Chavs, does look like a baby I agree. Perhaps the parents got fooled by the fairly warm weather we had for the time of year into thinking it was Spring and had a rather foolish early brood.

Ren, that looks like a lovely place. I've never heard of a scrapbooking camp before though.

That's what I was wondering too, Christina. As the fluffy bird has all its colouring, it can't be all that new, and I am now wondering if it's an unusual case of the fledgeling feathers simply not falling out as they should have. Or maybe it's not unusual at all and I am only noticing it for the first time.

Some lovely pictures for January so far. It looks like we are snow bound now so no pictures from me (outside anyway) for a few days I think.

Collared dove in the snow this morning

We have loads of blue and great tits in the garden all the time and I havn't seen any looking like that, so it is something fairly unusual I think

We made it though still had to get back to the car park....lol

It was MG not I who went to the scrapbook camp. I agree it looks lovely there.

Here's an accidental photo that I think turned out quite well... I was in the surf at Cape Conran (eastern Victoria) trying to simultaneously ride waves (boogey board not surf board!) and take photos of my sons doing the same. Very many distorted photos of sand, sky and swirling water but a few turned out. I like the partially obscured view of the beach ahead.



This is to counteract the feeling of cold pervading this thread! By the way I wish we could transfer about 10-15C of heat to the northern hemisphere - I'm sure all would be happy!

Once part of a great railway plan, this tall bridge now carries a line a couple of miles long from Finchley Central to Mill Hill East, originally going to Edgware, but planned to go to Bushey until abandoned due to the war.

So agree MM - it was 46.5 here the other day and 51 in Walgett!

Wonderful photo Mike. Yes, we'll take some of your heat happily, send it on over.

Great pic, MM!

Here's the Atomium, Brussels, which I visited on the one clear and bright day of our mini holiday at the end of December:

There were some really pretty scenes on my walk with Susie this morning

Poor coolcat90's car - she was driving home on New Year's Day and a kangaroo jumped out from behind a tree and landed on her car. Not her fault but cost her $900 excess (I think Americans use the term coinsurance).

Oh Gosh Carole, I hope she was OK? Also the kangaroo. That must have been scary.

It's coming up to that time of year again and one of my students went home to China for the weekend and brought me some oj these. The trad ones, as you know, are paper cuts. These are plastic! Sounds ghastly, but in fact they look quite good on the windows and are unaffected by rain.

I don't think I've added a path recently so here's one in Finchley.

Ren - yes, she and her passenger were both fine - no injuries at all. She promptly phoned us as she wasn't far from home and Maynooth went out to see if the kangaroo needed to be put out of its misery. It did seem injured at first but when Maynooth went to investigate, it charged him, then bounded off into the bush. Maynooth fell over backwards and put his back out. So Maynooth, who wasn't even in the original accident, was the only human casualty. He is currently having physiotherapy for his back every three days.

Great variety of pics on this page! All a joy to see (but sorry about the accident, MotherGoose).

Satguru, I keep meaning to add a couple of photos I've taken of road/path signs because they reminded me of ones you had posted. Maybe tomorrow I will search them out. I have a pedestrian one to walk beside that bike.

For now, because I don't have any snow, some ice from the top of the birdbath this morning:



The ice-crystals growing from the top right are a flat sheet with air bubbles, developing like fir trees at the edge, and from the bottom left the ice has grown as shards, and then met and melded with the fir tree development. I think.

Ren, that's lovely.

Santana, great pic!!

Mike...gosh, that's really unusual - very clever and striking.

Thanks for the info, Christina. That's a christmas-card of a dove pic.

Chavs, that is beautiful! I also love Santana's pic of the Atomium (the sky is gorgeous), Mike's waves, Satguru's paths and byways and all the birds - and Ren's New Year thingumy!

It has been too cold recently to take many pics outdoors, so here are Angus and Hamish, tuning up to be ready for Burns Night later this week.

wow the ice .. wow the sunset .. wow the atonium .. wow all the snow pics.
What a great start to the year.

I wonder if all those that are affected by the snow would like to know that most days have been over 40*C here most of January? Just thought I'd mention it The snow pics make me feel cooler!

Been away for a few days .. will get the camera out again!

A beautiful summer day at the Blaenavon Coal Mine in Wales, just after I earned my keep underground....

Meet Archie (short for Archimedes) and Merlin, my two new weiros or cockatiels, depending upon where you live.

They got their names from one of my favourite children's stories/movies - "The Sword in the Stone" (Disney version). Archimedes was the name of Merlin's owl. It was coolcat90's idea.

So glad to see that Coolcat was okay, MG. Those roos can jump out of nowhere. The insurance excess is a [censored] but at least she had it.

Here is the China corner of our school room. It's what the boy is studying in first term of the year in a couple weeks. The green was his choice .. I really must stop giving him choices in paint colours! There's lots more to add to it over the term but we were just getting a head start on hot holiday afternoons.

Wow! What an excellent start, Jill!(and I LOVE the green). I will send you instructions on Bamboo painting. It is very successful, even with very small children, and will look very good down that wall.

That is amazing Jill, you are really giving him a first class education.

Thanks

Last weekend I had to clear out my Mum's place as it had been sold. There was sad moments but happy ones too ... like when I found my old knuckles set I've been playing onesies and twosies, toad in the hole, under and over the bridge like it was yesterday. And if I do say so myself I still have it. LOL

Oh, that brings back memories. I used to play with a set just like that when I was a child. When I used to stay at my aunt and uncle's farm, Uncle Wal used to give me REAL knuckle bones to play with.






On a recent trip to the city, I parked near a school where I used to teach. I noticed they've added something new to the exterior.

Our boys were in town last week and came home with this picture.
The yellow duck was in Darling Harbour (runs off Sydney Harbour, western side of the Bridge).