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Humour is alive and well in this part of the country. These two wags, reputedly from the Oamaru Volunteer Fire Brigade, have walked into the prize giving party with their team mascot, and walked right up to the official who most looks like their mascot. A whole conversation then took place about various relations etc.The 'theft' of mascots and signs between the teams is rife, so if you look carefully, you can see that the mascot is handcuffed to one of the wags, so neither can get lost.
The above photo is of the victorious Kaitangata team showing all the trophies they won over the weekend at the Otago Southland Fire Brigade competitions. I am unsure how many events were run altogether, but the team with the highest total points wins the contest. This team has competed in Australia and in many other similar contests around the South Island. They are practising now for the New Zealand National event, which this year will be in Queenstown.We wish them all the best.
Over the weekend, I took many action photos at the Otago Southland Fire Brigades competitions. Very well hosted by the Mosgiel Volunteer Fire Brigade, this annual event attracts teams of Fire men and women from all over the two provinces, and sometimes from further afield. All of them are volunteers, in other words they get paid not a cent for turning up to many emergencies. And they train, practice and work at doing set tasks for the competitions. All of these tasks are related to what happens at a real fire. Over this weekend there is real competition, with only seconds between the teams. Time penalties are applied if it is not done exactly right, and one small error can shift a team down several places.In the above photo, too much water pressure has been let out before the coupling has been attached. Some water must be coming out, as the hydrant has to be proved to be working, but if there is to much, it becomes very hard to put the coupling on. In this case, the man with the hose was powerful enough to force the coupling on, thus having the advantage of a fair bit of water already in the hose before the next step.I can tell you that the other teams studied this and other photos very carefully, to see if they could see how it was done. I think this is the 14th time I have covered this event. However, each one I learn a bit more , and when I have it right, they change the events so I have to learn them all over again. Being in the right place at the right time does not happen by accident, at least not in this job. The event was won by the enthusiastic team from Kaitangata, with Mossburn a close second. Both teams have father and son members, so it is real family sport.
I am no judge of art. I just know what I like. My neighbour, Alan, showed me this painting some time ago. It is of Central Otago, probably in the Luggate area, or maybe over the other side of the river. I suspect the higher of the two peaks is Mt. Maude.It has been painted by one "E.Griffin", or at least that is what is written on the bottom corner. There is no date or any other clues.I was sure that it would be easy to find said E. Griffin. Just google it, and something would come up. I was sure that if someone had the talent to paint such a bright and cheerful picture, google would mention them.Not a chance. There seem to be lots of artists in New Zealand with that surname, but none with the "E" bit. What to do? I know, I will email some of these Griffin artists, and see if they know.I did that. None of them knew any thing about an E. Griffin, but all promised to keep working on it. I think they may even be interested.If you recognise this painting, or know of someone with the "E.Griffin" bit, let me know.
I had reason to call on my neighbour Alan today. Another neighbour Neill was there already. This would be the best crop of potatoes I have seen in Central Otago. When they were flowering several weeks ago they stood a meter high. Neill provided the seed, together they planted, Alan watered, and they will both eat. I have never been able to get spuds to grow like this, mine always seem to wilt in the heat. They are so thick I had trouble finding somewhere for them to stand. And the potatoes are big. There is nothing like a team.
"They won't bite your fingers if you throw the bread further away"
Well done Shirley and Goldy, fifty years married. In the photo taken 50 years ago, you have the same expression as this one I took today. It was good to meet all the family again, some have really got bigger. And they retain that wit and cheerfulness you have passed on to them.Good effort.
First thing this morning I took some photos of Otago Country's best cricketers, (the Hawke Cup Team). They were in good spirits as they were in a good position in their two day game against competition leaders North Otago. However when I took the proofs back at 3.00pm, play had been stopped for 'bad light'. This was not in the best interests of the Country boys, as they had North Otago 'on the ropes'. Today would have been a usual summers day with our nor'wester, hot, dry, sometimes overcast. But because of the smoke from the fires in Australia, the light was 'different'. It was not really darker, it was unusual. We were caught under a band of quite thick smoke. After an hour or so it moved off to the south east, and the light went back to more usual hues. I was trying to figure a way of taking a photo of the effects of this light, but could produce nothing that could not be done with a filter or in photoshop, until tonight when I saw the moon. This sort of thing happens here every time there is a decent fire in Australia, but this time the smoke is very high in the atmosphere, and will probably go around the planet several times before it washes out. I know the fires in Australia are no joke, as I have seen one or two closeup myself, and this time there has been considerable loss of life, but I have no sympathy at all for Australian cricketers. And when they interrupt the games over here....
In this photo I tried to slow the exposure time so that the wind, which was quite strong at the time, would 'move' the tops so they would be blurred. It sort of worked. It was so bright that I think the least I could get it was 50th of a second. I do not think I have done Sting justice, all the same.
Some years ago, I was talking on the phone to a man in Auckland. He said his daily program meant he had to be up at 6am and on the road by 6.20am to avoid the traffic. When he got to his office, he had a shower, got breakfast, and was ready to start work at 8am. I took a photo from the same place as the above photo, though later in the day, and sent him a big print of it. It was named 'Rush Hour in Central Otago'. It hung on his office wall until he retired two years ago. In some ways it was more dramatic than the above, as it was taken when the sun was lower, and the oncoming car had it's lights on. Last Sunday, when I did this photo, there was a strong southerly wind, which tends to have the effect of filling the air with dust, so the Hawkden Range in the background is not showing as well as it usually would. And, the field to the right of this photo is now irrigated so is green instead of gold. Never mind, this is still rush hour, I think it was 6.15pm. And I still had to wait 5 minutes for a car to come.Some Aucklanders, and others who live in big citys, would laugh, and call me a peasant or maybe other things, but in the depths of their souls they know that this is infinitely better than sitting in queues of traffic.
Humour is alive and well in this part of the country. These two wags, reputedly from the Oamaru Volunteer Fire Brigade, have walked into the prize giving party with their team mascot, and walked right up to the official who most looks like their mascot. A whole conversation then took place about various relations etc.
The above photo is of the victorious Kaitangata team showing all the trophies they won over the weekend at the Otago Southland Fire Brigade competitions. I am unsure how many events were run altogether, but the team with the highest total points wins the contest. This team has competed in Australia and in many other similar contests around the South Island. They are practising now for the New Zealand National event, which this year will be in Queenstown.
Over the weekend, I took many action photos at the Otago Southland Fire Brigades competitions. Very well hosted by the Mosgiel Volunteer Fire Brigade, this annual event attracts teams of Fire men and women from all over the two provinces, and sometimes from further afield. All of them are volunteers, in other words they get paid not a cent for turning up to many emergencies. And they train, practice and work at doing set tasks for the competitions. All of these tasks are related to what happens at a real fire. Over this weekend there is real competition, with only seconds between the teams. Time penalties are applied if it is not done exactly right, and one small error can shift a team down several places.
I am no judge of art. I just know what I like. 
I had reason to call on my neighbour Alan today. Another neighbour Neill was there already. This would be the best crop of potatoes I have seen in Central Otago. When they were flowering several weeks ago they stood a meter high. Neill provided the seed, together they planted, Alan watered, and they will both eat. I have never been able to get spuds to grow like this, mine always seem to wilt in the heat. They are so thick I had trouble finding somewhere for them to stand. And the potatoes are big. 
Well done Shirley and Goldy, fifty years married. In the photo taken 50 years ago, you have the same expression as this one I took today. It was good to meet all the family again, some have really got bigger. And they retain that wit and cheerfulness you have passed on to them.
First thing this morning I took some photos of Otago Country's best cricketers, (the Hawke Cup Team). They were in good spirits as they were in a good position in their two day game against competition leaders North Otago. However when I took the proofs back at 3.00pm, play had been stopped for 'bad light'. This was not in the best interests of the Country boys, as they had North Otago 'on the ropes'. Today would have been a usual summers day with our nor'wester, hot, dry, sometimes overcast. But because of the smoke from the fires in Australia, the light was 'different'. It was not really darker, it was unusual. We were caught under a band of quite thick smoke. After an hour or so it moved off to the south east, and the light went back to more usual hues. I was trying to figure a way of taking a photo of the effects of this light, but could produce nothing that could not be done with a filter or in photoshop, until tonight when I saw the moon. This sort of thing happens here every time there is a decent fire in Australia, but this time the smoke is very high in the atmosphere, and will probably go around the planet several times before it washes out. 
In this photo I tried to slow the exposure time so that the wind, which was quite strong at the time, would 'move' the tops so they would be blurred. It sort of worked. It was so bright that I think the least I could get it was 50th of a second. I do not think I have done Sting justice, all the same.
Some years ago, I was talking on the phone to a man in Auckland. He said his daily program meant he had to be up at 6am and on the road by 6.20am to avoid the traffic. When he got to his office, he had a shower, got breakfast, and was ready to start work at 8am. I took a photo from the same place as the above photo, though later in the day, and sent him a big print of it. It was named 'Rush Hour in Central Otago'. It hung on his office wall until he retired two years ago. In some ways it was more dramatic than the above, as it was taken when the sun was lower, and the oncoming car had it's lights on. Last Sunday, when I did this photo, there was a strong southerly wind, which tends to have the effect of filling the air with dust, so the Hawkden Range in the background is not showing as well as it usually would. And, the field to the right of this photo is now irrigated so is green instead of gold. Never mind, this is still rush hour, I think it was 6.15pm. And I still had to wait 5 minutes for a car to come.
