Sunsets

This is an entry for the 7 day challenge.

I pondered several other titles and themes including Sand, Sand and Sea, Seascapes, Serenity and Scenery. But I kept coming back to Sunsets as I really wanted to get some sunset photography out there and also this is the last of the Seven Day Challenge, It is the "sunset" post as it brings them to an end.
However having just sorted some Piccies I also found a couple of sunrises that I wanted to include. Grrr.

Taken on Darwin foreshore at low tide. This is just around the corner from where I live and most days I take a walk along the foreshore for some exercise and fresh air. There is almost always something new to see there, whether it is bird life, or just the changing pattern of the oceans or people.

Nightcliff foreshore at Darwin, NT, Australia

The following was taken not far away, but a different day. A lovely calm evening with a relatively high tide. We can have tidal differences of 7 meters between high and low. At the moment this jetty is closed for renovations as it was damaged in a storm. A couple of the supporting pylons have been knocked out of line.

Nightcliff Jetty, Darwin NT, Australia

Time to change countries. This picture was taken in the Philippines. Once again a lovely place to be. We were returning to our hotel following a tour of the local beaches and parts of the island.

Fishing boat, Batangas, Luzon, Philippines

And this picture is taken from the island of Phu Quoc which is part of Vietnam. The island is in the gulf of Thailand, head towards that sun and you will run aground in Thailand. The island is relatively unknown but with about 25km of sandy beach and safe swimming and a stable political environment it is destined to become a tourist mecca over the next few years. It is also a part of Vietnam that no one has heard of or thinks of going to, so at the moment it is an unspoilt haven.

Phu Quoc, Vietnam

Tropical storm clouds over the Arafura Sea. At this time of the year we regularly get short intense storms. Typically they are over in a few minutes but can dump large amounts of water in a very short time. This one was well out to sea.

Afternoon Storms, Fannie Bay, Darwin, NT, Australia

And finally the Sunrise.
This is at Chau Doc in Vietnam. The waterway is the Mekong river. You can make out two ferries ready to cross the river, towards the right of the picture. My room was a cabin on a boat. Small cramped and very hot. The air conditioning was non existent and the fan seemed to make no difference. Very old world. Just up the river was a lovely hotel and restaurant, a veritable oasis. Expensive, I did not want to pay the room rates, but ate in the restaurant and it was one of the best meals and service I have had in my life. I wish that I could go back.

Sunrise, Chau Doc, Vietnam, August 2011

That is the end of the 7 day challenge.
Quite difficult to churn out quality content every day
The Bludger is happy that the challenge is over.

Storms - pictorial

But never have I been a blue calm sea
I have always been a storm

               Stevie Nicks

Darwin has recently been subject to a period of hot dry weather. We recorded 8 days without rain. This is a little unusual in the middle of a wet season, not out of the ordinary but it had the locals up in arms demanding rain and the cooler weather that it brings. Our local newspaper, The NT News, which on a good day has little to report and generally fills the paper with stories about crocodiles and people catching fish, made a meal of this with headlines such as "It Might Rain".
I made the most of the time, photographically, as we get some spectacular sunsets with the sun setting directly over the ocean and often with monsoonal cloud formations.

Sunset looking West from Fanny Bay

But eventually a "monsoonal system" moved in to the top end. Don't ask me what a monsoonal system is, the person on the weather report drops that phrase like he is dropping litter along the Arnhem Highway. (There is a lot of litter along that stretch of road).
The monsoonal system brought rain and strong winds. This brought a week of light rain culminating in a torrential downpour of 177mm on 25th January.
Along with the wind came some storm driven swells that turned our normally placid ocean into pounding surf.

Nightcliff Jetty - closed due to the conditions.

Storm Waves

Risking a dumping

Now I know that many readers, both of you, can probably show pictures of bigger waves, but it is all relative, normally this is as flat and calm as a mill pond. It is all relative.

As a final point, all outdoor celebrations for Australia Day (26 Jan) have been cancelled due to our inclement weather.
The Bludger is keeping dry inside.