This will hurt me...

The little bloke has nerves of steel, the constitution of an ox and the character of an aged Bactrian camel. Just look at that resolute gaze as the frigid waves crash into him!

All the little flowers. St Johns Park, New Town. April 2011. Just one week in this job left to go. Then I get one week’s break and I get to start a whole new adventure again. Whoopee… Autumn , by T. E. Hulme A touch of cold in the Autumn night— I walked abroad, And saw the ruddy moon lean over a hedge Like a red-faced farmer. I did not stop to speak, but nodded, And round about were the wistful stars With white faces like town children.

Cold? Never!

FISH! The Musical. Melbourne Aquarium. April 2011. A very VERY busy week has seen me across the state and missing all sorts of opportunities (read: lunch breaks) to read. This has seen the measly return of just one completed novel. Thankfully, it was a good one. The Member of the Wedding is another gem from Carson McCullers, author of last week’s review The Ballad of the Sad Café . The tale of twelve-year-old Frankie Addams, who has reached that point of life when one feels disconnected. She has become – in her words – an "unjoined person". Set during the Second World War, Frankie is lost in a world of dreams (all far, far away from the small town in Georgia which she happens to live), she has detached herself from her friends, disconnected from her father (her mother died in at her birth), Frankie’s closest companions are the family's black maid, Berenice Sadie Brown, and her six-year-old cousin, John Henry. It can be tricky territory, the ‘rite of passage’ novel of a

I do believe that Master Ezra is of simian stock. A natural born climber, he’ll endeavour to get to the top of whatever it is you put in front of him. However , his skills seem to stop at the pinnacle part of the ascending stage. For some reason, as good as he is at getting up there , he’s not so great on the descent. Cue father struggling in amongst ropes, tree limbs, small children getting the pocket-sized mountaineer back down…

Donger in the estuary. The view across to Tranmere from Sandy Bay. May 2011. Another big day out of the office today, but I’d really rather been marooned out on this here dingy with a warm coat, a thermos, a good book or two and something tasty to eat. I figure that you’d get a bit of peace and quiet, and while the southerly blusters can get mighty cold, it really is a small price to pay for a bit of space far from the madding crowd… Oh to be marooned on the donger with a good book and a plate of sandwiches. The view across to Tranmere from Sandy Bay. May 2011.

It appears that Henry has eaten all the flesh off of these dinosaurs. This must be some kind of crime…

Flower near the beach. Seven Mile Beach. April 2011. Consider yesterday's mission a success. Next stop, Glenorchy ...

It’s becoming increasing more difficult to photograph Ezra without resorting to higher shutter speeds. This is manageable in the warmer months, but is more problematic in the cooler period of the year when the quality of the light decreases. Here and there the novel technique of moving at a similar pace beside the subject (who I believe is still ensconced in toddlerhood, but could be wrong) works, but without a camera dolly and sufficient track to go along with it; results are variable, at best.

Good luck, seagull. Seven Mile Beach, May 2011. I shall be in Launceston by the time this post goes up, putting the finishing touches on the project that I have been working on for (nearly) the past year. It’s been a bit of a slog, and arrives just at the point when the government realises that there is no more money. Yet these things have a way or sorting themselves out. Then…? Something else. There’s always something else. I just wish that this something else was for a little more money.

I happen to think that there’s a little bit of Vivienne Leigh about Henry in this photograph. Why I declare, he is absolutely, positively swooning here!

Fire [hose]. Stairwell, Curruthers Building, St Johns Park, New Town. May 2011. I am hungry. I am tired. I am busy. I am disappointed. I am over it.

During our seven hour wait at Tullamarine airport last month, Ezra had plenty of opportunities to take photographs of planes...

Fish lips. Melbourne Aquarium, April 2011. How about a top five fish? My Top Five Fish! Click the link to learn your Latin. Carcharodon carcharias Thunnus orientalis Mola mola Paracanthurus hepatus Psychrolutes phrictus Jen's lips. Melbourne Aquarium, April 2011.