27th January 2009

Strange weather day to day... sunshine, rain...blue skies...still and windy. The only common denominator was the humidity.

I had the washing out on the line which is under cover bit it took all day for the washing to dry.


Evening sky was filled with and backlit clouds, some interesting light and hues.

6.30pm

27th January Morning Weather

7:40AM Blue skies to the West

9:10AM Downpour.

The day continued like this with periods of clearing blue sky followed by heavy rain.

25th & 26th January long weekend

25-01-09

Only a few drops fell around 10am but as quickly as I could get the camera out the clouds had moved on and there was little water making it all the way to the ground.

Dark clouds moved in fast around 2.30pm. I only realised this as I heard the thunder in the distance but the wind was moving clouds so quickly that no rain was to be seen.

2.35pm

26-01-09 (Australia Day)

4.50pm

Water tank is brimmingly full of liquid gold.

26th January - Mixed Bag

Australia day started out wet , humid and cloudy. I didn't expect much change so prepared for a day of indoor activities. But late in the afternoon clouds cleared and a beautiful clear blue sky was revealed.

25th January No Relief

Another warm night, the Southport Automatic Weather station recorded a low of 25 degrees overnight. We headed down to Southport at 6AM this morning, with the car guage displaying 27degrees outside temperature. The weather station was recording 99% relative humidity at this time. No wonder we came home soaking wet, and we didn't even go for a swim.

24th January 2009

24th January Hot and Stormy

Storm clouds forming this evening after a hot day. Hopefully tonight will cool a little more than the last.

23rd January 2009

Evening...

The morning set the tone for the rest of the day....unbearably humid.
The weather was dark in the afternoon and a shower was forecast for the evening.
I went out to an exhibition opening and was in the passenger seat and the colours in the sky were beautiful, however there was no real opportunity to take a scenic shot of the sun setting whilst driving.

I just shot the camera whenever the flash of pink, yellow and oranges appeared anywhere in the sky. And... the one great shot I could have taken was turned into a rather creative one taken through the window of the city bus that was blocking my view.

You can see the condensation on the inside of the window created by the aircon.



I just remembered that after the exhibition we went to have a light dinner. We wanted to try a restaurant that we had not been to previously. They had a guitarist playing some lovely music but it was too loud to sit inside the restaurant to have a conversation so we opted for an outdoor table that ws not covered. The waitress came over to point out that there was a possibility of a shower and we would be choosing to dine outdoors 'at our own risk' as she pointed out.
We ended up going to the Thai restaurant next door. Air-conditioning and dining indoors.

Morning...

The rain was still streaming down outside when I got downstairs with the camera. It was still and the humidity was no less stifling then the previous evening. I heard on the news that the weather had come inland directly from the Northern Territory, hence the tropical air it brought with it.
This weather reminded me of my 1992/93 Xmas. I can distinctly recall that time as it was one of the most humid and hot summers I can remember. I recall a day in early January of 1993 when I was going to a job interview applying for a position in Port Morsby PNG. It was 9.30am in the morning and the temperature was already in the 30s with 90% humidity. It was my conversation during my interview about how the weather in PNG was like 'this' most of the time and one could not exist without Airconditioning it was pointed out to me.
It was that aspect of the job that ultimately made me decide not to take it. The power of weather!

22nd January 2009

Nicola recorded the sound of the rainwater running down th drainpipes. I discovered today that it was not possible to add an audio file to blogger so I had to create a video file and have taken the liberty to add some of my photos that I took on the same day o the down pipe at my house. The shots are only there for the mood...it's all about the sound in this one!

22nd January Rain Clouds 5PM

Rain clouds left 70mm in the guage last night, and a few extra ravines in the gravel driveway. Wish I could record the smell of rain after a dry spell, a wonderful aroma is released from the dry earth as it is initially soaked and cooled.

21, 22 & 23 January 2009

23-01-09

I spoke to my bookkeeper this morning and the first bit of conversation was about the weather. She reported proudly that they had some 4 inches of rain at Park Ridge which is only 10km down the road from me.

Then we spoke of the long weekend weather and to drive carefully as she was heading off to Fraser Island.

(the reason for my call ended up at the end of the conversation. It was interesting to consciously observe the flow of the conversation)

22-01-09

I had a few things to do and was out and about, and as it was rubbish collection day today this image was begging to be recorded.
I got out of the car and the smell was rather unpleasant. It made me think about the connection between weather and the decay process and the interdependence of these.
Decay in hot humid climates compared to the dry and cold climates and the connection that the moisture and heat facilitates the growth/decay cycle.
And how cold slows or even halts the process. ie finding a 10,000 year old man frozen and perfectly preserved in the ice, yet fruit or food left out on a hot day spoils rapidly.

What are the implication of global temperature increases on this process?

Condensation on the inside of the window (Airconditioned room) formed when it started to rain and the exterior was cooling down.

21-01-09

Not Quite Hot Enough

As I went to get the mail this afternoon the sun was burning into my back.' Ah ha', I thought, at last the day for the quintessential Queensland summer weather shot. Unfortunately it was not quite hot enough! And, not a single neighbour was the least bit interested in my behaviour.........says something about the tone of the neighbourhood>

19 & 20th January 2009

19-01-09

I had to go to a meeting this afternoon. Camera by my side. I was driving into town and the sky was looking rather somber and gray. As I was driving I saw some interesting cloud formations and at every traffic light that was red I quickly picked up the camera, window down snapping spontaniously and randomly (often without even checking what was in the cameras sight). I was rather self-conscious as other drivers where trying to figure out 'What the hell I was taking photos of" (Or maybe that I might be taking photos of them...!)

(It made me realise how paranoid many of us have become since 911 and that people feel they are being watched under some negative pretense...)

I had a similar incident happen to me a couple of days earlier (Sunday morning to be exact). A neighbour on our street came bursting out of her front door with a defensive and rather annoyed disposition heading straight for me as I had stopped to take a photo of her perfectly kept stone garden at the front of the house. (It interested me because it used to be beautiful lawn until the water restrictions were so strict that it was not looking its best and it was obviously decided that it would be more functional not to have such a water needy area.)

Anyhow...she stormed in my direction and asked me 'What exactly I was doing!' And I was very quick to respond that I was taking photos every morning and afternoon for a weather related project that I was doing and I had just taken a photo of her gravel and would she like to see for herself to put her mind at rest?... I felt I need to reassure her that I was not planning anything sinister. Then she calmed down and I could see the relief on her face and a smile replaced the stern look that greeted me only a minute earlier.

It made me realise how suspicious we have all become... including myself. (If I had noticed someone doing the same thing I know that I would also have approached them to find out what they were up to...(Having being burgled twice in my lifetime...I could relate to her concern.)

This cloud looked absolutely luminous in real life (It has lost some of it in translation onto the camera) The inside of the cloud was glowing like a backlit cottonball.

20-01-09
It was rather bright this morning and the artist took over when I decided to take this shot.

And I too have noticed that our grass is sorely chasing a good drink. (I have not watered our lawn now for almost 4 years which show just how tough and robust this most basic groundcover really is.

20th January 2PM

18th January 2009

By 8.30am the clouds were being moved on the sky was almost clear and the shadows being cast were sharp and focused.

I went to the small lake again this morning and thought it would be appropriate to record how much water has evaporated. It was quite low and the dried mud made me feel thirsty.

In contrast right on side of the lake the grasses are thriving.

I was drawn to the pattern that the wind was creating on the water and in the clouds and that it makes perfect sense that these should be very similar if not the same as the clouds are simply evaporated moisture in suspension.

I took this shot this morning and did not think it would come out this well as I was shooting directly into the sun, but the clouds were so layered that you can see the shape of the sun clearly and it almost appears s tough it was the moon.

(Closeup detail)