Midi-mates' Mess and Officers Cabins

After the Main Mess Deck there was a Midi-mates Mess and Officers' Cabins - here you could not stand but crouch or go on all fours as the roof was only 4 foot 6 inches high. The boys apprenticed to officers and servants and also looked after the the animals, slept in hammocks that did not hve to be rolled up. Midshipmen and the 12 Royal Navy Marines also slept here. The Royal Marines were the policemen so slept with rifle to hand and their quarters were very sparse. The entrances to the stores of food and water below this deck had to be guarded by them at all times too. The Officers here were: the ships surgeon, the Captain's Clerk, 2nd and 3rd Leutenants, and Gunner, some in private cabins. Some Officers had their own rooms with walled hammocks and shared the Mess Room on the next deck up with a roof of 4 foot 5" high, with the Officers and Gentlemen where there was a sideboard and a drop sided table.

Captains quarters

At the very back of the ship reserved for the Captain and in this expedition Joseph Banks the botanist, men on the our tour were stooping. This room was bright and airy. Also it had a small fireplace and good desk and many leather bound books and a very large table for maps etc. There was more on this tour to the top of the back of the ship where in fact the sheep, goats, chickens were housed. Also they were shown the steering wheel and its many ropes attached to the rudder and the navigation instuments . On the rear deck no ordinary crew were allowed, only officers. More Information about this floating working sailing ship/museum here. For a photograph of this ship under full sail see the Museum site here

Marionettes and music - Box Hill

SS Enterprize docking Melbourne

The Sailing Ship Enterprize is a topsail schooner replica of the first ship that brought settlers to the Yarra in Port Phillip, now Melbourne. This photograph was taken looking down on her from the front of the HM Bark Endeavour at Docklands Melbourne.

Jitney or Karachi style Melbourne Tram for Games

This tram is again running around the City Circle on Friday nights during the summer while there is daylight saving time. 11 January 2007. More details here - http://www.tramtactic.net/W-11_archive_CG/about-cat.html

Red-rumped Parrots in Ivanhoe Melbourne near Yarra

Feeding on ground under some Mistleoe in a Wattle tree. Not much wonder we nearly trod on them when we were walking on the trail! Note there are 2 birds in the middle photo!

Balloons Hot Air Melbourne

Over Malvern, Melbourne flying to the west about 7.45am

Partial blindness-both eyes.Transient cortical bilateral homonymous hemianopsia

Norman vision Franktson Beach Park - no loss of sight = full visual fields. Partial blindness [hemianopsia] of both [bilateral] visual fields. Loss on left half of both eyes [left homonymous]. Also shimmering like an underwater view on the affected areas, I dont know what the technical term is for this. This sudden blindness is what happened two occaisions about 36 hours after coronary angiography 3 years apart. Each time it lasted about half an hour and cured itself totally. The next angiogram I had to have was done using hydrocortisone before and this prevented the problem twice. I have been told it is a form of allergic rection to the X-ray dye used in angiograms and is a type of migrane. That was what hppened to me in 2001 and 2004.

Storms over Melbourne

Sky over Malvern 25th Feb 2006- shortly after this cloud arrived the deluge began! Mid afternoon in summer.

"Punch and Judy" theatre for pre-school kids.

At Wheelers Hill- home made fun for kids. For a real Punch and Judy show we needed at least Punch and his wife, Judy and the Policeman and a baby. Also best with a gauze screen for the "puppeteer" to hide behind. See more about this traditional kids entertainment Punch and Judy pictures and script

Beaches on the Western Coast of Westernport, Mornington Peninsula

Balnarring - bush up to the sand.

Frankston Beach

McClelland Gallery + Sculpture Park Frankston

Fabulous flowers from Dame Elizabeth Murdoch's garden for the opening. Black steel sculptures by Inga King. This world class gallery in only 40 minutes from Burwood. It is a spacious outdoor gallery for sculpture set amongst natural but landscaped bush. It holds interesting very high quality sculpture exhibitions. Web site HERE

Torquay Surf Coast Victoria

Geelong Harbour. The sundial at the far eastern end of Torquay beach foreshore in a howling gale. Windswept cyprus trees Torquay. Windsufers and kite boarders Torquay Cliff top view over Jan Juc surf coast.

Tarra Warra Art Gallery and vineyards Yarra Valley

Rainbow Lorikeets in Melbourne on red flowering gumtree

Kangaroos in the outskirts of Melbourne - Churchill Park

Wildlife in Melbourne Suburbs- a Mopoke ?

These are pictures of a Tawny Frogmouth [which I grew up calling a Mopoke -perhaps not one?]. They are members of the nightjar family, and are more closely related to kookaburras and kingfishers than to owls. They eat insects, worms, slugs and snails, small mammals, reptiles, frogs and birds. Their eyes face sideways not the front like an owl. They are not found in Tasmania or desert country. This bird was very accustomed to humans and this photowas taken in May 2005 about 200 meters from Gardiners Creek. I never saw one in the city before. As a kid I saw them in the bush around Lysterfield Resevoir but I never saw another until this one. I have not seen him since. Photo taken at dusk. I have heard he lives in a tree in the next street - much closer to the creek. Paperbark Titree that could hide a frogmouth - lots like this are near where this bird was sitting.