Mike Riversdale

The last, for now, photo from Bob's Peak looking across Lake Wakatipu. What a view! (best to tap/click open in full screen)

Taking inspiration from the JRR Tolkien books and ensuing Lord of the Rings movies by Sir Peter Jackson, this image depicts the devotion of Frodo to the ring. This Jelly Belly masterpiece took over 100 hours to produce, using more than 20,000 Jelly Beans.

Ah, yes, that's why people build on near vertical hills and mountains in Aotearoa New Zealand, the view!

Maybe it's the Wellingtonian in me that has me looking at the vertical sides of hills or mountains, "Hmmm, be a great place for a building, think of the view." It's all over Aotearoa New Zealand, everyone thinks it. All in a place that is know to shake on a regular basis 😜

Nah, I fell like a sack of potatoes off that.

The look like Daleks, no? I can't actually remember what they are, liquid soap dispensers?

I love flying into and out of Sydney as the headlands are not wishy-washy at all: land, land, land, cliffs, deep sea! The foreground lump of ground is  Malabar Headland National Park, NSW .

Since the day I walked down Monnow Street behind Robert Plant (early 1980s?) and fell in love with his mane I've always wanted to have long, flowing and swish worthy hair. It'll never happen. I gave it a damn good go at the end of 2019 and into 2020. All I got was hair that can I let be describe as bouffant. "Oh, I love your curls Mike", which is lovely to hear, but still ...

Sydney CBD always strikes me as a modern city and despite the century year old buildings it has a feel of something ever slightly from the future. Probably why The Matrix was filmed there.

It's amazing how the world allows one particular family to believe they are special whilst wearing shiny hats, holding golden sticks, and place their hands upon balls made of metal. All in the name of taking money, land, and influence for themselves. Let's look at this Sydney art work reflecting such posturing. We have a mythical creature, namely a unicorn, chained up next to a lion which is most certainly not native to England. They are prancing around a big badge with more lions and a tiny shiny hat. Above are the two very congenial ladies shaking hands as they sit against yet another badge of some sort. The lady on the left, with the horn of plenty, needs to sort out her atire, but then again it can get very hot in Sydney. The elderly lady above sits in full costume with hat, stick, and ball. She does seem to have won the Miss Sydney 188something competition with her sash flung on for the sitting. Above the elderly lady are, of course, two flying babies. All this for the loc...

I've encouraged you all to " look up " whenever you're out and about and here's me looking up at the QVB roof dome 4 floors above me.

Height of summer 2020 in Sydney and the kids and I learnt to wear facemasks little knowing it would become a thing. It was a summer of fires in NSW and surrounding Sydney causing a pall of smoke to hang over the city obscuring much to see. (as a comparison here's the same view a few days before at night)

There's a look-and-feel to American and English cartoons of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. There is always a lot of movement, everything is slightly caricatured, and perspective is trying to give a 3D feel. In the UK the classic 70s comics of The Beano, The Dandy, Whizzer & Chips and many other similar weekly offerings had me in raptures as I entered fun, safe, and jolly worlds.

Here they go as shared a few days ago , gorgeous eh.

Do elephants smile, sure as hell looks like it eh. Not this time though, just getting ready to pop the food in. But, do elephants smile? I hope so.

There is nothing quite as hypnotising as watching seals gliding through the water.

Came, stopped, went, gone.

Got me a stack of photos of the Moon at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum , a particular favourite visit of mine.

Not being an Aussie I don't have any views about Julia Gillard (seen here as a waxwork in Sydney). I don't know if she was a good MP or PM, I don't know if she represented her constituents well, I don't know if she was fair and kind in her dealings. I know two things about her. One: she has Welsh heritage, may have even been born in Wales but I'll leave you to check that. Two: 10 years ago she gave a speech in the Australian Federal Government that everyone heard. It's been called The Misogyny Speech and when I first saw her give it (all off the cuff) I was blown away. It's for that one speech that I hold Julia Gillard in high esteem, every man should watch it and women can use it as they see fit.

Is there anything more calming than tropical fish chilling out in a lamplit pump of water? No.

I know what it looks like, but is it? Cute either way. It lived, back in January 2020, at the Sydney Aquarium.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a stunning piece of engineering and from The Rocks this was a new view for me.

Somewhere in the Sydney CBD.

No, not really the body of me, that was born in England (I know!). The surname, Riversdale, was born here though as this is Riversdale Beach on the Wairarapa east coast. So, it might look like a cloudy v average holiday snap of a beach to you, but it holds much more emotion than that for me.

Called Ghost Tower this Louise Purvis creation sits upon a ledge outside the Palmerston North tourist centre. Hard to get the brain to focus eh.

Whilst you're looking at the art before you if you could stroke a beard, or perhaps the beard of someone hear you, you will exude the correct amount of interest and curiosity about the arts creator and their deep intent behind 'the piece'.

Wellington Art Gallery, in a room, there was this.  [ insert caption here ]

These symbols are part of the City To Sea Bridge in Wellington AND outside the Tourist Info Centre in Napier.