© irene waters 2015
Two tortoises
© irene waters 2015
Two swans in amongst the pigeons
© irene waters 2015
Two people, two dogs and two balloons all different from each other
© irene waters 2015
Two different items – a large chair with a person beneath
© irene waters 2015
A bison and pig are also quite different from each other and the little piglets different again.
© irene waters 2015
Two bushes the same but with different coloured flowers.
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
These multiple flowers were taken at the Hunter Valley Gardens and posted for Ed’s Sunday Stills the Next Challenge.
© irene waters 2015
Whilst out walking this morning we came across this car. I thought it was an odd ball. My husband went into raptures of delight telling me it was a Lotus 7 Series 1 built in the late 1950’s by the founder of what became Lotus Engineering (and then Lotus cars). It became the prototype of their successful track racing car. This car had the advantage of being registerable for the road and around 2,500 were purchased. Great for all the boy racers one of which would have been my husband.
© irene waters 2015
Looking at it I just saw extreme discomfort. It was so low to the road that I am sure every bump would have been felt. You would also feel, I imagined, as though you were semi- reclined. If you weren’t in this position then your knees would be touching your head. In that recumbent pose trucks must look sooooo big.
© irene waters 2015
And would the passenger burn their leg on the baffle as they alighted?
© irene waters 2015
Easy to work on though by the look of it. You could certainly see what made the wheels go round. These were so popular and remain so apparently that you can buy kits to make these little beauties. They aren’t called lotus however but locosts. Someone had a sense of humour for the odd balls that want to make their own frightfully uncomfortable odd ball car.
© irene waters 2015
In response to Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge.
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
This week Kate and Charli have given us the prompt of animal rescue for this week’s 99 word flash. My first rescue was Trog the cat. Her mother had been shot and her less than four week old kittens were struggling for life. The only one we could get near was Trog, named as we were looking for trogladyte fossils at the time. If any animal could have turned us off animal rescue it was her. We haven’t had a cat since. Despite her vicious nature she loved us and we loved her (preferably from a distance). She couldn’t help her attacks.Her siblings hadn’t taught her the difference between stimulation to kill or to love they were both the same to her. Purring for both, sinking her teeth into the bone for both also.
s© irene waters 2015
Snowflake had a gammy leg and no-one wanted her. I don’t know that we so much rescued her as our local farmer mentor saw us as the suckers who would give the animal a home. Us or a bullet. She too was a little too quick with her back leg kicks and biting with her aging yellow teeth.
© irene waters 2015
The wallabies mother had been killed by a car and rescued from the pouch. Luckily she was an older joey as I didn’t fancy the method for a younger one attached to the teat. Here we would have had to operate and cut the teat off to bring the joey out. Removing it from the mouth when it was firmly attached causes lasting problems and sometimes renders the animal incapable of sucking and eating again. We also rescued snakes and flying foxes and sugar gliders whilst we had the farm. On each occasion we passed the animal on to the local expert from WIRES (Wildlife rescue). Most of these animals are not allowed to be kept domestically without a permit and we certainly didn’t have the specialised knowledge required.
© irene waters 2015
Both of our latest dogs were rescue dogs. Zack dying just last week and is sorely missed but we wouldn’t have been without his company and the joy he gave us for quids. Bundy after a few days mourning is bouncing back making us laugh at his antics.
My flash is about another animal we rescued.
“I have to turn round and get him off the road.”
“No. You’ll kill us and I don’t want to see it run over just as we get there.”
The car turns arriving at the tortoise just as a car comes from the other direction. It runs over the shell now stationary in the centre of the road. Arms, legs and head all pulled in for safety. I jump out and grab him.
“His shell’s cracked in half. He’s going to die.”
“No he won’t. I’ll save him.”
Once home Roger fibreglassed the shell making it intact. It lived.
My husband is a softer touch than me when it comes to animals and I was so glad this worked. It was certain death without an intact shell otherwise.
June 10, 2015 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about an animal rescue. It can be a typical dog or cat rescue from the pound, or helping a critter less fortunate. Go where the prompt leads you.
Respond by June 16, 2015 to be included in the weekly compilation.Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
© irene waters 2015
Travelling in Europe in the Off season gives you a different perspective. We travelled in the early spring before the summer holidays. The towns whose multiple car parks alert us that this is a tourist town are deserted of both people and cars. Not only can we park in the closest car park to the town, often we can park in the town.
© irene waters 2015
Camping off-season gave us a whole set of different problems in Europe. Prior to the summer holidays when it becomes open slather for tourists the camping site proprietors often close down their camp grounds and take their own holidays. Luckily this only necessitated staying in one hotel and far from giving us a luxurious night, sleeping in a bed, we longed for our little self-erecting tent.
© irene waters 2015
Being country dwellers in Australia we appreciated our sole occupancy of many of these tourist routes. Had we come in the summer I doubt that we would have seen as many of the towns that we did. We avoided the cities by following our compass, following exits that took us in the direction we were heading for. We had no particular destinations in mind.
© irene waters 2015
Many of the camping grounds we stayed at were like five-star resorts with pools surrounded by lounge chairs. In summer I imagine these would have been filled with happy campers and the sound of children playing would fill the air.
© irene waters 2015
And the Ardeche would be filled with canoes and those enjoying themselves in the river.
© irene waters 2015
And again this terraced camp site would have been dotted with tents.
© irene waters 2015
and people
© irene waters 2015
and even more people
© irene waters 2015
and tents and camper vans.
© irene waters 2015
Picnic tables would also have been filled.
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
For the locals though, off season meant that their sailing craft remained furled and anchored on the shores of Lake Geneva rather than having their sails filled with the wind sending them flying around the lake as they would in the summer months.
Prepared for Weekly Photo Challenge
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
Da Nang sits in Central Vietnam 85 miles south of what was the border between South and North Vietnam. During the Vietnam War it was a major air base for the US and South Vietnamese forces that saw nearly 2,600 air operations per day. This was a greater number than any other airport in the world at the time. Cement hangers covered with camouflage netting protected the air craft from attack. Many of these remain, disused and decaying around the area of the current Da Nang airport which continues to use the runways that were in use during the war.
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
Da Nang fell to the Viet Cong on the 30th March 1975.
© irene waters 2015
Da Nang was also the site of China beach where the American soldiers came for the R and R leave. The 30 kms of white sand beaches was a wonderful rest from the terrors of war despite being so close to the action. It allowed the decaying mind to recover before going back into a new style of war where the soldiers did not know who the enemy was and the jungle held terrors for them beyond belief. Many returned servicemen still suffer from the decay that set in to their psyche as a result of this.
© irene waters 2015
Prior to the war there were over 70 religious temples and structures near Da Nang the but many of these were badly damaged from bombing raids during the war and have since decayed. Approximately 20 survived and the site has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. On the Marble Mtns some of the pagodas still survive in this region that is famous for it marble artisans.
© irene waters 2015
In response to Paula’s challenge
 | Irene Waters 19 Writ… on Radio Quiz Kid – My… |
 | Kim on Radio Quiz Kid – My… |
 | Friday-Flashback-Pre… on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge:… |
 | THURSDAY’S SPE… on Over: Thursday’s Special |
 | Mind Lab on One |
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