Ozzies know how to make a proper out-house, it appears. Mine should be called an out-hovel, in comparison.
Are you still getting floods in your area, ginger? Is this usually your wettest time of year, or has the climate gone crazy? Is it early autumn where you are, or still summer? There is still a foot of snow on the ground over much of my property. There was a bit of melting today, though, and a patch of open water has appeared on the pond, so spring cannot be far off. In a fit of optimism, I have watered the potted plants in my cold greenhouse, so they can start growing again.
Alberta-British Columbia Boundary.
Yes, this is our normal wet season.
But My Road has been flooded 4 times in 7 weeks.
I am totally over it.
All my Beans, Tomatoes, Watermelons and Zucchinis have expired.
Do you get miniature Dolphins in Canada ?
They are in great demand here in Ozz.
But they are very expensive.
Hmmm. I'm not convinced the mini-dolphins are real. At least, not really dolphins. Are they fish that happen to resemble dolphins?
Well June, You are right again.
It is a Collage.
But this next Picture is the real deal.
If you are a Bird, don't sit still too long around here.
Do you recognise the Bird ?
Darn, I just ate breakfast, and now I feel hungry again. Is that a cockatoo in the coils?
Yes it is June.
Scientific name is 'Galah'.
http://au.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=sfp&va=galah
There were dozens of Pictures taken off this event.
But I have only chosen these three to show what happens in nature.
I keep forgetting to ask you what is the Bell for in your Snow Scene over your Pond ?
It's a tiny little dinner bell for the birds. No, just kidding. It's an ant-baffle. In the summer, we hang a hummingbird feeder full of sugar-water below the "bell". Inside the "bell" is a layer of grease, which ants won't cross. Remind me in a couple of months time, and I'll take a pic of the same view showing the feeder on the hook.
I would have believed you about the dinner bell.
I do a similar thing here with the Butcher Birds.
They would come all day if I let or fed them every time.
But I make a loud whistle a bit like a Cooee.
And they come and get one piece of meat each.
It is only meant to be a snack not a meal.
Makes for some easy Photography for me.
I don't have to chase them around.
Have you ever seen this Bull Statue ?
I thought it was a really Fantastic Street Sculpture.
The Children were climbing all over it.
That to me makes it a Good Work of Art.
The Bull Statue looks familiar - I've seen other pictures, I think. Did you climb on it?
Can you guess what this is?
It looks Spanish to me.
The mosaic tile work looks great.
The Spaniards are Xspurts at that style of thing.
My guess is it's a front Entrance type Fence.
You got the country right! It's rooftop decoration on a house in the city of Barcelona, in the Catalonia region of Spain. Casa Batllo (2nd from right in pic) was designed and built by Antoni Gaudi, in collaboration with Josep Maria Jujois, around 1904. The theme of the house is St. George & the Dragon, and the roof is the dragon's back. It is the most beautiful and strange house I have ever visited - the stairs, walls, and windows look like frozen waves or organic growths - and the tile and mosaic work is incredible.
Thanks June for sharing that picture.
I have only been to Barcelona and Toledo.
The Sword Souvenirs we bought in 1974 have all rusted out beyond repair.
They are all land fill now.
Did you know that Barcelona used to have a bat in the city's Coat of Arms? Can you see the bat in this pic?
That looks like a very fancy Street Light.
And yes I see the Bat being the highest point of this light pole.
What year were those pictures taken ?
Just wondering if any one else in Canada have seen this under Bridge Sculpture ?
Oh, now that is creepy! Where is he? He reminds me of this little guy.
I visited Barcelona in 2010, ginger.
The Scuplture is in Seattle.
We did a Bus side trip from Banff.
This is The Space Needle in Seattle.
Perhaps it resembles a flying saucer impaled on a spike, but I think "Space Needle" is a bit of an overstatement - unless you need a space suit to go up to the observation deck! Is that its official name, or a nickname? Did you go up it?
The Space Needle is the official name.
It was built for the 1962 World's Fair.
We have a similar thing here in Sydney.
It's all held up by rope.
What is the one in Sydney called? And how is it held up by rope?
The Sydney Tower Eye.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Tower
You can see the major support ropes that hold it up in this pictures.
Very impressive, ginger! However, my favorite tower is still the Eiffel.
Did you know that the Eiffel Tower was meant to be a temporary exhibit for the 1889 World Fair? She's lasted pretty well! Thanks to Paris's building laws, the views are still great, too.
Yes I concur.
We went up there in 1974 and loved it.
We also took Pictures from the top of The Leaning Tower.
Ah yes, they were the good old days.
We had a bottle of Coke with us and it nearly rolled off the edge.
Can't imagine that sort of thing happening today.
I guess we have all done this kind of silly stuff.
The trouble was in those days it took 2 months to get your Pictures developed.
By then you were in another Country and unable to go back and do it again.
Thank God for the Digital SLR Camera.
By the way check out the bell bottom jeans. ^_^^_^
Classic Pisa picture! And the jeans are back in fashion.
I don't think they let anyone climb the Leaning Tower any more. I don't remember the year I was there (maybe early 1980's?) and at that time they were only letting people go half way up. Oh well, there are still plenty of other towers to climb, and I'll keep going up them - as long as they have elevators in them (my knees don't work properly any more).
The Christopher Columbus monument in Barcelona was interesting. It had the tiniest elevator I have ever seen, and an observation platform only just wide enough for two people to squeeze past each other, as long as one of them was skinny. So you got a view and claustrophobia at the same time.
Hey June I missed The Christopher Columbus monument.
But this was us on top of the Leaning Tower of Pizza.
All my kids have been back there in the last 10 years.
And there is NO access at all. (pity really)
Another angle of The Leaning Tower.
We got some Fabulous Glass ware from Pizza.
Paid for it in Cash on the spot and waited 6 months before it arrived at Home.
And yes, it was all in one piece.
Can't do that today I am told.
I believe that it is still possible to get souvenirs shipped from Italy, but I've never been brave enough to try sending anything home that way. I know someone who had an inlaid-wood table shipped from Naples to the U.S.. Glassware, though - wow, you were brave!
Why is it that some humans are impelled to build towers and tall buildings, and others are impelled to climb them? I like rooftops as well as tower-tops. Do you know where this fine collection of stone spires is located?
Know it well June.
Milan Cathedral, in the Region of Lombardy, Italy.
Did you drive over the 'Furka Pass' into Switzerland from there ?
We came from Switzerland to Milan via the Furka Pass.
Well spotted, ginger, it is indeed the Duomo in the center of Milan. I have not traversed any of the Alpine passes. I always arrive in Milan by air. There's a frequent bus between Malpensa airport and Milan's Central Station, and I like to stay near the station at Hotel Auriga, which is just across the street from the Pirelli Building. From Milan's Central Station, trains go to a number of interesting places.
Did you get to clamper all over the roof ?
Or did you stay to the fenced off decks ?
I did walk around. I was surprised to find so many people on the roof, though. In places, it was hard to move, with tour groups blocking the walkway while they listened to their guides.
Do you know this Tower?
At first glance I thought it was 'Piazza Della Signoria'. (Florence)
But going through our Pictures from 1974 I see the Turret is different.
I give up. But it has to be north Italy ?
These Pictures were taken in the Piazza Della Signoria. (1974)
It is in Cremona (about a 1-hour train ride from Milan) and is 370 ft high. It is believed to be the tallest medieval bell tower in Italy. I did not walk up it! Cremona is a lovely little city, full of people riding bicycles, and on Saturdays the entire historic center turns into an open-air market.
Did you spend your entire visit to Florence looking at artworks? I think everyone does! I hope you were there at a quiet time of year. My first visit to Florence (1988?) was a disaster. It was in August, when the weather was unbearably hot, the city streets were full of vehicle fumes, everywhere was crowded, and the mosquitos were biting. After about 10 years, I went back for a second look, this time in a cooler, less crowded time of year. The mosquitoes were still active, but I enjoyed strolling around. I crossed the River Arno and climbed a hill on the far side to see the panorama of Florence.
