I have taken a few courses with ACP, the last being Camera Craft 3. This course involved exploring different photographic genres – the first being still life.
Still life is a very old genre that was first perfected by the Dutch Masters in the 17th Century, but can also be utilised by photographers. Both the choice and placement of objects, as well as its lighting is critical, as you can see in this series.
I became more aware of the trees around me in the autumn: how the branches of the crepe myrtle in my front yard formed a cross-hatching pattern against the bright sky.
The softer light also highlighted frequently overlooked details: like a haphazard pile of leaves on the ground.
It wasn’t not only the deciduous trees that caught my eye: in the morning light, the ridges of bark on this gum tree had a character of its own.
Time for an update of finished projects since last February.
The first project is a zip up vest using an Icelandic wool called Ístex Léttlopi. The yarn was interesting to knit with – a little scratchy, but is very light and warm to wear. The project also featured my first zipper installment, which was easier to do than I thought. The vest got plenty of wear during our cooler-than-average winter.
The second project was a teddy bear to use up some shaggy yarn that I had somehow picked up. The bear was my first toy but was straight-forward to do. I can see how some people might specialise in toy-making as it was a relatively quick knit.
Third and fourth projects were quick birthday gifts for friends using patterns I have used previously.
The last project I completed was a beanie project from Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. I did it mainly to use up some 4 ply yarn that I had in my stash, but it turned out very well. Luckily, we had a cool Spring, so I still managed to get some use out of the beanie even though I completed it in August.
I’ve had a few projects on the go this summer. In the lead-up to Christmas I was busy knitting up Christmas baubles from a kit which my sister-in-law, L, had given me earlier in the year. The kit had 23 different designs so I got to try a few! The baubles went to different homes at Christmas time.
I also knitted up another Milo vest – my first in Bold Bamboo! This went to my friend’s baby son, K. Although he’s not even 6 months old at the moment, I knitted a size 1 as babies seem to grow so fast…
And on the back of my laptop cover, I crochet a cover for my new phone. It’s even lined and has a small pocket for ear phones!
It’s been a funny old Spring with the weather see-sawing between summer and winter. Some of the plants in our garden are a bit confused, but the ones that seem to thrive regardless are our grevilleas – this one in particular which flowered all through winter.
The local rainbow lorikeets particularly enjoyed this shrub. They hung around it for weeks on end. It made a particularly cheerful (and noisy) scene in the mornings and evenings.
Being deep in suburbia, it was really nice to have some native birds around the garden, even if it was only one kind. We even saw a bit of a mating ritual happening in our crepe myrtle.
A sharp drop into chilly temperatures and an almighty storm meant that winter has come and that endless summer is now a distant memory. Our crepe myrtle is shedding its last leaves and will soon be bare.
It’s been awhile since I’ve done an update on our beagle, Bridie. She is a senior citizen now, almost reaching the ripe old age of 13.
She looks very different now to when I first saw her, 6 years ago. Except for the cheeky look in her eyes, which hasn’t changed.
Now she’s more inclined to rest during the day, preferably in her favourite seat. After kicking us off, of course.
But there’s still plenty of life left in them old legs, particularly if a beach walk is on the cards. That’s when she reverts back to puppydom, dashing, splashing, and sniffing like there’s no tomorrow.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom this summer. We have also had some glorious evenings – the kind with skies so gorgeous that I couldn’t help but drop everything but enjoy it before it was gone.
We have had our fair share of storms this summer in Sydney, so I became quite familiar with the sight of billowing, dark clouds over the backyard.
It’s autumn at Kingsgrove, and the leaves are turning.
Then a day later, voila!
Static and Silence 