belles fleurs - the abstract series

belles fleurs

one of the great pleasures in life:  unexpected floral deliveries from very special friends.  (another pleasure:  photographing the flowers to enjoy long after they have gone).

little lost mushroom

determinedly pushing his way toward the sun from between pieces of timber pathway, catching the light as the day faded away.

press rewind (again) - january 2011

it's been so long since i've posted that blogging feels like a lost art.  i've known there were things that i'd photographed and planned to share, but just haven't had the energy or cognition required to actually assemble anything.  i'm taking a bit of time to myself at the moment though (away from a certain 'evil' social networking site) and hoping this will give me some space to finally catch up on things.

firstly to my cockatoo friends:  at the beginning of the year (just before the floods) - and then again a month or two ago - a couple of these pretty magnificent birds suddenly started visiting.  they are absolutely gorgeous to watch...slightly less gorgeous to watch eating the new railings on the verandah!   

(i wish that my photographs of taking flight did them justice, but can't resist including those to show the incredible wingspan and action - just amazing) 

art4xmrv

amberlin wu's 'night trees', matt claghorn's 'transparent' and amberlin wu's 'skating into the night'

daniela martins 'hope', and amanda watson-will's 'hope (diptych)'

(and a few of my contributions)

quite a while ago now i promised a little more information about an initiative my friend lee lee developed to raise money for the whittemore peterson institute and research into XMRV (a possible cause of ME/CFS).   above are just a few examples of the artwork which you can buy here.  i've placed a few orders for cards now, and been really impressed with both the quality of printing and the speed of service.  it's such a fantastic way to support research while enjoying the diverse range of talents in the patient community.

my heart belongs to christchurch

...and after the floods came the earthquakes that brought beautiful christchurch to her knees.  words never come close to describing the place this city holds in my soul, so here is a little tribute in photos instead.  

(much of iconic christchurch cathedral - the heart of the city in more than one sense - now lies in piles of rubble.  this is how i want to remember it.)

a change of scenery

is a change really as good as a holiday? i can tell you i've been having my doubts about that one...fun to have a new view to play with though.

long time no blog

most of you know why it's been a while since i posted anything here, but for those of you who don't, a few weeks ago now we had a pretty terrifying flood here in brisbane...the flood that 'wasn't supposed to happen' due to our white knight of a dam - wivenhoe - built after the legendary flood of '74. in the weeks and days prior to january 13 a series of tragic weather events began unfolding over the state (and in the weeks since, around the country) which culminated in the brisbane river breaching her banks and many thousands of homes being damaged or destroyed.

the lead-up to the time of the predicted peak was at once full of anxiety and full of absolutely beautiful gestures of friendship and support from all directions. people arrived to help us move the contents of the bottom storey of the house up a level...wonderful wonderful people. others offered refuge if we needed to retreat to higher ground. the phone rang so constantly for days with offers of help and queries from concerned friends all around the world. that part of this whole saga was incredibly precious.

how thankful i felt on the morning of reckoning as i woke to find the water had not reached the peak expected (approaching the bottom of our house) and we were still safe and dry. it was a bittersweet feeling though, knowing that even a couple of doors away houses had been swamped by the floodwaters. and knowing that so many people around the city were waking (if they had slept at all) to a very very different life and an overwhelming sense of shock and loss.

these photos were taken at dawn shortly after the predicted peak time, looking in opposite directions from the threeway junction that our road forms with another at the closest corner. below the water in the first photo you would normally find a street leading down to some sports fields and a park...all under water, along with parts of a few houses and a car - literally water as far as the eye could see from about a quarter of the way down the road. and in the other direction less water, but also a car under and damage to some houses.
(the third photo is available for purchase as a card - and other similar things - as part of a project i'll tell you more about very soon. if you can't wait until then, it can be found here)

i've run out of steam (am still very much recovering from it all) but there's more i want to share when i can about some wonderful things that have been going on amidst all of this. a bit to catch up on...

riot of colour (and a riot of noise)

the king parrots are in fine form at the moment...i suspect punch-drunk on the abundant flowering blossoms they gorge on all day. obviously not full enough to stop them from turning up at the verandah asking for more food though. yesterday they were at the back steps screaming for attention - what they got instead (and they shouldn't really be surprised by now) was a camera lens in their faces...didn't seem to perturb them at all with one just hopping up closer and closer.

i'm surprised by how much joy the birds have given me this year...yet another of those things that i really didn't pay much attention to until my life was forced to slow down so drastically. they have such personalities when you stop to watch - one of the big males in particular is plain nasty. he hogs all the food and attacks anyone who wants a piece of the action; last night i watched him chasing another male from tree to tree away from his female friend, eventually resorting to attacking his feet when he wouldn't give up and leave...ah,men!

out and about

a medical appointment is as exciting as trips into 'the real world' get these days...and it had been more than a month since i'd even been to one of those. so yesterdays adventure had me seeing my surroundings with new eyes. fantastic light with the rain and everything looking vibrant and lush. driving along the riverside expressway and gazing at all the 'new' buildings i've never been up to going inside. feeling like a stranger in my own city.

quite taken with this old myer building just a block from the doctor - so much character.

(this last one is what it actually looks like - in case you were wondering!)

'i will make something for you' - no 3.

what's an appropriate present you could think of to give someone who's married to a photographer? (someone who owns an art gallery to boot)

whatever it was would have be related to anything other than photography...surely? or, then again...maybe some of your handmade cards with your own photos?! in truth there was actually a little logic behind this, knowing that the recipient is moving into a new house soon, and the last thing she may want is anything else to take up room or gatecrash her new styling plans. still, did strike me as a bit ridiculous at the same time!

three down and one to go in my 'i will make something for you' series now then (since i never got five to take me up on the offer...crazy people). no 4 has me totally stumped though.

spiderweb symphony

i caught sight of another spiderweb while watering this evening - and went running for the camera again. love the way the drops of water catch on webs and transform them into something that resembles nature's own version of jewelry. it looked so perfect...then i managed to half destroy it! so sorry little spider.

it reminds me of a pearl collar necklace my grandmother gave me, and the shots where the shutter speed was technically too slow make me think of the movement of a conductor's baton.

dietes at dusk

one of the multitude of wonderful things about tending my vege garden is the way it draws me outside and reveals things i would have completely missed otherwise...in the mornings a quick 'check in' as the day begins shows me any new growth overnight (or other surprises like new holes in things), and towards dusk when it's time for the daily water i find the whole world turning a little magical in the evening light.

(picnik-ed image...not quite this magical looking without some enhancement)

waterlogged wonderland (the green series)

i had so much fun playing with some of my images from the flooded parklands the other day that i can't resist posting a few more - in shades of green this time. amazing what you can do deliberately changing exposures and mucking around a bit in iphoto and picnik.

really enjoying all the lush new growth and incredibly beautiful colours everywhere (as well as the overcast days...music to my eyes, if there is such a thing). thinking that it's probably enough water for a little while though - hard to believe that this land of overflowing dams is the same drought-ridden one which was driving us in the direction of recycled water not too long ago.

wood and water

blaze of glory

the sun put himself to bed tonight in spectacular fashion...the most gorgeous combination of soft peaches and vivid blazing oranges, setting the sky alight so dramatically he begged to be photographed.

(missed the most impressive moments chasing him through the trees - just caught him before he disappeared fully into nightly slumber)

rainy day meditation