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Showing posts from December, 2013

We all know I was on my way to the Zoo on Sunday......

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well, you do if you read yesterday's post, so you might be wondering why. Let me tell you. To tie in with the release of the movie Walking With Dinosaurs, our Zoo has constructed a Dinosaur exhibit . And I wanted to see it. I charged up the camera batteries and caught the bus into town, then walked to the Zoo , passing the bat trees on the way. Ready to see some dinosaurs? Here we go... information signs beside each dinosaur were really handy, since the only dinosaurs I recognise are Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops .  I've never even heard of the Apatosaurus . Here's what he looks like... of course there's more to him than just a head.... See? This exhibit, (the whole thing, not just this dinosaur), was very popular, families with kids were everywhere! I almost tripped over several toddlers who'd escaped their prams. I was too busy aiming the camera to watch out for them. The Apatosaurus needs his enormous tail to balance his long neck. ...

things are a little batty here

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In Botanic Park, I mean. I was on my way to the Zoo and took a small detour into the park because I like walking across the small bridge....bridges are a favourite thing of mine. I happened to look up and saw what I first thought to be large, oddly shaped pine cones, then one fluttered his wings..... Fruit bats. Or just regular bats, I don't know the difference and since none of them appeared large enough to be Dracula, I wasn't worried. You won't believe how many..... These are in one tree and this is just a few branches, a branch or two on the next tree.... they were this thick on four trees. The Zoo is right next door, so the bats hang around for left over food I suppose, after the animals get their fruit and veg. Bats do eat fruit and veg don't they?  Why else are they called fruit bats? For those who might be a little squeamish looking at bats, here is a sculpture to take your mind off them.... I don't know what it is supposed to r...

Sunday Selections # 152

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Welcome back to Sunday Selections! This once-a- week-meme was originally begun by Kim of Frog Ponds Rock, as a way to showcase some of the many photos we all take, but don't get around to showing on our blogs. Kim spends more time writing at The Shake these days. The rules are very simple:- 1. post photos of your choice, old or new, under the Sunday Selections title 2. link back to me, River, somewhere in your post 3. leave me a comment so that I know you've joined in and can come over and see what you've posted. 4. hop on over to TheElephant’s Child to see more of her wonderful photos. Kath and Andrew often join in as well, although Kath has been quite busy lately and unable to join us. There are several other participants now though: Jackie K at WorkingThrough It Gillie at RandomThoughts From Abroad I usually go with a theme for my Sunday Selections and this week I'm continuing with some photos of the gardens surrounding thes...

Let's take one more walk, a short one this time

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We'll walk along Ellen Street, with a side view into Alexander Street.  ** Many years ago, Ellen Street looked like this.... Railway tracks went straight down the middle ending at the Railway Station.... the view you see is the shopping and hotels side of the street, the Railway Station is on the wharf side of the street.  and there was no platform, so people stepped down into the street off the train. In the 50s, trains ran at night too, (possibly even in the 60s) leaving Adelaide in daylight and arriving in Port Pirie quite late at night. We arrived on a train named The Bluebird in 1958 at about 9-10pm. I remember climbing down a short set of steps to the road, then walking across to the footpath. Dad had accepted a job offer from the Port Pirie branch of the South Australian Gas Company and was to start work the next day. (SAGASCO, dark green shirts, red logo stitching) So here we were in Port Pirie, five of us, late at night, with nowhere to stay. A house ha...