Your knuckle bones look like squashed jelly babies, Jill! I had to look twice before I realised my mistake!

Love-a-duck, gtho4, that's one big bird!

Presumably the duck swam from London as it was on the River Thames not so long ago, they had to raise Tower Bridge to let it go under.

found it,
there are links to pictures of a big yellow duck floating down the River Thames in this thread: Lucky Duck visits London!

It looks like it's the same duck .. probably here for R&R after the long swim, lol

I remember trying it with 'real' knuckles ... too big for my hands!

A blast from the past here. These were replaced with dollar coins in 1984.

Knuckles?! Real knuckles...what the...? I have led a sheltered life, I think, lol!

(But it turns out that it's "Jacks", and I remember that as a fun game. Interesting that it developed all over the globe).

gtho4, I'm glad someone caught a pic of the duck, I was hoping someone would. Great pic, too!

haha yes, jacks. I remember calling them both.
Sheep knuckles were the 'real' ones - I remember my mum saying that they would go to the butchers and ask for some to play with. I grew up in the days of plastic though.

Ah the good old days when you could get your children's toys from the butchers...

(Mind you, I remember the excitement of getting the end of the ticket-roll from the bus conductor so you could play bus when you got home - everyone wanted that!)

Oh Chavs, I was telling my students about that the other day!
My jacks were wooden too, I certainly don't recall real sheep knuckles.You could get metal ones too. I was rather good at it, but mainly I think because I can curve my hand back to more easily catch them.

Still at the Blaenavon Coal Mine in South Wales, the express to Newport did not seem to be going far...

More snow!

I haven't been out to get photos, been too sick to venture out far.

Howie, your summer day photo of the coal mine in Wales is wonderful. It has a very calming effect just looking at it. Love it!

Oooh, cockatiels! I used to have one that I called Bruno. He was such a wonderful friend. He would give me kisses and talk to me all the time. I miss him.

All these snow photos are making me cold. Even though I've been suffering from a cold, we've been working in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. There has been lots of snow and the temperature never reached above 17 degrees F. I'm ready for some warm weather.

I hope to be posting again soon.

Poor you ClaraSue, I hope you feel better soon.

Yes, best wishes for a speedy recovery!


(Dot, lovely composition and contrast!)

It's not only kookaburras that live in old gum trees! Here's a pair of rainbow lorikeets...

Coincidentally, Copago's photo of the Australian $1 note above will be of importance for an upcoming quiz from the 'Australian Players'!

Thanks Chavs.

Those lorikeets are pretty Mike

We've all been laid low with the same throat and chest infection in the family and my friends, but back on the road now. One rule I have for photography is you can't have too many photos of Croydon. Every view is different, although the best are from the flyover where only vehicles are allowed.

This is Nightwish, a Finnish symphonic metal band, in concert at a local nightclub. Coolcat90 and I love them and this is the second time we have seen them in concert locally, although coolcat90 has also seen them overseas as well. Although I wasn't close to the stage, I was really pleased with how good the zoom is on my new camera.

Lovely gig photo! I love that you love Nightwish too

Thanks! Nice to know I am not the only Nightwish fan here at FT.

I've not heard of the group, but that is a great photo.

Just a hop, skip and jump from the Blaenavon Coal Mine is the Gwaith Haearn Blaenafon or for those who are not fluent in Welsh....the Blaenavon Ironworks.

Thanks for the well wishes. I'm back up and now trying to play catch up.

Mike, those lorikeets are beautiful. We have a tourist attraction not far from my home where there are hundreds of lorikeets and you can hand feed them by hand. Dozens of the birds will land on you waiting for their food. The kids loved it!

This is northern Nevada taken through the passenger window last week.

Howie, that reminds me of the opening scenes at the Olympic Games.

Keston just before a hailstorm

That sky looks really angry. I hope you weren't caught out in the hail, satguru!

Here's a typical winter picture. The snow plough obliged nicely by coming by whilst I was outside taking some pics of today's snowfall.

Those snow photos are making me nostalgic for the wonderful 3 years we spent in Canada!

Here's another photo (more in focus this time) of a Rainbow Lorikeet. As ClaraSue has experienced, these birds will eat from your hand. The colours are just so vivid.

Wow Satguru, that looks like some storm about to hit.

Love those Lorikeets Mike, they are really so pretty.

Harris Hawk at a bird of prey centre