Double Rainbow

Over Fremantle Oval last Saturday.

Epic Clouds

At the Claremont Showgrounds 10 days ago.

Stormy Fremantle Oval

It was about 7 degrees on Saturday afternoon. This was in between hail and heavy showers, at quarter time.

Sunrise

.. otherwise known as dawn.

This morning over Lake Monger on my way to work.

Gamifying Work

Do you have an office job? Does it thrill you with excitement and joy every day? If not, then try gamifying it. Follow these steps.

• If you have a team, then regard them as meeples. You can allocate meeples to various tasks or locations, where they can do their thing. 
• If you don't treat your meeples well, their output for the week is reduced. Or they're eaten by a dragon.
• Assign each task Victory Points, awarded on completion. 
• Write up the rules of the game (e.g. you play for just 7 hours a day, Mon to Fri). 
• Decide how to win the game for the week. Perhaps 100 Victory Points will do it. 
• Decide how to lose the game. Perhaps losing all your meeples will do it. Or if you're cursed more than three times in a week. Or if you use up all your resources.

Turn your workplace into a game and you'll be super-keen for the weekends to end, just so you can start a new game on Monday.

Birthday Deception

If you're a fan of birthdays, then I have a sneaky trick you can play. Rather than celebrating once a year, announce to different circles of friends different birthdays. You can't fool your family, so they can celebrate on your actual birthday, but tell your work colleagues another date, your tennis friends another date, and your wine club comrades yet another date. Soon enough, you'll be celebrating your anniversary every month or two. It may go horribly wrong if your circles ever meet and uncover your deception, but it's worth the risk.

Top Ten Films of 2016

We're nearing the middle of the year, and although I've only seen 58 films so far, there have been enough decent ones to merit a top ten list.

10. Steve Jobs - scenes in the life

9. Trumbo - biopic of the blacklisted screenwriter

8. Eye in the Sky - morality play

7. Sisters - Tina Fey and Amy Poehler comedy

6. Spotlight - Boston child abuse investigation

5. Star Wars; The Force Awakens

4. The Witch - 17th century spookiness in New England

3. Carol - 1950s romance

2. The Finest Hours - sea rescue 

1. The Revenant - epic 19th century true story

Lewk's Tip of the Day

Only shave when you're in the shower. Not only does this save water, it's also a handy reminder to clean: you can tell when you last showered by the length of your facial growth. A bushy beard indicates that you've not had a wash for a few months, and it's probably time for another one.

Matilda Mist

On Friday I went past Matilda Bay early, before the sun had burnt away all of the night's mist.

Woodlands Sunset

Last Thursday ended with a splendid sunset. The whole western sky glowed orange for a few moments. I sped to a vantage point and made it to Jackadder Lake just as the colours were fading. But I still captured the last of it.

Setsun

Cruising back to Perth after the game, we followed the setting sun.

And just before the sun disappeared, we made it to Corrigin's dog cemetery.

Claremont vs West Perth

In attending thousands of footie matches, this is the first time I've been able to drive around the oval and park on the boundary. Sadly it's not possible to do so at Subiaco Oval.

Spot the hundreds of galahs taking flight 

Epic Flatness

More from the weekend.

Day Trip to Kulin

The wheatbelt is full off little hills with boulders sitting on top. Here are some near Kulin from last Saturday, although the date is irrelevant, given the scene is probably unchanged from one decade to the next.

Haunted Forest

Closer to Perth after a day in Kulin, I wanted to look at the stars so parked the car beside the woods, and got out. With the car headlights off, the complete darkness enveloped me. The black clouds smothered any light, and with no sources of light from any civilisation, it was eerie being unable to see a thing. The sensory deprivation was so complete that I wandered into the middle of the highway without realising it.

Getting back in the car, I turned the headlights on and this is what I saw in the woods ahead of me.

Nothing weird yet.

Now a bevy of phantoms are shimmering into view:- one floating on the left. and a Brady Bunch of red and blue ones on the right

The floating one is now in the centre, and has elongated, while several of the redshirts dance behind it

Brookton Blaze

Passing through the outskirts of Brookton in the wheatbelt last night, we came across a coven of people, dancing around an enormous bonfire in the woods. They were near a truckstop and had somewhat blatantly ignored the clear signs outlawing fires. But given the bitterly cold conditions (it was 13 degrees that afternoon), it was understandable they needed fire to keep warm and to toast their marshmallows. And of course the Satanic sacrifices were just for fun.

Churchlands from Above

Until I get a drone for aerial photography, I'll make do with Landgate's map viewer.

Here's the suburb of Churchlands as it was in 1953, before the high school was built and when market gardens and pasture still surrounded the wild Herdsman swamp.

Churchlands, 1953

Churchlands, 1981

Churchlands, 2015

 By 2015, the fields and gardens on the right have been replaced by medium density housing, and the ever growing high school is building classrooms over its playing fields.

Seen Everything

Sadly, I've now photographed everything of interest in Perth. My options are now to:

1. photograph uninteresting subjects

2. await Perth's redevelopment.

3. retire from photography

I choose the former option, and will now be visiting random suburbs to capture their essence, their captivating car parks and Italian mansions and paved front yards. In all seriousness, it's a pleasure to have an excuse to travel to a new destination and to have a wander. The near northern suburbs fascinate me more than the new developments on the urban fringes, since they have enough history to allow glimpses into earlier decades. Run-down bowling alleys, cheap cafés, corner delis, independent hardware stores and graffitied walls have so much character compared to cookie cutter shopping centres with the same combination of shops as any other shopping centre. Travelling through Bedford, Inglewood, Tuart Hill, Yokine and Nollamara after peak hour in the evening, when it's getting quiet but still light, it's a perfect time to explore.

Set Sun

Driving down to Freo yesterday evening, there was an ominous sunset over Rottnest. This is from my iPhone.

Lunar Eclipse

Were there not currently clouds obscuring the moon, I'd be outside with a camera and tripod capturing the penumbral lunar eclipse. However it's apparently not a spectacular sight, so it's not a great loss. The moon passes into earth's shadow, but is still illuminated by the sun somewhat. So rather than complete darkness, it merely dims.

Claremont Football Club

A decent start to the season by the Tigers in the first game today, although the percentage is disappointing. With ten minutes to go, it would have been closer to 600%, before East Perth snatched a couple of late ones.

Denmark Birdbath

Please identify these birds, enjoying the local facilities on Mt Shadforth, near Denmark.

Yarloop Fire

Driving down to Denmark a month ago, an enormous plume of smoke was visible for the entire 5 hour journey. It was the devastating fire around Yarloop. This was taken about halfway down.

Christmas Season Nearly Over

After Christmas, I bought up as many supplies of festive fare as I could, before they vanished from the shelves for another year. But now those stocks are dwindling, as I consume the last remnants of last year's seasonal food. Last week, the final Christmas Bombe was eaten, along with the final carton of brandy custard. I've opened my final pack of mince pies, and there are only a couple left. Once they're gone, all that remains are a couple of mini Christmas puddings, the last reminders of my favourite time of the year.

Bedraggled Birdie

Also more Denmark, a honeyeater after a bath.