سبتمبر 2022

Fears Behind Artistic Doors: 5 Ways to Face Them

It’s unspoken, but ever present behind one’s mind. That which you don’t know,...

The Blues in the Arts: Ways to Go Around the Artist Block

Creative thoughts are intangibly flowing out onto the world, penetrating all that is ...

Ellen Montalba Dreams

Ellen Emeline Montalba (1842-1912) was a British artist. She was born in Bath, England, one of four daughters of the Swedish-born artist An...

Léon Cogniet The massacre of the Innocents, 1824

The Massacre of the Innocents (Location: Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rennes.) is the biblical account of infanticide by Herod the G...

What Am I Driving?

Below there are riddles that identify which model car I drive. If you cant work it out, there is a clue further down the page numbere...

Australian Wildlife Series - Crimson Chat

This is one of a series of posters I have had for some time. Each article will reveal one poster at a time. The drawings are from Stanley ...

Monarch Butterflies : Part 3

We are now in November 2019 and for Southern Hemisphere folk, that's spring. The Monarch Butterflies have been at it early and we are ...

Monarch Butterflies : Part 4

The wasps are out in force, decimating caterpillars or newly hatched butterflies. They are aggressive, voracious and exotic in origin. A f...

Monarch Butterflies : Part 5

We've had a rush of new entrants to the world of butterflies. Unfortunately, we have had to stop collecting eggs for some respite. At ...

Monarch Butterflies : Part 6

Our last entry for the year. I appreciate the funny side of the blog has been overshadowed by the butterfly situation. The jokes ares stil...

Smoke In The Sky

The smoke from the bush fires in Australia has made its way across the Tasman Sea to NZ. Here is an evening shot of the effect. The settin...

Butterfly Predator Graveyard

Wasps have been viciously attacking our Monarch Butterfly caterpillars they have to be cared for in containers to protect them until they ...

Questions About Countries - Part 1

1) What sort of reception do tourists get in Chile? 2) Are chamber pots popular in Poland? 3) Do people take their mothers on ...

Questions About Countries - Part 2

1) Would I need insect repellent in Laos? 2) Do they get enough to eat in Hungary? 3) Do they chew things over in Norway? 4) Ar...

Sunrise

Sunrise

Monarch Butterflies

Today it is a warm spring one and the monarch butterflies are having a great time doing acrobatic, syncronised movements around our ...

Australian Wildlife Series - Black-Winged Stilt

This is one of a series of posters I have had for some time. Each article will reveal one poster at a time. The drawings are from Stanley ...

Australian Wildlife Series - Brown Tree Snake

This is one of a series of posters I have had for some time. Each article will reveal one poster at a time. The drawings are from Stanley ...

Australian Wildlife Series - Cairns Birdwing Butterfly

This is one of a series of posters I have had for some time. Each article will reveal one poster at a time. The drawings are from Stanley ...

Australian Wildlife Series - Common Brushtail Possum

This is one of a series of posters I have had for some time. Each article will reveal one poster at a time. The drawings are from Stanley ...

Australian Wildlife Series - Eastern Grey Kangaroo

This is one of a series of posters I have had for some time. Each article will reveal one poster at a time. The drawings are from Stanley ...

Australian Wildlife Series - Frilled Dragon

This is one of a series of posters I have had for some time. Each article will reveal one poster at a time. The drawings are from Stanley ...

Australian Wildlife Series - Grey Headed Robin

This is one of a series of posters I have had for some time. Each article will reveal one poster at a time. The drawings are from Stanley ...

Australian Wildlife Series - Spotted Burrowing Frog

This is one of a series of posters I have had for some time. Each article will reveal one poster at a time. The drawings are from Stanley...

Hungry Spider (Not for anachrophobes)

This little spider had a dead fly and was towing it around. I took these pictures of it before it tried to take it up a wall, presumably t...

The Robber Fly

I found this unusual creature on our kitchen benchtop. We had been given some fruit from a friend who has a lifestyle property just out of...

The Intercity 125

Ideas On Places To Travel To

If you like green countryside, here's an idea. Greenland! They say Ch...

Contrasting Statements

Campaigns raise awareness. Education reaches the heart.  There is no such thing as bad weather. There is inadequate clothing.  I do not ...

Stating The Obvious

Is the pope a catholic?  Is the sky blue? Do one-legged ducks swim in circles?  Does Donald Trump shoot from the hip? Can fish swim? Are...

Sayings That Never Quiet Made It

Sayings are a concise way to say something that paints a word picture in our minds and then drives home a salient point. What are some sa...

I Wouldn't Say...But...

I wouldn't say I am a bad singer.... ...but the local bar manager likes me singing Karaoke just before closing. It clears out the s...

Interpreting What Is Said

People say things but what do they really mean? First, the setting (bold type), then what is said and finally (in italics) what they are re...

A Nice Pair

A Nice Pair

Monarch Butterflies

News Headlines

Dietary advice: "Can Beetroot make you run faster?" If you need a laxative, no harm in giving it a try.                       ...

He Could Sell ...

He could sell sand to Arabs.  He could sell scuba gear to a shark.

Bulls,

In the Rangitikei District of NZ (near Palmerston North) is a small town of Bulls. It was named after a settler James Bull but the name la...

UK Car Production : 2013-22 (Jan-Jun)

The UK motor industry has a fine historical record and still is a very important part of the economy but nothing like it once was. W...

Bosnia-Herzegovina Sales : 2022 (Jan-Jun)

Registrations for June were +13% and the first six months of 2022 were +10% on the corresponding period of 2021. The 'Diff' fi...

Europe Sales : 2022 (Jan-Jun)

Registrations for June was -17% and for the first six months of 2022 was -14% on the corresponding period of 2021. The 'Diff...

UK CV Production : 2013-22 (Jan-Jun)

For the first six months of the year, the production of commercial vehicles in the UK is the best going back to 2013. What's not...

Europe Top 50 : 2022 (Jan-Jun)

The VW Golf has been knocked off its perch as the leading model. Of course, there are still six months for that to be rectified. Whi...

Slovakia Sales : 2022 (Jan-Jun)

Registrations for June were -2% and the first six months of 2022 were -+4% on the corresponding period of 2021. The 'Diff' f...

A Chinese Invasion?

In New Zealand, a few attempts have been made by Chinese manufacturers to enter the market. Initial efforts were not successful. here ...

The New Range Rover Sport

A design director at Mazda was recently asked if he liked what others were doing in vehicle design. He said he wasn't and talked a...

The Big Truck Market Down Under

Anyone that regularly follows this blog will know that in this neck of the woods the pickup is very popular. It suits an outdoor lifes...

Russian Car Market New Direction

The Russian car market is protected by import duty so brands with any volume of note had assembly plants. Sanctions came and foreign p...

Russia Model Sales : August 2022

Passenger cars: On the model front, the departure of Western brands is very much having an impact. Russian and Chinese (shaded yello...

Toyota/Lexus Production : 2020-22 (2022 Jan-Jun)

Having to walk to work because the car's not charged. I hate it when that happens. Toyota manufactures cars in many places as we ...