RedInk RedInk Blots of a partly amortised accountant - professional comment and monographs on accounting, investment and business issues Articles
Staff Carpark
2008-05-03 03:25:00 Where : Wahroonga, New South WalesWhen : 9-05am, Friday 2nd May 2008 Weapon : Panasonic Leica TZ3 Henry was miffed that he could not join the British Racing Green vehicles, and had to park his little Wedgewood Blue model at the end of the Executive Car Park. Nevermind, after privatisation of the Railway, he'd be able to buy a new 4WD on his retrenchment money. For the rest of us, we'd get a better, more efficient service which would cost the same, but with higher retail prices ... this would reduce the drain on consolidated revenue and remove the phoney Goverment accounting, so he felt better every time he parked his bin. More About: Staff
Riverina Sheep Station
2008-05-03 02:17:00 Where : Childowlah, New South WalesWhen : 1-05pm, Mon 21st April 2008 Weapon : Panasonic Leica TZ3 Here's a shot of a typical Australian sheep station at this time of the year. Although it looks very dry, in fact there have been good rains here this year, it's just that the ground is glacial debris, so the drainage is pretty good. Soil quality is on the other hand, almost unploughable as there are so many rocks and stones and gravel, which is exactly what you get in this sort of terrain. Moisture retention is low and nutrition value minimal. Such is life in this harsh landscape. More About: Station , Sheep
Railway Cottages 1920
2008-04-25 15:01:00 Where : Wahroonga, NSWWeapon : Panasonic Leica TZ3 Surrounded by the F3 and Northern Railway, sitting amid MacMansions costing $2-5m, nests these old cottages. Here in a couple of streets, are 50 or so timber homes with tin roofs, built for railway workers in the 1920s. They sell for about $650k (USD$600k - £280k UK). Such is the entry price of homes in this part of Sydney. Tough for young couples.
North Shore Architecture ?
2008-04-24 12:33:00 Where : Waitara, New South WalesWhen : 9-50am, 24th January, 2008 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 Is it Art Deco ? No, well influenced yes, there is some fluting, but no. Is it Post Modern ? Is it Californian Bungalow ? No.Is it MacMansions ? No. Is it Beachcomber ? Is it Sydney Brutalist ? No. Is it Hollywood Spanish ? Nah - no arches, no whitewash and far too much glass. Is it Stockbroker Tudor ? Nope - no black and white timber or substitute. Is it Sydney P & O ? Mmmm ... well, partly - it's curved and may have a funnel shaped chimney and steel-framed windows - but no portholes, geometric motifs, parapet walls, cantilevered decks or glass bricks. So, it's just a mess then ? Yes. So, er ...... ? It used to be I think a Brodie Lighthouse being one of a chain of similarly branded retail lighting emporiums, characterised by these rounded, glassy showrooms. Here we are then with style being created by the product being commercialis... More About: Architecture , North , Shore
Drumlins !
2008-04-23 14:10:00 Where : Marulan, New South WalesWhen : Monday 14th April, 2008 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 I frequently drive down to Wagga Wagga, which takes me to the edge of the Snowy Mountains. Here, around Gundagai, is a huge field of drumlins. What are drumlins ? I loved all that glaciation stuff at school, but I live in a dream - I had driven through this field many times before I realised what it was. We used to call it a "basket of eggs" feature. A drumlin is a ridge of till or other drift, with a long axis that parallels the direction of flow of a former glacier; generally the upstream end is widest and highest, and the drumlin tapers in the down flow direction. Drumlins commonly occur in swarms in previously glaciated areas of low relief. From above or an elevated position, they just look like a series of similar sized and shaped hills - just like a basket of eggs. Drumlins ! Here they are in New South Wales, from Yass pas...
QVB
2008-04-22 15:15:00 Where : Queen Victoria Building : George Street, Sydney Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 The Queen Victoria Building, known as the QVB, was designed by George McRae and completed in 1898. Here we can see its 4 floors of upmarket boutiques housed within an elaborate Romanesque architecture, originally contrived so that its construction would require the employment of as many out-of-work craftsmen as possible – stonemasons, plasterers, and stained window artists - in a worthwhile project. Over many decades, change saw the original concert hall become the city library, offices proliferate and more tenants move in, including piano tuners, palmists and clairvoyants. Drastic remodelling occurred during the austere 1930s - eventually the main occupant became the Sydney City Council. The QVB was restored to its previous decadent glory in the 1990s. It stands now as witness to a vision for the building and the superb craf...
Cockies
2008-04-21 15:08:00 Found these two lovebirds hiding in a tree in Wahroonga. This is the pest, Cacatua Galerita, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, a large white parrot, measuring 45cm - 50cm. It has a dark grey-black bill, a distinctive sulphur-yellow crest and a yellow wash on the underside of the wings. It's a damn pest, flying around my garden in swarms, swinging on the power lines, making this unbelievable shrill, loud screech, ending with a slight upward inflection. Sadly though, they are susceptible to a widespread viral disease known as Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease. Some of them live for 70 years or so, and are still at it up trees in Wahroonga. Half their luck ! Where : Wahroonga, New South WalesWeapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3
Gordonia
2008-04-17 14:48:00 This is the "fried egg plant". Gordonia axillaris, sometimes Franklinia axillaris named after James Gordon, an 18C London nurseryman. Evergreen, maybe 12 feet high, it is often used as a street tree here in Sydney. Most revel its flower. I like its foliage best. Gordonia has dark, glossy, green leaves and creamy-white flowers with crimped petals and golden stamens which drop off and land on the ground with the stamens facing upwards, resembling a table of fried eggs.
April Fools
2008-04-01 12:11:00 Where : Flint & Steel, Hawksbury River, New South WalesWhen : Tuesday, 8th April Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 My pal Max and I went out fishing today .... on the Hawksbury River. We bagged five flathead. I think I had a big Jewfish or maybe a KIngfish on the line too, but lost it. This was like something out of Jaws. He hit and then ran fast behind the boat, then under the boat and came up on the other side. I shouted to Max .... "We're going to need a bigger boat" ... but it was too strong breaking my 8lb line. Neverthless, as you can see it was a great day ... just drift fishing up and down the tide.
Huntsman
2008-03-25 09:32:00 This is an Australian Huntsman, I found him in my bathroom ! From the family of spiders belong to the Family Sparassidae (formerly Heteropodidae), and famed as being the hairy so-called 'tarantulas' on house walls, these nice chaps have a habit of scuttling out from behind curtains. The Delena Cancerides, with and without trapdoors, are also notorious for entering cars, and being found hiding behind sun visors or running across the dashboard. Huntsman spiders are large, long-legged spiders, measuring up to 15 cm across the legs. No, I didn't kill him.
Anniversary Present
2008-03-19 09:15:00 I thought this compact kit would be a suitable gift for SWMBO on our wedding anniversary. However, on reflection, based in experience I decided against it. More About: Anniversary , Present
Who Needs a Plumber ?
2008-02-28 13:00:00 Yes, who needs a plumber .... when you have a wife at home ! On Wednesday, the wooden paling fence that divides and separates our property from our neighbours' place, fell over. Well, SWMBO had been chopping down some bougainvillea (pretty, but nasty stuff), pulling out the roots, some of which were anchoring the fence posts. Obviously, these had rotted away, so the fence fell over like a line of tents at a girl guides' camp. Unfortunately, some of it fell against said neighbours' house, smashing a roof downspout and the linkages into the storm water drain. After getting out the chainsaw, pulling it back up and propping it, we examined the damage. You can see the broken, brown downpipe on the brick wall here, and why you need two elbow joints to make the connection into the pipe in the ground that drops into the stormwater drain. The fitting is complex, in that there is a rectangular connector to the downspout incorporating a circular connector that fits into...
Gerald, the Eastern Water Dragon
2008-02-26 03:26:00 Where : Turramurra, New South WalesWhen : 11-15am, Tuesday, 26th February, 2008 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 Guess what I found in my back garden, late this morning ? An eastern water dragon. SWMBO says that he looks like a "Gerald", so "Gerald" it is. Gerald is a physignathus lesueurii, being an Eastern Water Dragon , a medium to large sized lizard to 80cm in length including their long tail. Eastern Water Dragons have large heads, with a row of spines beginning on the head and leading down along their back. They are semi-aquatic and found along the east coast of Australia, around creeks, rivers or lakes. This explains why it is at the bottom of my garden, where there is a creek.They live on insects, frogs, yabbies, water insects, fruit and berries. Mating occurs near waterways, where the males defend their territories. The females lay eggs away from the river in nests. Their nests are usually in moist soil, within rottin...
Life on a Scorched Earth
2008-02-25 02:25:00 Where : Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, New South WalesWhen : 9-40am, 11th November, 2007 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 I took this shot just a few weeks ago, but as we are going through a warm spell, I was just reminded of their plight, hoping that they are now free again. These poor chaps have been rescued and placed in a safer compound than their natural habitat, and will be kept here against their will until the undergrowth comes back, and there is some food for them in the native forests. Strangely enough, this will only be a few weeks - so long as we have no more fires. The bush seems to love a good fire - is sets off the new growth with a passion ! These wallabies normally live in the free roaming Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. In terms of size, the big fellow at the back is about 5 feet tall in that pose .. maybe 6 foot if he draws himself up and stands on his tail. You don't want to get kicked in the great expectations by this bo... More About: Life , Earth , Scorched
Going Potty
2008-02-24 03:07:00 Where : Terrey Hills, New South WalesWhen : 1-05pm, 19th February, 2008 Weapon : Sony Cybershot DSC-P72 Here we are again at my fave pot place. It's like a retail open yard of every type of pot you can imagine, from the bizarre to the bazaaar. There are terracotta pots, posh pots, poncey pots, patio and pubic pots. I kid you not. There are big snake-charmers pots - pots for corporate board rooms and 5 star hotel foyers. Pots for your bedroom and bathrooms - pots for plants and pots for parlours, plazas and pyramids, precincts and pubs. Pots for places that I have been to and pots for places dreamed about, but never frequented,
Safe at Any Speed
2008-02-23 08:57:00 Where : Hawksbury River, NSW, AustraliaWhen : 9-00am Saturday, 23rd February, 2008Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 Yes, I know it is a bit of a cliche - but it's great practice with my new(ish) camera. I am back on the trail of good photo opportunities, and some old favourite sites are just too good to miss when the light is right and some eye-catching colours are in opposite - even if the subject is somewhat drudged. More About: Speed , Safe
150th Meridian East
2008-02-23 02:23:00 Where : Marulan, New South WalesWhen : 12-45pm, 17th February, 2008 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 I drove my daughter down to Wagga Wagga on Saturday, where she is just starting another year at Charles Sturt University. We always stop for a cup of tea and a sandwich at Marulan. God knows why, it's just a tradition. This is Marulan, a town in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, near Goulburn. Well, hardly a town - just a few houses, a pub and an ould railway station. Marulan lies close to the Hume Highway, which used to run through the town until the highway bypassed the town. Marulan lies on the 150th meridian. When I say on the 150th meridian, I mean right on it ! The "line" runs right through the spot where I am standing. It's so exciting. More About: East , Meridian
Look-a-Likes
2008-02-22 02:35:00 Where : Ku-ring-gai National Park, NSWWhen : 10-00am, Monday 8th February, 2008 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 This is my mate Ron, from Port Lincoln ex working colleague of mine from ICL, Putney, London around 1970. Here he is posing next to the Sphinx in Ku-ring-gai National Park, close to where I live in Sydney. This is one of my favourite Parks around Sydney, as it is just 20kms from the Harbour Bridge and the City Centre, yet it is the most magnificent stretch of natural bushland, rain forest in parts and waterways. Absolutely brilliant - so I take all our visitors there. Cruelly, my wife mentioned that it looks a bit like "Dr. Shipman", but I think it's not a bad replica of the Egyptian original.
One Man's Meat ..
2008-01-26 13:26:00 Where : Turramurra, New South WalesWhen : 11-36am, Friday 25th January, 2008Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 I spotted this fellow a few days ago. It's smashing to see that they still deliver meat straight from the abattoir ex the farm gate, here to the local shops, in carcase form. This geezer is also the driver, so he works alone, no off-sider, no help from the shop owner, no trolley ... just muscle. This fellow, wearing the standard meatworker's woolen, sewn-in shoulder cloche (a right-handed hat with a shoulder drape) and tunic, carried 6 carcases by himself, balanced between ear and shoulder - sheep, pigs and beef - from his truck, across the High Street, pushed open the doors, through the shop and so out to the back, into the cold room of the retail butcher's shop. No prepared, pre-packed, chopped, sliced, carved, diced, filleted or marinaded legs, arms, livers, ears or trotters here. These beasts are to be butchered for the locals righ... More About: Meat
Today's Art Tomorrow's Roadbase
2008-01-23 09:38:00 Where : Parramatta, New South WalesWhen : 12-00 Noon, Tuesday 22nd January, 2008Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 Isn't this a shocker ! This is the new Metropolitan Children's Court in Parramatta. I don't like it one bit - it may be functional but it isn't in touch with this historic city, in my opinion. I think the Children's Court is really not very attractive at all. It is bland. It is pasty. It is flat. It is dull and boring. it is cladding personified. It is oh-so-grey. I am glad I don't live in Parramatta or work there. More About: Today , Tomorrow , Tomo
Tudor Gatehouse, Parramatta
2008-01-22 12:11:00 Where : Parramatta, NSW, AustraliaWhen : Noon, 22 January, 2008 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 I had to pop down to Parramatta yesterday, and took a few shots of some older buildings. Parramatta is richly steeped in the convict history of Australia. Here, we are only 200 years old; so if part of the built environment is more than 100 years old, we slap a heritage order on it ... this construction is a bit older than that, but 20th Century rather than 16th Century as its name might imply. This is the Tudor Gatehouse. It was built in 1885 and designed by Gordon McKinnon, a Parramatta architect. There are four sets of gates into the Governor's Domain (now Parramatta Park) - on the western end, the southern end (Pitt St), and south (Great Western Highway). More About: Atta
Canna Nice
2008-01-20 01:40:00 Where : Turramurra, New South WalesWhen : 5-50pm, 19th January, 2008 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 The canna lily is back in fashion, but still a noxious weed in some places - but not in my garden, where this beauty is currently in full swing. This wonderful specimen, the sole member of the family Cannaceae, contains 9 species of rhizomatous perennials. It's an American native - which I guess means it comes from somewhere between Tierra del Fuego and Canada. Why oh why do USA citizens think they are more American than Brazilians, Argies, Puerto Ricans or Canadians. I am sure that Amerigo Vespucci never even went to the USA ... but I digress. They are not lilies, but their lily-like flowers are clustered in heads at the top of tall stems and occur in bold shades of yellow, coral, orange, and red, and they are frequently strikingly bi- or multi-coloured. More About: Nice
Kookaburra - Time for a Laugh
2008-01-19 00:50:00 Where : Turramurra, New South WalesWhen : 4-00pm, 22nd December, 2007 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 Here's a local native, dropping in for some Christmas leftovers. This is a a laughing kookaburra, the world's largest kingfisher. It measures up to 46 cm from the tip of its beak to the tip of its tail. When compared to the little kingfisher, which is only 12 cm long, it is truly a giant. It is one of ten Australian, kingfisher species including the azure, forest, collared, red-backed, sacred, little, yellow-billed, and buff-breasted paradise kingfishers, and the blue-winged and laughing kookaburras. For a laugh, do yourself a favour, go here to brighten up your day .... if this does not make you smile, you need to shoot yourself. A fudgy picture, but no matter, of interest perhaps to overseas ornithologists. More About: Time , Laugh
Heads Up at the Cricket
2008-01-03 01:11:00 Where : Sydney Cricket Ground, New South WalesWhen : 9-45 am, Wednesday 2nd January, 2008 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 I went to the cricket on my birthday ! We ended up in the Diageo tent. What a trial of endurance that was. Had to wear a gong ("V.I.P") .... and sit in these great seats. Then we were fed buckets full of champagne and caviar by dolly birds wearing short skirts, persuasive perfume and boobs, oh it was terrible. I have never seen that much cleavage or dropped so many oysters. Diageo of course is a brand you may recognise ... Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Baileys, J&B, Captain Morgan ... and it was flowing. The cricket wasn't bad either ... this was the first day of the Test Match against India - the one that caused all the fuss about "the gentleman's game", "truth in sport" and all that carry-on. We had sledging and racial accusations, bad umpiring decisions and all that followe... More About: Heads
Red Flowering Gum
2007-12-19 14:18:00 Where : Turramurra, New South WalesWhen : 4-00pm, Wednesday 19th December 2007 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 This is the "red flowering gum" tree. It's an Australian native and a eucalypt. It's biological name is Eucalyptus ficifolia: Latin fici, of figs and folium, leaf, referring to the leaf shape. It's a native of Western Australia some 4500 kilometres (say 2750 miles) away from here, down towards Esperance, south of Perth. The tree is very common and popular in horticulture, and widely used throughout the cooler, coastal, southern latitudes of Australia as a street tree. This beautiful specimen is growing right here in my street, on the nature strip by the side of the road. As I re-read this, I suddenly got a blast from the past - from Ben E. King and the Drifters .... "It's growing in the street, right up through the concrete, but soft and sweet and dreamin'" ... but I digress .. we are a far cry from...
After the Fire
2007-12-17 14:05:00 Where : Ku-ring-gai Chase National ParkWhen : 9-30am, 15th November 2007 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 It is quiet at last. First there was the banging of the wind, a far away crackle menacing in the tree tops, the sound of animals fleeing mixed with the wail of the fire engines, ambulances and police - and that suffocating smell of burning eucalyptus, angophora and turpentine, followed by the rush, a gasping wave of heat, the splintering of tree trunks, flames leaping through the leafy canopy and the hollow crunching of the falling timber. Those who were there, swallowed the howl of the wind and flame, gasped as the oxygen was vacuumed up the valley and gulped down the sweat and the salt and the fear. After the fire had gone, there was the sound of the tears, chain saws, sirens, broken hearts and homes ... it's amazing how some trees and homes remained untouched ... fire is so randomly selective ... and that cruel, uncanny silence. More About: Fire
Illawarra Flame Tree
2007-12-16 14:17:00 Where : Lindfield, Ku-ring-gaiWhen : 5-00pm, 12th November 2007 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 This is the Illawarra Flame Tree {Brachychiton Acerifolious}. This is shot in Ku-ring-gai, outside an old bank building in Lindfield. I took the picture a few weeks ago, and was reminded of it today, when I saw another tree of the same ilk, right next to a terrific blue Jacaranda Tree. Both trees are at their best in late Spring. We are nearing the longest day of the year, well that will happen this week - it's warming up here as the height of Summer approaches. Fortunately, it's been very wet too so that's cooling the place down, but brings up the humidity. The Illawarra Flame Tree is one of the most spectacular Australian native trees. In summer its flowers are brilliant. It doesn't always flower - it is only semi-deciduous - but when it does it is brilliant. It always looks stunning next to a Jacaranda Tree.
Turramurra Bells
2007-12-15 14:25:00 Where : Turramurra, St James' ChurchWhen : 9-15am, Friday, 14th December 2007 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 I have always been sort of interested in bellringing. I mean big bells, not hand bells. Coincidentally, here in Turramurra, there is a peal of bells at St. James' Church. Here is a shot of our bell room, showing the eight ropes that go up to the belfry itself. This is my friend Tony, ascending the stairs to muffle the bells, as we do for individual practice and training. I am quite fascinated by all of this, and am keen to make a go of it. We shall see. What has amazed me is that there are only 12 sets of bells in all of Sydney. There would be perhaps hundreds in England, I am sure. Our bells here in Turramurra were made by Taylors Eayre and Smith Limited, Bell Founders of Loughborough; the tenor bell weighs almost half a ton. This is a reasonable size for a peal of bells in a suburban church. As a matter...
Trip to the Garbage Dump
2007-12-15 07:37:00 Where : TurramurraWhen : 10-15am, Saturday, 15th December 2007 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 Had to clean out some garden rubbish today, so I hired a ute (Utility Truck) from the local garage. Cheap as chips - just $50 for half a day; about the same in $US or say GBP20. Not sure about Euros. This truck is the envy of all other visitors to the local garbage dump - because .... it's a tipper ! This means that after loading it up, driving to the "Waste Disposal and Recycling Facility" and reversing it into the green waste area, with one press of a button up comes the tray, and out shoots all the garbage. Excellent ! Meanwhile, all the other poor bastards (Australian term of endearment, often meaning "unlucky people" - and totally inoffensive in the Australian home), are there for maybe half an hour, shovelling all the crap out by hand. Ha-ha ... too bad. Get a tipper ! Power ! More About: Garbage , Trip
Morris Minor 1000
More articles from this author:2007-12-13 14:04:00 Where : Pacific Highway, Gordon, Ku-ring-gai, New South WalesWhen : 1-50pm, Thursday, 29th November 2007 Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3 I was driving up the Pacific Highway this afternoon, and behind I spotted this old Morris Minor . When I was stopped at the lights, I snapped this shot from the driver's seat, behind the steering wheel of my car. So of course it is right-hand drive like 99.9% of vehicles in Australia. So this is the right-hand wing mirror. As for the image - yes, of course it is the right way round as we drive on the left - which explains the use of the driver's mirror and the reverse image. It's all 100% correct - it just does not look logical if you live in the left-hand drive world. The Morris Minor was designed by Alec Issigonis, who later designed the Morris Mini. The spirit of the design can now be seen in the BMW Mini. This model in the photograph is I think the Series 2, so built between 1953 and 1956. That makes it m... 1, 2, 3 |
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