Sky Watch Friday

We had a thunderstorm last Wednesday early in the afternoon after a glorious morning with blue sky bringing heavy rain, wind, lightning and thunder for about 10 minutes.



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Ruby Tuesday

I took this picture during our visit to Australian Museum sometimes last January of this year. This is inside the Australian Museum's information and resource centre called "Search and Discover".
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Today's Flowers

Yesterday, my kids and I took a walk to the convenience store in our suburb to get something and I took my camera with me because my daughter asked me if we could drop by at the horse agistment which is also located across the convenience store and take some photos of her petting a horse. While walking to our destination, I saw this beautiful hibiscus growing beside the foot path and I was lucky that I brought my camera with me. Thanks to my daughter for telling me to take my camera I was able to take photos of the beautiful hibiscus.
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Earth Hour

We took part of the Earth Hour last night which started at 8:30 pm. We switched off our lights, computers and tv and just used candles to light up the lounge room and kitchen . How about you have you taken part?

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating. Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.
Why get involved?
Put simply, because our future depends on it!Earth Hour has done a lot to raise awareness of sustainability issues. But there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving people a voice and working together to create a better future for our planet.

(above information was taken from here: http://www.earthhour.org/About.aspx)

Camera Critters

I saw this creature on the leaf of one of my plants in our front garden. I am not sure if this is a little butterfly or a moth. I didn't get the time to search in the internet to find out. I love its colour. Isn't pretty?
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Morning glory

I was pulling out the unwelcome visitors in our backyard the other day. There were many and some were long enough to hide in especially along the side of our fence. They grow very quickly because of the rain and the warm weather we have had. There were about two occasions before that we just mowed the backyard but didn't get rid of the weeds, that's why they had the chance to grow and spread quickly everywhere. And I don't like it, who would like it anyway, it is annoying to see them growing in the backyard, isn't it? I just pulled out every weeds that I could see. It took time to pull them out but it's good to see that the backyard is weed-free once again . We have a weed killer though which I bought from the plant nursery but I just take the opportunity while the ground was still wet for it wasn't that hard to pull the weeds out from the ground with the help of a trowel.
While pulling the weeds at the side of our fence , a purple flower caught my eyes. It was my first time to see this kind of flower in our backyard and taking a closer look it was a flower of a certain kind of vine which I wasn't familiar with. I took a photo so I can search it in the internet and found out that this is a kind of morning glory, a highly evasive vine weed that is often seen in bushland and gardens. I was kind of hesitant to pull it at first because I like the flower but the thought of it might overtake the grasses and some plants in the garden if it is left unattended for months is not good, so I finally decided to get rid of it.

Sky Watch Friday

Sunset on 22 March 2011 taken from our backyard.

And while looking east...




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Helping a friend

I was surprised to see a friend, an old lady at our doorstep yesterday a few minutes when I arrived home after dropping David off at his school. She lives alone down the road and I know her that well. She was carrying a heavy backpack and asked me if I can take her to the nearest train station for she didn't have her trolley bag and carrying the heavy backpack wasn't that easy for her. Because I didn't do anything at that moment and was just feeding our guinea pigs, I immediately said yes to her. I took her to the other train station instead, not the nearest one to our place as what she told me before, because most of the trains would stop at the other station and it wouldn't be a long wait for her. She was so happy and was grateful of my help. It is always a great feeling being able to help someone in any way I possibly can. I just hoped she reached her destination on time on that day.

Watery Wednesday

I took this photo during our visit to Camden Haven, Port Macquarie in the North Coast of NSW, about 4 hrs drive from Sydney.
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Today's Flowers

My Today's flowers post for this week is this frangipani that caught my eyes while we were visiting Chinese Garden in Darling Harbour. I love frangipani. Previously, I had one which I planted in a big pot at the backyard. It grew well and even bloomed but last winter the heavy frost killed it. I should have cover it.


Then, a friend and a neighbour of ours, gave me two frangipani cuttings, pink and a white ready for planting. I was really happy because buying them is not really that cheap. I planted them right away in the ground of the backyard and look at them now. They are growing very well. This coming winter I make it sure that they will be properly covered on night time to protect them from the frost. Hope they will survive and make it through the next summer.my pink frangipani

and this is my white frangipani.
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Camera Critters

These are rainbow lorikeets that we saw while we were taking a walk in the park one day.
Notice the crested pigeon also looking for food.
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This weekend

Dorothy's tennis lesson was cancelled this morning due to wet weather. We have a wet weekend, a good reason to stay at home and do something, defrost and clean our big freezer which I haven't done for a while. The frost is more than an inch thick already.

And here's something interesting for stargazers, there is a super moon this Saturday night. The moon is 14% larger and 30% brighter than a distant full moon-for the first time in 18 yrs. But sadly, I can't see this rare moment for we are covered with heavy clouds this time :(

Sky Watch Friday

We have dull and grey skies again over the week with light showers and last Wednesday, we had a heavy rain late in the afternoon. I miss the blue sky already. But however I considered myself a bit lucky yesterday before the darkness engulfed the surroundings for I was able to see a glimpse of the moon and managed to take some photos before it was completely covered by dark clouds.Interested to join or want to see more beautiful sky photos all around the world please click, Sky Watch Friday.

David's new toy

I went to the mall yesterday with David after his school for an appointment and while we were waiting for our appointment time, I let David play in the playground because he asked if he can play for awhile. I just sat on a nearby seat and watched him with some parents whose kids were also in the playground. Suddenly, David came to me and pointed to the sign just outside the shop across the playground telling that they are selling Beyblades . David had been asking me to buy one for him but I didn't get the time to look around. This kind of toy is so popular in David's school but I don't know in other schools if it is as popular as in David's school. The good thing in David's school is the kids are allowed to take their own Beyblades and can play it with their friends on recess and lunch time as long as they follow the school rules. So we went inside the shop to check it out. There were not many left on the shelf and David right away grabbed one and asked if I could buy it for him. It was hard for me to say NO for I know he was longing to own one and besides I promised to get one for him. I bought only the cheaper kind for that was the only one I can afford with no battle set, which is the next thing I would like to get for him.

Watery Wednesday

This is the Fountain of Hope inside Penrith Plaza in Penrith west of Sydney.




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Sometime last January

We got a chance to visit Featherdale Wildlife Park in Doonside west of Sydney sometimes last January. It wasn't our first visit, in fact it was our 4rth time. The kids always have a great time every time we visit there. What they really like visiting this park is the the thing that they can feed and pat the animals . Here are some photos that I took while we were there.

It looks like the wallaby wanted to say, hey, that's enough..hehehehe
A dove wanted also his share..
at the refuge area.

Today's Flowers

My Today's flowers post is this bouquet that I got from my hunny bun during our 13th wedding anniversary last Thursday. I was really surprised when he came home from work after finishing his morning shift bringing a bouquet of my favourite flowers, yellow roses, and a card.
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Camera Critters

I saw this moth on one of the leaves of our guava tree in the backyard sometime last week. I am not sure what kind of moth this is. That was my first time to see this kind of moth for we are always visited by cabbage moths flying around our backyard most of the day.



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Gift card

Recently, my daughter won an iTunes gift card worth 20$ at her school. The card entitled her to download iTunes music , movies and more for Mac or Windows which is valid only on Australian iTunes Store. She was in the draw for she has quality card awards ( Maths and one from another subject ) for doing good which gave her entries in the draw. The more awards the more chances of winning. And last week she brought home another 2 quality awards which will give her another entries to be in the next draw. I hope she will win again.

Sky Watch Friday

We have dull and grey skies most of the week. Clouds have been threatening but there were no rains except for a few little drizzles. Today late in the afternoon, I went out to the backyard to check out what I can capture for my SWF post as Friday is getting close. There was nothing interesting really except for the dark clouds that were building up and a storm was forecast sometime tomorrow.

Looking east..
looking south-west...
looking west...
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