Out door wednesday/Save the world: Use your brains and build your own plane

Our new Our World Logo designed by Gattina.

I am very happy to announce that I was asked by Sylvia and Sandy who were so kind to decide to continue in the same spirit as "My World" to be member of the new Our World Tuesday team.

I created the new logo, I just wanted this meme to be continued, because it is so interesting to see our different worlds as we are such an international group and there are many things we don't know of each other and we can't find in books. Gattina.

Thank you, Gatinna, I didn't want to stop too.

http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/









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I went to Christchurch to visit my old friends. They took me to Loburn, to visit Ivan and Sandy Campbell. We were all excited as we drove to North Canterbury to Loburn Abbey airfield, I was most impressed with Ivan building his own plane.

I was the second person to fly. Ivan asked me if I had flown in a plane like this. I said," Not in a tiger moth, only a commercial plane." I could hear other voices, and Ivan said it was the other planes around." For the kids, Ivan did a plane roller coaster, but he knew it was not for me.

That's a tick off my bucket list.

http://www.campbellaeroclassics.com

Sunday Still: Pests that annoy you.

Since the beginnings of time, the snake has been annoying us. Sorry I am repeating these photos, but I think they suit this challenge to a T.




A snake visited my nephew Andew's house in Brisbane Australia. He had to get a snake exterminator, Here in the photo, he is posing as a hero.

We are glad that here in New Zealand, we have no snakes. We do have some trying to sneak in. Yesterday a 80cm snake was discovered by port officials in a shipping container of plants which had come from Guatemala.

Over in Singapore, a resident found a 3 meter long snake (python) in his apartment on the 13th floor of Nanyang Heights.
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Sunday Stills, the next challenge: pests that annoy you.

FSO: High N Low, Auckland Sky Tower

This structure is the Auckland Sky Tower. It is the tallest in the Southern Hemipshere. When you pay to go high up the viewing floor, or have a meal there, you can look down below, low low down.



The elevator was a transparent bubble, you can look out or look down.




We were up the main observation level of the Sky Tower. We were up 192 meters and had a 360 degrees panoramic view of Auckland city. The tower is 328 metres, and is the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand and offers breathtaking views for up to 80 kilometres in every direction.

We traveled very quickly in a glass floor elevator, and felt the air pressure as I went down. I have been to the Empire State Building ans the New York Twin Towers, and I don't remember the pressure in my ears. May be I ate too much in the restaurant, and I was being punished for being a glutton.

White I went round the rim, parts of the floor were transparent plastic. Some of the visitors did not dare to walk over it. Some kids jump on it much ti the horror of other grown ups. When I was walking on it, naturally, I put my hands on the inside rail.




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Save the world: save the SS Toroa.

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When I travel North West out of Auckland to my friend J & J's house at Massey, I see this giant with with a big banner," Save the SS Toroa." Each time, I whip out my camera, my driver goes too fast for me to get a good photo.

My friend J had gone to live in New York, and I miss her very much. This post is dedicated to her.

Toroa was the last of the eight Albatross-type steam passenger ferries to be built for the Waitemata. She was built at George Niccol's yard at St. Mary’s Bay, Auckland for the Devonport Steam Ferry Company Ltd. and was launched on Tuesday 28th April, 1925. Until her retirement in 1980 she served the North Shore, mainly on the Auckland to Devonport run with Makora, carrying 20,000 or more passengers a day between them at the peak of the passenger service before the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge in 1959.



http://www.toroa.org.nz/

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/42374044

http://yardyyardyyardy.blogspot.com/2010/01/toroa-unique-and-worth-saving.html#ixzz12fmItaWr
The Toroa is the only survivor in Auckland, New Zealand of the fleet of Waitemata Harbour double-ended steam ferries that used to run between Auckland City and the North Shore. She is a tangible piece of the history and development of Auckland and she is absolutely irreplaceable. Her restoration to authentic, seaworthy condition is well underway.



The Toroa Preservation Society is registered in New Zealand as an incorporated society under the Incorporated Societies Act of 1908. The Society is registered as a Charity under the Charities Act of 2005.

The primary object of the Society is “to be beneficial to the community by the restoration, preservation, maintenance and operation of the veteran steam ferry Toroa to provide a historic link to the operation of steam ferries on the Waitemata Harbour for more than one hundred years”.

Further objects are to provide during the process of restoration opportunities for training in vessel conservation principles, the restoration of timber vessels and in traditional marine engineering; When operational the Toroa will provide a range of experiences to increase the knowledge of the importance of the ferries in the development of the Auckland region, the history of marine steam propulsion, and provide training in marine engineering and ship operation.

The Toroa is owned by the New Zealand Maritime Trust, a registered charitable trust. The Toroa Preservation Society holds a perpetually renewable lease for the purposes of restoration, preservation, maintenance and operation of the vessel.

Toroa is hauled out at Selwood Road, Henderson, Waitakere City to restore her to authentic and seaworthy condition. This major restoration, beginning with the hull and the engine, is well underway and will in due course return her to the Harbour as an authentic double-ended steam ferry, preserving the history of the ferries, and presenting the story and the phenomenon of steam propulsion to new generations of Aucklanders and visitors.

Sunday Stills: Letter B for Buddhist Temple.

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Sunday Stills, the next challenge: Letter B

For this challenge, I show you the inside of a Buddhist Temple I visited in Malaysia.

FSO: Match it

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For this Friday (August 19) we have a challenge that is very new and unusual. I will let you be the judge of that.
Match it!! Match a photo from your town with one of your favorite quotes. Or ..... take your favorite quote to town and match a scene to it. Let your creative juices flow shooters. This may take a bit more planning and thought than other shoot outs we have had. Then again, this may be right up your alley and be a piece of cake for you.

HAVE FUN AND ENJOY!!
HAPPY SHOOTING!!

“If a man shall not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). ...
Conversely, if he works, he shall eat.

Save the world: uses of banana leaves

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In South East Asia and India, banana leaves are used in wrapping food instead of aluminium foil and paper. They can be used in steaming, grilling and BBQ. They even tell me that the leaves exude a wonderful smell. What a great way to use a renewable resource.

Sunday stills: Macro

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Sunday Stills, the next challenge: Macro Pics or Extreme Closeups
Posted in Sunday Stills, Sunday Stills Challenge of the Week with tags photo challenge, Sunday Stills on August 7, 2011 by Ed

I used Closeups for the folks who don’t have macro lenses, so just get as close as you can to the subject as you can and then do some creative cropping. Most point and shoot cameras have a macro setting and will let you get real close, a good rule of thumb is one arms length away. So lets have some fun..:-)

Ed,

I don't do much Macro except for flowers which I have over at my other site: Every Saturday, I post macro flowers.

http://annsnowchin.blogspot.com/2011/08/macro-flowers.html

So here I try my best.

Meet Charlie, a boy with a big heart.

http://youtu.be/1g_qfR56F9s

Charles's story deserves to be told on all my four blogs. Charlie likes trains, Thomas the Tank. Here, Charlie are the real tracks and trains of the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit trains MRT for you.


http://youtu.be/OHrxLfwAdsk

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I first posted this story in my book blog. I think it is appropriate it to post it here so more people can read it.



http://www.designgivesback.com/2011/08/welcome-to-miracle-makeover-reveal-charlies-room-video-august-12-18-leave-comments-and-design-gives-.html#comments

My fellow blogger and bereaved mother Marydon has lots in common with me. We both lost our sons. Today, she did a post and invited me to comment.

Mary featured on ~ Charlie Grady aka Charlie Santa ~
www.designgivesback.com I invite you to check this out to watch this incredible and awesome boy.

We are sharing the story of a little boy who is probably a lot like your son, grandson or nephew; he loves cars, trucks & trains. Charlie loves riding his bicycle, also. He is different than most 8 yr. olds in two ways: he has brain tumors & he leads a toy drive to help kids in chemotherapy to have happier holidays. "Charlie Santa" was founded when he was just five & in his first round of chemotherapy. This is one of the reasons he was chosen to be an ambassador for kids with Neurofibromatosis Type 1, & a recipient of a Miracle Makeover.


I have another friend Linda, who is wearing the same shoes as Charlies' mum. Shoes that are too small and pinching her feet causing great pain in their heart.

Designgives back is not screened in New Zealand, but what a great job they are doing,

In my book, I wrote a poem about shoes.

I modify it here,

The hole in the heart is bigger than life,
The hole never mends.
My child has cancer.
Life is never the same again.
Only a fellow mum who has a child with cancer,
will understand another mum's pain
For she wears the same pair of shoes,
For she feels the pinching at the toes.