What makes you tick?

I discovered a new link up tonight: "Random 5 Friday". I figured, why not include it in my post on "1440" & "little things". It seemed to me, to fit!

So here goes; 5 random facts about me:

1. I love the little things in life; the things most people don't notice. And I'm incredibly grateful for each & every one!
2. I love seagulls! I think I may be a little obsessed...
3. I am an ex-teacher - I left the profession in 2006 to pursue a "less stressful" career (university admin) which also proved to be incredibly stressful.
4. I love singing in the shower or along to CDs in my car.
5. I absolutely love sunsets & I rarely do sunrises/early mornings!!

There are 1440 minutes in every day... 1440 opportunities to capture or appreciate a moment of beauty. What have you captured?

Linking with:

         

SkyWatch Friday: Nudgee sunrise

Back in March, I photographed my second ever sunrise. It wasn't full of incredible cloud formations BUT it was incredibly beautiful just the same!
I was struck by the silence that descends just before the sun breaks the horizon. It was as if even the birds were watching in awe, just as I was...

More SkyWatch Friday here:

         

Wild Bird Wednesday: Blue-faced Honeyeater

"The Blue-faced Honeyeater is a large black, white and golden olive-green honeyeater with striking blue skin around the yellow to white eye. The crown, face and neck are black, with a narrow white band across the back of the neck. The upper parts and wings are a golden olive green, and the underparts are white, with a grey-black throat and upper breast. The blue facial skin is two-toned, with the lower half a brilliant cobalt blue. Juvenile birds are similar to the adults but the facial skin is yellow-green and the bib is a lighter grey. This honeyeater is noisy and gregarious, and is usually seen in pairs or small flocks. It is known as the Banana-bird in tropical areas, for its habit of feeding on banana fruit and flowers."
- Bird In Backyards

I took these shots last year and have no idea why I haven't shared them yet. I saw this bird and his mate feasting on the flowers of this interesting tree (I have a total mental blank on the name of the tree too!!)

Be grateful for the little things...

Sometimes we focus so much on the "big things", or what we perceive to be the big things, that we totally miss the little things in life. Sometimes we hold on so tightly to the big things that we lose sight of what is important in life - the little things!

What if we allowed ourselves to spend a day, a week, a month, a year,  focusing on the small things in life... the things we could, and should, be grateful for? We just might realise how blessed we really are and how important these things really are.

Look around you. Be grateful for what you have; the gift of life, family, friends, nature and so much more... Cherish these things! They are a gift!!
Life is too short to be anything but happy, loving, forgiving. Tell your loved ones everyday how much you love them!

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

~ Robert Brault

There are 1440 minutes in every day... 1440 opportunities to capture or appreciate a moment of beauty. What have you captured?

         

SkyWatch Friday: D'Aguilar Range & Lake Wivenhoe

I love our drives in the mountain ranges surrounding Brisbane. Earlier this year we drove up through the D'Aguilar Range. It was a gorgeous day with blue skies and stunning views!

First stop: Jolly's Lookout. Named in 1930 after William Jolly who was mayor at the time. The views out east to Moreton Bay and north to more of the D'Aguilar Range are stunning.

Second stop: Westridge Outlook. More views of the range and a shiny glimpse of Wivenhoe Dam/Lake Wivenhoe.

A quick stop at Wivenhoe Outlook. That's Lake Wivenhoe through the trees...

 
And finally we arrived at Lake Wivenhoe just before sunset.

Sharing here...

         

Wild Bird Wednesday: Pied Cormorant

A couple of months ago, we were at Currumbin Sanctuary sitting by Flat Rock Creek and a bunch of Pied Cormorants flew in. These birds were lifers for me.I was surprised at their size as I have only ever seen Little Pied Cormorants.
They sat over the other side of the creek preening themselves, along with a lone Darter.

 

After a while another flew in and was diving & swimming. He came closer so I could get some better shots!! The Pied Cormorant is quite different to the Little Pied Cormorant...

Here is a photo of the Little Pied Cormorant to show the difference.

Joining in with Stewart's meme:

Friday's Fences: Woody Point Jetty

"The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words." - Elliott Erwitt

 

More fences here:

SkyWatch Friday: Teatree Bay, Noosa National Park, QLD.

After our day at Mooloolaba beach & Point Cartwright, we headed up to Noosa National Park for sunset. The usual walking track was closed so we had to take a detour route to Teatree Bay. It's such a lovely little, mostly rocky, bay with a very small beach area and interesting rock shapes which weren't easy to walk on.

We arrived before sunset and the tide was coming in rapidly. I had to constantly move back to avoid getting my camera wet.

This next photo is not the greatest due to the extreme sun flare but I wanted to capture the cloud reflections in the rock pools. It made me realize just how much I need to get some ND filters for shooting sunsets!!

I had hoped for more clouds to capture colour but the sunset was lovely just the same!

Joining in with these memes: