View allAll Photos Tagged springweather
I started my walk with Emmy in sunshine, but by the time we returned home, the first drops of rain were falling. Spring is a time when literally any weather can happen, often within a very short time.
"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of weather." ~ John Ruskin
White Rock Complex (sometimes referred to as the ghost complex), Pembroke, Malta
My early morning walk yesterday took me to this fascinating spot overlooking the coast of Bahar ic-Caghaq. I have always wondered at it during my previous trips to Malta and this time I made an effort to have a closer look.
These buildings were married quarters for British army personnel until 1979 having been built in the 1960s and subsequently became a holiday complex and accomodation for language students for a period. It has sat in limbo for many years as various proposals for its redevelopment have come to nothing and the complex is deteriorating. It is now known for its graffiti and murals as can be seen from these photos.
Much more information can be found in this 2021 entry in the Maltatina blog: www.maltatina.com/white-rocks-complex/
Achill Island, County Mayo, Ireland
The fourth in the series of photos I took during my recent workshop on Achill Island. I composed and shot the photo but the workshop leader did the processing by way of demonstration of techniques for developing photos shot in RAW.
Moulamein, NSW
This is on a stock reserve just outside the town in Black Box woodland. It is saturated!
I was up in Moulamein in the NSW southern Riverina during the week where there has been the highest river level for over 50 years. The township of Moulamein has been protected despite the scale of the flooding. It is vulnerable being at the junction of two watercourses, the Edward River and the Billabong Creek, which are peaking almost simultaneously. Many farms in the area though have experienced extensive flooding and damage.
There are winners. The River Red Gums and Black Box trees and various other riparian and flood plain flora and fauna are thriving.
I should add that these floods are quite unlike those upstream in higher country where more rapid and dramatic flash flooding occurs. The wave of water flowing downstream moves much slowly across the flood plains of the Riverina and northern Victoria rising slowly and receding slowly.
This flood, much higher than the last highest recorded in 1956 and which has seen the town of Moulamein cut off in all directions, may not recede completely until towards the end of the year.
This all often happens under beautiful spring and summer sunshine which seems such a paradox.
Achill Island, County Mayo, Ireland
This is the fifth and final of the processed photos from my recent workshop on Achill Island on the Atlantic Coast of Ireland.
As with the others, I did the composing and shooting but the workshop leader did the processing of the RAW images by way of demonstration of various techniques.
This is similar to the first of the series in that it was shot in the same place but the light was different as can be seen on the coastline in the background which had a burst of sunshine when I took it.
Taken on Acaill (Achill), County Mayo in Ireland. I used a Lee 10 stop ND filter which I learned to use during the workshop I was doing.
Innsbruck, Austria
Looking down the Maria-Theresien-Strasse towards the Triumphal Arch (Triumphpforte).
Looking down on the quite amazing Neuschwanstein Castle in southern Bavaria. This remarkable structure was built in 1869-86 by (or should I say for) Ludwig II of Bavaria as his private residence but he didn't live to enjoy it. Needless to say it is a huge tourist attraction in southern Germany.
View of the Cocparra Range from the Emeri De Bortoli Garden, Bilbul, NSW
It had been quite wet during the preceding week so the furrows between the vines were quite wet. Given that the soil is relatively porous there, it just shows how wet the spring has been.
Achill, Mayo, Ireland
One of the homes in the deserted village on Achill Island in County Mayo, Ireland.
As an Australian who grew up in rural Australia, I am more than used to deserted and abandoned homes and farm buildings. Many are the reasons for this, hard luck in drought, fire or flood or in happier circumstances simply upgrading to a more modern building.
I don't think I was quite prepared for this though. The deserted village on Achill was abandoned in the 19C as a result of the potato famine in Ireland when the potato crops, a food staple in that country, failed a number of years in a row due to a potato blight leaving a trail of destitution and death.
Many Irish were forced emigrate to the USA, Canada and Australia and, as an Australian, that was our good fortune as we can argue that Irish Australians have enriched our country for well over a century socially, economically, intellectually and culturally. Incidentally I have no Irish ancestry of which I am aware.
But I digress. This village was abandoned as a result of the potato famine but it does seem that the inhabitants there were relatively fortunate as they were able to move to the nearby coast and live off the bounty of the Atlantic Ocean. Nonetheless this abandoned village is a very poignant reminder of a very grim period in Irish history.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Victoria
"Originally built in 1876 by the second director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, William Guilfoyle, the volcano is an example of beauty and practicality. Beautiful in all seasons, the volcano was originally built as a decorative folly and left abandoned for over 70 years. It was redesigned and repurposed as a water reservoir for the gardens in 2010 by landscape architect Andrew Laidlaw."
www.weekendnotes.com/guilfoyles-volcano-royal-botanic-gar...
Mouamein, NSW
This is a wetland on my brother's farm in the southern Riverina of NSW. Every year he receives an allocation of environmental water to replicate natural flooding. The wildlife that appears is wonderful and every night I was there we were serenaded by a chorus of frogs. Moments before I took this there were several Moorhens on the water but they were a bit camera shy unfortunately.
Achill Island, County Mayo, Ireland
These hardy creatures are found roaming all over Achill and are found in some pretty inaccessible places being almost as agile as goats.
They have these colour markings on the wool to signify that the sheep is part of a particular farmer's flock given that they are grazed on the commons which is nearly the whole island (even the local golf course!).
They are also pretty fearless and don't even blink at passing cars while resting on the side of the road. I am so used to slowing right down for sheep at home, it took a while to get used to seeing passing cars speeding past (or being in one!).
Also, given their ubiquity on the island, there is a bit of a need to tread carefully when walking across grassy meadows and fields!
According to what I was told, their wool is almost of no value but their meat is.
This is third third in the series that I am posting from my landscape photography workshop on Achill.