So it would seem. Melbourne has had yet another outbreak of Coronavirus and because it is a very virulent strain, apparently, they have put us back into lockdown.
The latest lockdown
It is pretty much what they have done before. We are to stay home as much as possible and can’t go more than 5 kilometres from our home. We can leave the house but only for a few reasons.
They say 7 days, but who knows. We all have our fingers crossed that it will only be for that long.
The masks are coming out again.
There is a lot of anger out there at the moment. Most of it seems to be aimed at our Federal Government and, I have to say, with good reason. They are the government that takes no responsibility for anything and has done little for the country during the whole pandemic.
There is a partisan war going on between the Federal level of government because our state has a leader from a different party. So instead of our Prime Minister treating all Australians equally, he treats those in states that are the same party better. Unfortunately for Victoria, we have missed out a lot. We have been made to feel as though we don’t belong to the same country.
There was an opportunity for the Federal Government to have come out of this pandemic as heroes or legends. Instead, all we are seeing is a party that takes no responsibility, passes the tough decisions to the states, being petty, and not doing anything to help anyone. They continue to make themselves out as blameless. It is really sad.
Okay my rant is over.
Getting out to take photos
It could be very disappointing knowing that I can’t go out in the near future, but I am grateful that I have been out a bit lately.
Last weekend I managed to get into the city to take some photos around South Wharf and Docklands. I even managed to take some photos of some things I haven’t taken before, but have wanted to.
I was out with a friend which was nice. We both love doing long exposures, but it really wasn’t the right conditions for it. In the end we just wandered around taking photos.
It can be so good doing that from time to time. When you aren’t tied to a tripod you can try lots of different angles and be creative with your angles. It can give you ideas for when the conditions are right.
There will be some more creative images in a video soon, but I thought today I would show a few that I have quickly processed with Lightroom.
I hope you enjoy them.
Hi hope it’s not going too bad. I empathize because my country has been in a State of Emergency since April and it’s in place until August (so we hope) which means we cannot go anywhere except to work, grocery and pharmacy, and there’s a curfew at night. Prayers for us both ❤
It hasn’t been two bad, just two weeks. We go into them quickly with the idea of getting on top of it quickly. We are okay now, though lots of other places aren’t. Thank you Jay. Good luck to you too.
Thank you! Best of luck to you!
😀
So sorry that Melbs got locked up again .. take care Leanne
It is getting rather annoying, but we are out now, unlike many other parts of the country. Thank you Julie.
Amazing!!
Thank you
Wat? So bad though the pandemic has to be controlled
Who is saying the pandemic should be controlled, that is the problem.
Sorry to hear you guys are still struggling. We are currently emerging from lockdown 3 or something. Starting to lose count!
All sorts of accusations flying round here too about government incompetence.
Some may be true.
But things are improving.
Love the photos though!
We shouldn’t complain too much, it has been great here and it was like pre-pandemic until a few days ago. Still it is a bit of a shock being in lockdown again after so long. Hopefully after the 7 days everything will be fine again. Fingers crossed. I just can’t believe how the Federal gov is acting like Victoria is part of their responsibilities as well. It is so sad.
Thank you.
I am always fascinated with your work, Leanne, and I appreciate these still shots that can be studied and perused as long as I want. I love big city work. I love Melbourne Harbor because my vivid imagination takes me there for my maternal grandfather’s original sailing point long ago, carrying some of my genes to the US. He ran away from home when he was sixteen, on a sailing ship, and crossed the ocean to debark on the opposite side of the world. And here I am…. I get a lot out of a photo! 🙂
What a wonderful story, I will have to continue showing you photos then. This week my video is about that area. I haven’t posted it yet, but you might like seeing it. Do you know what year he left, that might give me a better idea of exactly where he left. Thank you, I don’t know your name, but thanks again. 😀
My name is Pat. Grandpa was born in 1883 in Maclean, sailed away to America in 1899 from Melbourne.
I can’t find a Maclean in Victoria Pat, there is a suburb of Melbourne called Macleod, so I am wondering if that was it. Macleod is just up the road,from me, part of the area I live in. Though I can’t find much history on the town. Of course, there is the possibility that there may have been a town called that and it no longer exists, but there is usually some record.
If your grandpa left in 1899 chances are he left from Station Pier. It is where we now catch the ship called the Spirit of Tasmania when we want to go to Tasmania. All the cruise ships that dock in Melbourne also dock there. If you looks at this video of mine, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rw8ameVy0I and go to around 5.55 minutes you will see some footage of Station Pier. I have been on that pier and I have other photos if you are interested.
Maclean is on the Eastern Coast, near or a suburb of Grafton. It might be New South Wales. The remnants of the family Schwonberg docks and slip were recently made a national park I think. My GreatGrandDad was the Mayor there back in the day. A cousin, Greg Towner published some books on the family. I have some photos that Greg sent, he sends new stuff frequently. His Dad and my Mom were 1st Cousins I believe. Greg is an Aussie, lives around Melbourne someplace.
Yeah I saw one on the upper coast or near it in NSW, but it is so far from Melbourne, so I wondered why he would come to Melbourne and leave instead of leaving from Sydney which is closer. He would have had to pass by Sydney. It is over 1500kms from me, that is almost a thousand miles. It is shame it was so far away, if it was closer I might have been able to go and take a look. That is incredible that you still have contact, or rather really nice. Thank you for sharing that Pat.
It was a shipping and ship construction family, a teenage boy might easily have hopped a company ship. I’m not sure he sailed from Melbourne, he was much closer to Sydney. Only recently we have gleaned all this information, and just now checking the site I learn that Maclean was largely Scottish, with many Scots emigrating from Scotland. (We very recently realized that our GGGrandma was born in Scotland (made the voyage to Australia by herself at age 18 or 20.) my kind of gal.
My fathers family came from Scotland. I’m a first generation Australian on my fathers side. Him and his family came here as part of a scheme called the ten pound poms or that is what it is referred to now. It was part of scheme to try and get workers and more people here after the second world war. I’ve been making my grandmas shortbread recently. I couldn’t imagine travelling here alone at that time, it would have been so scary. You couldn’t just call home if you were lonely or scared. She was very brave.
Don’t know much about my Scottish grandmother, I’m not sure if she was my mother’s grandma or great -grandma. Who knows what would inspire a young woman like that to make a trek to Australia of all places.
To a fairly uncivilised world as well. Very brave.
Maybe that was the point…escaping to a “fairly uncivilized world.” Of course civilization means different things to different people. The US is barely civilized and becoming worse, in my humble opinion.
You are spot on there. We have been watching what has been happening in the US, it is really worrying. I hope things do improve.
I have been worried about it for five years now, trump proved to be even worse than expected…I and some others truly expected him to rise to the occasion when he was elected in 2016 and act like a human-being/American president. Fat chance!
I don’t think you are alone in that. We were all worried while he was in power, but I have to say we are all worried about the country now that he isn’t. It is scary what he is doing now and the damage he is causing. Let’s hope he ends up in jail.
This is the worst crisis our country has every faced, the idiot=base hanging on every world like gospel and half of the so-called governing intelligencia lives in mortal fear of trump’s poison snake tongue.
That sad thing about those idiots who hang on is that he only wants them so they can donate money to him. He has burned so many bridges. It is so scary. There are a lot of stupid people out there.
As the saying goes, ya can’t fix stupid! It has always been my opinion that his antics were by specific design to tear the system down. He has caused so much hatred and disarray in families and among friends. The saddest sight I have had is of those people climbing ropes up the front of our capitol building. I’m afraid there is more to come, and I hope that he gets his just deserts in any afterlife. There has to be a line to serve those who need a good kick in the arse.
We have thought similar, he loved Putin for a reason, he wanted what he has. Let’s home he gets his just desserts in this life I say. I really want to see him go down. That would be good to watch. He is such a con man and I can’t believe all those people are falling for it. I also love that saying about ya can’t fix stupid, I haven’t heard that before.
He was really impressed with the big rambling rocket-laden military parades, and the way in which some of the commie country citizens stand in reverance and salute as they pass viewing stands. Our military said “oh hell no!” We don’t do marching troops and huge WMDs tearing up the streets!
Yeah he was, I also think he thought if he could stay president then he would be above the law and then do whatever he wanted. Make money from being president.
He actually bragged publically that “I have an Article Two which gives me the right to do anything I want.” He was obsessed with having complete power, and hankered after the dictators of the world as pals. So many Americans took his ambition to be a joke…a trumpie once told me that I grew up to be afraid of the Russians…. uh, yeah… as a kid I was quite conversant about atomic bombs and assorted total destruction.
It is so crazy. I don’t get the people who support him. He loves the idea of absolute power and now look at the chaos everywhere in your country. So sad.
I watched the utube video, its so interesting hearing you chat about your techniques and procedures. You do such excellent work.
Two of my great uncles joined the army as soon as they were of age, and both of them shipped off to France, where at least one of them was killed. (WWI) He kept super diaries which he sent to his Mom in Australia, and she kept them.
Thank you Pat, I am really enjoying the videos.
The diaries would be so interesting. Many Australian soldiers were treated like cannon fodder in the first world war. There was this attitude that they came from here so they wouldn’t be very good soldiers. They were over sent in first, but they showed the British just how good they were and got some respect eventually, but not until many has died. Do you know if he died in a particular battle? The day Australians memorialise is ANZAC day which is done to remember Gallipoli, one of the worse fights and where many many Australians died in that war.
There were two brothers that were with the AIF and both died in the war. Claude was killed in Oct. 1917 at Passchendaele Belgium. There is a complicated account of the other brother, who had married a Scottish girl and apparently changed his name. Uncle Claude’s diaries were the ones sent to his mother and sister back in Australia…the diaries detail his adventures since he set sail from western? Australia to Egypt, where these troops were quickly trained as replacements for the AIF losses at Gallipoli. He details battles with the Germans, especially about the horrors of trench fighting.
The diaries would be so amazing to read. I love those sorts of things.
The diaries were about the trench warfare, the horrors of it all. That Uncle, and his brother, were both just 18 when they were killed in the war (WWI) He sailed from the other side of Australia up through Egypt…he was a very good writer.
They probably would give you nightmares, the diaries I mean. Scary stuff. Many Australians went there.
My other grandmother used to write about the trash men wrecking the new cans, and the ice melting before it should. Her mother, on the other hand, wrote about such things as the WCTU (Womens Christian Temperance Union) and the womem’s voting movements…stuff that went on in africa,… that kind of thing. So fascinating.
That would be fascinating, like a window into another world.
I like diaries, they give a glimpse into how other people write and think.
Exactly, that is how I think about them too.
Fair dinkum Aussies. It appears strange to us to complain about a week of lockdown. In this pandemic you are doing very well except that your politicians, headed by an empty headed PM, lacks knowledge about Asia, and especially China.I think it is fear and arrogance of shifting perspective in a pandemic world.
Dr. Liim, MBBS (NSW), MA
It is strange, but I think it’s more a political problem this whole thing and, as you said, our empty headed, and may I add, raciest, PM is no help at all. Everything you have said about him is true. He really has no idea, is not fit for the job, but so many people still think he is good. Seriously, I can’t believe it.
Take care and stay safe
Thank you Nora, you too.
As John said above, the US is having the same political infighting. It was much worse under Trump with California always getting the short end. I’m so sorry you’re under lockdown again. But, your current pictures are just beautiful. I’m so glad you’re getting out with your camera again, and hope you’ll be able to continue to do so.
The infighting to me is so pointless, who does it benefit, not us that’s for sure. How it was under Trump is pretty much how it is here under our current government.
Hopefully, the lockdown will be short, but yeah, it has been great getting out and taking photos again. I’m really enjoying it again. Nice to just have fun with it. Thank you so much Anne.
Sorry to hear you are in lockdown again. I am supposed to travel to Iceland in July. Hope there will be no problems up here.
Thank you Sherry hopefully it will be short and things will be back to normal again soon. I hope you don’t have any problems with your trip, that would be amazing.
It’s weird here in Florida. Everything is opened–no masks. When the CDC said if you have completed your vaccinations, you don’t need to wear a mask outdoors, things got confusing. Then it was no masks at all, anywhere. But there are so many unvaccinated, that who knows who you are standing next to. But, as I said, we are wide open. It’s almost scary now. Again. Take care, Leanne.
That is how it was here last week, and bang, we have another outbreak. Though the vaccine rollout has been very slow here. We also got dumped with the one that causes blood clots and people don’t want to get it. Who wants to run that risk really. I am glad that things are going well where you are. You will get used to it, it was great when it was like that here. Thank you Lois.
Good you got out for some photography before lockdown. I really like the reflections on the still water. 🙂
Here in SA we’re heading into a 3rd wave and lockdown is the norm. We always wear masks, keep 2 metres apart, hand sanitise etc but the lack of social contact is beginning to wear thin!
Hang in there and I hope yours is a short lockdown. 🙂
Thank you, it has been really good being able to get out and take photos.The water that morning was really lovely.
Sorry to hear about the 3rd wave. We have been going into short lockdowns to try and stop that, but I think we are all worried right now. They took away lots of the restrictions here, but it got out of hotel quarantine, which it has done on a number of occasions sadly. Lockdown isn’t good, it can feel really restrictive.
You hang in there and let’s all hope we will see the end of this soon.
Thank you. I think we’re all just hanging on for some good news! 😀
Sounds like us, hope we all get some.
🙂
😀
Sorry to see you’re in lock down again. We have the same partisan politics going on in this country that you describe between the states and federal government. The new administration has changed that to a large degree, but it seems the world over that the art of compromise is now a lost art.
It is disappointing to see it happening again. The partisan politics are so selfish. It often shows that the politicians really only care about themselves and not the wider communities interests. I think many of them have forgotten they are meant to be there to represent us and not to make themselves rich. It is so sad to see.
This sounds so familiar. Seems it’s a worldwide problem. Stay safe, my friend.
I think it is. I’ve been saying that I think we are seeing the end of democracy, well, how it is meant to be. We vote here, but it is almost pointless. Thank you John, you stay safe too.
The UK has similar political stupidities where the national government has played politics with Local government of a different persuasion. At the moment those local areas are now infection hot spots…. belatedly actions at a national level are being provided. So much for all being in this together. Sad reflection on National Government motivation.
It is so sad, we vote in these “leaders” to do just that and it seems in a crisis they just fall so short. I wish we could see more action here. YOu know for a small population we are falling way behind on vaccinations, and so much other stuff. Things don’t work and they won’t listen. Too busy caring for their mates in the fossil fuel industry. We are so stuffed here. I hope you see some improvements, thank you David.
We all hope…. we have PM who needs financial help to decorate his flat.
OMG wouldn’t we all like that, seriously, they are so privileged these days.
Yep!
Hope your lockdown doesn’t go for too long. Our last one in the UK seemed forever. Stay safe.
So do I, we had a very long one last year, and I hope we are all hoping that doesn’t happen again. Thank you.
Lovely images Leanne! 🙂
Thank you Zelmare. 😀