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Monday 19th January – Snake Feeding

Day

I drove into work (via Bronwen’s work to drop her off) very early, getting to work around 7:20, and before anyone was there to let me in. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do any work until 8, and as I only bill per work done, it was rather wasted time.

This confused me. Never send a dog to deliver a steak?

Night

I dropped past Bronwen’s parents’ place to get Bronwen, then rushed home so she could watch our neighbour feeding his snakes. Bronwen and I then had Dominos pizza for dinner and watched Star Wars Episode V.

The snake eats a cute bunny

The snake cuddles its prey

The snake swallows its prey

The snake is remarkably square

Tuesday 20th January – Sore Throat

Day

I had a quiet day at home, as there wasn’t enough work for me to head into work.

I still have quite a sore throat—it seems to be hanging around and not going away.

Night

I drove into West End to get Bronwen after her aerial yoga, and we had dinner at the cheap curry place. I was sad to see that Ice Cream Mania has shut down, though I hadn’t really gone there much since they changed ownership.

Wednesday 21st January – Dinner

Day

I worked.

Night

I drove to Bronwen’s parents’ place and we had dinner there.

Thursday 22nd January – Cannelloni

Day

I drove to work, where I worked. I had cannelloni for lunch from Woolworths, which wasn’t very good. Big bosses were up at work today, so everyone else had lots of meetings.

Night

I drove home with Bronwen, and we had dinner at home, while we watched Start Wars Episode VI. I was surprised at how bad it was.

Friday 23rd January – Rain

Day

I worked. It rained quite heavily. Apparently it was the largest “rain event” (which as far as I can tell, is what we used to call “rainfall”) in some time—two years if I remember rightly, which doesn’t seem that long really. According to the internet, various places flooded and many waters enveloped many things.

Night

I picked Bronwen up from her work and drove home. We had planned to have a conventional dinner at home like normal people, but Bronwen went straight to bed, leaving me to fend for myself, so I had half a can of creamed rice with ice cream and cream.

Saturday 24th January – Cedar Creek Falls

Cedar Creek Falls

Bronwen and I drove to Woolworths to buy some picnic things, then down to Cedar Creek Falls at Mount Tamborine. After all the rain yesterday and last night we’d assumed it would be raining today and no one would be there, and that the creek itself might be flowing too fast to swim in—but it turned out to be deliciously hot weather (though the water was frightfully cold), only raining once, and the creek was quite busy. We were very fortunate to get parking—someone pulled out shortly after we arrived.

We went for a swim, ate our picnic, took some photos, and drove home again.

There were quite a few people at the swimming hole

There are several swimming holes, each of which had a few people in it

People swimming in the cold water

People took to jumping off the cliffs beside the swimming hole

Some impressive back-flips into the water were performed

Fortunately no one was killed jumping into the water

Josh believes he can fly

Making the biggest splash seemed to be the aim for these people

A small crowd gathered to watch people jumping into the water

I like the expression on the face of the man in the background, as he watched someone jump into the water

A daring back-flip metres into the water below

A sort of side-flip, followed by a short demonstration of walking on water

Some people just did plain jumps, but it was still very high

People spread out along the waterfall

People in the bottom pools

Bronwen having a picnic

Bronwen having a picnic

I may have become a little “creative” with this photo

Bronwen, still having a picnic

Becoming even more “creative”, here Bronwen picnics alone in another dimension

…and finally, the traditional “little planet” version

Another view of all the people spread out along the waterfalls

Another view of all the people spread out along the waterfalls

Bronwen relaxes beside one of the waterfalls

People playing in the waterfall

How to impress girls: Climb past the no climbing sign, do something death defying while leaping into the water, repeat.

Bronwen slides down a waterfall

Bronwen pretends the water is not cold

People ignore a no climbing sign, by climbing past it

Bronwen at Cedar Creek Waterfall

A panoramic view of Cedar Creek Waterfall

Super-Awesome Greens Supporters Party

We drove to the Motor Room in West End to attend the “Super-Awesome Greens Supporters Party”, where we met three people we’d met at Woodford, thus answering the question “Where do all the Woodford people hide during the rest of the year?”

Bronwen contemplates

Jonathan Sri has his name up in lights

We had curry from Top In Town for dinner.

Sunday 25th January – Camera Woes

Morning

Bronwen and I drove to Orleigh Park in West End to attend a photo shoot put on by the “Passionate About Photography” group. It turned out to be a good chance to test—and ultimately prove—whether my camera was indeed faulty. As it turned out, I wasn’t able to take any useful photos at all.

Photographing models at Orleigh Park

As can be seen here, I have focussed on the closer girl

100% crop of the model’s face, showing the focus point location and the level of focus error. In this particular photo it is feasible the focus point could have focussed off the side of the model’s face, however this is just one in a series of photographs, many of which had the focus point located differently but still exhibited the same problem.

As can be seen here, the model to the left, who is also slightly behind,is in-focus. The camera has back-focussed.

In this photo (taken with a different lens, in this case a 70-200mm lens at 70mm), as you can see, the focus point (manually selected) is on the model’s face. Not only that, but the model is in front of a flat wall, so even if the focus point had shifted slightly or is innacurately placed, it should still have been focussed on the wall behind her. The photo is taken at f/2.8 to make it easier to demonstrate the problem. In this photo, the model is quite blurry, yet the grass some distance in front of her starts to come into focus. The camera has front-focussed.

In this 100% crop of the model’s face, it is clear that the photo is badly out of focus. The depth of field at these settings should have been something in the realm of 30 to 80cm, yet no part of the model or the wall behind her is in focus.

As can be seen here, the grass to the front of the model is starting to come into focus. The camera has front-focussed severely.

After the photo shoot we dropped past the new ALDI in West End, and then took my camera back to JB HIFI. To my surprise (I was expecting to have to fight for it) the girl there listened to my story, went and had a chat to her manager, and they offered me an exchange with a new 7D (but as it’s discontinued, they don’t have any in stock in this store, and only a handful left in Australia) or the cost of the 7D taken off a purchase there. I said I’d have to do some research and think about it before being able to purchase another camera. They said I could get the money on a gift card, which lasts two years. I went away to think about it.

I then spent the rest of afternoon researching cameras, not coming to any useful conclusion, and ending up stressed because of it.

Night

Drove to Sizzler in Annerley, which we didn’t like quite as much as the Toowong one—though we both agreed that the salads seemed to taste somehow better which may perhaps have been a psychological thing because we couldn’t think of any reason why it would be so.

After Sizzler we rushed to South Bank. Just as we got there someone pulled out and we were able to get parking, which was very fortunate considering it was quite busy and we were running late for the fireworks. As it turned out, the fireworks were also running late—which was also very fortunate as we’d have missed the start of them if they weren’t.

The fireworks were quite good—they had a few sorts I’d not seen before. One kind was popped out onto the water, where it must have floated for a little bit before exploding at water level.

Colourful fireworks at South Bank

It is difficult to tell in the photograph, but this is a type of fireworks I had not seen before, which explodes into hugely dense fields of tiny lights

There were three barges set up along the river spewing forth fireworks for the crowds

Fireworks were everywhere

Another type of firework I hadn't seen, where the barge spat fireworks out onto the water which then went off at water level

Fireworks for Australia Day

The new water-level fireworks going off

Once the fireworks were over and Bronwen and I had managed to escape from the crowds, we drove up to Bronwen’s parents’ place.

Monday 26th January – Australia Day

Day

It is very hot. Bronwen and I spent the morning slowly melting inside. I did some more research into cameras but found it too stressful so stopped. Until I change my mind, I’ve decided to get a Canon 7D MKII, but buy it here in Australia within 60 days of going overseas and claim the GST back.

Esky Races

We drove to The Normanby, who were having their third annual “1000w esky races”. Bronwen went for a race, before we left and drove to The Gasworks, who were also having a Triple J Hottest 100 party. We bought some drinks, bread and dip from the Woolworths there and had lunch. We watched a pie eating competition, slip-n-slide, prawn peeling competition, and lots of people drinking wine, before driving back to The Normanby again, where Bronwen went in another esky race, and we spent the evening until Triple J finished with their Hottest 100.

Bronwen races her 1000w esky

The pie eating competition

The Gasworks

Children having fun dunking people at The Gasworks

People relaxing at The Gasworks

The 1000w eskies charging

Women fight for the lead in the 1000w Esky Race

Men corner sharply in the 1000w Esky Race

Bronwen on the start line for her race

Women try to go around corners

Women largely fail to go around corners

Bronwen looking very serious in her 1000w Esky Race

I love the expressions on the faces of the people in the background

A man has a tumble

Almost all the women plowed into the hay on the second corner

Men fight for the lead

Men taking their race very seriously

Leaning into corners like pros, the men manage to avoid the hay where all the women crashed

A man hits the camera man despite both their best efforts to avoid the accident

A man hits the camera man despite both their best efforts to avoid the accident

A man hits the camera man despite both their best efforts to avoid the accident

A man hits the camera man despite both their best efforts to avoid the accident

Night

We had a quiet dinner at home. It’s still incredibly hot.