Tuesday, July 31, 2012

TP 206: Cloudy

Two evening cloud photos, taken in Masterton, New Zealand.



For Thematic Photographic - see other cloudy photos here.
click to embiggen

Monday, July 16, 2012

TP 204: Orange

A mid-winter Tuesday, and Carmi suggests posting happy summery orange photos! 
I went outside to see if it was worth taking a shot of the 2 orange trees...
it wasn't, but I found this hiding among the shrubs:



It will rain tomorrow, so I picked it and took it inside, to brighten up
the house with its cheerful orange-ness:



Thanks for making me go outside and look for orange, Carmi!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Sunday update

So last week in my "unfinished" series, I posted the progress on our new house.

Three weeks ago:


Two weeks ago:


Last week:


Here's yesterday afternoon's shots, 3 weeks in:



Things are actually happening. It's raining - heavily. Will the builders work tomorrow?
I'll keep you posted - whether you like it or not! 

It's back to school tomorrow - am I rested? relaxed? ready?   Pffft...

You all have a wonderful Monday, and a great week


Monday, July 9, 2012

Thematic Photographic 203: Transportation

Transportation: trains and boats and planes, and four-wheeled conveyances,
might be the first things you think of... Here are a few others.

In Turkey I could have ridden on a traditional horse and cart
Caravanseray

or on a camel
Aspendos

but Ataturk's car doesn't move very far these days
Mausoleum of Ataturk, Ankara

In Italy I saw some healthier options

Milan

Parma
Parma

But if you don't feel like peddling a bike
in Barcelona, there are plenty of cabs available!

Barcelona

"Music is a means of rapid transportation"
~ John Cage

Go to Written.Inc for more transporting

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Days of miracles and wonder

On Saturday I had the privilege of looking after my grandaughter for most of the day.
She is 3 (and 2 months). It was an easy job. 
With her car-seat strapped in to my car ('I'll climb in by myself, Granma, 
so you don't hurt your back lifting me') we went off to have as much fun as possible. And we did.

source
On the drive to the neighbouring town she talked non-stop - when she wasn't singing. I heard the whole of her favourite book (above), virtually verbatim. She told me all about her week, in great detail, with sound effects when necessary. She spoke disparagingly of her little brother's eating habits - he's 18 months old. 'He's so messy, and noisy. He's my brother.' 
She sang all of the songs she knows, then composed some about, variously, bubbles,dragons, fairies, Dora, and rainbows.
Helpfully, she pointed out cows and horses - and a camel -
in the paddocks we drove past.
At the library she investigated the toyboxes and gazed silently at other little kids who came in with their adults. She went off to the Young Adult section and came back with a book for me, and one for Grandad. He doesn't read vampire novels, as a rule. She'd picked mine 'because it had a pink crown on the cover'. 
After we'd had her books issued, we went in search of a café.
She had a fluffy and a white chocolate and raspberry muffin, and
clearly enjoyed every scrap of both.
What I treasure most is the energy she puts into everything, the delight she finds in small events, the unceasing questions about everything, her neverending supply of hugs and cuddles. She is a joy, and I am so happy I have had the chance to know her at this miraculous time in her life.

Friday, July 6, 2012

TP 202: Unfinished series

I had to have another go at this theme. The builders have finally started work on our new house, so this is an unfinished series - with, I fear, a few months to go, especially given the kind of mid-winter weather we've been having....

Two weeks ago, a bare site:


One week ago:


Late yesterday afternoon, in the fading light:




Watch this space...

Monday, July 2, 2012

Thematic Photographic 202: Series

Carmi's latest idea for TP is a series; please check out his beautiful 
pelican shots at Written.Inc

My series comes from my April trip to the South Island of New Zealand this year. 

It is autumn (fall): clear crisp days with not a cloud to be seen, not a stir of breeze. I am driving past Lake Dunstan, in a region known as Central Otago. 
It is a low-rainfall, arid area; summers are hot and dry, 
and winters very cold - and dry.

I stop to take a photo of the lake and the bare hills behind it:


There's a boat coming around a curve in the lake -
 

 

 It's people water-skiing! 
At this time of year! it may be sunny, but it's pretty cool 
outside the reach of my car heater.
  




 They sweep past and carry on down the lake...


 The wake's disappearing, and the water will soon be still again.


I haven't messed with the colours in these shots at all 
- the water really is that blue.

I'm thinking that I might print 3 of these photos, enlarged, 
and have them framed as a tryptich for a wall in our new house.
Any thoughts?