This is Fort Denison in Sydney Harbour with a ferry passing by. Fort Denison was built to fight off the Russians in case they invaded Oz during the Crimean War.

This fort came up in a quiz on FT the other day. I got it wrong.
I'll know next time. Probably.

Oh, Fort Denison is a Martello Tower... we have quite a few of those, designed originally to keep that fellow Napoleon out - a bit like a British watery equivalent of the Maginot Line, only older.

The Russian were lucky they chose not to invade with that magnificent structure there defending us. Now it's a tourist attraction and party venue with prime seats for the fireworks on New Year's Eve.

The former Grand Hotel Newcastle upon Tyne. The Ground floor are shops and the upper floors Newcastle University use for accomodation for married post-graduate students from abroad

A champagne rose struggles for space with a copper beech and a fuzzy-leafed blandfordia.
The garden's getting a bit overgrown, but I'll admire the mixture of colours and textures before reaching for the secateurs. Such a welcome change from the drought -stricken foliage of the previous decade.

Another view of the harbour. It had to be the calmest I've ever seen the harbour. Barely a ripple on the surface.

The Aga Khan palace in Pune. Mahatma Gandhi, his wife and a few other freedom fighters were imprisoned here for around 2 years after the Quit India movement was launched in 1942. Kasturba, Gandhi's wife and Mahadev Desai, his secretary whom he had also appointed his successor died during the imprisonment.

Detail from "The Response 1914" War Memorial Newcastle upon Tyne

Poppies for 11.11.11

Gees, "The Response 1914" appears to be a beautiful and poignant work, appropriately
followed by Liz's Flanders Poppies.
Lest We Forget.

We recently took a Sunday drive and visited a country market in York. York is Western Australia's oldest inland town and one of my favourite places to visit. This sign was at the entrance to the market.

Absolutely Perfect!

Here's Precious this afternoon, not quite sure what to do about being up a tree. She jumped down moments later (the branch was a low one).

That's a great sign, MG.



Sunrise at Lake Pichola, Udaipur

This is one of the garden plants that I love and hate in equal measure - Euphorbia milii (Crown of Thorns).
Pros; very showy, drought resistant and dissuades neighbourhood cats from hanging out near the fishpond.
Cons; wicked thorns and irritant milky sap.

Ouch! I can see the thorns from here auntie. I hope it doesn't need pruning too often. I'll have blood bank on standby for you. Pretty flowers though

Here's something you might find in the garden. An orb weaver spider of some kind.

Wow, Tizzabelle! I don't like spiders that much but that's an amazing photo!

I haven't posted in a while. Here is a photo I took a few weeks ago at my local cemetery.

Memorial for those from the North-East who were killed in the Burma Campaign

Here's Precious, sitting prettily in her favourite corner outside.

Autumn ploughing

Christinap, was the farmer in the tractor throwing hot chippies out the window to attract the seagulls?

I expect it was ice cream, they like ice cream. You can get seriously whacked by a sea gull that wants an ice cream and they'll steal a cone right out of your hand. I think the ice cream sellers train them up "go steal that rabbit's ice cream so she'll have to buy another one". Not that I'm bitter.