New month, new thread. Keep them coming, all! The pictures just get better and better.

I put a similar one in the October thread but I thought the weaverbird posed better for this one

I see someone's managed to use what I've emptied from my shredder, that's what I call recycling!

This is the part of Richmond Park I only discovered last week as it's through a little gate you don't tend to notice.

SOTHC - Great pictures of the Weaverbird, you've captured him brilliantly.




In honour of Satguru achieving the near impossible feat today of 100 Crystal Ball victories I thought a Red Arrows fly past was in order. Well Played Satguru :-)

Viewed through a eucalyptus haze from Boroka Lookout, Grampians National Park.
This is the Fyans Creek Valley. The creek has been dammed to form Lake Bellfield, important for irrigation in the region.
Halls Gap nestles down in the valley.

My wife didn't fancy the rest of her toasted scrambled egg sandwich but the mongoose did

Great photos folks. Autumn/Fall is just stunning. The colours around me are simply amazing! I took lots yesterday. Here's one.

I like these roads where you can see all the way down them. This is in Sudbury in case anyone else actually knows where that is.

I hope you are putting one of your shots in the 'Autumn' thread Strum!
Dave who on earth would not know where Sudbury is?

The loss of an hour in the evenings has left me taking photos in the dark.

Great photos everyone.

You are laid up for a while unable to do any gardening and the weeds take over. I thought triffids were fictitious.

Och Trev that is GORGEOUS!

Thanks Ren :-)

Great photos everyone, I always look forward to seeing what's coming next.



Autumn trees and leaves.

Australian wildflower, Calectasia (Blue Tinsel Lily).
The petals have a metallic sheen.

Quite right Ren, besides not being the one in Canada which the internet tends to mix it up with it has four stations so must be pretty important for that. Here is the John Lyon roundabout the road leads to. Just a typical view of what is still considered as Middlesex, between Wembley and Harrow, which grew up in the 30s as industry began to spring up to the west of London.

wow - stunning photos, everyone!!

Here's some spoonbills that have moved in to a swamp near my house.

More autumn colour in the woods.

And from me, in Golders Green.

Beautiful photos, everyone!

Precious has been missing going walkies whilst I've been laid up. This is from a few weeks ago, but I'm almost better so she'll soon get her harness on again and drag me out in the rain!

A Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo grazing by a creek. These birds tear up small plants by the roots, so are an unwelcome sight in large flocks on cropland.

we don't have cropland so they aren't a worry that way but my god they are noisy in large flocks. At a certain tie of year they congrgate in the swamp next to my house and swquark and swquark at dawn and dusk.

more rain from last weekend

Wonderful photos everyone, Liz I love that shot of your cat :-)



Well I could explain why I spent an hour this evening taking photos of bears, but some things are just best left to the imagination.

Thanks trev! I love your teddies, and fully understand your photo session

I have just learnt our red leaves are due to a warm autumn. And it continues!

Brilliant. An idea for the next fortnight's theme. "Teddies"

Good idea as I have always liked that item of ladies clothing

Brilliant. An idea for the next fortnight's theme. "Teddies2"

This is a feral camel in the Northern Territory (picture snapped out of the window of a moving bus hence the poor quality). Feral camels are generally considered as a "minor" agricultural pest, compared to other feral species. They have a significant negative impact on the native flora. The camels were originally imported into Australia in the 1800's for use in the desert areas like central Australia, particularly in connection with the construction of rail and telegraph lines and remote townships.

Not that you can tell but this is a real life Trafalgar Square pigeon.

Lovely photos from all, especially the autumn foliage. That's something we don't see much of in my part of the world.
Meanwhile, I'll continue with my Australian wildflower pictures. I hope you're not getting tired of them; I don't have much else to offer at the moment.



Xanthorrhoea (grass tree) with a flower spike. Fire is required to stimulate flowering.

http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad254/ozedawn/Fun%20Trivia%203/awaitsorting180.jpg

A close-up of the flower spike, a rich source of food for birds, insects and small mammals.

We've had several nights of fireworks in the UK to mark Guy Fawkes night. I always
try to take some photos of rockets going up if I can but it isn't easy to capture
them. This is the best I could manage this year.

This photo was the result of me sneezing at the exact moment I pressed the button to take a picture of some colourful leaves on a tree today.
I had to darken the photo and increase the satuation in photobucket, but the result sort of reminds me of a firework display.

I was going to say that it's an effect that's not to be sneezed at but stopped myself just in time. It looks brilliant, a case of fortunate timing.

LOL and thanks Martin - I suppose you never nose how photos are going to turn out :-)

The back of Pembroke Lodge, the tea and function rooms in Richmond Park.

Light coming thru the doors at the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca

The pigeon is fabulous!

Wow bhs, that's an incredible photograph.



Today on the table, a robin.

all the photos are spectacular!

Here is a sand goanna that lives in the yard. He's got a kink in his tail so we know he's the same one for the last couple years. I've never touched him with my hands but have stroked him with things like grass or leaves.

Copago, I had blue-tongue lizards in my yard. Two different species, judging from their eye markings. Maybe they sought refuge from surrounding properties being "developed". Mine is one of the diminishing number of houses still with trees, grass and leaf litter. I haven't seen them lately - maybe the chooks have driven them away.



We spotted this little feller basking in the sun as we walked in The Grampians.
Could be a skink, but I'm not really sure.

Woodstork and nest, Morocco

auntie - Where we come from in NSW - that would be a skink. I have one who visits regularly called George. They are fairly tame and rather fearless too if they are in safe surroundings.

A typical English village green in Worplesdon, Surrey

Great photos everybody :-)

Yes we have skinks here too and some are poisonous, so not touching him would be a favourite with me too.

The cathedral at Havana that held Christopher Columbus' remains till 1898.

I couldn't resist buying this in the supermarket this morning. It is boxed just one might with a special bottle of brandy or similar, posh black with gold trim.

Now you've got a dilemma Sue do you keep it or eat it :-)




Today on the table, the doves.

Mosaic floor in Fez

Still in The Grampians, at Sundial Turntable.
You can see the scars of the severe wildfires of 2006, and the degree of regeneration.
Much of Australia's flora is dependent on fire, smoke and ash for seeds to germinate.

Very wet and windy this morning but some late afternoon sunshine let me get a photo of the river Wey near Godalming.

Fabric, fabric, and more fabric
In the medina at Fez

Bhs, for a minute I thought that photo was taken in India before I read your description.

Capitol Building, Havana

Game of pool anyone?

another view of the goanna

Lots of rain today.

The streets in the medina at Fez are so narrow that donkeys are loaded down to make deliveries.

This one is blindfolded so as not to notice all the activity going on around him.

It's raining here too!
There's a drop of green colouring in my rain gauge so I can glimpse the level from inside the house. I'm afraid I'm becoming a female version of Eric Olthwaite......

This could actually pass off for Horniman Circle or Churchgate in South Bombay back when second hand book sellers were allowed to set up shop there.


Havana, Cuba

A view across Bristol from Cabot Tower. The tower was built in memory of John
Cabot who sailed from Bristol in the 1400s in the Matthew and 'discovered' Canada.
The tower is currently closed for renovation. I took this (& a few others) some
time ago. I've only recently found the photos & scanned them. Came out quite well.

We have a niger seed feeder just outside our kitchen window. We have counted up to 18 on it at the same time. I must remember to keep my camera handy the next time that happens.
These two looked a bit bedraggled as it had been raining.

I'm really enjoying the wonderful mix of photos from everyone, you never know what's going to come next.



More ducks from me.

Nice ducks Pete. I notice your comment "Tomorrow will be my Lucky Duck day!" on your FT profile so here is an Indian Runner Duck we saw in Dorking during an enjoyable Murder Weekend.

The Telopea (Waratah) is the floral emblem of New South Wales. They are now grown commercially for the cut flower trade.

Thanks for the duck photo SOTHC, I'm not sure if posting duck pictures helps with the Lucky Duck badge but it doesn't hurt to try :-)
We went to a Murder Evening in Haslemere last year and had a great time, never tried a Weekend one but have heard they are run every well, something to put on the list for next year.

Beautiful flowers Auntie :-)



I haven't posted a Heron photo for a while, this was taken about a week ago just before the rainy days started.

The rain finally stopped- it kept me indoors all week so nothing new till the sun came out today. This is the centre of Hersham village.

I agree with Satguru it was good to see the sun again today, but that wintery coldness is starting to be felt in the air.



With the temperature dropping, sitting on the bench for too long isn't much fun, so might as well take a photo of it instead.

Brass Doors and mosaic walls -- Fez

This was a wildflower I had never seen before (and I've seen a few in my time).
My daughter recognised it as Glischrocaryon behrii (Golden Pennants) but was surprised to find it in The Grampians. It seemed to be confined to one small area.

Alexandra Palace, the original home of British TV

I spent a little too long this evening trying to photograph the heron and nearly got caught out by the light. Not so happy with the heron picture I eventually managed, still trying to work out how to take photos in low light, so will post this shot taken while I was waiting for the heron to appear.

Trev, such an ethereal photograph, I can almost see a graceful arm holding Excalibur aloft!

The woody stem of my 6 foot tall Monstous variety of giant cutleaf Philodendron. The eyeball image of the leaf scars mesmerizes me, but then so does any moving shadow. You can see a few of the aerial roots growing from the left (shaded) side.

Photos are wonderful (as usual) . David it was great to see dear old Ally Pally. My dad worked there in early television. Thanks everyone.

WOWzah, all the photos have been great. I would post about EVERY one of them, but the message would be too long lol.
But Trev, your "waiting for the heron" pic inspires me to do a watercolour painting.
And BHS, you have no idea how the members of my calligraphy guild would go ga-ga over that door in Fez.
SOTHC, your goldfinches are SOoooooooooo different from ours!
Cool goanna pix too Copago!
I'm out of "town" until after the 20th, hopefully I can take something of interest between now and then.

Psst to the moderators: could we "unpin/unsticky" the September/October photos and "my favourite town"?

Ooops yes, Thanks Jakeroo. Consider it done.

This can only appeal to someone who passes this spot regularly, a little slice of my world I've passed all my life. The Brent Bridge junction on the North Circular in Golders Green. The new 600 series of buses are the normal buses with a 6 instead at the beginning to be added for school journeys.

Thanks Auntie, a sword rising out of the lake would have been perfect but it may have left me slightly spooked, or served me right for wandering around a wood at dusk :-)

Good luck with the painting Jakeroo, I'd love to see a photo, when you're finished, in a future thread :-



I mentioned in last months thread a competition in The Times to photograph a great British building. This was the photo I entered, the Palace of Westminster clock tower or Big Ben as most people seem to now call it.
The winning photographs are published in the paper tomorrow and I'm interested to see the photos that won so I can gain some inspiration of how to take pictures of landmarks and buildings, which I struggled with when I tried to take a photo for this competition.

I love the way you took that photo of the clock!

Grilled window - Fez

It is amazing what you can find on a menu in a Morroccan Restaurant bhs63

Hendon Way Cricklewood, you wouldn't believe it was only 3.30pm when it was taken.

Great pictures, everyone!

Sat, that picture was taken at only 3:30? And I complain that in winter over here it's already dark at 5:30 pm...

Wow...that's 3:30pm? It is 6pm here and dark already.



The roadway just past the church that is on this road is closed for construction (you can tell by the sign behind it), and unless you are going to that church, you are not supposed to cross.

Nothing new for today, but this is the Heron picture from a couple of days ago.

Another rotated view of the lake.

Berni, to be fair I took one a minute earlier and it wasn't half as bad. My camera cuts out in low light but as the effect was good decided to keep it as it was. It was like that by 4pm though, as they put the clocks back or it would be 5 like you.

A typical local scene in Kingsbury

This pigeon spent about five minutes trying to work out how to get onto the bird table, he made it in the end.

Continuing on The Grampians Wildflower walk.....
Pultenea, one of the many native plants which bears a pea-shaped flower.
The dispay was excellent this year, the hillsides were awash with colour.

Wood carving -- Marrakesh

I checked out the city's annual Festival of the Trees this afternoon. This year it's in a large tent set up in the Market Square. (Sorry it's a bit fuzzy...)

Shopping most of today, but did sneak a quick photo of The Lightbox gallery and museum in Woking.

Sorry Bijou, it's not THAT kind of mouse.

As far as I know this is the only car designed around the 21st century outside Japan to have a classic grille. It's a Lancia Lybra and probably one of less than ten registered in Britain. I would have thought if they are managing to sell them it wouldn't hurt a few more firms to offer a similar choice of styles as well.

Just a quick photo of some trees today.

I can't show pictures of my 3-year-old grandson's first cooking lesson.
But I'm happy to display the result!

Auntie, that's making me feel hungry. I hope your Grandson enjoyed his lesson :-)




Cold and windy today, but at least the rain held off.

Trev, we both enjoyed it hugely. His little apron has "STIRRER" on it, so he stirred the cold ingredients. The boiling took place when he was out of harm's way.

St Mary's church in Hendon.

A cold but beautiful day.



This was Frensham little pond, late afternoon today.

The other part of the view from yesterday

Nothing of note photowise today, but this was the sky from yesterday just after I took the pond photo.

The final view of the church, it is photogenic and not the sort of scenes you'd expect in London.

This is the the view from my bedroom window (angled to the right) this morning up here in Scotland. The photo almost looks as if it's been taken in black and white, but can assure you is colour. The tree in the centre in a copper beech, with the entrance to our drive just to the left of that.

Wow, I had no idea Scotland would have that much snow already. Gorgeous photo, Mugaboo - would make a great Christmas card.

My cat!

Great pictures as always

Trev, your photos look like paintings, they are sooo beautiful!

Mugaboo, what a lovely picture! Jakeroo is right, it would make a great Christmas card.

Karusa, your cat is a cutie! What is his/her name?

Oh and Sat! Enjoying your pictures of London, as usual!

I'm also enjoying all the photos! Lovely cat, Karusa, welcome to you both!

Shortly after this photo was taken, Precious chased a leaf, shook her paws, hissed at me and headed for the door to be let in. I think she didn't like getting her feet cold and wet. Her tail (unfortunately unseen in the photo) had puffed out to more than twice normal size, too!

Aw, poor Precious, hehe She is so beautiful!

This is Banksia coccinea, which grows in the sandy soil of Australia's south-west. Sadly, there's no chance of it surviving in my garden's heavy clay loam.
It's cultivated for the florist trade, which is how I came to have it.

The flower looks just like a hairbrush to me, Dawn.

The only sort of mice that I prefer! A good friend sent them to me as a early birthday present

I have been doing a bit of family geneology. Discovered that my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather's house still existed. So I went to have a look over a Thanksgiving trip -- it's in Virginia just about 30 miles from Charlottesville where my oldest son lives. When I started this geneology trip I had no idea that some of my ancestors were from Virginia.

This side view shows the original house. When it was built it was a log cabin. Over the years and renovations the logs are covered over. It was built in the early 1700s. It's so cool to have found this tangible piece of family history!

I think my mother was a Virginian until she met my father.

Here is one of our Maine Coons, Fred, doing his impersonation of Bagpuss

Fred is gorgeous, SOTHC.

What is it with cats and their fascination with bags? My kitty also loves doing that.

It's snowing! All day yesterday it rained, and today it turned to the white stuff.

I saw enough last winter that I don't want to see any this winter!

Pssst! It's December already.......

Yes it is Sorry I am onto it
Thread closed Thanks all you wonderful November contributers These threads get better and better...