This
meme was started by Delores a long time ago. Words for Wednesday is now provided by a number of people and has become a
movable feast.
Essentially
the aim is to encourage us to write. Each week we are given a choice
of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image. What we
do with those prompts is up to us: a short story, prose, a song, a
poem, or treating them with ignore... We can use some or all of the
prompts.
Some
of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on
their own blog. I would really like it if as many people as possible
joined into this fun meme, which includes cheering on the other participants. If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
The prompts will be here this month but are provided by Mark Koopmans.
This week's prompts are:
- Annihilate
- Zinfandel
- Lozenge
- Pacemaker
- Spokes
- Invoice
And/or
Business
Panniers
Wooden
Thunderstruck
Podcast
Zesty
Have fun.
Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.
The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life.
Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle.
The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent. Post
some
photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me.
Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.
I usually run with a theme.
It is still hot. It is still dry. Our catastrophic fires continue across far too many states.
The air quality in my city was assessed as being the worst in any capital city in the world for several days. On New Year's Eve and New Years day the rating peaked at 5185. Anything over 200 is considered hazardous.
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Two shots showing the same view. One shortly before sunrise, and the second an hour later.
It is still bad, and definitely in the hazardous zone. We are advised to stay inside when possible (though the smoke gets in). Businesses have closed their doors. The postal service has been suspended. And we are the lucky ones.
The
end of last year and the start of this have been devastating. Lives were
lost (human and otherwise), homes were lost (human and otherwise).
Businesses destroyed. Habitat destroyed.
Early yesterday a figure of 12.35 million acres burnt in the 2019/2020 bush fires was quoted. So far.
My
heart aches. Not least because I fear for the animals which survived
the inferno. Possibly injured, they face a dreadful search for food and
water.
However, in the middle of the disasters and the tragedies there was some positive news.
Close to Mogo, a very small town on the South Coast of New South Wales, there is a zoo. It has recently been taken over and renamed Mogo Nature Park. Among other animals it contains lions, tigers, giraffes and an extensive range of primates. As fire approached the zoo owners/keepers faced a dreadful choice. Evacuation of so many animals is specialised and complex and almost certainly couldn't be arranged in time. Nor could they risk the big cats free ranging. I suspect they were gritting their teeth and facing the ugly fact that killing the animals was a definite option.
However, the staff and the volunteers SAVED THE ZOO. The link takes you to the story. Not a single animal was lost. They are not out of danger yet, but it was a wonderful thing to read. Sadly Mogo itself didn't fare nearly as well.
My Sunday Selections photos this week come from visits we have made to the zoo over the years (these photos are from more than ten years ago). A visit we will repeat when the danger is over and our presence and money can support the community.
I do hope that some of our native wildlife were able to take sanctuary there too. So very much.
We have bushfires each and every summer. This year they have started early and have been (and are) completely horrendous. With no significant rain predicted before February/March at the earlier I fear for the future, and weep at the destruction revealed on a daily basis.
If any of you wish to/have the ability to donate some suggested sites are here.
This
meme was started by Delores a long time ago. Words for Wednesday is now provided by a number of people and has become a
movable feast.
Essentially
the aim is to encourage us to write. Each week we are given a choice
of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image. What we
do with those prompts is up to us: a short story, prose, a song, a
poem, or treating them with ignore... We can use some or all of the
prompts.
Some
of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on
their own blog. I would really like it if as many people as possible
joined into this fun meme, which includes cheering on the other participants. If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
A big thank you to Cindi who provided some different and challenging prompts for us last month.
The prompts will be here this month but are provided by Mark Koopmans.
This week's prompts are:
- Koozie
- Porche
- Dinosaur
- Watergate
- Douglas
- Soften
· And/or
- Castrated
- Chateau
- Lego
- Router
- Suncream
- Freudian
Happy New Year - and have fun with the first of a series of particularly Markesque prompts.
Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.
The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life.
Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle.
The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent. Post
some
photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me.
Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.
I usually run with a theme.
It is still hot. It is still dry. We are still shrouded in smoke, and our air quality is still firmly in the hazardous range.
A lot of the fires (but by no means all) have finally been brought under control. Sadly next week is predicted to be extremely hot and windy so our army of mostly volunteer firefighters cannot stand down for their totally deserved rest.
The New South Wales Emergency Services minister is on holiday in Europe but will receive twice daily briefings, so we are told that is alright. And sadly it probably is, because it isn't as if he contributes anything positive to the fight against the fires.
A lot of the garden is crispified (which if it isn't a word should be) but splashes of colour remain.
And because I am bird obsessed I am showing you the bouquet of (mostly) Sulphur Crested Vandal's crest feathers we have collected over the years.
In this hot, horrid and smoky week you will be unsurprised to learn that we headed down to the lake for a bit of respite.
As well as the welcome kangaroobies we received the much rarer treat of a swan family and their cygnets. Most of these photos were taken by the smaller portion because mine were shockers.
On a hot and particularly smoky day it really was a treat.
Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.
The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life.
Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle.
The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent. Post
some
photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me.
Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.
I usually run with a theme.
The weather here is still obscenely hot and dry. The fires continue. The fires have spread. More states have been added to the long (and growing) list. A pall of smoke hangs over my city and many others. People and animals have lost their lives and their homes. There is no rain in sight.
However I cannot (regretfully) change any of that. Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
In the middle of the tragedies I have found splashes of beauty, colour, of quirky fun and hope - which is where my focus is this week.
Again, this is not (despite its appearance), a photograph of sunset. I took it some three hours before. However, the skies were briefly clearer than they have been and it was beautiful despite the smoke.
The suburb closest to my kangaroo fix has big signs up telling us that 'Yarralumla does Christmas'. It has done so in a simple and charming way by decorating most of the street trees.
When we continued down to the lake, we smiled at the pelicans. It was a stinking hot day and while we saw kangaroos they were relaxing under the trees and we didn't disturb them.
Driving into town I was tickled by this tradie's clever way of stashing his work boots.
A few days later his van was parked at the local shops and (with his permission) I took some more photos.
While we are a largely secular nation, there are Christmas decorations in all the shopping centres.
In this holiday period whatever, where-ever and however you celebrate (or don't) I hope your days and the year(s) to come are filled with love and laughter.
