Maypole

Back to the circus for a second. In the absence of any genuine folk dancing, I thought the tent and the truck did a fair interpretation of one of those Maypole dancers!

Kawana

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Enticing

If you read yesterday's post, today's photo needs no explanation!

N Thai Sing
Noosaville

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Thai Seasons

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

What is it with Thai Restaurants and their propensity for witty names? It was only that we were eating at the marvellously simple Thai Seasons in Mooloolaba while the Australian Open Tennis Tournament was on, that I realised it's former moniker, "Thai Breaker" was not about the beach and the waves after all.

Then of course there's the Hard Wok Cafes, the Wok on Inn, the Bangkok Milton, and a seemingly endless round of Thai puns.

If it wasn't for the food, well we just wouldn't go!

Mooloolaba

Eumundi Surfboard

Was once a hall of some description, now a house.

With a surfboard for decoration.

Eumundi

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Eumundi House

Just a house. Harking back to times gone by, but the clear timber is a giveaway. No self respecting old-timer would have left timber exposed to the elements like that.

There is a curious conflict among some of the house "restoration" crowd which involves stripping off the history which is documented in the layers of paint and render, to expose the materials in their raw state. But the builders knew better originally, and always protected the materials with thick paint.

Once again I digress, timber houses on stumps with metal roofs are our vernacular form of residential architecture, or were, until the concrete slab came along in the nineties.

Eumundi

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Happy Commercialisation!

I know they meant well, but wishing someone a "Happy ANZAC Day" is not cool.

It's a sad fact of life I suppose that the intent a somewhat solemn day of reflection and remembrance should be lost in a sea of smiley faces, and a 15% surcharge.

Noosa Heads

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

ANZAC Day Skywatch

ANZAC Day, tomorrow, is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day.

Australians and New Zealanders recognise 25 April as an occasion of national commemoration. Commemorative services are held at dawn – the time of the original landing – across the nation. Later in the day, ex-servicemen and women meet and join in marches through the major cities and many smaller centres. Commemorative ceremonies are held at war memorials around the country. It is a day when we reflect on the many different meanings of war.

More information may be found at the Australian War Memorial website here.

This photograph was taken almost a year ago, outside the Maleny RSL - The Returned Servicemen's League.

The vibrant sky and the blazing red of the hibiscus in flower needs little further comment.

Don't forget, there links to lots more Skywatch images from around the world on the Skywatch Portal!

Maleny.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Southerners

It's getting cooler. The southerners are arriving.

Round here almost all our estuarine fish species are bottom feeding, so typically fishing lines are rigged with small lead sinkers to ensure that the bait stays down where the fish are likely to see it. When the tourists arrive from the south, it's easy to spot them. They're the ones fishing with the floats.

Mooloolaba

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Not Here

Oh no, you'd never find graffiti this clever on the Coast! There's a bloke who paints it all out with mission brown anyway, so the cure is actually worse than the disease.

This picture is interesting (to me) as it is actually a single unretouched photograph, yet could be something of a modern diptych! The three colours are actually in three different planes. The white line is a verandah post, it all looked quite arty really, in no way due to the original "artists" work I have to say.

Sawtell, NSW

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

It's football season again, but of course we call "Football" soccer, and we call Rugby League, Rugby Union and Australian Rules "football". To make things even more confusing, a lot of Soccer leagues play fixtures in summer to stay in sync with the Northern Hemisphere.

I have no idea whether this goal is in use or not, but I thought it made a nice photo anyway, and we've had lots of rain so the grass is uncharacteristically lush.

Kawana


Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

The last Frangipani

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

The Plumeria or Frangipani as it is known is a native of southern India, Venezuela and Mexico, but it has spread through most temperate climates and has become somewhat synonymous with Coastal areas, including our own.

Autumn is apon us, and the leaves of the frangipani are already starting to thin, but here is one last shock of flower in our garden. The white ones and red ones have long gone.

Mooloolaba

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

DidgeridooEumundi Markets

I am not sure what the collective noun for didgeridoo is, a forest perhaps?

Whatever it is, I'm sure I can see a bamboo tent post hiding in their among the instruments!

Eumundi

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Need a drink?

Saturday is market day at Eumundi, and this fellow was running by quite early in the morning.

I've never been one for jogging, and certainly don't have any attributes which would justify me doing so half naked. Some people seem to spend an awful lot of time getting the right amount of sun, exercise and finding the right brand of sunglasses.

I don't, which I suppose is why I'm more comfortable taking photographs than being in them, but couldn't help but smile as this poor tortured soul laboured past the front of the bottle shop signage.


Eumundi

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Market PuzzleToday's Skywatch from the Sunshine Coast

For today's puzzle, let's see who can find the sky!

Hint: It's drizzling, so it isn't the customary bright blue!

Find links to lots more Skywatch images from around the world on the Skywatch Portal!


Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

LightsEumundi Markets

These lanterns were sold at the Eumundi markets by a couple who have just moved back to Korea, apparently they are based on a Korean tradition with paper, I know little more after my brief conversation but if you have one of them at your place I guess it's now a collector's item!

Eumundi Markets
Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Loo with a view

I know that once or twice I've made a joke of my subject, but not today, that really is what this building is called!

This is the verandah of the public toilet on Mooloolaba beach, and well patronised it is too, in stark contrast to the one at Beerwah, the Council spent many millions ensuring this facility was first rate!

Mooloolaba

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Loo Too

Another view of the Beerwah Bookshop facility, one was just not enough.

Beerwah


Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Bookshop Loo

The "facilities", Beerwah Bookshop

Beerwah

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Waiting for the crowds

One last check of the concessions before the madding crowd arrives.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Circus

Having been fortunate enough to have seen the Great Moscow Circus in Moscow, I can assure readers that the resemblance of the circus building to the famous St Basil's Church in Red Square is entirely in the minds of the marketeers!

None the less, there's something quite Russian about a series of coloured inflatabel onion domes appearing in a sports ground near you!

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Great Moscow Skywatchon the Sunshine Coast!

An interestingly dark sky for Good Friday I thought.

Actually it's not Moscow, it's Kawana, however for a few days in late February the inflatable onion domes of the Great Moscow Circus sent out a confusing message to visitors.

Find links to lots more Skywatch images from around the world on the Skywatch Portal!

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Fishermans Road

They are by no means the main provider of goods and foods, but the weekend markets do provide a pleasant way to top up the larder, with everything from fresh produce to machinery parts if any take one's fancy.

This is a small section of the Fisherman's Road Market at Maroochydore, open from dawn on Sunday till around midday.

Maroochdyore

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Time Travel

As economic times get tougher, people are holding on to their cars for longer.

Didn't Doctor Who have one of these a few years ago?

Maroochydore

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Wombi the Kombi

There's a colloquial description of the Wombat as one which eats roots and leaves.

Perhaps this is the conveyance within which it all occurs, but whether or not that's the case I rather liked the gum leaves decorating the rear window in reflection.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Trolley Hatchlings

The supermarket trolley, having accomplished it's mission on land, now laden with its young, slides gracefully back into the water with the coming tide.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Noosa Mangroves

All mangroves are protected in Queensland, if not Australia, and large penalties apply should anyone be silly enough to cause them damage. They are a vital part of the estuarine ecosystem, and rather pleasant to poke around among as well if I do say so.

Noosa River

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Trolley Breeding

If you sit quietly in the shadows, you may be fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of a supermarket trolley coming out of the water to breed.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Low tide and late afternoon

Low tide and late afternoon can be quite pleasant beneath the bridge.

If you can ignore the beat of 45,000 cars per day going over Nicklin Way.


Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

The White Faced HeronToday's Skywatch from the Sunshine Coast

Find links to lots more Skywatch images from around the world on the Skywatch Portal!

According to Wikepedia, the White-faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae, also known as the Blue Crane, can be found almost anywhere near shallow water, fresh or salt, and although it is prompt to depart the scene on long, slow-beating wings if disturbed, it will boldly raid suburban fish ponds.

If you look closely enough, you will see that this fellow's neck is wet, all the way down to his shoulders, although you aren't to know that he got into that state fishing in my pond. I suspect that Mr Goldfish in yesterday's post is no longer happily swimming around, although he has plenty of siblings remaining.

I can't imagine a more perfect setting to photograph a Blue Crane, than in front of a pale grey sky, while standing on a pale grey roof. The sky almost looks as though it's been painted as a studio backdrop.

We've seen a bit of sky that colour of late, another 125mm (that's five inches) of rain overight, and we're only on the edge of the system!

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Gold Fish

I very nearly made this my "yellow" theme picture, arguing that a goldfish is really not gold, since fool's gold is yellow and since it was April Fool's day yesterday, and in some countries it was "poisson d'avril" (I hope I got that right!). In the end, it seemed as though I was stretching the whole thing a bit too far.

So here is a soon to be ex-goldfish in my pond.

A prelude to tomorrow's skywatch!

Mooloolaba

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Body Boarder with a touch of yellow.

This shot was taken last Autumn, but I've kept it as a reminder that Easter is almost upon us, and the water will start to cool off enough that we'd all better start pulling out our wetsuits again.

The flash of yellow is just about enough to make it theme day compliant too!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Caloundra

I'm finally back from the wilds, had a great time, and thanks to all of you who've visited regularly in my absence, I'll get to your comments over the coming days.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia