This was a first for me:  I had lunch with a princess yesterday!

That's a tiny picture, both to protect her anonymity, & because it wasn't a flattering photo of the two of us, we were squinting in the bright sunlight.

I had a Girls Day Out in Rockhampton yesterday, shopping, dining out, & watching the new Antonio Banderas dancing movie:  Take the Lead. 

Antonio has such gorgeous eyes, sensitive lips, & I love it when he smiles.  Rob Brown VI (who plays Rock) is handsome, has a deep voice, & is so tall & well built I was wishing he would take his singlet (vest) off, wow - & now I feel sick, because I just discovered he is 20 years younger than me!

There are quite a few beautiful old buildings in Rockhampton, I could have taken so many more photographs, but as it was I didn't get home until late last night! 

Here are a selection:

This is the Central Queensland University Stan Jones Precinct in East Street, the former Supreme Court building:

This is part of the Mater Hospital complex, taken through a surgeon's window: 

Another view of the same building: 

I think this is the Christadelphian building, not sure, we were in a hurry to get to lunch: 

This was a quick snapshot while driving past:  I love the turret, & the white iron lace on this magnificent private residence: 

There are many huge old Queenslanders (it's an architectural style, often with wide verandahs all round) which have been renovated, restored, & presented beautifully, on the south side of Rockhampton.

This is the fountain on the highway in Rockhampton: 

I believe this is a Roman Catholic Cathedral, I didn't stop to check the name: 

Opposite is Bishop's House, the Catholic Diocesan Centre in William Street, Rockhampton: 

I like all these buildings not so much because they are old, but because they are well designed, well built, & aesthetically pleasing.

See if you can identify these two birds for me:

( - but remember, I live in Queensland, Australia!)

 

Isn't that a sweet look?  He/she was in my lilly pilly tree.

I don't think I've ever seen this type before:

These two birds were both in my back garden this afternoon.

I have two 'avenues' of trees:

This is part of my driveway:

Isn't afternoon light through the trees gorgeous?

There is beauty all around.

Heaps of cute little finches outside this cool overcast morning, gathering nest building material, & perhaps food, before it rains:

 

 

 

They're small, fast moving birds, & obviously I couldn't get too close.

I went to see the Da Vinci Code at a cinema last Thursday - yes, it opened on the 18th in Australia, nya nya!

I'd recommend you read the book before seeing the movie, I think people with vivid imaginations may enjoy the book more than the movie.  It's hard to condense such a book into a couple of hours.

Tom Hanks was ok in his role, although Kevin Costner may have been more enjoyable pour moi.  :-)

Correct me if I'm wrong, men, but Audrey Tautou doesn't seem to exude any sex appeal?  (I'm sorry to offend, Audrey, if you're reading this.)  The thinness of her legs was distracting, & overall she is so narrow, so petite!

I have a Roman Catholic friend who told me that her priest & the Catholic newsletter both said to go & see the movie if you like, just not to be swayed by it.  Yet a Roman Catholic aquaintance in the group I was with at the cinema did not enjoy it, because of her religious beliefs, I later heard.

Please, if you've seen the movie, don't dismiss the book, it's an interesting read!It may interest you to know that my childrens' paternal grandparents are both descended from Sinclairs; & that I'm supposedly descended from nobility & royalty apparently descended from the Merovingians.

Now, on to local architecture:

As you may know, I love widow's walks.  This one is on the Criterion Hotel in Rockhampton, on the Tropic of Capricorn, Queensland, Australia:

I love the silver filigree look of the dome bell tower atop the post office building in the Rockhampton mall:

I haven't yet seen a 'half dome' like this one elsewhere:

That's one of the church buildings at Mt Morgan.

 

Finally I have managed to get a couple of closeups of a Willy Wagtail this morning:

About to land:

In flight:

There was a bird fight in a tree next door this evening, probably a territory war, between a couple of different species of birds, parrots & non-parrots, & these two were watching:

One of the parrots was quite noisy, yelling angrily for a long time in parrot language.

It's so blissful to have weather cool enough not to even need a ceiling fan on, if only it was always like this here - it's usually too hot for too long.

I can't take credit for growing these flowers:

  

I took that photograph yesterday at my local agricultural & pastoral Show.

Aren't gladiolis gorgeous?  Dame Edna Everage likes them, too!  My father used to grow them, on our farm in south east Queensland.

Look at this magnificent specimen:

Here's a closeup:

A pictorial definition of the phrase "laidback":

(taken at the Show's Animal Nursery yesterday)

Last night I was at an art exhibition launch of artworks by the late Pro Hart & his son, David Hart:

Pro Hart was quite a character, so casual & confident with his painting, with a good sense of colour.

  On some of David Hart's paintings, the paint was so thick I wanted to touch it.

It's such a busy time of the year here now, probably because it's also the best weather, ie not too hot!

 

Is it time for some more photographs from my garden?

Rainbow lorikeets are so gorgeous, & cute, but they don't pose for photos!

She was looking back at me!

They're beautiful underneath too.

That's a Willy Wagtail in flight.

Willy Wagtails make themselves scarce when they see a camera!

I was praying a Willy Wagtail would make itself illusive this morning, when it woke me with its' chattering/call - & it did, so I was able to drift off again.

I _think_ that's a heron - an egret - but I only caught a brief glimpse of it as it flew overhead, between the treetops - well, it wasn't flying between the treetops, it was higher than that, but I could only see it between them.  It was a large white bird anyhow.

Tell me, what else would you like to see pictures of?

The Logies (Australian Television Awards) were televised last night.

Was Joan Rivers drunk, overly medicated, or what?!  I realise she needs to keep up her mean persona, but I found her attitude arrogant, & I was surprised at the graciousness of the audience despite that.  By the way, Joan's f***s & sh** were not beeped out on tv last night!

Click here for the Best & Worst Dressed of Australia's Logies Slideshow, by Alex Perry, Australian fashion designer.

Fashion Felonies!  (Alex Perry's red carpet reviews).

Bec Cartwright is lovely, & this couple is famous in Australia at least.  When presenting last night they arrived with their adorable baby girl, who was wearing a dress to match her mother's! 

You should have heard the snarky, nasty comments on tv today, tv presenters, some parents who should have known better, calling it an odd & inappropriate thing to do!  Shame on them for having such an attitude, let alone for voicing it!  They are so tied up in their business rivalry & corporate 'dog eat dog' & 'win at all costs' attitudes that they have forgotten the most important things in life:  family, friends, people, fun, happiness!  Hey, 'work won't love you back', so get over yourselves! 

As to those who commented that the baby should not have been up so late:  if she was tired, she would have been crying or already asleep.  Do you really believe that all babies go to sleep magically at 7:30pm or earlier?  I suppose you also naively believe that all babies sleep through the night after several weeks?!

Let me tell you, from experience, that some children don't sleep through the night for years!  So much for 'sleeping like a baby':  my children were up three times a night, & I was lucky if they ever slept during the day without being breastfed or held furing their nap(!), & I clearly remember my baby daughter staying up until her Daddy came home after 11pm!  There was nothing I could do to get her to sleep!

I went to Beef2006 in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia today.

I saw several decorated bulls, eg:

Two very fit men, Popeyed, put on shows:

Click here for their website.

This was my favourite outfit, from the fashion parades put on by Sharmara Model Management, of Rockhampton, Qld:

Miniature cowboys watching the show:

Aren't they cute?!

A peewee in the pink light of sunset:

I heard a loud rustling, & found this unknown bird, well camouflaged amongst the leaves in the dimming light:

The peaceful moon:

A silhouette of pigeons:

I managed to capture another bird in flight!  A peewee flying to join his mate:

 

I was lured outside by a kookaburra sitting on our trampoline:

I admire this topiary tree in my neighbours' yard, which was in the background:

In the foreground, I found a fly on a garden plant:

My comments on others' blogs are longer than my blog posts!  :-)