The people at WordPress have challenged bloggers to search through their photographic archives for the last Weekly Photo Challenge for the year and for me, it hasn’t been easy to decide on which photos to choose for my final post of the year. I wonder how other bloggers have made their final choices and what has tilted the scales in favour of one photo, against another?
My main deciding factor has been to try to choose photos that I haven’t published this year, something perhaps just a tad different, although I must admit that I am a creature of habit. Nearly all of my photos could be filed under perhaps six headings ~ birds, my pets, my garden, sunsets, natural views and my family!
When I searched back to January, I had forgotten about the floods during that month! With the humidity of our Australian summer in our sub-tropical climate always present, January is not one of my favoured months weather wise, although the flood waters in our valley do make for a different view.
When the sun took a peek at the garden in February the flowers were thrilled, breaking out in bloom all over the place! I love these little trailing violets, a beautiful ground cover between the larger shrubs.
The humidity continued into March and the day I took a drive to Tyalgum, a small village about an hours drive from my home (and away from the coastal breezes!) the heat was almost unbearable! Some beautiful scenery along the way made up for the heat and it turned out to be a very pleasant trip after all.
During April, a visit to Fingal Beach was definitely a highlight of the month. This small child also appears to be enjoying himself, exploring the rock pool between the volcanic rocks along the beach.
This is one of my favourite photos of my Indian Ring Neck parrot, Charlie. When we brought Charlie home to live with us we had no idea whether Charlie was a he or a she, so he or she needed a name suited to either sex. I have recently reached the grand conclusion that Charlie is a she, as I’m sure she would have developed a brightly coloured ring around her neck by now, if she were a he. I love Charlie regardless, although the rest of my family don’t share my love for her. I seem to be Charlie’s “chosen person”, so she coos are tweets at me, allowing me to pat her and tickle her neck. It’s another story if another member of the family gets too close for comfort though! My little angel can be quite the devil at times!
During May, the photo-bug had set in big time for me and I had become the proud owner of my new “best friend”, a wonderful new Canon Powershot SX40 camera. The camera went with me everywhere (and usually still does!) and I enjoyed many an hour at the beach, taking photos of anything and everything. I love the simplicity of this long-legged bird walking through the ripples in the water.
Like I said, mid year I would photograph anything! I loved experimenting with anything that may (or may not) look good in a photo, trying out different angles, in varying light throughout the day. Standing between a clump of palm trees in the middle of the day, blue sky above, seed pods shimmering in the sunlight, turned out to be one of my successful photos!
Through experimenting with photos I have also discovered that certain birds are very photogenic, with our beautiful kookaburras being some of my favourite subjects. I’m sure they pose for me when they see the camera!
And speaking of posers, here is my adorable little garden helper. She also helps around the house, with the washing, making the bed, washing the dishes….but even an enthusiastic little helper needs to take a break some times!
My gorgeous friends the magpies are another photogenic subject. Not a day goes by without they visit my garden for some scraps of food and I am always rewarded with their happy, chortling song.
This little Butcher Bird is a fairly new visitor to my garden and he and his little mate have made themselves right at home during the latter part of this year.
How did the year come to an end so quickly? As I finish writing, it is a mere twenty minutes to midnight and I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year! May 2013 bring you many blessings, happiness, good friends, loving family, and prosperity in everything you do.
In My World 
It is still 2012 as I write this comment to you – isn’t that funny that we could be communicating to each other in different years, lol? I’ve really enjoyed this look at your year in photos. Australia is a very different and exotic place to this girl who has lived her entire life in a northeastern United State (Massachusetts)! My favorite photos of the year have very similar categories to yours, but such very different species and such we have. Your bird photos are delightful. I can’t imagine looking up into a beautiful green palm tree in the middle of “winter”. Nice choices Joanne!
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I just popped over to see your photos too Karen, and yes, they are very different, yet similar subjects to mine and I can see that each photo you have chosen for the love you feel them. Isn’t it great to be sharing our stories of 2012 across the world? I love how we can do that through our websites. Haha, yes, I was looking up at the bluest of blue skies in your winter, wasn’t I?
A very Happy New Year to you Karen. 🙂
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Hee, hee – that blue sky was YOUR winter wasn’t it? You have it marked as July – the hottest month of summer in these parts.
Happy New Year to you, too!
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It was my winter, you’re right!!! Even I’m thrown by our blue winter skies! (Hee, hee….) 😀
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What a fantastic set of pictures! I like everyone of them! As you may guess, I particularly like the one of Miss Tibbs! Keep up the good work!
I wish you a Very Happy New Year and look forward to seeing more pictures!
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Hello Sylvia, and Happy New Year to you too! I’m pleased you enjoyed my photos. I really have caught the photography bug and love having the opportunity to share my photos here. I hope you are enjoying the snow in the UK right now. That’s one subject that I can’t share with you from Australia (although I really wouldn’t mind if I could!). 🙂
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Happy New Year, Joanne! I really enjoyed your look back at 2012. That’s a beautiful series of images. 🙂
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Happy New Year to you too Robin! I’m looking forward to finding the magic in 2013 as the year unfolds. 🙂
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Beautiful photos, Joanne! I love the ocean, the beach, the blue sky, the plants, the birds and the kitty. My son went to Cairns in August for a convention. He said he loved it. They had a chance to do some sightseeing and he took lots of pictures. I’m so happy that he had the opportunity to visit Australia all the way from Canada. Happy new year, Joanne! It’s not quite midnight here. Two hours to go yet. All the best! 🙂
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Happy New Year Marainne! I think that by now you may have reached 2013 at your home. 🙂
I have not visited Cairns myself but I hear it is a beautiful area, right on The Great Barrier Reef, so I imagine your son must have taken some fabulous photos during his visit. I’m pleased to hear that you enjoyed sharing my 2012 year in photos with me. 🙂
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Happy New Year to you, too, Joanne. If these pictures are a reflection of 2012, I believe you had a beautiful year. ❤
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Now you mention it Stacy, yes, I did have a rather beautiful year, especially through the lens of my camera! A whole new world has opened up for me, which will continue through this year as well. 🙂
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Joanne, I so did enjoy looking through your year-in-review photos. What a wonderful year you’ve had…so bright and full of color. I think the camera can teach us to appreciate the amazing world which surrounds us, can’t it? Happy New Year, my friend!
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You are so right Kathy, when we take photographs, our eyes are opened to the beautiful world that we live in. Isn’t it funny how we can dash through life and so much goes unnoticed, yet if we slow down and look for a beautiful scene to take a photo of, those scenes are everywhere we look!
Wishing you a brilliant 2013, Ms. Kathy. 🙂
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Happy New Year, Joanne! Great idea, picking one photo for each month of the year in review. I love all your tropical and exotic birds, and then somehow seeing a cat in the middle of it all is an unexpected surprise. I wonder if domestic cats are found on every continent? April is so enchanting – our beaches do not have volcanic rocks to explore!
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Ah yes, that cheeky cat, she actually does enjoy sitting right in the middle of where the birds come for their food, just to tease them!
April is a beautiful month here, when the weather cools down, giving us relief from the extreme heat. October is fabulous also, when the warmer days begin the new growth cycle of the plants and flowers in the garden. I’ve been trying to find the very best in every month of the year. Perhaps I will review each month after it is over, realising the best in all months (especially during January and February, rather than complaining about the heat!) 🙂
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Wonderful collection of pictures from 2012.
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Thank you so much, I’m pleased you enjoyed my highlights of 2012. 🙂
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