Clouds and Flowers

While I was taking the dog for a walk through the park today, I found a couple of unusual flowers that I thought would make some interesting images, or at least give me a little bit more practice taking close up pictures with my camera. I'm not entirely happy with these, but at this point in my development as a close up photographer, I don't actually know yet of the techniques that would allow me to make them better. I'm hoping I'll learn those particular skills eventually:

Towards the end of the walk, when it started to get really cold (it's almost winter here in Australia), there were some potentially interesting cloud formations happening. We had a bit of rain earlier on in the day, and there were some remnants of those rain clouds floating around. Although not as spectacular as some previous cloud pictures I've taken, I still think they are nice pictures, especially the ones that feature a prominent sun:

Walking With AC/DC

Today started as a glorious day. Not a cloud in the sky. Perfect for pavement pounding. However, three hours later, just as I got home, the heavens opened up and it rained and rained... for about half an hour. That was it. No more rain today.

Anyway, it was back to the normal routine today: walk to the park, 4 laps around, then up the hill, and home again.

I'm still at 80 kilos though.

But today, for my musical accompaniment, I treated myself to AC/DC Live, The Collector's Edition.

This is a live album that came out sometime around 1992, and for a long time was the closest thing we got to a greatest hits album. It wasn't until 2010 and the release of the Iron Man 2 soundtrack that we got another CD that resembled a greatest hits collection. And more recently, the River Plate concert was released on DVD and I believe CD as well.

Initially the Live album was released in a single disc version (which I bought), followed a little bit later by the 2 CD collector's version. There was no doubt that I was going to get that one as well, but I waited a while for that, simply because I actually didn't know at the time that there was a 2 CD version.

So, I converted the Live album into MP3 and copied it to my iRiver MP3 player. I made a couple of changes though. I wanted the show to start with Hells Bells, perhaps the greatest opening song of all time. However, that song opened disc 2 of this collection, so I moved it to the first position, and moved Thunderstruck, which opens disc 1, all the way to the end, because I believe that Thunderstruck is the perfect way to end any show.

I feel like I have grown up with AC/DC. Back in the early 70's, there was a show on Australian TV called Countdown, one of the most influential Australian TV shows of all time, and I remember seeing the early incarnation of AC/DC doing a version of Baby Please Don't Go, with the Legendary Bon Scott dressed as a schoolgirl, with pigtails. When I was at primary school, we used to dress up and mime to records during lunchtime. One of the shows we were planning to do was an AC/DC show. This was around the time of the second album, T.N.T.  Unfortunately, we never actually got to do it (We did a Sweet concert though, who were big at the time, which packed out the room).

I haven't decided what music I'll listen to next. I'm torn between ABBA and The Sex Pistols...

Walking With Neil Diamond

I had a modified walk today, on account of the threatening weather. As it turned out, it didn't rain at all while I was out there pounding the pavement. Instead of my usual course of walking from home to the park, doing 4 laps and then heading up the hill, I drove to the park, did 5 laps, and then went up the hill and back down again, and then drove back home.

I'm still fixed on my first goal, which is to go up the hill twice in a row. I may try that in the next few weeks.

So, onto my music selection for today: Play Me: The Complete Uni Studio Recordings, by Neil Diamond.

This is a 3 CD set, which covers 6 complete Uni studio recorded albums, dating from 1968 to 1972, plus a few tracks from the live album "Gold", and a few tracks from the legendary live album "Hot August Night", which was released on the MCA record label back in 1972.

To say that is absolutely thrilling would be an understatement. The late sixties/early seventies were Neil Diamond's golden period, and here we have that entire period in one magic collection.

I've been a Neil Diamond fan longer than I can remember. The first album I bought with my own money was Neil Diamond's "Diamonds and Gold", on a cassette tape. A few years ago I was able to finally transfer the contents of that tape into a digital form, so I was able to fix up a lot of the deterioration that inevitably occurs with old tapes. I find it disappointing that as yet, I haven't found a collection like "Play Me" that covers the period up to 1968, because that was the period that covered the contents of "Diamonds and Gold", and I'm desperate to get my hands on that material.

Here are the albums that make up the "Play Me" collection:

These albums were part of the build up to the pinnacle that was "Hot August Night". When I was about 11 or 12, I bought a greatest hits album called "20 Superhits". I've got a feeling that this album was released only in Australia, but for many many years afterwards, it defined Neil Diamonds music for me personally. It was a great pleasure to find that the entire contents of "20 Superhits" is completely covered by "Play Me". I can now retire my scratchy old vinyl copy of that album.

There are some amazing songs in the "Play Me" collection, a couple of which are quite baffling to me. There's a song called "The Pot Smoker's Song", which is a jaunty, happy little tune, played underneath a bunch of young people talking about their drug problems, potential suicide, and overdoses. I still haven't worked out how I'm supposed to react to a song like that. I don't get it yet. There's another song called "Knackelflerg", which appears to be about nothing. That one I can handle much better than the drug song.

But I just cannot fault anything else on here. This is the collection of the supreme pop writer at his very best, and it's fitting that it all culminated in the event that was the release of the "Hot August Night" album (I bought that album on CD a few years ago, and it still sounds fantastic. They even managed to find a few extra tracks to make it even better).

I remember when I was around 12 years old, Neil Diamond did a concert in Australia that was broadcast on TV all around the country to hug success. Well guess what, it was released a few years back on DVD and I grabbed a copy. What a nostalgia trip that was.

Walking With 10cc

Woohoo! Day two at 80Kgs!

That's a big thing for me, having been stuck at 83-85 Kgs for the last 4 years. All the walking and the cutting out of sugar is finally paying off nicely.

Anyway, the three hour walking sessions continue on. I end up with really sore legs for a couple of hours afterwards, but I'm starting to get some good results.

Today's musical selection during the walk came from one of the great pop groups of all time, 10cc:

If you are going to get a 10cc greatest hits CD, then this is the one to get (You should probably get the third album, "The Original Soundtrack" while you're at it. It's brilliant...). Every single 10cc hit is on here, plus some solo stuff, and a bunch of songs from Godley and Creme. I still have "Cry" going around my head as I sit here typing.

It's unfortunate that these guys were only together for a little while. You would have to travel pretty far to find pop songwriters as good as the 4 members of 10cc. And Eric Stewart is a great guitar player as well.

When I was 10 years old, I heard "Life is a Minestrone" crackling through the airways on my AM radio. At the time I thought it was the greatest song I had ever heard. It wasn't until I got this CD that I finally heard the song once again. I had threatened to get the song previously, but hadn't actually gotten around to it.

"Life is a Minestrone" on YouTube

There are so many great songs on this collection. One real gem that I had never heard before is "From Rochdale To Ocho Rios". You would swear you were in the Caribbean, with the steel drums etc. I also have a new appreciation for "The Things We Do For Love". What a great pop song.

"From Rochdale to Ocho Rios" on YouTube

..And don't forget: "You've got to get a little, get a little every day, you get a sunburn, and right away, you're body's brown as a berry but you can't lie down, better let yourself cool down...."

That's Graham Gouldman's solo hit, "Sunburn" of course...

"Sunburn" on YouTube

I'll go for another long walk tomorrow. I don't know what I'll listen to yet (AC/DC perhaps?...)

A Few More Close Ups

While I was watching the dogs, I got a bit restless and started looking around the room for some interesting shiny objects on which to practice my recently found love of macro photography. Here are some of my more colourful attempts at the craft.

Dogsitting Day Two

Well, today was my second day of dogsitting Charlie and Alfie. The good news for me is that they want me back next weekend as well.

Here are a few more pictures I managed to get today.

Charlie:

Alfie:

Charlie:

Alfie and Charlie:

Charlie and Alfie:

Latest Dogsitting Gig

This weekend I'm looking after two dogs.

One of the greatest pleasures I have in life is when somebody asks me to look after their dogs for a while. There is just something about being trusted to go into somebody's home and take care of perhaps their most, or one of their most treasured family members that gives me a really good feeling. I like it a lot when people rely on me to do things for them, and even though it's a big responsibility, especially if the dog's owner goes away for a couple of months, I have a great time doing it.

I never charge for doing it. I should probably pay them for letting me play with their dogs for a while. People usually give me a few cents though, or maybe goods in kind, like food.

As an aside, I also get some good photo opportunities as well. More content for my various websites!

This weekend I get the privilege of looking after Charlie and Alfie:

Unfortunately it will be all too short, but I'm going to try my best to enjoy it as much as I can. Here are some shots I got today of them:

Charlie and Alfie:

Alfie:

Charlie:

Alfie:

Trying to get a bit arty with this picture:

Alfie again. I didn't mean to get so many of Alfie, but it just happened that his pictures came out the best today. Maybe tomorrow I'll get some better ones of Charlie:

Moon Glow

Here's a picture of the moon I took tonight. It didn't turn out quite as well as I would have liked, so I ran it through Paintshop Pro and changed it into something different.

Wildflowers

I found some more wildflowers while walking the dog in the park today. I can't wait for wildflower season so I can get some more varieties of flowers.