July 2013

July 2013 has now come to a close and it was a varied month with a number of visitors coming by Penang.

Dani and Jack were here for the best part of three weeks. They spent some time in Southern, Thailand, which entailed an arduous bus journey. They had a pretty good look around Penang before going back to the UK before Jack goes to Chile and Dani to Spain as part of their studies. 

Unfortunately Jack met with a bad accident when back in the UK when he was knocked off his bicycle. He was airlifted to Addenbrook Hospital in Cambridge and due to the resilience of youth was discharged several days later. He had broken ribs and a punctured lung and requires restorative dental work. He was perhaps lucky but it demonstrates the tightrope of life we all walk.

 Eldest son Paul also visited for a weekend during the middle of an Asian-based business trip. Ex-IMCB colleague Anand also visited Penang and we had some time together. It seems to be obligatory for visitors staying on a Sunday that they have to join the celebrated TRD team in the local pub quiz at Healy Macs. We have managed 2 thirds a second and 2 firsts to date. Jack needs to study more on Musicals while Paul’s knowledge on German golfers was rather lacking.

Photo shooting has trailed off as the birds complete their nesting and the wet season approaches. I spent some time with the bee-eaters that remain at Penanti. I discovered that some are having a second breeding and the chicks from the first batch assist with the feeding of their siblings. I have also searched further afield in the Botanic Gardens and Ulu Paip for more subjects. The Bee-eater chicks at Penanti had to survive a number of insults, including track renovations and snake, before they were able to fledge. I published a blog on these observations as well as indicating the mindless ‘upgrading’ on the birding site at Byram. I have been contacted by the press regarding the latter blog.

This poor Bee-eater arrived at its nest to find it covered with soil. It dug frantically to reach the chicks

A young chick has a look at the world for the first time

A Little Heron with breakfast

The stream running through Ulu Paip

Active rubber tree tapping near Ulu Paip

The magazine ‘Australian Photography’ ran a feature on my photography and I managed to win the nature section of the Australian Photographic Society’s annual competition.

Sadly my exhibition at the G-Hotel was deconstructed yesterday after an extra month on display. I was reasonably pleased with the result and learnt quite a bit from various comments.

I have been asked to produce a monthly newsletter for the Digital Division of the Australian Photographic Society. I had to upgrade my computers operating system and learn the intricacies of Mac’s ‘Pages’ program but things are progressing well as long as members provide material on time.

Friends of ours have just purchased an apartment in the same estate that we live. They are currently selling their house in Dallas, and John asked me to take some pictures during an official inspection. The views are certainly worth the investment alone. The landscaping is also very well done.

The Super rugby competition reaches its conclusion this weekend with the Chiefs defending their title against the Brumbies. I will miss the regular weekend diet until next season. Unfortunately my picks were generally along the same level as the Highlanders although I did manage one possible score. We have upgraded our TV during the month and can now view sport (and crap) in HD.

June 2013

June 2013 seemed to be a month  that was challenged by natural and made-made disasters. In New Zealand with winter around the corner a super-cold cell with storms settled over parts of the country and at least temporarily thwarted Nikki’s attempts to take delivery of Craig’s car.  Singapore last week experienced some of the worst levels of smoke haze……compliments of forest burning in Indonesia. This being a sad indictment of corruption linked  to primitive land use by thousands of poverty-stricken peasants and their families; a situation and a solution that seem light years apart. 

Smoke from Forest burning in Indonesia

In Penang the ramp on the new island-linking bridge collapsed and killed several motorists. 

A week or so later a violet storm knocked over many trees and pushed over billboards.  Unfortunately a large section of a building fell into the street and pushed a car forty metres into the earth. Only parts of the car have been recovered. A video showing the car being hit can be seen here

Helen and I were going to a function soon after the storm and drove past many fallen trees and a carpet of green on the roads. The Botanic Gardens remains closed. Fortunately Penang is not currently subject to smoke haze that has reached Kuala Lumpur. It has happened here briefly since we arrived 22 months ago.

Other than local disasters June seems to be a month for travel. Craig and Eve are in Mexico, David and Lyn in a boat off Alaska and others due to head home or off to South America

Dani has finished her second year in Cambridge with good results. The next year she will be in Spain as part of her studies and she will return to Cambridge for a final year. After the frenetic exam period the students have loosened up with the ball season. She and her boyfriend Jack  arrive in Penang for a well-earned break.

Nikki continues her medical studies and has just had a two-week break part of which she spend in an old-folks home as part of her field-work. She and her friends have started a small business featuring colourful sweets (lollies) as an adjunct to various functions.

Helen continues teaching English to some Japanese women. The number of students continues to expand. She also has an involvement with the Botanic gardens and the International Womens Association where she is a board member.  We were able to slip off for a few days this month to Fraser’s Hill where Helen explored some of the hill-trails. The accommodation is rather limited and we had some problems with mal-functioning toilets. We did investigate one location for any future visits. Helen and I also had our 24th wedding anniversary mid-month.

Coco continues to keep us amused and on our toes. She is a lovable little dog but also likes a fight and a game before bedtime…where she is determined not to let me on the bed.

 We have had several visitors this month in our home as participants in the Airbnb accommodation program. It would be more correct to say we have had one person twice with a mostly different retinue each time.
On the photographic front things continued to be enjoyable and varied. The Blue-throated Bee-eaters are in their final nesting stages and an army of helpers in bringing insects to the nests to feed the young……sometimes they play with the food.

I have also investigated other locations around mainland Penang for shooting opportunities.

Bund at Air Itam Dalam

Look-out tower at Air Itam Dalam

Green-Billed Malkoha

 Shortly before the storm hit I was in the Penang Botanical Gardens checking out a fruiting tree. 

Asian Fairy Bluebird (male)

Thick-billed green Pigeon (male)

One supply truck had it’s own mini-disaster when the breaks failed coming down the hill…the driver may or may not be grateful that Botanic Gardens have trees.

As mentioned Helen and I had three nights at Fraser’s Hill. The variety of birds seemed to be lacking this trip but I was happy with a few shots of some of the more regularly seen species.

Magpie Robin (male)

A pair of Silver-eared Mesias

 It was quiet on the hill even though the traffic police recruits chose to make it a venue for an ‘away’ day.

Several of my images have been chosen as ‘Editor’s Pick’ on the Naturescapes site. Another was used in a gameshow on English TV.

The following is the email concerning the game show;

Hi Graeme,

Many thanks for getting back in touch.

I am working on a new comedy gameshow called "Was It Something I Said?" for Channel 4 in the UK. We would like to do a round where we show contestants Instagram pictures and we ask them to try and guess the hashtag that links them all.

Your photo was posted on Instagram with the caption: Talk about a serious #trafficjam. I dare you to get out of the car with your #roadrage and see what's causing the back up

On the show we show the contestants 3 pictures posted on social media with their captions, but with a hashtag blocked out. They have to try and guess what the hashtag is that links them all.

We are also doing a live play along on Twitter, are you happy for us to use your picture in this context also?

Thanks so much,

Conor 

.....and to sign the month off ...a tribute to Guygirlz whether temporary or permanent and from 1 to 90

Take care

Graeme