This small workshop in the village, with no tools or equipment, is the source of many handicrafts, jewelry, instruments, bows and arrows.
Day One Hundred and Sixty One - Craft Workshop
This small workshop in the village, with no tools or equipment, is the source of many handicrafts, jewelry, instruments, bows and arrows.
One Hundred and Sixty - Cycling Shower
Another impossible choice - between two this time. This one is Sarah's choice; I think the alternative might just have the edge. But this one requires no explanation (apart from to say that the wood structure centre shot is a public toilet), whereas the other one, perhaps, doesn't make immediate sense.
(The alternative picture is a view from the back of the sports ground spectator seating. Some volleyball and football players are sheltering from the sudden heavy shower.)
Day One Hundred and Fifty Eight - Boy at Church
The old Aishalton Catholic Church - a traditional ite leaf roof building.
Day One Hundred and Fifty Seven - Rainforest Moonrise
A great moonrise - after an afternoon with a little rain, the early evening sky cleared so I cycled out to the hill overlooking the forest (see Day 132) to wait for the sun to drop and the full moon to rise. There was a little mist over the forest, spreading the last of the sunshine a little, and the moon shot up into a dark sky. Without the midges brought out by the damp it would have been a perfect evening!
Day One Hundred and Fifty Six - Children and Tree
Back to the same tree again - a little earlier in the afternoon. I felt that I'd missed the sun on the tree the previous day, and I wanted to get a bit of human perspective in there. On reflection I probably should have put up the moon and clouds shot for yesterday, rather than repeat the tree two days. There's an alternative in the Runner Up folder on Picasa, but I much prefer this one.
Day One Hundred and Fifty Five - Autumn Tree Cloud
About a week ago all the leaves suddenly fell from this tree and I wondered if it had died, perhaps choked by bindweed or the creeper that has invaded it (see previous photo of the day). A couple of days ago the tree's short winter was over. Small bright green leaves are bursting out at a rate I can hardly believe.
I really struggled on today's choice - Sarah much prefered the picture I've put in the runner up folder. But there's something about the tree I like! The alternative is (as usual) here.
Day One Hundred and Fifty Three - Travelling Puppy
At the start of a long, crowded tractor ride - the only available transport to much of the public - a small puppy is crammed in with the passengers. The ride hasn't even started yet and it is hot in the mid-morning sun. A big bottle of creek water, occasionally poured over the puppy, is the only respite from the heat! Every one else resorts to putting towels over their heads - reminding me of Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent! All travellers round here know where their towel is.
One Hundred and Fifty Two - Old Lady Hair
The hair is old, dry, bindweed hanging from a tree at Old Lady Pond. After looking at the picture on computer, I decided that it was a bit too flat, and would be massively improved by putting a big flower in the 'hair'. I went back, but suddenly found myself very popular with the killer (well - large at least!) bees which seem to hang about there waiting for my arrival. You'll just have to imagine the flower!
I might be avoiding the pond for a while.
One Hundred and Fifty - Tree in Savannah
Just a normal tree, in a normal bit of savannah, but for some reason I liked the look of it, and the evening light on it.
One Hundred and Forty Nine - Old Lady Pond
A first for us in Aishalton - a foggy morning! I headed out to a local pond (with a great name!) to try and catch some atmosphere.
One Hundred and Forty Eight - Rocky Creek
Got out late today, expecting a fine sunset to give a good skyscape for this local scene. It was almost there, but a distant storm passed through the sunset, giving me rather flat plain light. Not a great image, but a place to return to and try again.
One Hundred and Forty Seven - Sinking Sun
A quick return to sunsets! This one was unusual for the lack of any cloud in the sky. It seems to be a rare event that we get the sun sinking down from a flat sky.
One Hundred and Forty Six - Waterpump Girls
A nice relaxing village scene today! I was a warm day, with a lot of sunshine. The sun just went behind a cloud for this picture, which might have saved it from excessive contrast and burnt out highlights, but I think it has also robbed it of a little warmth...
I also had another trip out to retake the Savannah Tracks photo - but I don't think it's much of an improvement!
One Hundred and Forty Five - Old Archer
A competitor in the selection event for the 'Deep South Games'. The Olympics of the Rupununi! There are a few more archers in the runner's up folder - and a couple of pictures of the tree climbing competition.
One Hundred and Forty Four - Ite Roof Water Drop
This is one to come back to - on another day with the right combination of rain and sunshine. It needs a little more care to get it really crisp - I think it should be possible to get the drop and the scene in the drop all in focus...
Day One Hundred and Forty Three - Sunburst Flower
After having some pictures which have undergone a photoshop tinker, I'd best say now that the sunbursts here have not been added in photoshop! It's all as taken! As usual, there is an alternative option!
Day One Hundred and Forty Two - Wattled Jacana
Back to the pond again, which is filling after recent rains and attracting more birds, such as this wader. After two afternoons waiting, and getting sunburnt, this is the best I've got (so far!) of the Jacana displaying its wings. I very nearly got a nice shot of it taking off!
Day One Hundred and Forty One - Ite Roof Moth
A super-size moth, resting on the inside of an ite leaf thatch roof.
Day One Hundred and Forty - Water Ripples
Tough choice between two shots today, both taken in some nice late afternoon light as the sun is about to set. Both of an area of wetland which has spread over one of the tracks out to the countryside. Very different pictures though. The other one is here.
Day One Hundred and Thirty Nine - Heron
Back to the pond, where I was trying to photograph a frog, when this heron flew in for a quick rest!
Day One Hundred and Thirty Eight - Fast Flowing Creek
More rain, and the creeks are running full of brown, swirling water. I'm hoping this might spark a little debate - the photo has been created by combining two virtually identical shots of the creek. One was taken on a fast shutter speed, freezing the spray of the water, the other on a slow shutter, blurring the brown water and the green reflections from the trees. To combine them I took the high tones from one image (the white spray) and a little of the shadow detail, and laid it over the backgound of the blurred image. So, today is relying heavily on Photoshop!
Day One Hundred and Thirty Seven - Evening Light on Pond
With plenty of evening rain this week, the intermittent local pond has reappeared, bringing with it a range of birds, dragonflies, frogs and mossies!
Day One Hundred and Thirty Six - Waterfall
This stitched panorama of a local waterfall cost a bit in Kabura bites! I think this is a site worth visiting when we next have a good full moon for a night shot (and more bites!).An alternative wider version is here.
Day One Hundred and Thirty Three - Sister Calista feeding birds
The Ursuline Sisters from India are a key part of the local Aishalton community, helping care for the old and unwell, and the occasional bird too.
Day One Hundred and Thirty Two - Rainforest
An early start today - cycled for about an hour hoping to get a good sunrise over the rainforest. No sunrise, and a rather flat picture instead. One to try again another day...Couldn't decide today between this one, which can be improved on, and this shot of savannah tracks, which could also do with a burst of sunlight to add some colour!
Day One Hundred and Thirty - Cactus Roof
Another Day - Another Cactus! I've been meaning to take a picture of this derelict building for ages, but it's a few miles out of Aishalton, a bit too far for a bike ride. I joined Percy the driver for a trip to Dadanawa today, and we quickly stopped here on the way past. Ideally it would have been later in the day with better, lower lighting - maybe it's one to come back to.
Day One Hundred and Twenty Eight - Sunset Moonrise
Perfect timing between the sun and moon today - and the sky was clear too! I have no idea why the moon looks such an odd shape though. Is it something to do with the angle the sunlight is hitting the moon, or is it a wisp of cloud in the way? Looks odd to me!
Day One Hundred and Twenty Seven - Moonrise
Another difficult choice of two - the sun dropped below the clouds on the horizon to give a nice low light to the house later, but the moon was higher, so I've stuck with this image, which is more compact.
Day One Hundred and Twenty Four - Wet Bridge Family
More consistent rain this week. I've visited this bridge a few times at sunset and early in the morning, an alternative shot is here!
Day One Hundred and Twenty Three - Wet School Morning
It's nearly the end of the last week of term. This young boy, weary on his way to school, reminded me of an old man, trudging through the puddles.
Day One Hundred and Twenty One - Cycling to School
A primary school teacher (wearing a red scarf to indicate she has not yet fully qualified as a teacher) cycles to school as two secondary school pupils watch.
Day One Hundred and Twenty - Aishalton Power
Every day at 6PM Anthony James starts the diesel generator which gives the village of Aishalton a few hours of internet access.
Day One Hundred and Seventeen - Taso Fish
Hanging up in a shed to dry - a mean looking fish! From experience, they smell bad and they don't taste too great either. But as the rains start the amount of available fresh food decreases. No freezers or fridges means taso fish and beef.
Day One Hundred and Sixteen - Sunset Tree
A creeper is slowly engulfing a tree near our house. I think this tree has potential to feature again, and I was going to post a wide, wide view of it, but I think the wide one can be improved on another day - especially if I remember my flash!
Day One Hundred and Fifteen - Walking the Coals
It's a yearly tradition to have a 'walking the coals' patry. Early evening a large fire is lit and left to burn whilst everyone has a few drinks, eats and watches some performances. At midnight the coals are spread out and there is a ten minute window where people are encouraged to walk barefoot over them. Strangely, whilst this is linked to a saint's day, there seems to be no religious significance. The practice was brought from Brazil quite recently, and there is no mention of faith being involved in not getting burnt.
I nearly got a great shot - here as runner up - which gives a great angle and captures a level of pain and determination not to run at the end. Sadly, I just let the leading foot creap out of the frame. On a wide lens I thought I'd got it, but was just a split second too late! It's probably a better picture than the one posted, but it annoys me! This is the one that got away!
Day One Hundred and Fourteen - Mothers on the road
Another day of nice low light. I've had a few choices to make over the past week, so have put a few more pics on the runners up page. I also did a more careful process of the Jerome Marques photo which seemed to go down well! I think it's an improvement.
Day One Hundred and Thirteen - Hawk with Rainclouds
Managed to find some nice low afternoon sun shining under a bank of dramatic stormclouds coming in from the east. Again, I have a couple of versions. This one with the hawk looking left, one looking right, and one portrait! Decisions, decisions.
Day One Hundred and Twelve - Guyana Foreign Affairs Minister
Aishalton had a visit today from a Government Team who have developed a low carbon development strategy. The strategy is an attempt to claim some compensation from developed, high carbon emmision countries so that Guyana can manage the rainforest as a world resource and ensure that forest is not lost to logging, mining and other development activities. It's an impressive brief, and there has been much interest, most notably from Norway who are in discussions with the President and foreign affairs minister - Carolyn Rodrigues.
The Amerindian communities are not so sure. They see the need to preserve the forests, but are fearful of changes to their way of life and are cautious to sign up to something they don't fully understand. Today was the start of 3 months of consultation in the outlying regions.
More info, and the speech made by President Jagdao at the launch of the strategy can be found here.
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