Animal Kingdom Hello Hoopers
Good to see you out and about with Felix. Great animal portraits Dave. We will be hoping for miracles here in U.K. as there are lots of wildfires here this summer and a drought declared. Good to see Mogo recovering, maybe I will get there myself one day if I get back to Oz. Cheers Lynne
Animal Kingdom Great to hear from you Lynne. Drought and wildfires in UK is definitely a worry. They should not affect your part of the World. In Eastern Oz we had devastating bushfires in 2019 followed by floods in early 2020 followed by floods twice in 2022 that is definitely a first. What a beautiful distraction it was to see the animals, albeit in captivity, many were in spacious lush surrounds. Amazing diversity that is vital to conserve.
Great to see the come back We definitely understand the feelings about heading to a zoo after having been in Africa and seeing the animals in the wild, but glad you did and shared what you saw. Very glad to hear that the tourist villages have made a comeback as well. Great shots of the animals that you saw and it must have been extra special to share the experience with your family there.
Great to see them come back You have summarised my blog well, Janice. I was surprised Mogo had recovered from the devastating bushfires so well. I think the best part for me was seeing if I could capture portraits of the animals which in so many ways express personification that often surprise. My lucky break were the interactions between the camels. Thanks for commenting.
Sadly I won't see Midnight Oil this tour (or ever again) Midnight Oil had a short European leg on this, their supposedly last tour ever. But I was not able to see any of their shows and therefore I probably won't ever see them again. I saw them in the 90-ies though, on their Blue Sky Mining tour. When they played in Gothenburg, where I saw them, I was at the very front. The protective fence at the front was a bit oddly contructed as it large metal plates covering the front. When hitting them with our flat hands these plates essentially worked like huge drums. When the main show was over and we waited on the encore we at the front banged these plates as hard as we could. We beat a steady rythm while 10,000 people behind us to this rythm were chanting "MIDNIGHT OIL, MIDNIGHT OIL, MIDNIGHT OIL...". That was totally wild! /Ake
Sadly I won't see Midnight Oil this tour (or ever again) Banging that fence like a drum Ake brings back great images and memories for me also, but you being front row in Gothenburg for the Oils surely couldn't get better than that. We often get to front row at festivals knowing it may require a lengthy wait and the sound may not quite be the best clarity. But its the experience we attend for, so up the front we venture where pulsating beats can vibrate the chest, smash our eardrums and sweat and excitement bring ecstasy and memories that endure. Great to hear your story Ake. May the music transport you wherever you go.
Music, the great reminder Heard the great Pink Floyd’s “Us and Them” booming out of an Irish (?) pub in Old Quebec last night. I concur that music is indeed a great memory jogger!
Music, the great reminder Pink Floyd in an Irish pub in Quebec...how good is that Dave? Denise wants "Great gig in the sky" played at her funeral (no time soon)!!! Whenever we hear Leonard Cohen it takes us back to the icy ancient city of Pingyao one winter in Nthn China thinking "What have I got us into?" when his "Ten New Songs" started playing that made the experience of our location even more surreal. Music to us too, is indeed the great reminder. Keep following the groove and serendipity surely awaits you!
Midnight Oil, nice! Caught them in Ottawa Canada (my hometown) three times, once with Hunters & Collectors who provided all those amazing horns for the Oil set as well...video brought back great memories, those three opening horn shots stop me in my tracks every time!
Ottawa Midnight Oil, nice! Three times in Ottawa Jeff...that shows lashes of 'Power and the Passion'...also one of my favourite Oils classics. Your comment brings back such fabulous memories of the power of their gigs...and the horn/sax solos...can feel them now!
Midnight Oil, nice! Great band, jealous you got to see them Dave! Saw them for the first time on the Diesel and Dust tour a million years ago, still reference that show as one of my favourites of all time...cheers!
Midnight Oil, nice! Diesel and Dust Tour, Jeff...oooh...whose the most jealous??? A pivotal Oils' album from 1987...:'Beds are Burning', 'The Dead Heart', 'Dreamworld' and 'Put Down that Weapon' are amazing songs from that album. In what country and city did you see that concert? Hope the video brought it all back!
Burning Oil Dancing One....there you were, amongst the aging population in white plastic chairs, yearning for yet one more glimpse of an iconic band.....good for you! As we get older, the more we crave live music and with the pandemic moving to an endemic sort of thing, all the artists are out there again....most excellent! - The Dangerous One
Burning Oil Bring it on Dangerous One. We live at opposite ends of the planet but we have embraced the Blues together in the Caribbean and you know what my blog is talking about. We planned for years to meet at a music festival somewhere in the World and that is where it ended up being. We have talked of getting the band back together at Blues on the River in Senegal and/or the Blues Highway. Let us make it happen again somewhere as live music is definitely back.
Music & Memories We couldn't agree more .... specific music will always remind us of our travels and moments in time. The Other Half dancing on the table in Melankas in Alice Springs to Whatever, Whenever by Shakira, an air conditioned in Tom Price with A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton on loop and New Zealand will forever be "Listening For The Weather" by Bic Runga or any track by Goldenhorse.
Music & Memories Glad my blog brings back musical memories of your travels in Oz, John. Loved the mention of dancing on tables...ours was at Eagle's Nest in the Snowy Mountains in sthn NSW. To travel and share music with locals their way is the easiest way to connect we find. Thanks for commenting.
I love "Great Southern Land" and the pictures... Thanks Bob. It is said "music is what makes the World go round". It certainly makes life more enjoyable. I hope the video thus brightened your day.
Put a sock on it! An amazing collection of pelican poses. Those with the head thrown back and the beak pointing to the sky above took just a moment to comprehend. They look like someone put a sock over them from the beak and up past the head down the neck.
Put a sock on it! Hi Liz. I've been missing in TB action recently and just seen your post that reminds me that the good things in the incredible World of Nature do not rest but keep on coming on. The more time I spent with pelicans the more that surprised. Magic happens when one dwells a while! Still haven't seen Simon's pics from Russia so time he took his pelican socks off I reckon!!!
Wonderful faces Nothing better than a friendly face and a card with your name on it greeting you at the airport! I need to learn more about adventures in the Stans. Sounds like they would be right up my alley...one day.
Wonderful faces Thanks Tommy. We met so many fabulous folk in Uzbekistan that I introduced some of them before I blogged the fantastic times we had. This was our last trip pre-Covid and I kinda think my hermit status since has dulled my sharing gene. Just had our vac boosters so maybe that will kick me to get out more!!!
My wife Denise & I like to travel "on paths less travelled" that capture our imagination, inspire my photography & where we mix with locals & remain safe.
Visited Countries Map
... full info
bvchef
Brendan Vermillion
This looks and sounds like it was a great day
I enjoyed all of the pictures, and can tell what a proud Grandpa you are. Great blog Dancing One.