gapvic

Sorry guys, think I've finished the photos so will try to get it up tonight :). Teekay, I took the photo of the pizza on my iphone, sorry! Those long pink things are beans. At Italian markets you just point to what you want and they will get it for you - the stallholders apparently don't like you handling the fruit and vegies :)

:laugh: same! I spoke to the lady who was sitting on the door near it last time and asked how she could stand the smell, but she said you get used to it.

LOL I've seen kids in there and wondered how they would cope - I love MONA but do find some of the exhibits confronting and disturbing. The poo machine - god the smell! Did you go into the little room, I think it's called the Death Chamber or something?? The one they only allow three or four people in at a time with the water and the stepping stones. And did your boys by any chance come across the toilet where you could watch yourself wee?? :laugh:

Just gorgeous Huga! I spy Mona - what did you think of it? I love Tassie and try to get down at least once a year :D

The one I did started at Federation Square and there is heaps of parking in the area - I just had a short walk. I did find the course tiring though as although we didn't walk miles, we were on our feet for the full four hours and out in the sun at times. Well worth it though!

So pretty Weibritty!

God, so tempted to go again... have you signed up Cougar?

Do go Cougar, you'll get so much out of it. He's brilliant :D . I'd love to do more with him.

Will do, thanks! What should one use to clean your lens?

Hi all, Does anyone know if it's ok to use the same stuff you use for cleaning your glasses to clean your lens? Larissa :)

42/52 - happiness (think I've still got about three photos to catch up on)

The woman at the centre of a horrific animal cruelty case has been identified as a former dog foster carer. Gemma Louise Tovey was found guilty in her absence on September 23 in Mandurah Magistrates Court of three counts of cruelty to an animal by abandonment and one count of failing to provide proper and sufficient food to an animal. The court heard RSPCA inspectors went to Ms Tovey's former address in Waroona on September 12, 2012, and found two emaciated and abandoned dogs locked inside. Another dog, a female greyhound, was found dead in a pool of urine. A later inspection of the home revealed faecal matter littering the floor and walls and scratches on a toilet door indicating a dog had been locked in for some time. The greyhound, which weighed just 14.1kgs, was taken to Murdoch Hospital for an autopsy which revealed leather, metal and elastic bands in its stomach. The average weight of a female greyhound of similar age was reported to be between 27-34kg. Inspectors seized the remaining dogs – a Siberian husky and a rottweiler staffy cross. New information now suggests the Siberian husky seized from Ms Tovey was actually a foster dog placed in the offender's care by rescue group Greyhound Angels. Melita Shonis from the rescue group said Shona was fostered by Ms Tovey on August 7. Within weeks Shona was missing, with Ms Tovey telling Ms Shonis the dog was in the care of a friend. Ms Shonis was then told the husky had been seized by the RSPCA. "It's heartbreaking," she said. "In 20 years of Greyhound Angels we have never had this happen. "We have never lost a dog." The RSPCA is yet to confirm the husky seized from Ms Tovey's property was Shona. "We would love her back," Ms Shonis said. "But at the end of the day I'll be happy if Shona's happy. "I've been fearful this whole time she was dead. "Now at least I have a glimmer of hope." Ms Tovey was contacted for comment regarding the foster dog. She did not reply. Ms Tovey now faces a maximum penalty of $50,000 and five years imprisonment. Prosecutors are also seeking to have her banned from owning dogs.During a brief appearance this week she was not required to comment. No defence has been raised on her behalf. She was released on $1000 bail pending her sentence date on November 25. Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/wa-woman-convicted-of-animal-cruelty-was-dog-foster-carer-20141016-1171lx.html#ixzz3GN1HEuxM My link

I'm so far behind 39/52 - fisherman 40/52 - no walkies (urgh, flickr has made this too sharp)

CC, your dogs have a larger wardrobe than I do :laugh: . So so cute :D

Upon adoption all GAPVic dogs have their microchip details changed into their new owners name. It is important to note though that the registry they are chipped with is held by Greyhound Racing Victoria and the dogs are not also registered with other organisations like Central Animal Records etc. We always recommend having your chip added to the CAR database as not all councils will ring GRV if they pick up a greyhound.

Re the piccolo orsetti, my sister has since told me they are also known as Russian Hampsters. So so cute!!

Dear all, Today, our last one in Florence, we had a stunning hail storm of what dad described as "biblical proportions". Which was probably quite apt given mum and I were stuck in a crypt at the time. The day started like every other day of our trip so far - sunny. Dad opted to hopefully get lost walking the streets while mum and I went to visit the Villa Medici at Castello. Not featured in any of the guide books, it was a lovely garden and completely and utterly empty save for the gardeners tending the plants. About half of it was terraced and full of citrus trees in massive pots, while the rest was parkland. After a lovely time walking around it we visited the Basillica di San Lorenzo. As we made our way there we noticed that the gypsy vendors had stopped selling their fake pictures and were instead selling umbrellas. Observation no. 16 - the items the gypsies are selling are a fair indication of the weather to come. We were down in the crypt when the storm hit and the sound, even that far under the ground, was incredible. The attendants shut the doors to prevent the hail coming down the steps and we were stuck there in the vaulted rooms until it passed. When we were finally allowed out we were greeted with a fabulous scene - thick hail everywhere! Piled up under cars, across the streets, it looked like snow and everyone was having a fine time playing in it. The street vendors around the market didn't fare so well and a lot of their canvas tents had collapsed under the deluge. Suddenly it occurred to mum that we had left our windows wide open. Oh dear. Thankfully dad had managed to find his way back to the apartment just as the storm hit and while our carpet and couches are now sodden, he managed to save the washing we had drying on a stand. Our time here has flown past and as each day ends we like the city a little more. None of us love it here but our days have been interesting and enjoyable. Yesterday, keen to get out into the countryside, we traveled on a double decker train to the unremarkable town of Emboli and then by bus to Vinci, a small hilltop town best known for being where Leonardo di Vinci was born and raised. There were two reasons we had come to Vinci: 1. It was in the county and 2. It didn't rate a feature in the Lonely Planet which we hoped also meant that it would be relatively tourist free. It turned out we were correct and we had the sweet little town pretty much to ourselves. After a wander around we walked just over 5kms through rolling hills covered in olive groves and vineyards till we reached the next town, Cerrato Guidi. There we sat in the shade and waited, and waited, and waited until finally a bus came along to take us back to Emboli and our train Florence. It was another beautiful sunny day (as every day here has been, minus the storm) and we returned home happy and content after a day out of the city. That night for dinner we had THE BEST PIZZA EVER. Just in case you missed that, it was THE BEST PIZZA EVER. Mere words can't describe the utter deliciousness of the pizza. The attached photo will have to suffice. Observation no. 17 - Judith's doppelganger lives in Florence; we saw her one evening being dragged down the street by her weimarana. And unlike the monster in Lake Como over which there remains some doubt as to whether I actually saw or simply imagined, this sighting is 100% true. I have witnesses. Earlier in the week we took a tram ride to the Mercato Delle Cascine, a market that runs for 1.5kms along side the Arno river. The stalls were mostly clothing but the highlight was, without a doubt, the pet stall at which you could buy chinchillas, baby squirrels and something called Piccolo Orsetti which looked like fat little mice with no tails. All utterly adorable. Observation no. 18 - It's fortunate that you can't buy chinchillas, baby squirrels and Piccolo Orsetti in Australia. Observation no. 18a - Although I rather wish you could. We parted ways on Wednesday with mum and dad going to the Unesco classified town of San Gimignano. Apparently half the other tourists in Florence had the same idea and followed them there. I instead chose to go shopping. First, the market to get fresh pasta for dinner and to listen to a stallholder singing as he arranged his vegetables. Then I visited what I'm pretty sure was every one of the 2000 or so shoe stores in Florence. To recover I sat in a crowded piazza for a while and daydreamed in the sunshine. Afternoon tea was gelato (peanut butter and toffee - yum!). It was all very nice. Wednesday, it turned out, was also the day for which I had booked tickets for the Uffizi. Stupidly for some reason we had all thought they were for Thursday. Having been somewhat daunted by the kilometer long queue we had noticed when walking past at times I have to admit that I wasn't overly disappointed at our mistake. The Uffizi can wait for another time. Tomorrow we head to La Spezzia, our base for exploring the Cinque Terre. We hope to spend two days walking the entire no. 2 path. Dad will do it on his ear. Mum will struggle with her hips and me, well most of you know I'm allergic to exercise. I'm hoping our training up and down our Stairway of Hell will put us in good stead and we won't expire along the way. Love to all, Larissa, Christine & Michaelxoxo

This is what it says on the Sigma website: Engineered for those who see photography as a critical expression of self, our Art line offers sophisticated optical performance and abundant expressive power to deliver faithfully on your artistic vision.

It means they are super special lol. In all honesty, I don't know... perhaps Huga might :)

HAHA because now I want the 35mm ! You won't regret getting the 50mm, it's absolutely gorgeous. But heavy - way bigger and heavier than the nikon 50mm. But so beautiful.

Lovely Huga! I ABSOLUTELY ADORE the 50mm art.... soooo soooo sharp. Much better than my nikon 50mm.

I love love love lightroom. So easy to use. Download the free trial, download some free presets and have a play :D

Kirislin, yep, it's all done in Lightroom. 99.9% of the photos were taken with the 50mm. I also took my wide angle but it's not full frame so I can only use it really really wide on the D800. I took a couple of pics with it though. In the Flickr folders some of the photos were taken by my parents with their D7000 and the zoom, or taken by me with their camera and the zoom or wide angle.

Thanks guys! Hope to get part 3 up tonight :)

Further Venice pics here: My link And Florence here (including lovely Fisole): My link