Needed Rain Arriving plus Skywatch Friday

Hi and Welcome,
     Summer in Australia has been a very dry Season.  Most of Australia has been declared In Drought.  Farmers are struggling and in need of assistance, whether in Agriculture, Dairy, Wool or Cattle for Meat.
     Dams have little water, with those depending on tank water for their everyday life needing to buy water.  Overall, drought, like other extreme weather conditions becomes costly, both with loss of income as well as outlay.
     The Southern States along Eastern Australia have had repeated Bush Fires during their very hot dry Summer heat.

Sharing with 'Skywatch Friday'

April 3, 2014 Edition

Hosted by Yogi, Silvia and Sandy 

        Where I am in Gympie South East Queensland Australia, everywhere I look is dry.  The ground is parched and brown, or dirt instead of green pastures and lawns.  Foliage is either not present or the leaves have curled into themselves.  Wildlife is hungry.
        Winter of 2013.. June through to August.. was mild in Gympie.  A few showers now and then, but not very cold at all.  Then came Spring.. September to November.. and again the Season gave little rain, plus there were some very hot days to cope with.  Finally Summer arrives.. December to February.. and except for one nice dose of rain during January 2014 - 36.6millimetres (about 1.4inches) on the 7th  - there were just mostly hot humid days, and sometimes even at night the temperature didn't drop far at all.
        One of the nice parts about living in South East Queensland I have experienced is the cooler nights after long hot days.  They are pure relief during Spring and Summer, exhausting when doesn't happen.

        So the joy I felt when leaving town on an overcast Tuesday on  the 25th of March with drizzles of rain having occurred all morning felt wonderful to feel as I witnessed a dark cloud mass travelling from the North towards Gympie... I knew rain was going to happen.
        What made witnessing that cloud mass arriving extra special was being where I was along the roadway in Missy Car.  I knew along that road I sometimes travel back to where I rent is a lone Eucalyptus Tree, standing tall on a rise seeing all across a grazing field.  So getting there became the exact direction I chose to head for.  I knew that cloud mass would be the lone Eucalypt's back-drop.  I just needed to arrive before rain started...

        I did... and in my eagerness forgot to lower the ISO setting in Nikl camera's Normal Mode, which means the resulting image is very full of noise, but to me the photo is still dramatic...

         Another noise-filled view taking in more of Lone Eucalypt's surroundings and other companions...

        The bit of road visible is The Mary Valley Highway, which naturally leads to the Mary Valley itself and other Townships along the way.  Very scenic journey it is to travel.

2014.. Returning With Clouds plus Skywatch Friday

Hello again,
     It's been nearly 2yrs since I've been here to do a Posting.  But the urge had been growing, and today has become the day.
     How regular I'll be I just don't know, but right now the feeling is a good to be here one.
     Where to begin, well Clouds felt to be just right.  I love them, and right now can't think of a better way to return to share something with you than with a subject I love.
     The introductory photo is one of my own, it was done with my Sony Ericson phone during March of 2012.  Well that's something I hadn't noticed until doing this.  I'll consider the happening as a special way to return.  I chose the photo randomly to represent Cloud Postings, and the date suits.

Participating in Skywatch Friday

March 20, 2014 Edition

Hosted by Yogi, Silvia and Sandy

        The photos I'll be including have been done with a camera.  Christmas 2012 I half achieved and half received as a gift a Nikon L120, but that is it's own story.
As for the Clouds... well I can now photo them as I never could with my phone.  But... it is going to be interesting to see how they'll look here.  I've had to resize  in order to be able to upload them.  The images have travelled from 40megabytes to about 1megabyte or less.  Well if I don't start, neither of us will know...

        This first one I did during the Summer of February 2012, the time being about 5pm...

        I played in my editing and viewing programme.. FastStone.  Also a new edition to my life.  The original image had normal blue sky in the darkest areas with the white fluffy clouds creating the beautiful shaping around the blue.  Yet it looked plain, but when I de-saturated the colouring and lifted out the black and white tones, I felt the result to be interestingly captivating.

        This next image I really love a lot...

 
        Also done during Summer of February 2013,  and though about a week after the previous one, the time is also in the 5pm time frame.  What I do sometimes with Clouds in FastStone is to let the programme Auto Correct the Colours and see what it does.
That was one of those moments when I saw something worth keeping happen.  I loved the intensity the richness of those clouds create with that one small bird.  Always affects me when I see that image.  Gives me an idea just what a bird is seeing when flying about on rich cloudy days.  I have a copy prepared for printing, look forward to seeing it.  Just hope will retain the effect.

        The next photo is the same image without the enhancement.  I could not choose which I liked more....

        One has more drama, but to me they both are beautiful.  It is the bird who makes the difference.  I was truly fortunate the bird flew into view at the right moment.  Unfortunately am not sure which of the birds visiting my yard area it is.  By the size and movement of wings, I think it may be one of the Ravens/Crows.  No matter how hard I try to learn whether Raven or Crow, I am still unable to be certain which inhabits the area I'm in, so I simply use both names.

        This next one was on the same day as the previous two and also in the same time frame.  I left it in it's natural tones...

        I simply enjoy how my imagination responds with seeing a huge fluffy being, a marshmallow being, emerging to move across the vastness of sky.  There feels to be a purpose of destination to me.

        About a week later, and nearing the end of February and Summer in 2012...

        Those wonderful clouds were happening during the 1pm time frame.  This time I can identify the bird, he/she is a Crested Pigeon - Ocyphaps lophotes.  The electrical cable is a favourite roosting spot during the day for many of the birds visiting the yard.
Again the image portrays for me the smallness of the bird in relation to the vastness of the sky, and the richness of the clouds.

Clouds Giving Stories and Skywatch Friday

I Have A Deep Love For The Visual

 Experiences Clouds Give...

   So I Welcome You To A Journey

With Clouds Giving Of Their Stories...

Friday 7 October 2011
Sharing this past Post with
 SkyWatch Friday

Season 5, Episode 13

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

  The 16th of Dec 2010 had been inbetween Storm's Story (My Environment - "Stormy Sky" 15 Dec 2010), and the 16th's afternoon's into the night's sequel to that Story.  During the inbetween time, the Clouds gave rather beautiful discussions about the whole happening.  My Vivaz phone I feel has again recorded the event rather well.  I hope you enjoy the seeing.

Looking West about 1pm Eastern Australian time.

 The Clouds I feel are magnificent.  The foresty part is mostly a once was orchard.  Lots of interesting experiences there when suitable for wandering about in.  Near the outhouse is a Mandarin Tree.  In the foreground is, am certain, what would be called a Bush Lemon Tree. The fruit has very pitted thick skin.  Double Bar Finches love nesting in amid its thorny branches.

This is also looking towards West. Same time frame.
I focused on the changing Story the Clouds were telling in the previous photo. Seems deep.  The tall Tree on the right is an Australian Silky Oak Grevillea.  Seasonally sheds its leaves but never becomes bare, just renews. The Flowers when in blossom are a golden orange with red tips.  The Tree, sort of behind it, is a Camphor Laurel.  Lovely Tree, but seen as an introduced pest.  

   

Looking towards South. Still the 1pm zone.

A completely different Story is occurring.  Not as intense I feel.  Am fascinated by the Cloud funnel. Reminds me of seeing in documentaries and movies the smokey steam flowing from Steam Engine funnels.  Tall Tree on left is a Pine Cone Tree.  Sulphur Crested Cockatoos enjoy shredding the cones.  Foreground left and amid right are Bauple Nut Trees.  Also known as a Macadamia.

        There are three more Cloud Stories to experience achieved by Vivaz before the 16 Dec 2010 afternoon's continuing Storm Story began if you'd like to continue....

Stormy Sky and Skywatch Friday

Welcome To My Unexpected Journey With A Forming Storm Cell Cloud,

23.09.2011
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Skywatch Friday
  http://skyley.blogspot.com/

         Today, between 2pm and 4pm, the sky over Queensland Australia went into a serious story mode. The day had been reasonably hot and heavy yet didn't feel intended doing what eventuated. Maybe the sky simply decided to have a say, a rather big say as it turned out, even if quick. Where I am the Storm's Story gave impact, but when it reached Brisbane must have really built up an opinion that according to the news was a serious lashing for all in its path.

I rather love Cloud Stories. Fortunately my Vivaz phone was able to record this Cloud Story rather well as I held it out the upstairs window. If I've heard correctly over the news, these storm clouds were called a Storm Cell.

 That is what I began seeing coming from the South West while I was downstairs. So richly expressive. I had to ask my Vivaz to have a go. The window upstairs offered the best view to photo the unfolding story. The old outhouse is part of the property's scenery and quite picturesque. Is even managing to reflect the Storm Cloud's colour tones.

This view is looking to the South. I wasn't sure if needed to include the telling with next photo following this part of Storm Cloud's Story from a lower perspective. But it kept convincing me that it has a valid part of the story to recount.

The brown item amid the trees is a very large shipping container neighbour utilizes for storage. Nifty idea possibly.

  

Looking towards South. That is the follow-up part from previous photo of Storm Cloud's Story. And yes, the reasoning for being included is valid I feel. That photo is a rather more landscapey part of this telling.

The whitish item on the left amid the trees has been an interesting disintegrating process to observe. Was once I presume a functioning caravan. Now a curiosity about decay....

Twilight Rainbow and Skywatch Friday

Hello and Welcome
       To My Unexpected Journey
                  With A Rainbow
                         Visiting Reader,

This is my first contribution (9 Sept 2011) with SkyWatch Friday
Even though Rainbow's Story goes back to Nov 2010 

 I did not expect to be returning this soon, yet living provides one with unexpected opportunities. This is one of those happenings that seems very right in being shared.

        This event I saw as a farewell to November for 2010, and hopefully a positive sign.

        I have found it is rare to see such a perfect semi-circle which in its circle's fullness, to my thinking, would be surrounding the entire Earth for all to experience. 
        This moment for me occurred Sunday 28th November 2010 when I endeavoured to see if my Vivaz phone could record the way the sunset's glow was creating a golden light show in amid the trees and foliage. (That attempt was not overly successful when viewed on my computer's screen). I had turned from the trees and saw on the Eastern Sky the Rainbow's giving. What ever else Vivaz did not succeed with on that occasion, it very much did with the Rainbow. A beautiful giving from both.
        I decided to go for a Journey and explore meanings for a Rainbow - if you would also, I have included some of my findings with this sharing, simply......