Weather Today- in Your Vicinity

[Juanito200]

Weather today- 60F, breeze 5-10 mph. I was on my way back from the store, and I saw smoke on the horizon. I grabbed my camera and Ian after dropping off the goods, and we came upon a McKinney Fire Department training exercise. They let us come in and shoot to our hearts content. Here is one of my favorites. John

[Greg Beetham]

Looks like that one is using foam. No water on that exercise?
Greg

[Juanito200]

Very true Greg. That firefighter is actually foaming the trees around the structure. Ian and I were apparently late to the party, and they were just letting it burn when we arrived. Still, it was great fun, and their training officer gave me his card, so I could email the pictures that Ian and I took. He said he would give me a heads up whenever they had something scheduled. We'll see. I'd love to do this kind of thing again. John

[aster]

Hi David,

Somehow I skipped commenting on this lovely teasal shot, although I had it on my mind; the tiny birds in Greg's garden distracted my attention!

Great creamy bokeh indeed, David, but I also like the cool, serene colour palette that prevails around the whole photo frame.

Thanks for sharing, : )

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Hi John; : )

Seeing firefighters training is intriguing! Having to burn something down and create smoke and water vapour to keep these brave men in shape is only exercise I know but even this sight is enough to bring fear of fire to one's thoughts.!

Would love to see more if the assignment becomes a reality in the future. : )

Thanks for sharing,

Yildiz

Autumn Tsatsu Shores

[Greg Beetham]

Not much too report today, I did notice a couple of wing stretches and a fair bit of movement, changing directions etc. A couple of excitable Honeyeaters came for a visit, hopping around the branches making lots of noise (as usual), I started copying their call and one flew over and hovered just outside the blind for a few moments peering in trying too see what was making the strange sounds.
Thanks Yildiz, Uncle Greg is watching over them, when I get a chance.
Greg
Townsville weather: 23.2 | 26.7C, H76%, 28|24km/h E|ESE. Overcast occasional showers.

KM5D KM100-300apo

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[david antony]

Cloudy and cool around here today. 9ºc.

I really like the fire scene John, was pleased to see it was just an exercise. :^)

Good to see the chicks thriving so well Greg. You are a quite the warbler, lots of pull with those honey chicks. ;^)

Thanks for the kind comments Yildiz. Glad you like it.

[David Kilpatrick]

Well, we were forecast frost (happened, went out in bare feet and sandals this morning over frozen grass), freezing fog, rain, high winds and no sun. Actually what we got today has been brilliant clear sunshine of the sort which can heat an old house like ours in a few minutes (that's why they built them with huge windows 200 years ago).

The derelict look is something I have no problem sleeping next to, but the old shutters were only unpinned three weeks ago, and had not been 'closed' for maybe half a century, maybe much longer. I have bought new hacksaw blades for a metal Stanley knife body to free up the remaining three sides of the two windows in our bedroom. Until it's all done, I have peeling Victorian paint. But we have slept with unshuttered windows and no curtains for over 20 years now. In Scotland in summer it gets light from 4am, and I have no problem sleeping in any light; no need to black a room out. We have no curtains at all in the house, only shutters.

13.4C outside at 11am, and the sun is strong enough to make the rainbow crystal rotator on my office window send prismatic colours chasing all round the room. But only 1/6th of my office window has the shutter open, I can not work with anything more or my Mac screen becomes impossible to see.

[Greg Beetham]

They're gone...I went for lunch and when I came back a half hour later the nest was empty. I thought something must have got them, I didn't think they were ready to leave the nest yet. I searched everywhere down on the ground too see if I could see anything of them...nothng.
Greg
Townsville weather: 22.3 | 27.0C, H77%, 13|20km/h ENE|ENE. Overcast occasional showers.

Sorry David I didn't realize you were composing a message as I was doing mine until too late, otherwise I would have left it til later.

KM5D KM100-300apo

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Then I saw them sitting way over on another branch to the left, so I thought I'll go downstairs and get a photo before they disappear for good. (Yay at long last no blind to shoot through and no ISO3200 either)

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I just took the photo and it started too rain again.

[Greg Beetham]

David those shutters aren't storm shutters then, being on the inside of the window glass? Are they just for controlling the amount of light entering the room?
Greg

[David Kilpatrick]

They are traditional Georgian casement and sash window shutters, as found throughout northern Europe in houses mainly 18th to 19th century, sometimes earlier, rarely later. They are there for a whole set of reasons - architectural tradition, security (solid iron latchbar locks across the centre), insulation, control of light, cutting draughts and noise from rattling sash windows. They are not used with curtains, more often with a sunblind, but people wreck them by cutting into the woodwork to add curtain rails. I have carefully repaired any such damage in each room we have restored. Some of the windows have the old pipes for gas lights, from the 1820s, hidden behind the woodwork.

We don't have storm shutters as the windows are deeply recessed from the outside, set well back from the face of a 30 inch think wall. It would be hard to operate 8 x 2ft external shutters and if the wind caught them I don't think they would last long.

David

[Greg Beetham]

I find those panels in the shutters interesting, building close fitting panelled doors is a serious work of art, nowdays you can do them with a router if you know what you're doing and can afford the large width oak planks for the panels. I don't know how they did them back in those days, probably with a spokeshave and hand plane specially shaped for the job, they definitely wouldn't have had tungsten tipped router cutters back then.
Greg

ps. Yeah wow 30" thick walls, one could just about ignore any external event, civil unrest, WWIII, losing the ashes

[david antony]

Wet 12ºc.

Was concerned when I saw the empty nest, was pleased to see them posing for you in their own frame, good shot there Greg. Not much difference between the parents, could not tell male or female apart. I know you guy's would have sooner lost WW2 rather than the Ashes. Though most international sports were cancelled during the war.

You may have heard this cricket commentary Greg? worth a listen if not. Live BBC.

http://www.nimisis.com/posts/brian_john ... commentary

[David Kilpatrick]

The shutters in my office show how they were used in WWII - rows of old pin/nail holes where felt and blackout cloth was attached, to seal up the cracks between the old wooden panels. When we opened them up in 1989, strips of the felt were still there, and some old blackout material hanging from parts of them.

David

[Greg Beetham]

Thanks DA, no I hadn't heard that cricket segment before, I don't mind the game itself of course, mainly for the historical context I guess, the tradition of the test matches against England, I usually watch those games but I don't bother very much with any other international matches, the game has been dragged down by some of the bad behaviour I think.
Greg

[Greg Beetham]

Yes those shutters would have been very handy back then, when there was a possiblility of a nazi bomb dropping on one. What idiots they were, dropping bombs on the civil population areas.
Greg