Virtually in Australia

Posted on June 22, 2020 by vanbraman

Tonight I was virtually in Australia as I presented a webinar for engineers there.

Since I was virtually in Australia I thought I would share just a few images that are wandering through my mind tonight.

Sydney Opera House, Winter, Sunset, Sydney, AustraliaI am thinking of course of the Sydney Opera House as it is one of the most iconic images of Australia. This picture was the background for my video feed tonight.

Laughing Kookabura - Dacelo novaeguineae - Giant Kingfisher - Kookaburra Tail FeathersI am thinking of Kookaburras. I spotted this one along Shrimpton’s Creek near our office in Sydney.

Taronga Zoo - Sydney Harbour - Sydney Australia - Opera House - Zoo with a ViewI am thinking of the Taronga Zoo, one of my favorite zoos in the world.

Nando's Fix, Nando's, Australia, Macquarie CentreI am thinking of Nando’s which is one of my favorite chicken chains. They need to expand in more places in the US than just around Chicago and Washington D.C.

Macquarie Church of Christ - North Ryde, NSW, Australia - Large treeI am thinking of my friends who worship with the Macquarie Church of Christ which I visit while I am there.

There are many more things that I am thinking about in Australia, but I will stop here. Perhaps I will share more on Thursday when I have another webinar scheduled.

Dong Ding Oolong, Rolled tea leaves, Oolong, Taiwan Tea

I had my tea picked out for the webinar. I decided to have some nice Ding Dong Oolong Tea which I bought during my last visit there. I have another session on Thursday night and will perhaps then have a cup of an Australian grown tea.

See: The Right Tea for the Webinar

A lot of memories connected to this webinar.

Steven

Posted in Australia, Culture, Food, Memories, Tea, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Little Praying Mantis

Posted on June 21, 2020 by vanbraman

This year I have spent a lot of time taking pictures of my flowers. Of course, I am always looking for interesting fauna as well.

Last week I was able to capture some pictures of little praying mantises.

rose bush, praying matis, insects, rose gardenThis picture is really zoomed in, but here you can see two praying mantises. while I was taking the picture I saw some movement and decided to take a closer look.

rose bush, praying matis, insects, rose gardenI was able to get a few good pictures of a tiny praying mantis.

rose bush, praying matis, insects, rose gardenI have seen praying mantis in my garden before, but never this small.

rose bush, praying matis, insects, rose garden I will have to watch out to see if I can see these little ones again.

rose bush, praying matis, insects, rose garden

Look how tiny they are. They would be able to perch on my fingertip.

rose bush, praying matis, insects, rose gardenYou can see some aphids on the underside of the flower above.

Praying mantis are neutral when it comes to pest control as they eat both good and bad bugs.

I have seen less aphids on my roses this year, and have seen only a few lady bugs.  Perhaps the praying mantises are keep the aphids in check.

Have you seen praying mantis this small?

Steven

 

Posted in Animals, California, Flowers, Nature, Yard Work | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments