TWILIGHT OF THE YEAR

As 2025 progresses towards its end, we reflect on all that's been and gone. In the twilight of the year we once again wonder how all these terrible things that have happened were allowed to happen...

We all desire peace, and yet wars rage on. We all value security and serenity, yet we tolerate injustice and gross upheavals. We all look to our youth with eyes full of hope for the future, and we see violence and recklessness. We all believe in freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of thought, yet we are confronted by intolerance, extremism, fanaticism and terrorism...

As 2026 will dawn, what will it bring? Is there a chance that things will improve? Have we had enough? What can we each do to bring about a change for the better?

An image below of twilight, and a lullaby of hope...

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More of my music can be found on instagram @otidorchestre

EVENING GLOW

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RAINBOW

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SUNRISE

Waiting for Daylight Saving time to end this weekend, as it is quite dark at the moment in the early morning, sunrise not until 7:30 a.m...

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GOOD FRIDAY

Best wishes for the Easter Season. Peace, health, serenity for all in these troubled times worldwide.

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SINGING TO THE MOON

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RAINBOW

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SMALL TOWN SUMMER

Hot day in country Victoria, everyone is either indoors or at the town's aquatic centre. Sun beats down mercilessly on the main street. Only mad dogs and Englishmen (and the odd photographer) are out in the noonday sun...

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SUMMER SKY

We've been getting a few hot days in February, drying out the grass and the sun seems to pump out all the ultraviolet it can, frying everything up. The sky a hot blue and the clouds look like steam. That old, fallen tree trunk on the right looks like a licked-clean bone discarded by a giant dog...

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BUSHFIRE SKY

It is bushfire season in Southeastern Australia and yesterday, Thursday 22nd of February, the temperature maximum in Melbourne approached 40˚C. In the Northwest of the state, the temperatures were higher. In Beaufort, a small town near Ballarat, a bushfire started and in a day had burnt 5000 hectares (50 km2) of bushland, with homes and farms destroyed. Today, 10,000 hectares had been burnt and the fire is still burning.

The sky in Melbourne yesterday afternoon was brownish red with a red sun on account of the smoke high in the atmosphere. Fortunately a cool change came through with some rain and things went back to normal in the City. However, while it lasted, the unearthly, apocalyptic light and the red sun was quite frightening. Our climate is changing, our deforestation progresses at an alarming rate and such horrific and catastrophic events are now becoming more and more common and severe.

About 1000 firefighters and dozens of aircraft are still battling (Friday night) an uncontrolled bushfire burning around the Pyrenees Ranges in regional Victoria to Ballarat’s west. The towns of Elmhurst and Amphitheatre on the Pyrenees Highway remain under threat as winds continue to push the fire north-east. It is heart-breaking that farming communities have to evacuate farms and properties, leaving their livestock behind, with no guarantee they will have a home and property to come back to. Even sadder that some of these small farmers have no insurance...

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DOG WALK

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SUMMER SKIES

Making hay while the sun shines.

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SUNRISE SILHOUETTES

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FLYING

An extremely fortuitous shot that came about as I was capturing a passing plane close to the sun with my iPhone. By chance a bird was flying by there at the same time!

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SUNRISE

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IN THE GLOAMING

Summer twilight sky.

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SUNRISE ON THE RIVER

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YARRA SUNRISE

Sunrise on the River Yarra in the City. Rowing on the river is the thing to do for College and University students associated with the old school Rowing Clubs on the crack of dawn.

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SOLSTICE SUNSET

On the longest day of the year, on our Summer Solstice here in the Southern Hemisphere, light lingers in the sky well into the evening. This is the view from my window.

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MYSTERIOUS...

Is it a dog? A cat? Maybe a joey? Or a rabbit or even a baby bunyip!

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