Cara Bruar

Fantasy writer and poet. She/her. Lover of plants, water and sky. I'm a very visual person and love images, art and design. I try to grow things and make things out of yarn. Living on Wiradjuri country in the Riverina in south eastern Australia.

I also write mysteries and romance as Jai Baidell.

Public Key

npub1gftrputx2mamxw2r0cnwh8uu6c9vuva6elvtf3444lj4tsvs2kkqyv83d6

NIP-05 Address

CaraBruar@sfba-social.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsyy43s79n9d7an89phufhtn7wdvzkwxwavlk95c666le24cxg9ttqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dstnvq4t

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1gftrputx2mamxw2r0cnwh8uu6c9vuva6elvtf3444lj4tsvs2kkqyv83d6

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Last Notes

2026-07-12 06:34:57 UTC

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@nprofile…hqk5 they look very cute. As I understand it they live on cliffs off NW Scotland and similar climates. Nothing at all to do with penguins which is also confusing. I like their orange feet and the shape of their beaks.

2026-07-12 00:20:49 UTC

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@nprofile…hqk5 we had puffin books and little else in 1960s Australia where there are no puffins. It wasn't until the internet came along that I discovered they were real birds

2026-04-25 05:01:30 UTC

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@nprofile…w0mx you're going to need a bigger bird feeder 😂

2026-03-29 04:30:41 UTC

Full cardio workout completed --fitted sheet folded.

2026-03-21 21:23:46 UTC

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@nprofile…5uqu I can see you doing that! And responding in a tone of utter boredom. Sentence probably ending with "daaaarling!"

2026-02-09 02:02:00 UTC

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@nprofile…emk6 people do feature walls with that colour. It's a bit intense wall to wall. Sort of dungeon like. Or a seedy basement bar. Maybe that's what they were trying for.

2026-02-08 22:39:39 UTC

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@nprofile…emk6 aubergine

2025-12-23 21:43:36 UTC

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@nprofile…54w9 I think this is Blue Poles? one of my favourite paintings, in the National Gallery of Australia. It caused a massive political fuss when it was bought in the 1970s. Government waste, irresponsible, my preschool kid could do better, that kind of thing. #art #pollock #australia

2025-12-08 21:54:12 UTC

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@nprofile…zshf great list. The problem I have found is that marketing spawns entire new lists that dcpand to fill the known universe.

2025-11-17 01:10:04 UTC

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@nprofile…0lj9 I' m sorry you're having a bad day, hope things improve soon

2025-11-17 01:08:53 UTC

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@nprofile…0lj9 it feels safer not to tell anyone

2025-11-08 10:29:32 UTC

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@nprofile…hve9 that sounds very nice. I wojld like to play loud music and watch tv at unsociable times and eat when it suits but other people in the house makes that very difficult.

2025-10-13 06:46:38 UTC

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@nprofile…lwgl same as a duvet I guess, or a quilt

2025-10-12 23:30:36 UTC

I am about 60 years older than the target market for my new doona cover, but I love it anyway. It makes me happy. #joy
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/115/363/796/252/269/558/original/53ec12ee1e2b433c.jpeg

2025-10-01 09:30:54 UTC

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@nprofile…8t0c also at school we learned British history. The curriculum hadn't caught up with the fact that Australia was no longer a British colony. We learned about the manufactures of Sheffield and the Tudors and drew maps of the UK. This was in the 1960s. Australia became independent in 1901 although we still have a few legal entanglements.

2025-10-01 09:25:35 UTC

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@nprofile…8t0c yes. It's a young adult / children's book but I learned a lot from it, stayed with me. After looking for a link I find I got the author's name wrong, how embarrassing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wool-Pack

2025-09-30 03:06:13 UTC

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@nprofile…8t0c I knew about this because of a great book I read as a child, The Wool Pack by Sonya Hartnett.

2025-06-02 05:24:49 UTC

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@nprofile…60lz This situation also exists in Australia although we can't blame Brexit. Our surplus is plundered by multinationals, our managers are lazy and ignorant, and our capital vanishes into the bottomless and nonproductive pit of property speculation. Our tax system distorts every decision.

2025-06-02 01:59:48 UTC

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@nprofile…sue4 @nprofile…62xd @nprofile…5cma interesting collection. I used to have an Olivetti Lettera 32 and later had a smaller orange Olivetti, unsure of model but it was very pretty. I sold it when I moved to word processing around 1986.

2025-06-02 01:19:35 UTC

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@nprofile…79d7 Very restful, thank you 🙂

2025-05-12 08:39:54 UTC

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@nprofile…gk57 Nervewracking. Hey, mummy, that body is twitching ....

2025-05-08 11:25:00 UTC

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@nprofile…8ewh Her Penric and Desdemona novellas are lots of fun too

2025-04-26 06:42:03 UTC

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@nprofile…d0dx that's quite terrifying

2025-04-17 23:16:38 UTC

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@nprofile…8t0c I have never used nail polish or had a manicure. Another female thing I have failed at, and it's a very long list. The colours are really lovely.

2025-04-17 21:08:35 UTC

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@nprofile…8t0c I like those blues and greens

2025-04-16 07:52:57 UTC

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@nprofile…d0dx spectacular

2025-04-12 03:56:41 UTC

Bannetons used by my spouse to form sourdough cobs. To me they look like covered wagons circling.
#sourdough #baking
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/114/322/965/262/169/788/original/6762d009f4aaecf8.jpeg

2025-04-12 01:41:48 UTC

#ScribesAndMakers 12. Shameless self-promotion day. Show us what you're proud of. Let's boost away.
I wrote a romance about a woman with chronic illness moving to a country town where she (eventually) falls in love with a farmer. Contains a depressed and lazy dog needing to be rescued, gossip, vandalism, a harvester fire, a motor vehicle accident and a pub brawl.
Rosie also upsets the Local History Association and finds out the truth about her notorious ancestor Decima.
Based in an imaginary town, Rakali Springs, in the Australian grainbelt (think Wagga Wagga, Cowra). Not spicy. I'm proud of this story.
#romance #bookstodon
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/114/322/435/509/735/944/original/de031e79ff0de35b.jpg

2025-04-09 08:08:16 UTC

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@nprofile…d0dx wonderful, thank you

2025-04-08 22:48:13 UTC

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@nprofile…8xe9 This is the cover of one of my crime novels, a murder mystery. "Deadset Mongrels" is about as Aussie as it gets.
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/114/304/762/978/146/194/original/1ba00960f4dcbb8f.jpg

2025-04-03 23:13:28 UTC

#USpol Has anyone heard anything from ebook distributors about how these tariffs will work? Assuming digital items are included? It might depend on the corporate structure of the distributor, maybe?
#ebooks #selfpublishing

2025-03-30 22:44:08 UTC

sadness
a wave drags me under
#poetry #haiku

2025-03-27 22:19:50 UTC

Howls in the chimney
A windy day
#haiku

2025-03-23 03:13:42 UTC

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@nprofile…xzjz lovely

2025-03-21 00:29:20 UTC

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@nprofile…7dzf No way, that would be the washing machine giving in to pressure. I wonder what it thinks it's measuring?

2025-03-20 22:54:57 UTC

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@nprofile…7dzf mine does that as well. I've found that watching it just encourages it to take longer. Best to go to another room and ignore it, like a two year old's tantrum.

2025-03-20 22:46:23 UTC

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@nprofile…3qgl A book review I wrote in about 1997 is in there. weird. a ghost come back from the other side.

2025-03-19 22:26:58 UTC

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@nprofile…8t0c not sure where I saw it, but there was a video of a whole pack of dogs jumping into a swimming pool. Hilarious!

2025-03-19 02:22:20 UTC

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@nprofile…s0t0 can you weave the answers in somewhere? Or are you thinking an epilogue might work?

2025-03-16 06:19:22 UTC

My photo from 2022, a spectacular thundercloud getting ready to dump rain all over us.
The purple and black colours were amazing.
#photography #cloud #storm
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/114/170/645/799/428/784/original/9b15479d558ec129.jpg

2025-03-13 20:54:55 UTC

My photo from 2014. This is the Taemas Bridge over the Murrumbidgee River at Cavan in New South Wales.
This is at least the third bridge to be built here, the others were destroyed by floods.
Just downstream of here is the Burrinjuck Dam, used for power generation and to control water flows further down.
The road to this bridge is hellish, and goes from Yass to Wee Jasper and beyond into the mountains to the west.
#photography #australia
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/114/157/088/443/932/814/original/40b7a90a3caa48fd.jpeg

2025-03-13 10:09:12 UTC

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@nprofile…hy00 all of these are amazing

2025-03-12 00:02:30 UTC

singing rain
every drop
someone who was here before
#haiku #poetry

2025-03-11 23:26:20 UTC

Working for hours yesterday. When I emerged I found this in the kitchen. I am so lucky to have a significant other who loves baking.
He is also really into sourdough, there are little jars of white gunk everywhere which are yeast cultures in various stages of development.
But these, these I can understand. Especially the delicious pepper bread.
#baking
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/114/146/363/942/618/636/original/97f2bb6e851ccd59.jpeg

2025-03-10 04:56:37 UTC

weedy blossom
her children
colonise the world
#haiku

2025-03-08 03:07:16 UTC

My newest ebook novella is out now from Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Kindle and others.
A village magician embarks on a journey to save a young man from a magical affliction.
Includes river voyages, danger in the capital city, fear in the forest, and a mysterious older mage, among other excitements.
The cover is based on a licensed image from iStock by Tithi Luadthong (@grandfailure on iStock), a wonderful artist.
#bookstodon #newrelease #newrelease2025 #fantasy #FantasyMagic
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/114/124/565/433/306/502/original/62550691044692af.jpg

2025-02-23 02:57:45 UTC

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@nprofile…tqx4 perfect

2025-02-20 03:48:06 UTC

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@nprofile…xzjz no wonder she sleeps afterwards. Such a lucky dog to be so well looked after. ❤️

2025-02-11 09:16:38 UTC

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@nprofile…u0g7 love the big spider web. And the comet 😊

2025-02-07 01:05:26 UTC

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@nprofile…xzjz spectacular, and large enough to hide a dog! Thank you for sharing, I love all your stories and photos.

2025-02-05 22:55:35 UTC

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@nprofile…xzjz excellent photo of a wonderful friend

2025-02-04 00:30:03 UTC

My photo from 2009. Protective boom on Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, to prevent idiots taking their boats too close to Scrivenor Dam. The dam on the Molonglo River (more of a creek really) creates the lake, which is artificial and has existed only since the 1960s. #canberra #photography
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/113/942/770/737/936/001/original/66b2ed5da1d50f3f.jpeg

2025-01-31 02:42:16 UTC

I love seeing people's photography but I don't want to wade through 60 hashtags without a skerrick of human involvement to get to it. Instant block. #photography #hashtags

2025-01-30 00:42:26 UTC

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@nprofile…8t0c I'm sure your mom will love it

2025-01-29 23:49:06 UTC

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@nprofile…8t0c cozy colors, very nice

2025-01-17 20:55:40 UTC

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@nprofile…xzjz straight into the puddle every time! So much joy ❤️

2025-01-02 23:03:09 UTC

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@nprofile…63cl yes, although it might be more slowly backing into the water wearing a full wetsuit and sobbing all the way rather than a joyous plunge. Feeling tired still.

2025-01-02 19:23:39 UTC

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@nprofile…fpaa that is a wonderful achievement, congratulations

2025-01-02 09:36:49 UTC

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@nprofile…y54t I had no idea they could do that, thank you

2024-12-26 00:00:45 UTC

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@nprofile…93zc classic!

2024-12-19 00:26:09 UTC

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@nprofile…gk57 that's horrible Shaula, feels so real. You need a selfcare day for sure. Mine are always about running away from some unseen threat, but only once or twice have I woken up terrified. I am lucky.

2024-12-16 02:03:37 UTC

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@nprofile…gk57 I really miss choirs although my talents were exceptionally average. One of the few things I enjoyed in high school and at various times since. I like the sound, learning new music, and doing something with other people in a cooperative way.

2024-12-01 06:22:19 UTC

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@nprofile…y54t do you do anything other than put it in a container in the freezer? I mean, ang extra prep needed for freezing?

2024-11-27 09:58:07 UTC

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@nprofile…y54t sympathy. Nobody needs that.

2024-11-12 00:44:26 UTC

CT scan shows my lungs are now back to normal. In January pneumonia filled about 60% of them, so severe they thought it was a tumour. I had no idea, just felt very tired. Doctors had not detected it until I ended up unconscious in emergency. So much for 2024. Many hopes for next year being better.

2024-11-12 00:01:50 UTC

Telecommunications towers on Willan Hill, Wagga Wagga, Australia, yesterday. A cloudly gloomy day.
When I was in hospital earlier in the year I stared at these out the window for three weeks wondering why they looked so odd. From my perspective in the hospital, they were superimposed, so looked like a single lopsided tower. I thought of it as a baby Sutro Tower.
The photo was taken with my phone, very difficult to actually see what I was doing in the glare of daylight, so the composition was just a guess.
#telecommunications #sutroTower #waggawagga #australia #photography
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/113/467/024/456/734/909/original/3a7bcf16221b774c.jpeg

2024-09-06 23:03:08 UTC

"Landfall" is a romantic word, invoking images of the joy of returning home after long journeys across oceans or through deep space.
"Landfill", on the the other hand, is a yucky concept associated with shame.
Best not to mix them up. #words

2024-08-20 00:06:46 UTC

The Murray River at Tooleybuc, New South Wales, although of course the southern bank of the river (the left in my image) is the border with Victoria. My photo from 2014. I worked hard on the composition for this one. It's a peaceful scene which I really need today. Hard to believe this is Australia's largest river. Longest, anyway.
#australia #photography
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/991/414/590/747/504/original/00416a58c82b0736.jpg

2024-08-01 23:06:09 UTC

Public art in Commonwealth Park, Canberra. Sculptures of brolgas. At the time these sculptures were in the garden but now I believe they have been relocated to a pond. #birds #australia #art #sculpture #canberra
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/889/245/313/809/404/original/6a15e52bb483a507.jpg
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/889/245/575/363/512/original/79469428b2b4ad10.jpg

2024-07-26 22:57:38 UTC

#Bookstodon / #BookSky challenge: Choose 20 books that greatly influenced you. One book per day, for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
Day 19/20
Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith
#20books #20books20days
#bookstodon
#thriller
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/855/260/373/688/982/original/2fc1bea5dc3dae9c.jpg

2024-07-16 00:16:41 UTC

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@npub1aum…5jx0 cockatoos are so bad-ass, just don't care about rules

2024-07-15 23:27:51 UTC

#Bookstodon / #BookSky challenge: Choose 20 books that greatly influenced you. One book per day, for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
Day 8/20
Magpie Tales by S. B. Wright
#20books #20books20days
#bookstodon #poetry #haiku
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/793/087/334/635/681/original/fc7c819df862ee4e.jpg

2024-06-27 03:25:41 UTC

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@npub1uzr…k9aj @npub12wk…m98k what beautiful colours and lovely knitting

2024-06-26 05:50:27 UTC

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@npub1npy…3sf4 well, no. Would have been bad for the camera 😀

2024-06-26 03:57:34 UTC

My photo of a hill after a bushfire. This is an area north west of Canberra on the road to Burrinjuck. #photography #landscape #australia #bushfire #wildfire
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/680/893/847/194/926/original/3493157c55303b1b.jpeg

2024-06-25 23:23:21 UTC

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@npub1npy…3sf4 that looks dangerous

2024-06-24 21:54:15 UTC

My photo of goldfish in a pond at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. Their shadows look like sharks. #photography #fish #australia #canberra #anu
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/673/804/080/660/665/original/4ea08e1b5c68d953.jpeg

2024-06-23 00:11:06 UTC

#silentSunday #silentsunday
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/663/026/082/929/257/original/242342286591ecbe.jpg

2024-06-22 03:43:36 UTC

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@npub1uul…dkn7 it's one of those, if you don't like the weather just wait a couple of hours, scenarios. I'm jealous of all that warmth. We are having a very cold winter (for us).

2024-06-10 06:28:49 UTC

Heavy rain a few days earlier resulted in surface runoff under a large eucalypt. Debris washed down the slope leaving these ripple patterns. #photography
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/590/894/656/203/140/original/28fd1d8abe392db6.jpeg

2024-06-05 00:35:56 UTC

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@npub1d62…tshf they sound fantastic! I tried to grow radishes but failed. I use the red ones all the time in salads or as part of mixed baked veggies.

2024-06-05 00:15:52 UTC

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@npub1d62…tshf is that a white radish? Do they taste the same as red ones? I don't think I've ever seen one.

2024-05-24 11:46:49 UTC

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@npub1lv4…ru5g the sort of thing, if larger, that hangs at the entry to the village in horror/fantasy stories

2024-05-20 00:43:50 UTC

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@npub1aum…5jx0 It's and its. So many times where I really think there should be an apostrophe because it's possessive but in fact there is not. It is extremely confusing!

2024-05-16 23:57:33 UTC

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@npub10zv…nz7m cows generally seem interested in cameras, I've seen many images where they are eyeballing the equipment, always wonder what they are thinking. Fantastic photo.

2024-05-04 11:56:14 UTC

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@npub1ekn…2g2y in Australia it is, hope it is for you too.

2024-05-04 10:33:17 UTC

Really enjoyed Judge Dee Mysteries on Netflix, stories about an incorruptible magistrate during the Tang dynasty. Hope season 2 starts soon, I have withdrawal symptoms. #judgedee . https://www.netflix.com/au/title/81761553

2024-05-04 04:23:16 UTC

Fishing boat leaving Constitution Dock in Hobart / nipaluna. My photo taken in 2010. Taken at dawn during July. Very cold.
#australia #photography #streetPhotography #Hobart #Tasmania #fishing #boats
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/380/890/702/890/746/original/ab9409e7f2486193.jpeg

2024-04-29 23:41:16 UTC

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@npub1uul…dkn7 this scenario also describes Australia's universities. The value of university education is shrinking in inverse proportion to the cost to the student.

2024-04-28 22:41:20 UTC

My photo from 2010, convict built steps in Richmond, Tasmania / lutruwita
#photography #tasmania #australia
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/351/243/741/361/742/original/0a40a22d1f30929d.jpeg

2024-04-27 04:56:01 UTC

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@npub1mpw…4h3u and yet I barely even notice it, let alone click on it. Advertisers are being seriously ripped off

2024-04-27 04:11:29 UTC

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@npub1yrl…8gpm those inconsistencies are what happens to armour when it's exposed to hard radiation and laser fire. Not flaws, just evidence of hard usage😊

2024-04-27 00:45:03 UTC

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@npub1qjr…kgt0 wow, that looks highly technical. I love the blue colour, very calming. I didn't know it was better to wash a skein than a ball, makes sense though.

2024-04-23 04:19:32 UTC

Three concrete storage tanks, maybe gas? and a helipad on the Derwent River, Hobart / nipaluna, Tasmania / lutruwita
My photo from 2010
#Hobart #Australia #nipaluna #photography #industrial
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/318/595/710/089/936/original/344b17d9314a2de0.jpeg

2024-04-23 04:14:51 UTC

Boat winch at Constitution Dock, Sullivan's Cove, Hobart / nipaluna, Tasmania / lutruwita
My photo from 2010. I like the seagull sitting on the top.
#Hobart #Australia #nipaluna #cranes #boats #fishing #photography
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/112/318/570/470/152/608/original/2024e41bef90c622.jpeg

2023-08-28 12:26:07 UTC

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@npub1eh0…cze2 very nice! I learn a lot from your wonderful poems, thank you.

2023-07-16 18:36:49 UTC

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@npub1hu7…4g0d the tiny bridge really shows how huge the viaduct is. I like the contour shadows on the hill too, they add depth.