1806 Bar

What I saw having a pina colada at the 1806 bar in Melbourne on the weekend.

Hosier Lane Graffiti

This ever-changing open-air art gallery in central Melbourne is always worth a visit.

St Patrick's Cathedral

In Melbourne on the weekend, I headed straight to the nearest place of worship. The orange tint to the windows of St Patrick's cathedral give the inside a warm and welcoming feeling on a bitterly cold winter's day.

Expired Food

After reading about a Chinese food market selling meat 46 years past its sell-by date, I was motivated to check in my pantry for any similar unpleasant surprises. And I did find this pack of peppermunts that should have been eaten by 2004.

Tuna Mistake

It's always to mistake to eat tuna when there are hungry cats nearby. They watch and smell and get closer and closer until a little paw darts out at incredible speed and then retracts with fish attached to his claw.

Clichéd sunbeams

What a cliché. Sunbeams bursting through the clouds. It only lasted for 30 seconds just before sunset yesterday, but it was spectacular.

City Fire

St George's Terrace was blocked last night, as emergency services dealt with a fire in the Westpac building (on the right of the photo). We could see the smoke blackening the inside of the windows, and then firemen were smashing them from the inside, letting the smoke escape.

Bar Lafayette

In Brookfield Place in the Perth CBD, you'll find Bar Lafayette. Their drinks menu is the size of a short novel, so you'll find almost any liqueur or cocktail.

Rainy Campus

Someone burnt toast in our building early this morning, triggering a smoke alarm. So we were evacuated into a heavy downpour. It did give me the chance to snap this. It's always surprising that heavy rain doesn't show up well in photos but believe me, half a second in this weather was enough to drench your clothes to the skin.

Alternative View of the Footy

This time the image was processed in Snapseed. I prefer this one.

1950s Coffee Shop

This little café is in Leederville. It reminds of us an era when colanders were glued to ceilings, apparently.

And they actually they supplied me with a hot chocolate.

Watching a Kick for Goal

Claremont Oval yesterday afternoon.

Andy Warhol in Floreat

Andy Warhol or an acolyte is active at Floreat Forum. I spotted this display of Campbell's tomato soups in Woolies.

Freo Prison

It's so convenient having the prison adjacent to the football oval. Rioters and unruly supporters are rounded up and herded across the road directly into the gaol.

Sunset #82

Interesting colours in the sky over Churchlands last night.

Rusty Leaves

Another from the Swan Valley, the leaves on this grapevine are a beautifully rich red colour.

Ponytail Fern

Certain cats are fond of chewing on the leaves of this fern, so it's safest to suspend it from a hanging basket.

Northbridge Fig Tree

This beautiful specimen is in Russell Square. It is sometimes used as a toilet.

Speckled Klimt

Another piece from the MOMA collection, this Gustav Klimt is beautifully vibrant when viewed up close.

 

From the Museum of Modern Art

Here is one of the highlights from the MOMA collection on display at the Perth Art Gallery at the moment. They allow non-flash photography.

Wet July

No I'm not referring to the weather. Instead I'm announcing a new fundraising campaign in opposition to Dry July. Rather than raising money from pledges to abstain from drinking this month, participants in my programme make commitments to consume a certain amount of alcohol per week. 

This week my target was three glasses of wine, a cider, two glasses of fortified wine and a cocktail, and I'm proud to report that I've achieved this already, courtesy of my day in the Swan Valley.

At this rate, I'll need to start a Dry August.

The River of the Swan

A more professional photographer would rotate the image clockwise by 1 degree to give a horizontal horizon. But today I can't be bothered.

Fancy Pants Artsy Fartsy B&W

Most of my photos look dreary and uninteresting when converted to black and white, but this shot of the Swan River from today looks decent enough, with the texture on the water. However I used Kitcam to straighten the image, and it seems to have distorted the verticals slightly. See the boatshed -  in real life it doesn't tilt backwards dangerously.

Upper Reach

This is the Upper Reach Vineyard. The photo has been processed in Camera+ with the HDR function.

Swan Valley Midwinter

Midday is the least interesting time for most outdoor photos, with the sun high in the sky, the light is harsh and unsubtle, but sometimes you have no choice. I was in the Swan Valley yesterday, amongst the vineyards.