MyPhotoBlog

If you love these photos...

2010-03-26T15:39:00.002+11:00

Then you'll love the ones at my current photoblog.... http://www.kathiesphotos.com.

Are you linked to this blog?

2009-03-29T16:34:00.000+11:00

I encourage you to update your links to the new address of http://kathiesphotos.com please.

New look blog

2009-03-15T15:51:00.003+11:00

I've shifted this blog to a new home and continued it there. The posts here will remain but for new posts please come visit me at my new home and new look blog and let me know what you think of it!

Canberra Botanical Gardens

2009-03-13T08:59:00.001+11:00

On Saturday 7th March we visited the Botanical Gardens and had lunch there. It was a really beautiful day, quite perfect in fact, and Graham and Meredith wandered off into the distance catching up while I dawdled behind snapping to my heart's delight. Hope you like this selection!

The Sturt Pea (above) is the floral emblem for South Australia and it was nice to see it at the Canberra gardens.

A banksia flower (above)

Eastern Rosella

This lizard moved to hide in the shade but not before I managed to get a few shots.

Hot Air Balloon Festival in Canberra

2009-03-11T17:36:00.001+11:00

Below are just a small number of the photos I took last Sunday at the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Canberra. Had to talk Graham into getting up early so we could get there - it was kicking off around 6.30am and we arrived 6.45 so that wasn't too bad. Heaps of balloons, lots of people, a band playing, food and drink available, dogs on leashes, kids running around. Fun morning.

P.S. Welcome to all my visitors from http://www.bbac.org/ - I saw the visits in my stats and encourage you to leave comment and let me know how you discovered this site?

Braeside Park, Victoria

2009-03-06T17:07:00.003+11:00

I went to Braeside Park which is about 10 mins drive from my home this afternoon and wandered around. It's been years since I visited this park and I had hoped there would be birdlife in the wetlands area but much of it has dried up and I saw very little near the water area. But I did see birds around the picnic grounds and just enjoyed the peace and quiet there. On the weekends it is usually filled with people picknicking and having barbeques.

Noisy Minor

This gum tree is shedding its bark.

A crested pigeon in a tree - I couldn't see the beautiful colours until
I viewed this close up on my computer.

Rainbow Lorikeet enjoying the flowering gum tree

The clouds looked spectacular and I love that I now have a decent camera to appreciate their images.

Horse Sales

2009-02-27T22:44:00.003+11:00

I went down to Oaklands Junction today to watch the horses being paraded in front of potential buyers before the Premier Yearling sales open Sunday 1st March.

My daughter Christine invited me as she knows how much her mum loves using her camera! So I thought I'd share some of the photos here with you. Only some because I took well over 200 and I don't want to bore you with them all, so this is just a sampling. Obviously the horse weren't all that thrilled about the day - some seemed to take exception!

Scotch Thistle Edited

2009-02-26T22:34:00.004+11:00

I've been experimenting with new software, PS Elements 7. I'm told at the photography forum that many photographers use it. Never having used software like this before (I've never done a graphics course) it's a totally new ball game to me but I hope you agree that I am making some progress in my learning. See the original shot and then the edited one and let me know what you think!

More from Lysterfield

2009-02-23T07:47:00.004+11:00

I did get back to Lysterfield on Sunday - feeling much better and got some more great pics. Had one of my daughters with me who had never been there before so it was great showing her around - and having her eyes seeing things I didn't!

By the way - do you like the new look of my blog? Playing with themes at the moment.

Don't know what this crested bird is but Christine noticed it in the brush and I managed to zoom in for a closer look.

This blue wren and its mate were fluttering from branch to branch. The female is the brown one.

A blue dragonfly on a piece of wood in the lake - they are pretty and fragile looking creatures.

Don't know what was going on but just as we were on the last path back to the kiosk a police helicopter flew overhead and not long after the park was swarming with police cars driving up and down the roads and checking out the carparks. We thought at first it was a fire and was wondering when they were going to announce it to everyone at the park but no warning was forthcoming. We eventually came to the decision they were hunting for something or someone and we decided it was time to go home, with the car doors locked so we didn't get any unwelcome visitors trying to get into the car as we left the park. A bit unnerving.

In my own backyard

2009-02-21T18:54:00.004+11:00

Well, front yard as well. I wasn't well this morning so couldn't go out with hubby up to the country so spent time practicing manual focus on closeups with my zoom. These are just some of the shots.

The two images above are the same moth from different angles and on different leaves. It was extremely small and I was excited I could see it clearly through my zoom lense.

Daisy in the front garden

This is a Bougainvillea which doesn't actually have a flower but it's more like coloured leaves. It is a creeper and is on our side fence in brilliant bloom at the moment. This link will give you an idea of what a whole bush can look like in full bloom.

Toki, enjoying the beautiful day - perfect it was actually, a shame I wasn't well enough to go out. Oh well, I enjoyed a relaxing day at home playing with my camera and computer.

Birdsland Reserve Belgrave & Lysterfield Lake Park

2009-02-14T16:47:00.008+11:00

Today my husband and I went for a trip to Birdsland Reserve in Belgrave, Victoria. He's having a rest day because he has a 6 hour mountain bike race tomorrow and as it's Valentine's Day we thought we'd spend it together. He was happy following me around while I took lots of pics then we went to Trailmix at Lysterfield and had lunch. Some of his riding mates were there so I left him with them to catch up and I took more pics. This is just a small selection from the best of!

Kookaburra in a tree - love my zoom lense!

I thought at first I could see a lizard looking at me in a tree but closer inspection proved it was a fish. I wonder how it got there - near the lake in Birdsland Reserve, Belgrave

This Malamute did as its master told it - sit, pose and smile!

Catamarans and small yachts on the lake at Lysterfield.

Small bird near the birdhide in Lysterfield Park

Dawn photoshoot at Lysterfield Lake Park

2009-02-01T12:04:00.003+11:00

I went for a dawn photoshoot this morning. Graham and I were out of the house by around 6am and at Lysterfield Lake Park just before 6.30am. There we met up with Dave and the two guys went off for an MTB ride whilst I walked the paths and took photos.

It was a bit eery at first - no-one else around and I felt totally alone but after about 20 mins I saw a guy walking and eventually saw other riders and walkers.

Below are some of the 100+ photos I took this morning.

The first shows the dawn just breaking.

The guys getting their gear on, ready to go riding.

I was only just out of the carpark when I saw my first kangaroo. The guys had told me they are easily found at dawn.

The sun is coming up over the hills now and starting to peak through the trees.

This kangaroo didn't seem shy at all and was quite happy to pose for me.

If you'd like to see more shots I have another 40 at my Facebook site. Click here to see them. If you live outside of Australia I'm sure you will really enjoy them.

If you choose to use any of my photos please do me the courtesy of crediting me as the photographer and you may link back to my site. My name is Kathie M. Thomas and I live in Melbourne, Australia.

A guest at dinner time

2009-01-30T20:55:00.003+11:00

We decided to have dinner on the back verandah tonight. The first time in a long time. It's been so hot for days and the evening air was starting to cool - more pleasant outside than in.

A couple of our cats came out to join us and immediately their attention was drawn to the bottom of a tree by the side. I looked but only could see a large rock and bushes so went back to my dinner. That is, until Graham noticed a possum scurrying up the tree. I quickly grabbed the cats and put them inside again and then grabbed my camera to get a shot.

This is a ringtailed possum who look scared. He probably came for a drink of water out of the bowl I keep filled up for him - the weather has been scorching and he probably couldn't wait till dark.

Does this qualify for failblog?

2009-01-28T20:41:00.000+11:00

If you're familiar with failblog you'll know there are photos posted there that don't quite have something right in the picture.

Well, I think this photo qualifies too - although I had to put a circle around the bit that tells you why.

What bit didn't they understand? Or don't they read pictures?

Echidna in Lysterfield Park

2009-01-26T09:34:00.000+11:00

I was nearly ready to give up my walk after having trodden a path and back again and not seen anything that grabbed my interest... until I saw something waddling up ahead. I moved quickly to get closer and look what I found!

I had to stand still for awhile so he would not hide from me but continue about his business.

I thought he was running away from me but no.....

He was just going for dinner. Yum, yum, lots of ants!

Now he's had his fill there he's off to look around elsewhere. He hid from me not long after that.

Recover lost photos from a memory card

2009-01-25T08:37:00.005+11:00

I thought I'd share a recent event in my family that may assist others.

Recently one of our daughters went overseas and she bought a new memory card for her camera during that time. We got an anxious phone call from her one night, in tears, because her camera couldn't read the card and she was worried she'd lost her photos - over 200 of them. Her father suggested she put it away safely and we'll look at it on her return. Later we discussed this event and thought perhaps the extreme change in temperatures (she'd gone from Egypt to Amsterdam over the Christmas/New Year period) may have affected the card but we weren't sure.

Anyway, putting the card into my computer confirmed our fears - the card was corrupted and unreadable. What should we do?

Well, we elected to go to a camera shop to see if they could help and the very helpful guy there told us they could send the card away and it would cost $59.95 but perhaps we should Google 'data recovery' and see what we come up with first. Which is what I did - lots of programs, which one should I choose and is it safe to download? And then I got the idea to search on the card brand name, along with 'data recovery' and then I found a program that the manufacturers recommend for data recovery of corrupted cards or deleted photos. Great!

I was still a bit dubious but did what I needed to, to download the program, install it and then start the process. I made sure I read every single word on each window presented to me as I didn't want to make a mistake. I had to enter in the brand of camera (Pentax) to ensure it selected the correct file types to look for.

I watched it count the number of image files it was finding and held my breath. Success! Out of 226 photos, 206 were recovered. The others were partly visible in Microsoft Photo Editor and not visible in another program. I viewed them on my computer and then burnt them to CD for her.

We are now able to see our daughter perched on the back of a camel, the pyramids she and her friend saw in Egypt, the work they were doing in Kenya and other photos they took.

I thought sharing our story here might help others who fear they have lost photos because a memory card has become corrupted. There is hope!

Lysterfield Lake Park, Victoria - beautiful!

2009-01-24T18:34:00.001+11:00

I love the Australian countryside and the gum trees have such character. Here's a small selection from this weekend's visit to Lysterfield Park.

Birdsland Reserve Belgrave

2009-01-23T08:26:00.001+11:00

Some of the beautiful scenery around the birdsland reserve in Belgrave.

Tawny Frog Mouth - lovely bird

2009-01-21T09:13:00.002+11:00

I spent the day driving around the Belgrave (Victoria, Australia) area on Saturday. I have a real yearning to move back to the country and having my new camera would mean taking lots and lots of photos. I went to the birdsland sanctuary with my daughter and spent some time there and when I took her back to her home she showed me 3 Tawny Frogmouths that had set up residence in a tree in her driveway. Aren't they gorgeous?

Addendum to this post. It's now November 2009 and my husband and I shifted to a neighbouring town to Belgrave almost 3 weeks ago. We're loving it.

Using two different lenses

2009-01-19T09:29:00.001+11:00

I have my 'regular' lens which does 18-55mm and the zoom one that does 55-200mm. Thought I'd share with you what that means when taking a photo.

Below is a picture of a lily in flower in our pond. The first one was zoomed as far in as I could with the smaller lens and then the other from the same spot with the larger lens. Cool, hey?

A place of solitude

2009-01-17T12:59:00.000+11:00

At our recent visit to Timandra Garden in South Australia we found several places where you could just sit and enjoy the garden. It was beautifully done - over 2 acres of garden. We just enjoyed walking around and drinking in the sights, the sounds (birds, the wind in the trees) and the colours. Really lovely.

Timandra Gardens

2009-01-15T09:38:00.000+11:00

We visited the Timandra Gardens in Mintaro, South Australia and I had fun taking lots of snaps of the garden beauties.

Galahs in the evening

2009-01-12T11:32:00.001+11:00

This was taken in the evening as it was getting close to sunset. I zoomed in on some galahs settling for the evening. As it got later and I took photos my flash would go and unsettle the galahs. But in these you can see them on their perches.

Kangaroos watching

2009-01-11T09:28:00.000+11:00

These kangaroos were in another yard at the back of my sister-in-laws and they were watching us warily. This was as far as I could zoom in but at least you can see them.

Galah in flight

2009-01-10T23:26:00.001+11:00

Galah in flight - now I can zoom in and take birds in the air without too much blurring.

Zooming In

2009-01-10T11:17:00.002+11:00

With the zoom lense I can stand a distance away and zoom in close to items. And it has the ability to detect vibration and erase that - which is good! I get excited sometimes and press the button and accidentally move the camera at the same time. This vibration exclusion will save me lots of blurred pics. I do have a tripod as well but didn't take it with me on this trip.

Photos in quick succession

2009-01-09T10:52:00.003+11:00

One of the things I love is that I can take photos in quick succession - up to 100 will buffer to the memory card. When I go out with my husband to his mountain bike races I get frustrated that I can't get my other camera ready in time for continued action shots so this one will certainly fulfil that need! I took these shots on our drive over to South Australia during our holiday break.

I haven't included all the shots in this series below but it will give you an idea of what can be done. I find this exciting!

Black & White and Sepia Images

2009-01-07T10:39:00.001+11:00

One of the things I love about my new camera is that I can change them to B&W images or sepia as you'll see below. The first one is of my lovely husband, relaxing with a glass of wine and the other one is of our nephew's wife also relaxing.

We had a lovely time staying in the Clare district in South Australia - peaceful countryside and peace and quiet. Just the birds to wake up to. Kangaroos in the yard down the back and fresh clean air. Can you tell I miss living in the country? :-)

Shutterbug!

2009-01-05T22:37:00.004+11:00

I got a new Nikon digital SLR for Christmas, compliments of my husband, so you can expect to see more photos here for a while.

Over the Christmas/New Year period I took 390 photos of almost anything! The camera will do a lot of photos in quick succession - up to 100 and saves it to a buffer before being put on the memory card. So now I don't have to wait for a digital camera to catch up with me and I can take lots of action shots.

This shot is of a 'spooky tree' near my sister-in-law's place in South Australia. She tells me members of her family named this tree - I think it looks great, don't you?

Isn't this cute?

2008-05-14T18:30:00.002+10:00

I went outside to feed the rabbits and as I came back in the door I noticed there was a ringtail possum drinking from the cat's bowl - and it didn't race off even though I was really close to it. So I went and got my camera and it was still there, although the flash did prompt it to climb back up a nearby tree. The photo isn't perfect but at least you get to see what we often see here at our home.

The Suns Rays

2008-05-10T10:52:00.004+10:00

Still in Kallista, catching the sun rays as they fall to the earth.

Rainforest in Kallista, Victoria

2008-04-26T18:18:00.006+10:00

My daughter and I enjoyed a lovely walk in the rainforest on Anzac Day in Victoria, Australia.

Lots of fallen trees and branches which recent storms might have been responsible for.

There is a place not far from here with a thousand steps but we thought nine were enough! :-)

I love looking up at these tall trees to see the sky. They are all reaching up high, praising our Lord - or at least that's how it seems to me!

Lyrebird Falls, Victoria

2008-04-25T18:08:00.001+10:00

Views on the track around the popular wedding venue, Lyrebird Falls, Victoria.

And four years ago at the same venue - Melanie and Ryan were married at this beautiful place.

Toki, a new life

2008-03-02T10:24:00.005+11:00

I've not been absent really - just spreading my time amongst multiple blogs and it depends on where I'm at in my life as to what I focus on. I get inspired to write a lot so the photography has been pushed aside temporarily. But thought I better update here again.

This is Toki - a stray cat who adopted us Christmas 2006. He came very thin, dirty, bedraggled and matted fur. Today he is fat, soft fur, very clean and quite affectionate. I think he really appreciates having a home and he's totally adopted my visitor's chair in the office - it's his now, or so he thinks!

Beautiful Lysterfield

2007-07-01T21:20:00.000+10:00

Now that we're finally getting rain in Victoria, Australia, our countryside is green again. Graham was in a mountain bike race this weekend in Lysterfield and I couldn't resist taking some scenic photos whilst there.

More from the Garden Show

2007-04-07T22:23:00.000+10:00

More on the Garden Show

2007-04-05T22:17:00.000+10:00

There really was so much to see! So I snapped a lot of pics!

Melbourne International Garden & Flower Show cont.

2007-04-03T13:55:00.000+10:00

After seeing the vegetable patch display at the show last weekend I'm fired up more than ever to start my vege patch. I'm really glad I've seen this - I was going to do the traditional furrow style garden but now I have other ideas and can't wait!

And of course this below is simply just a display, but it was colourful anway. My daughter liked the jelly snakes included!

Melbourne International Garden & Flower Show

2007-04-01T18:43:00.000+10:00

Angie and I went to the Garden Show in Melbourne today. The day started out quite dark and overcast and it has rained overnight (thank God) but by midday we had a brilliant blue clear sky and it was getting warm. The displays there were fantastic and naturally I bought a number of items - couldn’t help myself. Got some new orchids, begonias and carnations to plant and bought Hyacinth and Dutch Irish bulbs, and Freesias as well. I love the cottage style garden we now have in our front yard and am looking forward to seeing even more splashes of colour in it in the months to come. Here are some photos from some of the displays at the show - there are more at my family blog as well. I will post more here later. KMT

Toki

2007-03-23T22:28:00.000+11:00

Readers of my family blog will know that a stray cat arrived on our doorstep around Christmastime. He was thin, bedraggled, matted fur, really looked quite a mess but we could see he used to be a lovely cat. We ignored him at first, after all who needs a fourth cat? However, he kept hanging around and Mez befriended him. Then we fed him whenever he turned up and eventually he came every day and we brushed him, patted him and then took him to the vet to get him checked over and cleared of any diseases. On investigation we've discovered his owner died over a year ago and he's been left to fend for himself, being chased by people with brooms, having fights with other cats. When you see him now, and his fat round belly, and his shining fur, you wouldn't think he was the same cat. We've named him Toki.

My Life is Ruled by Cats!

2006-12-13T22:44:00.000+11:00

Does it show? Here's Smokey helping in the office by doing some shredding for me.

Who Put That There?

2006-12-03T22:41:00.000+11:00

More photos from Melbourne Zoo

2006-11-25T22:12:00.000+11:00

Inside the Butterfly house there lives a bird....

Brolga settling into its nest for a snooze

Pelicans sunning themselves on a beautiful day.

Spot the Fake!

2006-11-09T20:50:00.000+11:00

Can you spot the fake? The Melbourne Zoo has dotted around the zoo sculptures (or perhaps they're real, stuffed and glazed - who knows?) of reptiles and animals in their natural habitats. It was a little disconcerting to come across a snake within striking reach until I realised it wasn't real. Others were equally fooled and all around the zoo I would hear people say 'is that real or is it fake?' if the animal, bird or reptile wasn't moving. In fact we watched a Brolga settle into its nest to rest and then a mother and son arrived shortly thereafter and she was telling her son it wasn't real - until we informed her otherwise. It really wasn't that easy to tell. Can you spot the fake(s) below?

Echidna

Blue tongue lizard

Red bellied snake

Possum in tree

Inside the Butterfly House, Melbourne Zoo

2006-11-08T07:18:00.000+11:00

New photos

2006-11-07T17:14:00.000+11:00

I've been remiss in posting new photos but life has been busy. A daughter got married and we had guests in the home for awhile. Then I had 3 AGMs for clients and have another one coming up next week. We've had people coming and going and just a generally busy time - but I know it will slow down again soon, once Christmas is upon us - it's not far away now, is it? And to think this time last year I was still coming to grips with what blogging was about. Now I own lots of blogs, lol!

Last weekend one of our daughters was home and a friend of hers from Germany also came to visit so we took her to the Melbourne Zoo.

New family member

2006-09-12T19:43:00.000+10:00

Actually, there are three of them - we didn't know they were there till they were about 20 days of age. Christine found them whilst on a home visit from the country. Cute, hey?

Bungalow in the country

2006-09-09T10:49:00.000+10:00

One of our daughters works with horses in the country and this is where she lives - a simple bungalow on the property with a wonderful view of the dam and horses in the paddock.

More at Campbell's Creek

2006-09-06T22:28:00.000+10:00

Campbell's Creek Ride - on the trail

Reaching for the sky

2006-09-03T20:50:00.000+10:00

Dead gum tree amongst life in the scrub

And they're off for the race!

2006-08-31T20:17:00.000+10:00

6 hour endurance race at Campell's Creek, Victoria in August 2006. My husband and some of his mates participated in the race - it was a beautiful day and I got to relax and take photos!

Australian Scrub

2006-08-31T18:12:00.000+10:00

Campbell's Creek, just outside of Castlemaine, Victoria

Died in the Scrub

2006-08-25T19:28:00.000+10:00

Took this at Campbells Creek last weekend whilst Graham participated
in a 6-hour endurance mountain bike ride with his team.

Fern on Tree

2006-08-17T19:39:00.000+10:00

Fern growing on a tree in the rainforest.

Growth on a tree

2006-08-15T18:50:00.000+10:00

I thought this looked interesting - saw it in the rainforest I visited with my daughters some months ago.

Large tree base

2006-08-13T19:39:00.000+10:00

Large tree base in Australian rainforest.

Naughty Cat!

2006-08-07T21:45:00.000+10:00

Shadow is a Milkshake thief - you can't leave the desk for even a moment!

Old Tram in Bendigo

2006-08-06T21:17:00.000+10:00

One of my favourites

2006-07-30T15:30:00.000+10:00

This is one of my favourites of Graham - he loves Steam Trains and it was great that the Station Master offered him his cap and invited him the best seat on the train!

steam train, Gembrook, station master

2006-07-02T16:29:00.000+10:00

Smokey picks the oddest places to sleep. I had to clear my papers to make room for him, but still kept working whilst he slept - he didn't seem to mind.

Flowering Tree in Cockatoo Valley

2006-06-18T19:05:00.000+10:00

I don't know the name of this tree but it's like a flowering gum - perhaps a reader might know? Taken in Cockatoo Valley on the long weekend - thought it was pretty.

Cockatoo, Victoria

2006-06-12T16:49:00.000+10:00

The Puffing Billy track in Cockatoo, near Fielder Station.
We spent a weekend at a B&B close by.

Puffing Billy, Dandenong Ranges

2006-06-12T16:39:00.000+10:00

Puffing Billy, Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia

2006-06-04T17:07:00.000+10:00

View from Bungalow in Euroa - Christine (my daughter) would see this view every morning when she was working at Euroa.

2006-04-28T17:39:00.000+10:00

This is St Brigid's Cathedral in Kildare, Ireland. We were fortunate to be there are the right time and were given a private viewing and allowed to walk around whilst preparations were being made for a special event that evening.

Technorati tags: cathedral, st brigid, ireland

Frozen Leaves

2006-04-14T22:40:00.000+10:00

We were wandering along the Japanese Gardens at the Irish National Stud in January and under my feet was this crunching, I looked down and saw this wonderful pattern of frozen leaves.

My PostCard Pic

2006-04-14T22:18:00.000+10:00

I really love this photo - it was taken in Ireland whilst we were walking through Monastarevin and I really thought it would be an ideal shot for a picture postcard.

Best Cappacino I've Had!

2006-04-14T21:54:00.000+10:00

I had this beautiful cappacino at the Cafe La Baratin the night before we left Paris. You can read about our trip here.

Beautiful Begonias

2006-04-08T20:54:00.000+10:00

We attended the Begonia Festival Show at the Botanic Gardens in Bendigo 2005 on a weekend away. The display was quite beautiful.

The Sun's Rays

2006-04-08T16:41:00.000+10:00

Taken outside our house one evening - I love how the sun's rays shine out beyond the clouds, ever reaching higher.

A bird in the hand....

2006-04-08T16:37:00.000+10:00

When we were staying at our favourite cottage in Warragul we heard something hit the glass door and when we stepped outside this poor little thing was stunned on the verandah - we put it in the sun and it finally revived about an hour later.

Strange Sleeping Place

2006-04-07T22:09:00.000+10:00

Our youngest cat sleeps in the strangest places.

Just Waiting To Be Picked Up

2006-04-07T22:02:00.000+10:00

Taken at a client function last year

A Walk in the Morning Sun

2006-04-07T21:52:00.000+10:00

Also on the property at Euroa.

A Mother's Love

2006-04-07T21:33:00.000+10:00

This was taken in Euroa where our daughter Christine lived for a year, working with horses.

It Doesn't Really Need An Intro - The Eiffel Tower

2006-04-06T22:28:00.000+10:00

Church in the fog (Ireland)

2006-04-06T22:18:00.001+10:00

Cottage Garden

2006-04-06T22:10:00.000+10:00

I'm looking at you

2006-04-06T22:02:00.000+10:00

Taken at Warragul on a weekend of peace and quiet.

Coming soon

2006-04-06T21:52:00.000+10:00

I love photography but get little time to really pursue it. For all that, I think I take reasonable photos and want to share them with you here. KMT