Super Moon over Melbourne

I noticed an article that said that we were going to have a super moon tonight. Unfortunately, I didn't see the article till after it had risen. Not to worry, the moon should still be out there. So off I rushed to see what I could see.
So here are my not very interesting pictures - who knows if the moon is bigger than usual, I used zoom and it was beginning to cloud over.

Zoomed in.

No zoom but cloudy.

It has been a typical Melbourne day, sunshine, rain, sunshine, rain, wind, calm, sunshine, rain. So I took the pictures while I could.

Even more cloud.

Penny came out with me and barked up a storm - there were possums in the tree. I only noticed one but the picture shows another set of glowing eyes (sorry to the possums, I use a flash and they must be blinded for a while).

It looks like a ringtail possum. 

It is a nightly ritual of hers to go out and find possums, then bark loudly. Neighbouring dogs joined in tonight. Very exciting. Not that the possums seemed to be taking any notice. 

More elephants in the city

Today is 3/9/12 - I just couldn't let that lovely date go by.  It was also a beautiful spring day, warm and sunny.
I was in the city for my regular Monday appointment so decided to find some more of the elephants in  the city.  They have been decorated by a variety of people ranging from professional artists to students.
Here are a few, all within a couple of blocks of each other.

I had to photograph it from this side because some stupid person has scratched it on the other side.

Tiles in the sun. Outside the Town Hall.

Tiles in the shade, much easier to photograph.

Outside the Town Hall

Inside Melbourne Central

Also in Melbourne Central

You can see pictures of all of them here.

It was just like being a tourist - and it was great to see the tourists enjoying them too.

Summer in Australia

Well, I am sitting here enjoying the cool summer days we are having at present although it has been muggy today, not something we are used to here in Melbourne.  Then I turn on the news and hear about the devastating floods in Queensland and New South Wales and the bushfires in Western Australia and think about how lucky we are here at the moment.

We seem to be coming out of our drought, we have lush gardens (that didn't like the couple of hot days we had recently) and it is raining intermittently.  Wonderful. Hope it lasts.

Here are some pictures I took yesterday afternoon, of storm clouds over the city.  Bring on the rain, I thought, but then all I heard was flood warnings for parts of Victoria too.

Here are pictures looking down into Darebin Parklands from the same vantage spot I used two years ago.  Much greener now.

Here are two from March 2009, one with the city almost obscured by the smoke of bushfires.

Now I am just hoping for moderate weather, without all the disasters that are happening in other parts of Australia.  The size of the floods, and the devastation, are just so hard to comprehend.