A Lackadaisical Stuffed Giraffe

Roger is the star at a shop in Redfern, Seasonal Concepts, which has some exceptional taxidermy amongst the semi-antiques. Ken and TR report that he died a natural death at Taronga Zoo before being recycled as a lackadaisical stuffed giraffe.

Many finely preserved animal heads are on display, trophies of an Australian hunter-collector in the 1950s-60s.

Ken says you need a seriously large room to display even one. Some of the heads (stag, addax, gazelle, etc) have an overwhelming presence. We cannot get as close as this to living animals even in a zoo. Looking at the immaculate reincarnations we tease ourselves with fright and stand our ground. The wild stares back at us through unfamiliar masks. We have evolved from hunter gatherers to hunter collectors.


A mean-looking coyote growls lasciviously.*

(* synonymous with lustful or lewd or unruly. Good word, lascivious, but maybe he's just hungry)

Cockatoo as Cock-stopper

Cockatoos need good handling. George's companion Bess's hand is wrapped in cloth for a spontaneous wing display. Bess says that George is a real "cock stopper", and gets vocal when an interested man gets too close. Last time, he threw a steak knife while squarking "Get F---ed". 
George is a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, living at the Friend in Hand hotel in Glebe, Sydney.
The hotel has a weekly event racing hermit crabs, and is well know for poetry readings, as well as for George.

A dog and his shadow

A kelpie keen on catching its shadow by surprise.

Baz comes to Prince Alfred Park on Cleveland Street across from Strawberry Hills post office with his man Stephen.

Baz gets puzzled in cloudy weather, knows where to look: "it was there before!" - jumps and spins and barks and pounces when the sun returns.

Dragons, Fish and a Snake at Chinese New Year

The parade for Chinese New Year in Sydney took a long time going past - lucky the dragons weren't hungry! They were magnificent, brimming with energy as they swooped and swirled. 

Dragons come in many kinds and colours - see Wikipedia info here.

This year is referred to world-wide as 2013, but the Chinese Year is either 4710, 4711 or 4650 depending upon which year is numbered "1" by various scholars. 

Everyone knows it's the year of the Snake - this one has swallowed a bicycle!

A dragon in a school of fish.

Death Rides High

Death rides high every day at the Australian Museum in Sydney. Children who were frightened for years by the sight of a human skeleton on his/her rising bone steed are bringing their grandchildren to see the immortal charge. Like a vision of the rider on a white horse in the book of Revelations? (What's scary is some people believe the fantasy of 'the end of days').

Archaeology as stones & bones.

Check a movie crane shot at the Museum's website (sorry, doesn't work on iPhone as it's a Flash video)

"How do you like your blue-eyed boy, Mister Death?"
ee cummings, Buffalo Bill 

Happy Valentine's Day anyway

The Bicycle Parrot and Ralph's Big Red Mouth

Caesar, an Eclectus parrot from New Guinea, paused for a photograph on its bicycle ride with Pierre, heading for the opening of the Eternity exhibition at Damien Minton's gallery in Redfern. You can see Eternity written in chalk on the footpath next to the abandoned shopping trolley, in the famous copperplate style. After the photo opp, Caesar was pleased to climb up onto a nearby admirer's hand for a somber head scratch. 

Outside a supermarket near the gallery, Cindy was helping her hand-puppet Ralph. Their sign reads: "Please help me get my bed tonight $15 God be with us all. Have a nice life to us all love you all." Cindy asked to be included in the photo. She said she's homeless, and usually raises money for a place to stay by making jewellery. Ralph was doing well with his cheerful big-red-mouth act, and coins were adding up fast. 

Sad update a few weeks later: Cindy was holding out a cup for spare change without Ralph today, and says that Ralph has been stolen.

Snow dogs in NYC

Thick snow in New York City, with dogs in booties ... how urban can you get? Everyone's well prepared for the season

Puppies in the pram ... what a life. Actually, the dogs look as fully grown as miniatures can be.  Heading for a romp in the snow-drifts filling Central Park? They look very keen to get somewhere. Note specialised  seatbelts across their chests..


These photos were taken in typical snow time in February 2010, with a Canon Powershot G9.