Mike Riversdale

There's a story told by actor Bernard Hill about his Lord Of The Rings costume whilst portraying  Théoden that on the inside of his breastplate there were intricate designs and patterns that would never be seen by moviegoers; "It made me feel like a real king, something there not for the screen but for me." I find a lot of such detail in buildings is up high, hidden from everyday viewing. The little details that the architect has created because it made her smile, or the flourish in a corner that made the builder happy. Always look up . And always add your own touch to whatever you created be it the beans on toast for lunch, the code you're writing, or the month long event you're hosting. Something that if no-one else notices still makes you smile.

I can't recall what was so special about this tanker that the tugboat needed to do a special welcome by splurging it's hose water all over it. Fun to watch though.

Just because I wore a tuxedo onesie I was asked to be in the Vintage Whanganui 2023 competition.  One lined up with all these amazing people in spectacular costumes ( photos ), paraded around when it was your turn, and when the time came winners were decided by a table of judges. I didn't win. But I had a bloody good laugh.

The Vintage Weekend in Whanganui is very very cool and I'd heartily recommend it to all those with a sense of style, adventure, and fun. Music of all sort s, costumes, art, and vehicles are on show as the town centre closes to traffic. 

Here's the following new SEVENTEEN Wales photo albums up for those that want to have a poke around: General Coastal Wales Inland Wales Towns Llandrindod Wells Crickhowell Caernarfon Beddgelert Betws-y-Coed Llandudno Porthmadog Bishop's Castle (England) Places and Things Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber St David's Cathedral Devil's Bridge Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / National Library of Wales Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Conwy Castle Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

There will always come times when it's your turn to pull on your big boy pants and do the thing you know you have to do. Be like this spinifex and just go for it!

Waiting for everyone to move was never gonna happen so I edited out the people, blurred the background and hopefully have left the two subjects for your eyes to be caught by. The statue, Woman Of Words , is the work of New Zealand sculptor Virginia King, and is made of stainless steel and embellished with words and from Mansfield's writing. At night the statue is lit up from inside. [ source: Wikipedia ]

Let the sounds and calmness take you away from your worries of today.

I miss my mate from Waitārere Beach, she's the best dog ever.

It took many years before I got used to a hot summer Christmas in Aotearoa New Zealand, in fact there is no defining date as it's sort of crept up on me. That's not to say hot summer Christmas has replaced the Welsh cold winter Christmas, they now live inside my head both paying equal rent.

As exciting as this stick figure*, Mr Tripod, could possibly be! "TADAAAA!"   * You're welcome 😜

Despite the title this is just a photo of rain on a leaf. I do like taking photos of rain, there's something quite cleansing about it.

It seems very big, and solid, and slightly scary. Sitting on an outside table in Waitārere Beach on the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. Anyone, what is it? (yes I've tried Google Lens and it helpfully told me it was a spider. With a bit of prodding Lens then said maybe a Wolf Spider or perhaps a Jumping Spider, I don't think it's those, or is it?)

As part of an " Only In Wellington " advertising campaign there are a bunch of bronze pigeon statues scattered around the city centre representing innovative and kickass companies. As I've just discovered after wondering why today's photo is of a pigeon with a calculator. James and Claire Fuller’s Hnry -inspired pigeon sculpture, by Jonathan Campbell

The Welsh Dragon Bar (Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand) is proud to wear it's heart upon it's sleeve as it serves Welsh beer and whisky amongst the display of Welsh flags, rugby shirts, and knick-knacks.

I wonder if they all talked about leaving the ivy to grow over the garages or when one did they all followed.

The 2022 Groove Armada gig was bloody awesome, and yes you DO know a song of their's, this one .

Digital photograph, enhanced. Google Pixel Pro 7  f/1.9  •  1/2719  •  6.81 mm  •  ISO45 -41.278267,174.770133

I can't imagine this is an official sign but it certainly gets the message over eh!

Here's the following new photo albums up for those that want to have a poke around: Theatre Angela Barnes (Monmouth, 2023) Hancock's Half Hour (Monmouth, 2023) World views Reykjavik (Iceland) Golden Circle, Iceland (2023)

With a constant supply of hot air the Majestic Chimney has been the pride of Wellington's BS industry since the early 1990s.

Today's daily photo is one showing off the internals of the cool church in the centre Wellington known as St Mary of the Angels. And another showing off the amazing editing skills of my phone and how it can remove all the people from the above photo.

Late 2022 and I'm lucky enough to be in Whanganui's Sargjeant Museum during the  The 2022 Members Show from the New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass ( NZSAG ) as I was stuck looking at this piece and photographing it from all angles. Forward a year and here I am writing this daily photo blog with no idea who it was by, or even where I saw it. Google Lens , what a bloody marvellous bit of tech eh. The piece is called Kahu , it's by Michael Crawford , and it naturally won the top award coz it is STUNNING. So, if anyone is thrashing around for Christmas present ideas for me, here ya go ...

A dramatic storm burst. When I finally turned and had to drive through it I was forced to stop and let it roll over me as the wipers just couldn't cope.

Margaret Austin is a creative force to be reckoned with, published author, poet, dancer, actor, stripper, raconteur , theatre reviewer, and of course the Duchess of Wellington.

Something dramatic this way comes.

Casually reading Do gravitational waves exhibit wave-particle duality? * and during its excellent explanation of waves and how to find them through interference patterns** this pops up: Even stranger realizations came in the 20th century, as we discovered that: Single photons, when you passed them through a double slit one-at-a-time, would still interfere with themselves, producing a pattern consistent with a wave nature. Electrons, known to be particles, exhibited this interference and diffraction pattern as well. Composite particles, and even tiny living organisms, can interfere with themselves as you pass them through a double slit. However, if you measured which slit a photon or electron went through, you wouldn’t get an interference pattern, at all. You will only get one if you don’t make that measurement. What!? There are tiny living organisms that are both  one thing (particles) and another thing (waves). What the!! * the answer, according to Betteridge's law of headlines i

(obviously not a photo I took) From NASA Webb#First Images: Behind the curtain of dust and gas in these “Cosmic Cliffs” are previously hidden baby stars, now uncovered by Webb. We know — this is a show-stopper. Just take a second to admire the Carina Nebula in all its glory: nasa.gov/webbfirstimages/   Webb’s new view gives us a rare peek into stars in their earliest, rapid stages of formation. For an individual star, this period only lasts about 50,000 to 100,000 years. Image Description: The image is divided horizontally by an undulating line between a cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively clear upper portion. Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing innumerable stars of many sizes. The smallest of these are small, distant, and faint points of light. The largest of these appear larger, closer, brighter, and more fully resolved with 8-point diffraction spikes. The upper portion of the image is blueish, and has wispy translucent cloud-lik

A dude playing smooth smooth jazz whilst dressed as a tree covered in Christmas lights whilst educating the world to be more environmentally friendly.

"Hey, Wellington, how are ya?" "Not too shabby thanks"

Looking at the photo what is the title of the play / movie being represented by Gladys?

And at the end pay with a $2 coin to ascend Durie Hill. It's an eerie experience walkinto into the heart of a hill to catch an elevator up and out the top, but well worth it.

So, the phrase will now have it there no "I" in Wellington unless you go down to the waterfront and stand in for it. I am all for this Instagramisation of city promotions, coz it's fun and you get a cool photo. And the Wellington one is v cool, and changes colours.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show at The Embassy is an annual treat for everyone that wants to dress up and let loose their inner whatever. The aftermath of the movie interactions from the audience takes some cleaning up though.

Slow motion of Tana taking a leap after the stick into the water.

Departing Wellington Airport in a Sounds Air plane during a moderate southerly.  The coast line looks pretty rough with big waves but the flight was smooth as.

The joy of YouTube it sometimes pops up a gem like this, enjoy. So, were you someone that: watched from start and all the way to end, or did you quickly zip along to find out the ending?

The sun sets over the Indian Ocean west of Broome, and all of Australia fades into the night.

A lot of old buildings, hidden pubs, and even a Bridge of Sighs, all held within Oxford (England, UK) .

I couldn't stop laughing as this trail of camels slowly pondered past us on their way to carry tourists along the Broome beach. There was a guy in the UK called Johnny Morris who did nature / zoo programs for kids. His schtick was to dub in voices to the animals, and I loved it! As these camels galumph down the street I could hear, "Hur hur, we're going on a walk we are. Oooh yesss, a good long walk, hur hur" Here to you Johnny Morris 🍺

 The gorgeous primary colours of  Gantheaume Point (Broome, Western Australia)

First day in Broome at the end of our trek across the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Here we are at  Gantheaume Point staring out at the blue blue Indian Ocean against the blue blue sky whilst standing on the red red rocks. It is certainly primary colour country.

Out along the mudflats of Derby on the edge of Western Australia you can experience some quite remarkable dawn/dusk sculptures. Sculptures On The Marsh includes this one called Kimberly Ringer but I could've (and may) included Contemplation or Outback Football , both of which are very cool.

 There's the following new photo albums up for those that want to have a poke around: Albert Lee in Fun Events : Gigs In Word views : UK : Wales Monmouth over the years  Wyesham

Halls Creek is a fairly modern town in the east Kimberley region of Western Australia and the only sizable town for 600 km on the Highway. However, it's not the first attempt at a Halls Creek township. On Christmas Day 1885 prospector Charlie Hall found a 870-gram (28-troy-ounce) gold nugget at a site that would eventually be named after him. News of the discovery drew more than 15,000 people to what is now Old Halls Creek to try their luck however the gold rush lasted less than three months and the town was left with few inhabitants and little water. In 1948 an airfield was built near the site of the present town and over the next decade the old town moved nearer to this new site. Except for the police station, which was finally relocated in 1961, the old town was abandoned by 1954. Question: WHAT, or WHO, was the old police station policing for, weird! So, that's where the story of the Halls Creek towns would fade away as a small mention in a local museum if it wasn't fo

Calm, chilled, peaceful.

The sign is on the side of the hotel that required a clean breathaliser for entry . Like you I didn't understand it, what is "humbugging" and why can't we do it? .. in Australian Aboriginal English, "humbug" is used in a general manner to refer to irritating or pestering someone. Source: Wikipedia: Humbug#Etymology

I've never been breathalised before and so it was a surprise to do it BEFORE we entered the bar. Drunk locals wanting "just one more" attempt entry apparently, this is to stop them.

Big and blue. Actually, take a look at it on a map , Lake Argyle is sooooooo much higher than this, and made by blocking up one bit.

Driving across the Northern Territory can feel like you're in the middle of nowhere when in reality your skirting around the middle of nowhere. And much like there's no darkness without light, there's no feeling of nowhere without the odd roadhouse every couple of hundred kilometres.

At a mere 20,000* years old it blows my young and fleeting mind at who the people were and how Namarrgon, the Lightning Man, has survived all that time. * that's how long archeologists and locals say they've been using the Anbangbang rocks for shelter and rituals, this might have been painted yesterday for all I know, but I suspect not.

Who's says the kids don't get out and entertain themselves anymore!

The " Adelaide River Cruises - Jumping Crocodile Experience " was the most excellent time, our guide was funny, down to earth, and very knowledgeable. This croc wasn't even the biggest, that came a little further down the river with Brutus, the 3 legged massive specimen .

If you know what sort of lizard this is please leave a comment, thanks.

Over the years I've heard of these places, "the Gaza strip", and, "the West Bank", words that describe a place somewhere in the Middle East that people live in and fight over. How big is the Gaza Strip? The west of what is the West Bank? Is this country Palestine? How many people live there? Who's the government of these places? No idea, basic actual facts about these places have never been placed before me so I'll have to go find out for myself eh ... yeah yeah, I'll do it tomorrow, stuff to do. "1 million people in Gaza have been told to move to the south." That was the moment for me. Was that a 5 minute walk, if so that sounded pointless. After an afternoon of reading the Web I have a much clearer sense of the environment everyone is suffering within. So, how long have been those in north Gaza been ordered to go? The Gaza Strip is 41 km (25 mi) long. Let's say 20-25 km, doesn't seem very far for me. Can you imagine leaving your h

In certain parts of the Northern Territory of Australia the highways have a speed limit of 130kmh (just under 81mph).  The first time a "130" speed sign came up we thought it was a joke. Then another and not before long someone passed us at 130kmh. Ok, seems real, let's do this. It's quite invigorating travelling along at that speed, especially with cruise control on. And by god 100kmh felt slow once we hit Western Australia and had to join the rest of the slow coaches.

They assure you that rangers check the waterholes for crocodiles however I relied on the "safety in numbers" approach to crocodile death mitigation together with the assumption they'd go for the juicy young ones first.

Darwin, they had a mermaid at the playground whilst I was there. I got a photo, this is it. Note: this is a month after the green hair and it's gone already, le sigh.

Back in the day I always wanted to have purple hair so, when I went to see Deep Purple, my girlfriend at the time dyed it. Almost instantly after that I wanted another colour, green.  It took from 1985 to 2022 to be finally have green hair thanks to my mate Jo and me pulling my finger out. In between my actual hair had gone from dark to grey and hair dye doesn't stick to grey so this time I had to have a transition colour, bleach blonde. I have already bought the next colour, red, but it sits in the bathroom cabinet waiting, waiting, waiting ...

Would've made a great mascot for my mental health breakdown back in 2016.

It astounds me that from the beach at Waitārere you can, when the light is right, see Mt Taranaki which is so so far away.  It hovers over the horizon, seemingly popping out from the sea. Yes, you can also see Mt Ruapehu from the very same beach. That also blows my mind!

Sky Tower in Auckland from a particularly rockety angle 😁🚀

I don't know if I'd been drinking, having a senior moment, or am just plain dumb, but I recall sitting at the airport for ages trying to work out how to wear this face mask.

I believe it's the World Of Wearable Arts (WOW) time in Wellington as I write this so, timely. This is Axminstress  by Kate MacKenzie (2018, New Zealand), bloody fantastic eh!

Another AI story from Google's Bard : The abandoned house stood alone in the middle of a field, its windows boarded up and its roof sagging. It was a dark and forbidding place, full of secrets and shadows. The locals whispered stories about the house. They said that it was haunted by the ghosts of its former inhabitants, a family who had been murdered in cold blood. Some said that the house was possessed by a malevolent spirit, and that it would bring bad luck to anyone who dared to enter its walls. One day, a group of teenagers decided to explore the abandoned house. They had heard the stories, but they didn't believe them. They thought it would be fun to spend a night in the house and see if anything happened. The teenagers arrived at the house late at night. They climbed through a broken window and entered the dark and dusty interior. The house was silent and still, except for the creaking of the floorboards beneath their feet. The teenagers explored the house, room by room.

Wellington Stadium and a rugby date with my daughter. It was July 2022 and the All Blacks took on Ireland for a 22-32 loss . As I write we are a week before the 2023 Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals of which one is, Ireland v All Blacks. You know what happened, I don't, yet.

Sometimes, from the right angle on the right day at the right time, Wellington is absolutely gorgeous.

From dark blue to flaming orange.

The next door neighbours were having a seance and the spirit was bright and fulsome.

1, 2, 3 ... MIRAMAR!

I can't remember where I found this, but YES! UK is well along the road but not done deal, if you recognise the history, the constant messaging, the obvious end point, it can be stopped. Aotearoa New Zealand, ooooh, you've had the first of the dominoes tip over but it's so obvious it can't ... yes this is where it ends up. Reduce the budget of public services. Elimination of positions in public services, because the budget has been reduced. Complain about the decline in quality and efficiency of public services. Claim that the degradation of public services is proof of government inefficiency and so privatisation is needed.