Old Owl's photos

One of the five dolphins feeding next to the path, moving so fast and twisting as it chased its breakfast.

Fremantle WA. (Rather soft, I'm afraid; but at nighttime with a hand-held iPhone? Not too bad really, he said boastfully.)

Ants high on a grevillea bush. Jalbarragup WA. (I believe you can see the ants better if you press Z.)

Fremantle Ports administration building. (Press Z for a bigger look.)

Happy Bench Monday, everyone. A place to sit after a long walk around the breakwater and through to the marina. The clouds have passed us and are heading inland, having provided our first real rain since last December. I hope your day, your week, your April and the rest of your year provide you with contentment, ease and fulfilment.

Far better on black. Please press Z.

Happy Fence Friday to one and all. This is the magnificent 60,000 seater stadium in Perth where the mighty Fremantle Dockers (hurrah!) play their home games. Actually the Dockers share the stadium with their cross-town rivals the West Coast Eagles (boo!, hiss!) and will play them this weekend on April 2nd. As usual, Madame Much Younger Owl and myself will be there, dressed in our Fremantle colours, shouting like mad things and, also as usual, will probably go home disappointed with the result. UPDATE Crikey, Fremantle won this very hard-fought match by 41 points. Not the most skilful game of the weekend but certainly very exciting and entertaining. (The game played is Australian Rules football, which is a proper game of skill, speed and daring, unlike soccer, rugby union, rugby league and American football which are all weak imitations of the real thing.) (Of course, as always, YMMV.)

. (Please press Z for a better view.)

Part of the wall which lines some of Perth Stadium at ground level close by the river. There are many different writings there in both the Whadjuk dialect and English. The stadium, like most of the rest of Perth, stands on what were the lands of the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation. "Katitjin" means "knowledge" or "wisdom" in the Whadjuk dialect. Have a Wonderful Wednesday Wall day. Stay safe and calm in the face of the various adversities which are currently facing us. And smile.

.

.

This is for the Wednesday Wall group of photographs, showing all that remains of the police/troop barracks in Mandurah. The building behind is the post office and the foreground is a car park. From here in October 1834, soldiers, police and settlers rode out to massacre men, women and children of the Bindjareb people of the Noongar nation in Pinjarra, some 25 km inland. History is a slippery thing. We tend to think of it as being definitive and fixed, when of course it isn’t; winners write history, especially when the losers speak a different, less dominant language. In the case of the Noongar people there was no written language, history being passed on through story, song, dance, paintings, carvings and drawings. Needless to say, the history as shown here by Wikipedia ( Pinjarra Massacre ) is disputed by the descendants of the Bindjareb. Despite this, I wish you all a happy and pleasant Wall Wednesday. I echo the hopes of Mother Julian of Norwich: “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.” (By the way, the beer bottle in the window is not an original part of the barracks.)

A large group of big guys, mostly bearded and tattooed, on jet-skis heading back out onto the water. Reminded me of my motorbiking days. Satan's Sardines? Hells Angel Fish? Davy Jones' Locker Cheaters?

Happy Fence Friday to everyone and all your families and friends. I hope your day is productive and your weekend is full of relaxation and joy.

.

.

Bigger is better, I feel. Please press Z.

... like ships in the night ...