A new blog

I have started a new blog to show my adventures with my new camera.  It is at
http://photographyartinnature.blogspot.com.au/

The way life hangs on!

For several years now, I have been walking up to my local shopping centre which is on a major road.  On the corner, there is a narrow strip of old gravel next to the bank, and a self-seeded native violet has been growing there for all this time and probably years longer.  It has never grown any bigger, and every summer looks like it will be its last - it dries up in the summer heatwaves (days on end all summer of 35 degrees C) as it never gets any water except what rain can get past the small overhanging eave of the bank.  Last year a vigorous weed looked set to thrust it aside, but that has not thrived after all (see it in the background) and the violet is back stronger than ever, with all the rain we've had lately.  What fortitude!

©Christine Linton

©Christine Linton

Nature Day

When I logged on this morning, I was planning on posting a photo of my Recycle Cloth, which I started after being inspired by Jude Hill, grace Forrest and others.  First I enjoyed my usual browsing of blogs, and then I found one new to me, Sweetpea Path (link http://sweetpeapath.blogspot.com.au/).   Sweetpea Path has such fond emotions showing in these photos.
       I felt so close to the emotion Christi was expressing I wanted to share a photo of my beloved cat Tibs - which one?  Finally decided on this, because she is so appealing curled up on the chair in my sewing room on a day when it was too hot to be outside.

Then I had to post this beautiful hollyhock growing in a garden nearby, which I passed on my morning walk. It is a deep reddish purple, stunning.  

Deepest purple hollyhocks in a nearby garden

When you are feeling strong emotions about something, nature has a way of calming - shows me the way.   Sometimes you have to go with the flow and change your plans because it feels right - agreed?

Nature Photography and Encaustic

Yesterday I went to see the ANZANG Nature Photography Exhibition at the SA Museum - stunning photography, and I encourage you to have a look at the Museum page with the entries, link below - the picture at the top changes to show some of the photos in the exhibition.  Seeing the whole exhibition is even better.  http://www.anzang.samuseum.sa.gov.au/ 
My own nature photography is very amateur though I have taken a few good ones - this is one I took of a gecko trying to escape from the house while my husband hosts it.

Another thing I did yesterday while I was in Adelaide was to buy myself an encaustic wax set - has the wax, the special iron, the stylus, the paper - we had a fascinating demo at college recently and I spent a couple of hours using the college set, learning this new skill.  As I used the results in a journal cover for the Pepper Street exhibition next year I can't show you them but on accessing the website listed in the encaustic booklet I found a YouTube video showing cool techniques with a hotplate - oh no, something more to save up for, looks so wonderful to work with ...... here is the link for the video - 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDQaOuWjOLM