Lovely pics everyone - had been nice catching up

We've just come back from a mini-school for Conor's school. Because the kids don't see each other often then all get together at a station for three days to do lots of activities that they wouldn't be able to do normally ... a lot of team work kind of things. Everyone camps out in swags or tents and there's activities all day. It's exhausting!

This sign tickled me ... I'm just glad that I wasn't there the year that they had to make the rule. The first morning at about 5:30 kids were up and about all excited. You could hear "What time is it?" "Is it seven yet??" One kid did get one crack in at about 6:30 and about three parents around and about yelled out "IT'S TOO EARLY!!!" Had to laugh. Thank God they were all getting tired by the second morning and slept in a little later.

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What are mooncakes?

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I wouldn't normally post a link, but this one does explain them well.
Mooncakes
Here is a view of the very famous Happy Valley Racecourse which is near to the centre of Hong Kong.
After every meeting (2-3 a week), the grounds team walk in a line stretching across the track and manually sort each lump of turf or hole. It is amazing to watch.As you see the grass is perfect.

Sue, what beautiful photos!

Ren, great shot of Happy Valley.

Today was hot enough to have been an August day rather than late September, but nevertheless, some of the leaves have started to change colour.

All the photos are great, it's so interesting to see what other are seeing, sometimes right out their front door.

Ren, thanks for the mooncake link. They don't sound too delicious, but I did learn something new!

Here's my photo for today. This was in the North Carolina Museum of Natural History in Raleigh. The pteradactyls "flew" around the head of this big guy (maybe a brachiasaurus?).

Flowers that grow in the air.



Link to a larger photo.

Nice shots everyone. Here's another from our trip to Australia.





Downtown Sydney at Dusk. We were on a dinner cruise of the harbour. The large ship on the right is the QEII.

Arrived home yesterday after a week sailing. Good sailing weather for those masochists who enjoy that sort of thing!
Here's an image of my friend John at the helm, look at the horizon to see how much the yacht was heeled - and what he's wearing to realise what the weather was like!

I went out to take photos of some sheep in a field just around the corner which I spotted on my way back from the shops. By the time I walked there with my camera someone must have rung the dinner bell as instead of sitting about looking cute they all eating barring one who was intend on some other activity which involved some sheep running about!

I gave up on the sheep and went to the bay which is just a few minutes from home - again.

I thought I'd covered every road in Hampstead Garden Suburb, then someone from South London found a road in between the others I'd missed, lined with art deco houses. I don't even remember driving down it before although I may have once in the last 40 years. This is another style at the end of the road which even has its own palm tree to add to the Spanish effect.

A beautiful sunset and an attempt to get arty.

I go to this lovely old house about once a month to have lunch out with the elderly inhabitants. I am an outside member, but will ba an inside one, one day.

Copago, I love that! Very nice attempt

This is my mother's knick knack collection. The little stick man in the lower right, holding a raibow overhead, is the Indalo Man, symbol of Mojacar, the town in Spain where I used to live. Mum has several, I notice.

It's a extra sprecial day tomorrow - my twins nieces finally reach 21 years old
Me and Mum always make them a card each, so here are my offerings for this year

Martin, those look like orchids.

Jillian, the arty sunset is gorgeous.

Jane, what lovely cards, I am sure they will be delighted.

I am still loving looking at all the photos, they are so diverse and brilliant.

This is a view of the road where yesterday's house was in Hampstead Garden Suburb.

Very nice photo Copago. This is a shot of the River Avon in Christchurch, NZ.

I love the cards Jane, very artistic, maybe you should turn professional?
As we entered Cherbourg harbour a few days ago, the evening sky was ablaze.
There's a short video of me, here helming the yacht, just an hour or so earlier.

That's beautiful, Aramis! And love the cards Jane

Been meaning to take this photo for a while, months ago Lady1 had a similar shot from her holiday and it struck me how similar it is. I can't find it now but perhaps Lady will see the similarity

MORE great photos! Jane, your cards are so cute. Picqero, loved the sunset and yachting video. Copago, I must say that photo looks an awful lot like the Mojave Desert!

While taking a rest on a park bench in Hawaii this past July, a man gave my daughter this rose that he created out of a palm frond. He made a grasshopper for my step-son, too, which I will show soon. I thought they were so exquisite!

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He made a grasshopper for my step-son, too

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He must have come from here, or South China. The mainlanders here can be seen making all sorts from palm, especially the grasshoppers. So clever.

All the pictures are really good. I'm enjoying everyone's efforts very much.

Here are some scarlet ibis.



Larger
Standing in orange water -- think that is where they get their color? Or does the water get the color from them?

Yummy! Dinner!

Lovely sunset, picqero, and you look so businesslike at the helm!

Beautiful birds, Jar.

I've been playing with the macro setting again. This is a pile of tiger lily stalks that I cleared out of my front garden yesterday.

My last image of last week's sailing trip. I reckon the most iconic sight in Cherbourg is the statue of Napoleon Bonaparte with his right arm raised towards England!