Still cat napping as the new year rolls on.

Tuesday and the river at Kempsey was wide, muddy, smelly and swirling with debris following lots of rain. Try getting along a back road where the pot holes expand into sheets of muddy water and worse. Don't ever drive in flood waters.
Pioneering work on expanding highway Number One was at a standstill.
Not a good day for a motorcyclist. 
Naturally the weather hardly compares to the Juno event.

Socceroos are the roos that are most important tonight in Newcastle as they  play against UAE, United Arab Emirates, in the Asian Cup. Semis.
Rain has not kept the big crowd of fans away from Hunter Stadium.

Evening and mother marsupial and little joey were nibbling the grass.
 Ever watchful,  the presence of a camera led mother to make an utterance to alert little joey to return to her pouch.
 Joey then hung from the pouch to continue eating the grass.  Mother returned to grazing as well.

These little mothers, with joey in the pouch, are quite small compared to the local 'roos.  I guess they are wallabies.

Short of suitable knives while camping?  The saw came in handy.

Take the ferry, Curranulla, to the township of Bundeena. Probably in 'the shire'.

Power stations would be cranking up today.  All that fossil fuel up in smoke. Hot weather with maximum humidity are our lot. Air con and fans at the ready. These are the days when power consumption is highest.
 Every beach is closed because a five metre unwelcome visitor has taken a liking to our seafront and has been sighted on several days.  Believe sharks are a very very ancient ?fish. The closure of the swimming areas for several days is unprecedented.  Swimming pools are an alternative.

Pop art is presented for children of all ages in a lighthearted preview on the concourse of the gallery.  The exhibit itself is extensive and diverse.  

Fellow humans have been immersing themselves in grief or often finding a whole lot of interest in total strangers such as celebs or the size of the celebs rear.   
 Naturally, we have feelings for a victim. A tragic death or illness of a citizen is very upsetting. One would best try to keep it in proportion.
 We honour a total stranger in an overblown manner. Words, flowers, cards, twitter.
This week, a terrible slaughter occurred in Africa, literally thousands were slain. Other areas suffer continuous losses.
 We need to get real. Get affronted and seek resolution of unappealing problems. The problems are not cute.

 riveting photos from Ballast point

Some readers of The Sydney Herald agree that certain published material is too insulting. So, I am not alone in my questioning. I think we have laws against such as that and at the same time freedom is upheld by the prime minister et al.

Are our protection services and their big costs and their priority justified?  Problems are not anticipated or averted - it is an impossible task.

The final standoff.  It involves death and enough weapons and deadly devices to overcome a hugh battalion.  Where is the art and science in that?

Ballast Point.  Former industrial site becomes a harbour

side park

 From Ballast Point


Je suis Charlie

Ballast Point. Has gabions as ballast all round.

2015?  It's just too much.
New Year from Sidderney 2015 (on an angle)