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Corvid-2020 Weekly Challenge #5

Welcome to Week 5 of my Corvid-2020 Weekly Challenge.  Corvids are birds belonging to the Corvidae family, encompassing ravens, crows, magpies, jays and nutcrackers.  So check out your corvid photo, poetry, music and story archives and join the challenge.

Over 170,000 people have died from Covid-19 since December 2019, and yet, I can still enjoy this little corvid challenge.  There’s something about minutely concentrating on one thing and just one thing that helps me keep my sanity.  It is a triumph of bravado over pessimism.  So are you ready?  Let’s go corvid-hunting. Read more

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Corvid-2020 Weekly Challenge #4

Welcome to Week 4 of my Corvid-2020 Weekly Challenge.  Corvids are birds belonging to the Corvidae family, encompassing ravens, crows, magpies, jays and nutcrackers.  So check out your corvid photo, poetry, music and story archives and join the challenge.

Corvid-spotting is as good a game as any at the moment.  I’m not one for house cleaning or Netflix watching during this Covid-19 killing time.  Corvid-spotting is tricky because the raven is the only corvid in my village and it has been proving rather elusive.  I confess that sometimes when I am feeling rather down, I’ve been inclined to abandon this challenge, but I know you are all counting on it (like not) so I have to keep trying.  Trying to keep living, trying to keep my spirits up, etc, etc, is the story of my life at the moment; just keep going until I can’t go on anymore.  Maybe that’s your story too? Read more

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Bird Friend

My arm was twisted last year (not very hard) to make a mosaic for a blogger friend.  My friend’s property was burnt in Australia’s huge summer bush fires.  Fortunately, his house survived.  Some of my readers may know Brian from Bushboys World.  One of Brian’s favourite little birds is the Eastern Yellow Robin.  So that was the first mosaic that I made for him.  I’ve also made a second one of a Red-Browed Finch.  I had to make two mosaics otherwise the first one would be lonely.  Unfortunately I attacked the second with a sharp knife today because I didn’t like the shape of its head.  Not that anyone would have noticed the problem because it is not as though people will be looking at it close-up once its hung.  I would have known though, so it met its fate.  I’ll need to fix it, then I can share it with you.  Stand by for that one. Read more

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Corvid-2020 Weekly Challenge #3

Welcome to Week 3 of my Corvid-2020 Weekly Challenge.  Corvids are birds belonging to the Corvidae family, encompassing ravens, crows, magpies, jays and nutcrackers.  So check out your corvid photo, poetry, music and story archives and join the challenge.

My son, the naturalist, tells me there are two types of corvids in Canberra, Australia —   the Australian Raven and the Little Raven.  He also tells me they are about the same size and he can’t tell them apart.  I don’t know about you, ladies and gentlemen, but I find that a tad confounding. Read more

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The Changing Seasons – March 2020

March — Australia creeps toward lockdown.  The weather is good but.
Warning:  this story contains many bird and nature photos.

It seems an age ago that the smoke of bushfires polluted my lungs and we hunkered down for the summer in our small abode.  Then the drought broke and the new corona virus reached our shores, causing chaos and disruption, and threatening to kill a generation.  I confess that my summer experience made me hyper-vigilant for danger. Like the virus, my preparations and anxieties gathered momentum as March marched in.  Read more

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Corvid-2020 Weekly Challenge #2

It may come as no surprise to you, ladies and gentlemen, that I am not as clever as I think I am.  Now I am in a bit of a pickle corvid-wise.  You see, I have a lot of currawong photos that I hoped to share with you for the Corvid-2020 Weekly Challenge, but eek, I’ve discovered after starting this challenge that currawongs are not actually corvids (of the family Corvidae).  In fact, the only corvids in Australia are the crows and ravens.  Unfortunately, I have limited raven photos.  Do you think that the powers-that-be will consider, in these dark Covid-19 times, the scouring of the city for ravens to be an essential activity?   I guess we shall find out.   I fear I might have to resort to some very bad poetry for this challenge. Read more

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Corvid-2020 Weekly Challenge #1

Hello Readers, I know we are all busy just trying to stay alive (welcome to the world of many trapped in refugee camps and in poverty), but if you have enough time (and photos, stories, poems in your archive), you may wish to participate in a new weekly challenge.  I am calling it the Corvid-2020 Weekly Challenge.  No, the virus hasn’t evolved.  A corvid is a type of bird.  The challenge will come out each Tuesday, all being well (if you know what I mean). Read more

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Journeyman

I feel rather odd ignoring the big issues.  It seems wrong to post pretty pictures when really all I want to say is that I hope you’re okay.   Nevertheless, there is a challenge on and finally I have some of my own photos to share with you. Read more

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To Behave Or Not To Behave

Human behaviour is a funny thing, isn’t it?  I suppose that is because we are all different.  Some of us are naturally very organised.  Some of us aren’t.  Some of us are thin.  Some of us aren’t.  Some of us are old and some of us aren’t.  Some of us are fearful and some of us aren’t.  There is a spectrum, isn’t there?  Also, how you might feel on any given day might depend on whether you managed to buy a few toilet rolls before they all sold out.  It is all a matter of perspective, isn’t it?

Welcome to my regular Friday song day, ladies and gentlemen, where I pick a piece of music that reflects my mood or the times, to share with you.  I am also combining my song day with the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge — Change Your Perspective.  Let’s rock ‘n roll. Read more