and mellow taste. Maybe someone who has had a Chico could explain it better.

The other additions to this side of the house are the musk stick stars on the window ledge and the stained glass windows. They are a bit hard to see in the light and I'll have a better example tomorrow.

You can made stained glass windows by getting some clear coloured lollies like traffic lights or in this case Lifesavers and then crush them up. You then cut windows holes into your gingerbread dough wall before it is baked, and fill with the crushed sweet. As the gingerbread bakes the lollies melt and harden to make pretty stained glass windows. :)

245/365 - Gingerbread Countdown, House 1

2009-12-08T22:00:00.001-08:00

Ok for the last flurry of the year I've decided to share the Gingerbread houses I made for my family this year. making them is a lot of work and can be a tad stressful at times but the end result is worth it. I calculated it took me 13 hours to complete 3 houses from start to finish and boy was I tired by the end of the weekend.

I was very pleased that I managed to do most of it on my own except when I ran out of creative ideas and the other half had to be called in for moral support.

House No. 1.

This first house has pink musk sticks for windows and royal icing piped on for window panes. The top of the roof has mini jelly beans lined up (to hide the join in the roof) and the small multicoloured pieces of candy covered chocolate bits and I like using them because they look like fairy lights. The side of the house has a multicoloured Freckle and two Raspberry lollies stuck on for decoration. At the front door there are two small bushes made out of Raspberry lollies and green mini jelly beans. The icicles are royal icing piped on with a small nozzle.

243/365 - All frocked up

2009-11-09T14:52:00.001-08:00

This is the Last Night of the Proms and this is me and my better half on the last night we got to dress up :( If you hadn't guess the theme of the night was British and the Proms so we naturally had to dress for the occasion so we looked the part when we played. I have never had to dress so formally for a concert but it was a lot of fun and something a bit special. Thanks for letting me play again guys!

242/365 - Concert Night

2009-11-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

The stage is set and the chairs all put out for one awesome "Last Night of the Proms" concert with the Tanunda Town band. I have to say I have had an absolute ball with these guys. It makes such a difference when you play with another band and people go out of their way to help you and get to know you. I have felt very welcome and consider it a great honor that they have let me play with them.
The concert was held in a winery and I tell you the music was fantastic and so was the smell!

241/365 - Final Rehearsal

2009-11-09T14:44:00.000-08:00

I was invited to play with a really great bunch of people called the Tanunda Town band for their Classics Concert series. I have spent the last four week rehearsing with them every Monday so that i can still attend my own band rehearsals on Thursdays. This is the final rehearsal before the big night.

240/365 - Mangled

2009-11-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

Wow - I really fell off the wagon here and have been slack with my photos!

I saw this mangled heap of cars and caravans on the back of a truck. You can make out each thin pancake wreck of a car in each layer. The bottom one is a caravan I think and above that an old truck .

239/365 - Bowling

2009-10-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Nothing like getting together for bowling after work! Not to mention the fact that we won :)

238/365 - Overflow

2009-10-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

This causeway overflows once in a blue moon and because of the amount of rain we've had in the last week its been overflowing steadily for the last few days. A good sign we've had enough rain, and the dams are at capacity. It should start to get warmer now :)

237/365 - satuday ride

2009-10-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

We went for a ride up in the hills to see the dams. All of them are full to the brim - something I've never seen before and something which doesn't happen very often. By the time of this photo I was feeling a bit cold and achy so you'll have to excuse the non-excited expression!

236/365 - Flood

2009-10-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

This River can get right down to trickle and you can stand with one leg on each side. I remember many times chasing the family dog through it and only get a toe wet. We need floods like this every now and then to flush out the river system!

235/365 - lots of rain

2009-10-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot of rain over the last week - these three ducks seem to be enjoying the burst river banks.

234/365 - Protecting the plants

2009-10-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

We get really hot summers so I have put pea straw down on my new veggie patch to minimise water loss when it starts to heat up.

233/365 - New Veggie patch

2009-10-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

We decided to use up a patch of open ground along a fence in our backyard for a veggie patch. I have been wanting to put something useful in the space for a while now but haven't really had the time or really known what to put there. Anyway we have: tomato, oregano, spring onions, brown onions, rhubarb, peas, beans, carrots, corn and celery. I bought a little too much I think...

232/365 - Ouch!

2009-10-07T15:40:00.001-07:00

You wouldn't want to trip over these garden sculptures on late night meanderings - they are made of rusted barbwire and were made by an uncle. Awesome view of the Murray River though.

231/365 - Skippy

2009-10-07T15:37:00.000-07:00

Bush art by Corrugations. There's a guy who makes all sorts of Australian animals out of corrugated iron for garden ornaments. This is a kangaroo and joey but he also makes lizards and emus.

230/365 - Spinach dip

2009-10-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

I'll have to try making this one day, it was really yummy and didin't last very long as you can see from the photo. Family gatherings mean food and lots of it!

229/365 - Lavender farm

2009-10-07T15:33:00.000-07:00

We visited a lavender farm today and had a great family lunch. The pizza was awesome but so filling! Hmm lavender tea....

228/365 - Tulip

2009-10-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

I'd love to be able to grow tulips though I've heard they can be a lot of fuss as you have to freeze them etc. Mind you these ones in the picture are growing in a very dry environment!

227/365 - Survivor

2009-09-29T23:31:00.001-07:00

About this time last year we planted a whole heap of native plants at my mother-in-laws. One year on, half of them are dead but the half that are still alive are doing ok (except that one that got accidentally 'whipper-snippered' by my husband...) So we've pretty much worked out that Acacia's seem to enjoy the winds, blazing heat and sun in summer, toxic soil and neck high grass and weeds in winter the most :)

226/365 - more rabbiting

2009-09-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today's efforts were more successful than yesterday! I managed to locate this gravesite which is where another strand of my ancestry lie - namely my Great Great Grandmother, & Great Great Grandfather and a distant Aunt. Much more what I was expecting and the headstone provided some further clues which I hope will help me with my research a little more. Like most of the sites in this cemetery is isn't in the best repair but it is in better nick than some of the others where the whole site has caved in on itself. The graves are so close and earth so poor, that I kept wondering if I was going to fall through some of them. Now there's an unpleasant thought...

225/365 - rabbiting around in cemeteries

2009-09-27T20:19:00.001-07:00

As part of my family history research I have ventured into our city's biggest cemetery for the first time. It was relatively easy to find what I wanted using the computer at the front gate where you can search for ancestors and then it gives you a print out which has a map of the cemetery, with a pin point marked where the grave is and the details of the surrounding graves so you can drive through and then get out to walk and track what you want to find down.

Although all THAT was easy I still go confused when trying to locate my Great Grandfather and my Great Great Grandmother. The picture above is of what I found. The map and plot details said they were buried together but the headstone you see has My Great Great Grandmother's name name, plus another of her sons listed as being buried there. No Great Grandfather.... until I looked a bit harder at the surrounding graves. I can only guess that he is the blank grave next to her with no headstone or other markings - there seems to be no other explanation and not what I was expecting at all...

224/365 - duck!

2009-09-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

Soon we will start to see mother ducks walking their new young ducklings around the neighbourhood and showing them off. I swear you get some of the same families coming back each year.

223/365 - whales

2009-09-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

The Southern Right Whales make their way to South Australia to give birth every Spring. It makes it an awesome time whale watching. There were around 6 or 8 whales today and not that far off the shore. You could stay there for hours just watching them.

222/365 - what the?

2009-09-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

Now that's different.... in the Seaside town where my grandparents live, full of prefab housing and beach shacks, this new home looks slightly out of place and sorta puzzles the mind. What do they actually live inside it?

221/365 - new home

2009-09-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

Well not really, I've moved desks so now the fish have a new window spot and some new plants to rip out!

220/365 - how indignant

2009-09-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

Sparky is just a strange cat who likes to sit in funny ways. No reason to be sitting like this but it must be comfortable...

219/365 - Oktoberfest

2009-09-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the German Dancers at this year's Para Hills Community Club Oktoberfest. My brass band who also double as an Oompah Band played throughout the night. Lots of food, beer and dancing! It was a really fun (but tiring) night.

218/365 - yellow flowers

2009-09-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air and the flowers are in full bloom - my nose is running and my eyes are streaming...

217/365 - dish washer

2009-09-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know what I'd do without my dishwasher. Oh and the machine is pretty good too!

216/365 - UFO

2009-09-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well, not really a UFO... I'll give 10 points to the person who can accurately guess what it is :) I have to say I am really pleased that we have it, being a bit on the greeny side...

215/365 - Purple flowers

2009-09-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

I don't know what this flower is called? It's like a vine creeper and it has a very strong smell. As Spring is a bit more on the way now I've started to enjoy my walks again. The smell of spring is just amazing right now. Any guesses as to what the flower is?

214/365 - Friends

2009-09-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

I am very lucky to have the friends that I do and I was even more grateful for their company after the incident and running around with the car, police and reports. I really needed to just chill out and vent for a bit and I am so glad that I work with people that I like and get along with both at work and outside. Thank you!

213/365 - idiots

2009-09-13T22:06:00.001-07:00

We had a pretty frustrating night - some disturbed people decided to throw a bike through the back window of our car early in the morning. Yes, a bike. Not happy, and I am really at a loss to understand why. Vandalism is just senseless and it will cost us a lot of get it fixed. I wonder if the people that do this type of thing realise the impact on others that their actions have. I bet they wouldn't like it done to their stuff.

212/365 - house space

2009-09-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

Roof spaces are very odd places and I haven't given them much thought (other than thinking it is a place I'd rather not be!). All that dust, insulation and not to mention the danger of falling through them if you put a step wrong.

211/365 - just kicking back

2009-09-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

This what I feel like I need to do right now - just kicking back and relaxing. Sometimes do you ever wish you were a cat. No deadlines, no where to be, no pressure?

210/365 - new music

2009-09-07T23:31:00.000-07:00

After all my heartache trying to order in new brass band music I have finally succeeded in finding someone who can help me! The music arrived today with some of the stuff I ordered and some other scores he thought I might like. If we try the pieces and don't like them, then we just send the scores back to him :) I love it when things are simple!

209/365 - from my garden

2009-09-07T23:28:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like bringing flowers in from your own garden :) I have a love/hate relationship with this plant. I think it needs re-potting because it is the first one to look thirsty and I think water is making its way through the pot too fast, but I get frustrated with having to water it all the time.

208/365 - orchids

2009-09-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

The orchids have finally bloomed as well! It's a pity they are such scraggly looking plants, but the flowers are beautiful :) I wonder if people normally put orchids up higher because of the weight of the flowers causing them to look droopy? These guys would be nearly touching the ground if I wasn't propping them up out of shot.

207/065 - Fathers Day

2009-09-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

Had lunch with the family for Fathers day today - the countryside is looking very healthy and green at the moment. We've had more rain than expected and most of dams we saw were full.

206/365 - pink

2009-09-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

I'm spotting all of these new flowers are emerging for spring. I think this is a native plant although I am not sure. It starts off looking like arose opening but eventually it will open up fully like a daisy.

205/365 - interesting pizza

2009-09-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

Food photos, spring photos, more food photos and then more spring - some would say I am running out of ideas... Anyway this was a very interesting food presentation idea. I wasn't sure whether to cut it up with a knife and fork or just eat it with my hands. It looked sparse (and tasted a bit 'sparse') but hey, whatever floats your boat. The chilli was a nice kick!

204/365 - whomping willow makes a come back

2009-09-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

First signs of spring on the whomping willow tree. It's amazing how quickly these appeared as well!

203/365 - more spring

2009-09-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

I am loving all this Spring stuff - I didn't realise how much I was missing it. Plus I am really pleased that the Clivias I divided up and transplanted are doing so well. I think I got them into the ground just in time for these beautiful flowers to appear :)

202/365 - Spring definately on the way

2009-08-30T23:30:00.000-07:00

Spring is definitely on the way - I love these pink and white blossoms that appear around this time of year. The smell is amazing.

201/365 - Back to Back

2009-08-30T23:28:00.000-07:00

The team & I were able to make it a back to back win this year at the South Australian Brass Band Championship. We one our C Grade section by one point, although we won convincingly on the Major Work section. We chose something which was pretty difficult and in the end it paid off :)

200/365 - Hmm pizza

2009-08-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

A good way to finish the week - pizza with friends. This one was actually better than the picture turned out. And yes, they are jalapenos. Glad I didn't have to eat it!

199/365 - spring is springing

2009-08-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

A good sign that spring is on its way - mushrooms growing on near the footpaths in the suburbs and in front lawns.

198/365 - Tap Inn

2009-08-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

A hotel named well for some quite obvious reasons - The Tapp Inn. Unfortunately I didn't get this shot when all the water was running, and for some reason I only realised AFTER I took the the shot that they weren't running... Hmmm.

197/365 - leadlighting

2009-08-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

Spotted this very cool leadlight window in a local hotel. 10 points for the person who can tell me which one! I love the look of leadlighting and it is something I've always wanted to try my hand at. Along with pottery, quilting, scrapbooking and all other sorts of crafty things!

196/365 - red hot pokers

2009-08-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

These must be one of the most interesting but spikey plants in the world. I never realised that the leaves were so serrated until I saw this monster. The flowers are fascinating though.

195/365 - beautiful Barossa

2009-08-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

I helped out another brass band at the Barossa Gourmet festival and had an absolute ball! I took this shot on the way home, green fields on the left and vineyard on the right plus the sun setting behind us. It was a really fun day.

194/365 - hmmm bacon..

2009-08-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or does anyone else play with their food? I made this creation for breakfast and normally allow myself to have cooked breakfast of some kind at least once a week.

193/365 - The very hungry caterpillar..

2009-08-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

How long has it been since you have seen one of these critters?! I remember seeing them everywhere when I was younger and we used to just call them "hairy caterpillars" but I haven't seen one for years and years. In the last few weeks I have seen this guy hanging about my front garden and this morning he is munching on my native Goodenia (which is looking slightly worse for wear right now) but is obviously great caterpillar food.
Does anyone know what type he is? I've included a close up picture for those budding lepidopterists.
I hope he doesn't get eaten before he gets the chance to turn into a butterfly.

192/365 - RSPCA cupcake day

2009-08-17T00:06:00.000-07:00

To help raise money for the RSPCA we had a cupcake day - these animal themed one were a great idea!

191/365 - icecream

2009-08-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

What better on a cold winter night than icecream? Hmm mint choc on top of rum & raisin :)

190/365 - purple flowers

2009-08-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

This picture is a bit washed out, but it is catching the morning sun on my hardenbergia. This is a native Australian plant with small purple or white flowers and looks a lot like a gum tree, but it is small clumping/shrubby plant. Mine is going to be a ground cover, but you can get them to climb up trellises etc. They are very hardy little things too.

189/365 - more banding...

2009-08-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

More banding this week. This is a timpani or what is sometimes called a Kettle Drum. We only have 2 of them so whoever is playing them often has to be selective in what they play or be very quick in changing the notes around. Some composers/arrangers expect you to have 4 timpani but they are very very expensive and hard to transport so we get by with just 2. The drums can play different notes but adjusting a foot lever to tighten or loosen the drum skin. The tighter the skin the higher the note, and the loose, the lower the note.

188/365 - Train station

2009-08-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

We like to condense everything into one building in my town - the Casino is in the same building as the main train station. The building is quite big and grand though and I don't mind the architecture and it is an interesting building to look through (even if there are many many flights of stairs). I snapped this one on the way through to the theatre.

187/365 - celebration cake... again

2009-08-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about celebration cake, but I seem to eat a lot of it. This one was for a 50th birthday. The chocolate scrolls were awesome.

186/365 - I won this round...

2009-08-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

I fought a tub (not a small pot but a buckety type "tub" thing) of bound-up Clivia and won! After trying to separate and extract the bulbs from the tub with a small hand trowel, then moving onto a shovel and then resorting to trying to cut open the tub with shears before standing with one foot on the shovel and one on the edge of the tub, I finally managed to get them out! What started as a job of around15 minutes (I even pre-dug the holes) took me an hour! But now I have 9 nice new plants scattered through my garden :) Phew!

185/365 - nature

2009-08-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

Nature is a wonderful and often puzzling thing. This branch was obviously trying to heal itself by growing a new skin - but it looks very odd.

184/365 - taking one for the team

2009-08-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have had to have a crash course in learning "buttons" (or a valved instrument for those uninitiated) in the last few weeks. One of our Horn players (E flat Tenor Horn) decided to call it quits 6 weeks before our State Championships, so I've had to step in. I have to say I miss playing my trombone but I have enjoyed the challenge of picking up a different instrument. The mouthpiece is smaller, the 3rd valve is dodgy and spins in the shaft, and it leaks like a sieve! One good thing though is that you actually get to play more - I don't think composers give trombones enough to do or challenge them, enough. So here's me with the instrument I'll be playing for the next few weeks.

183/365 - Mr Fix It

2009-08-03T16:20:00.000-07:00

My husband has a "list". Every weekend there is something which needs crossing off "the list". This weekends task was to replace the bathroom hand towel rail and also to finish hooking up the rain water tank to the roof. I have to say both were actually finished this weekend. I think some of the things on the list may involve me. I was asked if I like painting...

182/365 - again with the bear

2009-08-03T16:18:00.001-07:00

I think the bear thing may be getting a little out of control! When I woke up this morning he was sitting on the couch, watching the TV with the remote in his hand. I think somebody has a little too much creativity sometimes...

181/365 - actually very useful!

2009-08-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

I was laughed at when I bought home this snazzy red basket for light shopping. "What will you use that for?" was the response. Well I have to say it has been used every week to ferry not only shopping, but to take a shared dinner to a friends house, to pick up letters and mail and just to grab bits and pieces in a hurry, and not just by me either! Ha!

180/365 - the bear...

2009-07-29T00:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is a bear strapped into the backseat of a car, and yes, my husband took the trouble to have the bear in the car when he picked me up form the airport. He said "Since you didn't take MyBear away with you, he wanted to see you when you got back". Yes, my husband is a wally and teases me no end, but he makes me smile and is never, never predictable :)

179/365 - Brisbane waters

2009-07-29T00:33:00.000-07:00

Snapped this at dusk of the marina near my Brisbane hotel. Wouldn't you like one of these as a toy? It was another beautifully warm and calm night in Brisbane and the sunset wasn't very spectacular but still very nice.

178/365 - Brisbane

2009-07-29T00:28:00.000-07:00

In Brisbane now (or BrisVegas to some) and this is view from my hotel window. The city was beautifully lit up and the weather really lovely and warm.

177/365 - crazy

2009-07-29T00:26:00.001-07:00

My social life has just become non existent and has been filled with band rehearsals - not that I had a very active social life to start off with but you get the sentiment. Not that I don't enjoy it, its just that sometimes you wonder where your time goes? *sigh*

176/365 - wattle I do?

2009-07-29T00:19:00.000-07:00

I saw this glorious wattle tree on one of my walks. The picture doesn't really give it justice but it was definately a tree and not a shrub and was in full bloom. The fragrance was pretty powerful too - very sneezy!

175/365 - On the road again...

2009-07-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

An intersection in Melbourne as I went on the hunt for food for the night - nothing really special about this photo but after standing at the lights waiting for them to change for so long, I couldn't think of anything else to take a photo of!

174/365 - fish

2009-07-23T16:13:00.000-07:00

My very entertaining fish, who keep me and others great company on my desk at work.

173/365 - travelling bear

2009-07-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

My bear (who's actual name is "My Bear") is a very well traveled bear. When I was younger my parents took my sister & I on a round the world trip for 3 months, and yes My Bear came too. He sat with his head sticking out of my backpack and saw the world with me. So now everytime I have to pack my husband likes to joke around and see if he can pack My Bear into my things without me noticing. This is what I found this morning as I prepare for another work trip.

172/365 - sour sobs

2009-07-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

My garden is full of sour sobs. I used to worry about them but I've give up hope a little this year. Maybe next weekend...

171/365 - morning sun

2009-07-19T18:04:00.001-07:00

Another frosty morning - but the light and fog was wonderful. I love the little drips coming off my (much shorted) whomping willow.

170/365 - Poor whomping willow!

2009-07-15T20:08:00.001-07:00

The whomping willow has had a haircut (not really a whomping willow, really a weeping mulberry...) it was in much need of a clean up of it's old growth ready for why spring swings in. It now looks a little chilly without it's long twiggy cloak on.

169/365 - Soup Day

2009-07-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

We were spoilt for choice for soup day today: Minestrone, spicy beef & veg, vegetable broth, cauliflower & blue cheese, chicken curry & coconut cream, potato & leek, and the list goes on! A big pat on the back to those who cooked.

168/365 - Celebration cake

2009-07-13T20:35:00.001-07:00

Any excuse for cake at work is a good excuse. Today's cake was to mark the of a colleagues contract. I can highly recommend the carrot cake.

167/365 - Howling at the moon

2009-07-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

A "not so successful" night shot of the moon highlighting some checkered cloud patterns. No werewolves out tonight... Although the red glow in the bottom left is ominous...

166/365 - Ice drops

2009-07-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

brr it was cold this morning - there were even droplets of ice which had formed over night on the car boot. This shot was taken in the early morning light.

165/365 - happy banders

2009-07-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

Some of my awesome Baritone & Euphonium section, all looking happy (which is what I like to see). These guys work really well together & always make a great sound.

164/365 - wall of fame

2009-07-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

Just some of my band's trophies from the past few years :)

163/365 - CEGSA conference

2009-07-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to spend 2 days at the CEGSA (Computers in Education Group) Conference. Lots of great speakers, and a nice variety of hands-on workshops to choose from. I presented a hands-on workshop on moodle which went very well. I think I learn a little bit more about the tool & presenting each time I do it.

162/365 - Library Fountain

2009-07-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

I spent part of my day at the State Library, delving into my family history. This is one of the fountains that are outside the libray which caught on my way out. It was a very productive day!

161/365 - umbrella

2009-07-01T23:54:00.000-07:00

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My husband says it's "gaudy", I say it's "pretty" - what ever way you look at it, my bright pink & purple umbrella keeps the rain drops off :) Plus I'm hard to lose in a crowd...

160/365 - Sheep Nuts

2009-06-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

Australians have such a unique sense of humour - along with sheep nuts in this chocolate store, there was also chocolate cow pats & chocolate horse cakes...

159/365 - respect mah authority...

2009-06-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

One very loyal pooch waiting patiently for his owner/sidekick. His FBI jacket was just too cute - it looked like he was casing the joint! "Respect mah authority..."

158/365 - wine country

2009-06-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

I went on a Hills Wine Tour today - the rain we've had has been wonderful and has made everything lovely & green. The cows in this vineyard look like they are having a great time.

157/365 - All the leaves are brown

2009-06-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

And the sky is grey - love it. My affectionately called "Whomping Willow" will be getting a trim in the weekend. I think it is actually a weeping mulberry but whomping willow is so much cooler.

156/365 - QR codes

2009-06-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

This week I have been furiously learning about QR codes. Not because I have to but because I want to. If you want to find out what I have been learning about visit my All in Bits and Pieces Blog on your computer or on your mobile using the code below :)

155/365 - Still practicing!

2009-06-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

I told you I was practicing every day! I start off with long tones, and then move on to the Arbens book which has aheap of technical and reading studies and then finally onto some solo work. A bit of Bach and a bit of Haydn (obviously not originally written for the trombone but pieces arranged for the instrument) My face muscles were actually tired yesterday so that is a good sign that I am starting to build some strength.

154/365 - winter soup

2009-06-24T16:17:00.001-07:00

Winter soup: potato, leek, celery, onion, mushroom - and anything else I could find! Hmm...

153/365 - more winter skies

2009-06-22T23:24:00.001-07:00

More winter skies - the sunsets recently have been amazing, so much so that I'd like to move to the beach so I can have an unobstructed view of them.

152/365 - Solo Championship

2009-06-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

I was so inspired by the South Australian band Association's Solo Comps on the weekend that I've been practicing everyday in preparation for next years comps! This is a photo of the solo participants eagerly awaiting the results.

151/365 - Winter sky

2009-06-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ack for some reason this photo blogging thing has just got harder - I have been very slack, so to start off again here is a beautiful sunset I caught on my way home yesterday.