Hugh_3170

I have come to prefer BBF, although I often reset this option if I hand my camera to someone else to take a photograph. This might be a good topic for an FZ "quiz" to see what percentage of FZ's participants prefer BBF to conventional focusing methods.

Yes, solar with battery storage is increasingly common in Australia, with around 20% of houses having solar in some form or other.

Thanks Daniel - I will read with interest the 335 pages in your link. Much of our timber is treated pinus radiata (aka Monterey Pine) and timber based products such as plywood, MDF, chipboard. Native timbers are featuring less and less here in Australia. Also engineered wooden beams and components are now commonplace. Steel framed houses are increasingly common in areas where white ants prevail.

What sort of wood Daniel? Treated pine?

Ouch! Commiserations. Hope that things improve for you folks in SA. Our privatised electricity networks were not looking too flash either until the Australian federal (or is it feral?) government stepped in last year and read the riot act to the big electricity generators and sellers. The price of gas and coal here have skyrocketed due to the war in Ukraine and the generators claimed that they were loosing money on making electricity and some (not all) were seeking outages. Whilst our energy costs are not as bad as say the UK and parts of Europe, the annual price increases are never-the-less severe enough.

Nice set. It is also called Candy Floss in both OZ and NZ. That humidity must be a killer.

This dog I suspect has fallen on his feet with his new choice of master and associated walks! 😁 And thanks for the pictures.

Australia is in the midst of its 2022 Federal (or is it its feral? LOL) election, and the dearth of leadership is ever so apparent. No one is genuinely electable in the sense of being well suited to do the job. So electors are forced to pick the least worst voting options. Sad and crazy stuff.

Hi Dallas - you folks seem to be getting the same extraordinary weather patterns that have affected many of Australia's Queensland and Northern New South Wales coastal areas. About a year ago you guys were really short of water. Stay safe.

Dramatic wheels and dramatic processing. This car is a beast!

In polite company we are called "Melbournians". Melbourne is in the state of Victoria. Victorians are called "Bloody Mexicans" by those in our Northern neigbour - New South Wales. However the New South Welshmen are sometimes also called "Bloody Mexicans" by those in their Northern neigbour - Queensland. Queenslanders are universally known as bannana benders on account of that state being the main bannana growing state in Australia. South Australians are known as "Crow Eaters" on account of the number of crows over there (technically they are Ravens), West Australians are called "Sand Gropers" and Tasmanians are called "Taswegians" (and sometimes have two heads if also born in Tasmania). New Zealanders are variously called "Bloody Kiwis", "The Defendants", or are simply known as Aussies if they do something really outstanding (funny that last one, Eh). Hope that this all makes sense to those in other parts of the world!

I like these - especially the first one as it is very close to my desktop screen image - shot late afternoon in December 2021 of the same scene. E-M1 Mk II and 12-40mm lens at ~14mm. An ever changing skyline with new buildings sprouting up everywhere.

Me too!

Footage of the wreck was shown on Australian TV news channels last night. The clarity of the images were quite amazing - no doubt aided in part by the low temperatures and the depth and purity of the Antarctic waters.

There were some left apparently, but at over 3,000 metres I think that they will be down there for good. Hurley stored them in soldered up metal containers, so maybe they would have survived at such depths if corrosion doesnt eat through the containers.