DRIPPY DAZE

It's been a wet few days, and most of today's live coverage weather coverage came from the vantage point of my home office (aka the dining table) where I watched the rain fall steadily through the last of the autumn leaves - in between my own steady tappings on the keyboard.

LOCAL TOURISM

It's a pretty common experience for many of us - but playing tourist closer to home is something a lot of people don't always get around to doing. For people who like travelling, the allure of the unfamiliar is often far more tempting than poking around the corners of our own back yard.

FROG BLOG

Frog visitation highlights from this past wet season

POTTED FROG

Best served alfresco*. Adapts to a variety of different pot types.
*Serving suggestion only

SPOTLIGHT ON SPECIES - THE APOSTLEBIRD

One of the great things about camping in the Australian bush is the general tendency for local wildlife to crash join your party. Well, I think that's what often happens...maybe it's just me. While this 'hi, what you doing?' habit is less welcome if it's say, something that can kill you (and as every enlightened tourist knows, Everything in Australia Can Kill You), sometimes your nature bonding companions are nothing more than a charming mob of very precocious birds wearing prepare-to-die expressions.

KAKADU BIRDS

Striated pardalote - open eucalypt woodland, Litchfield National Park

I lived in Northern Australia for about 12 years in total, and spent a lot of that time out in the bush, surrounded by amazing colours, diverse nature and raw beauty. I was always interested in photography, and have had a camera kicking around for as long as I can remember but like a lot of people the cost of film could be a bit offputting when you were still working it all out.
I had so much fun cramming in 13 lost years into a one month holiday, but at the same time I quite regretted that I hadn't go into photography earlier. It was amazing to see how much easier it is to photograph wild birds in Australia as compared with Europe. All of these shots used nothing more powerful than a 200mm lens and a bit of cropping.

A TRIP TO THE ZOO

At the heart of Lille's old citadelle (now a fantastic and much needed green space near the city centre) there's a free public zoo with a modest collection of animals. I head down there quite often as it's a great place to get out to breathe and unwind or catch up with friends for a stroll. Since getting my DSLR camera I've been keen to get down there and get some decent shots. So this weekend I headed over to see who was out on view...