H Is For Highway

Gee, Dad Found His Own Way In The Outback

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

See, it’s perfectly logical. I used to get lost. Not because I am a bad driver, but simply because my aptitude for navigation does not always, ahem, match my driving skills.

So when Mrs Authorblog presented me with a GPS last year, the gods in every religious pantheon breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Right, we don’t need to worry about him getting lost – ever again. "

The GPS was great fun. I hooked it up even if we were driving to the shops, just for the novelty of hearing a disembodied voice actually telling me when to turn, which direction to turn, and how long it would be before my next cross-street. I reckoned I had found Nirvana.

When we flew interstate in January this year, it was the first thing I packed. As soon as we stepped off the plane in Perth, capital of Western Australia, I proudly marched up to the rental car desk, claimed my big Camry, opened the driver’s door in the sweltering heat and even before I turned the aircon on, I connected the GPS and put in the co-ordinates for the Sheraton.

Piece of cake. Never been to Perth before, but I drove with as much confidence as locals who had spent all their lives there.

But a couple of weeks later, I blotted my copybook. Just when the family figured I would never get lost again, I did. Yes, the GPS was operating and I turned left when it told me to turn right. You could just about hear the GPS clicking its imaginary tongue and intoning gravely: "This bloke’s a moron. "

But I recently drove a 1200-kilometre round trip up the bush, into neighbouring New South Wales, to the beautiful little Riverina town of Temora. I was on my own, without the family for the first time in clan history, because it was just a quick in-and-out trip for research purposes. But I reckon Mrs Authorblog and the Authorbloglets were placing wagers on how soon it would take me to get lost.

I left on schedule, arrived at my destination on schedule, drove around the town without any dramas and then drove back to Melbourne on schedule. No big deal?

Mate, I did it all without the GPS. Yes, I had it with me in the car, but I never once turned it on.

Just one word of warning. Next time you see me, don’t tell me "Get lost" – because I probably will, literally and metaphorically.


For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

Supply And Command

You Could Say It's Just Plane Sailing

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

A couple of months ago, I drove through the Riverina to the Outback town of Temora in New South Wales, to do some hands-on research on a World War II-vintage Spitfire for a novel I’m working on at the moment, called "The Jadu Master".

I arrived there on the Friday afternoon and went straight through the town to the Temora Aviation Museum, where I spent of couple of hours in a hangar, putting the finishing touches to my research on the famous fighter plane.

The next day, while I waited for the flying display to begin, I was one of the first people to drive into the car park - which filled up very rapidly. While I waited there and wondered how long it would take for the fog to lift, I saw these two buildings to my left.

I asked permission to take these photographs - which I reckoned would be ideal for the weekly Doors theme.


For earlier posts in this series, check out The Doors Archive.

Head Start

The Great Aussie Salute

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

The word "G'day" is instantly recognisable around the world as the quintessential Australian greeting. Over the years, I’ve seen many great depictions of the word, but this one was unique. I was at the Temora Aviation Museum in early June, watching an air show, when I noticed this person in the crowd ahead of me.

Have you ever tried taking a photograph of someone’s head when they’re watching fighters go screaming past in the sky? Let me tell you, it’s a mighty tough gig. It’s a bit like trying to do the same thing at a tennis match, when people’s heads constantly move side to side.

The weather was foggy at the start and the light wasn’t great later on, when the pilots got the all-clear, and to add to my problem, this gentleman was actually sitting under cover and a long way away from me. However, I had a long lens (70-300mm) on the camera, so this is as natural a shot as I could produce in the conditions – and it’s as Aussie a sight as you’ll ever see.

And to answer your question, G'day is simply a contraction of the phrase "Good day".


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Cream Rises To The Top

So, What's Your Cup Of Tea?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

The ritual of the teapot always reminds me of my childhood. Back then, tea leaves were spooned into a real teapot with a grand spout and then the boiling water was poured in before the lid was replaced. The tea was allowed to "sit" for a few minutes before the first cup was poured into fine china.

Tea strainers were used back then, to filter the dark, wet leaves that had originally been picked on the slopes of some lower-Himalayan tea garden. No tea bags. No drink-and-go mugs with large handles. They were genteel times, befitting the use of wonderful cups and saucers.

I can’t remember the first time I tasted tea, but it's always been a part of my life. Later, just after I entered my teens, I went to a boarding school that was to have a great influence on my life – and it was located in Darjeeling, home to some of the most famous tea gardens in the world.

Now that I am an adult and a parent, my mornings still begin with The Great Tea Ritual – but I use tea bags and I make my tea in a handy (large) mug with a handle large enough for a ploughman to grip.

But I don’t think I heard the word "cream" being used in the context of a cup of tea until I became a sports journalist and found myself on my international flights than I can remember.

This shot was taken during my recent Outback trip to the New South Wales town of Temora. I stopped for breakfast in the little town of Glenrowan, where I had a rather generous meal served (naturally) with a pot of tea – but no cream!

This was an interesting logistical exercise, because I first had to set the focal length on my camera, then do everything simultaneously. I poured the tea with my left hand and shot the images with my right.

You think that’s easy? Mate, let me tell you just how difficult it is – you have to be seriously quick, so that the condensation in the cold air doesn’t cloud up the lens of your camera.


Visit TNChick's Photo Hunt. Today's theme: "Creamy''.