2024

Happy New Year where ever you are in the world! Leanne has already begun 2024 and I have another 12 hours before my new year starts. We decided to start the year by showing pictures of where we are in the early morning. Leanne took the first two pictures, a beautiful sunrise in Sydney at 7am. I took the bottom two photos in London ten minutes apart at 7.45am and it was only just beginning to get light. 

tea time

There's always something lovely about sitting down and enjoying a cup of tea. Not only the taste but the ritual, the sense of peace, the shape of a teapot and a tea cup and perhaps a moment shared. 

'No matter what is happening in life, you always offer tea' 

 'Tea time is a chance to slow down, pull back and appreciate our surroundings' 

'Drink your tea slowly and reverently,  as if the axis on the world earth revolves- slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future'

'Tea is the magic key to the vault where my brain is kept'

Top 2 photos are Justine's & the bottom 2 are Leanne's. 

Quotes are by Clementine Wamarya, Letitia Baldridge, Thich Nhat Hanh and Frances Hardinge

Coffee time

How do you take your coffee? Do you add milk? do you have instant or real coffee? do you grind the beans or use a machine? I like to have a plunger coffee at home and then I have a skimmed milk flat white when out. Leanne has a coffee machine and likes long blacks. We don't like to drink coffee after lunch as it keeps us awake. 

J.D. Salinger is quoted as saying "I'll read my books and I'll drink my coffee and I'll listen to music, and I'll bolt the door".

"the power of a man's mind are directly proportioned to the quantity of coffee he drinks'Sir  James Macintosh

Leanne's photographs are the top two, Justine's are the bottom two

blurred

Whether it's intentional or accidental, blurring in a photograph can add a bit of interest...

Leanne's photo is on the left, Justine's is on the right.

Take two for two takes

 Sometimes mistakes happen in photography, your settings are all wrong, someone bumps into you or your dog pulls on the lead but once you get your picture onto the computer you realise that you actually like the end result. Not everything in life or photography has to be perfect, let's embrace the imperfections, don't you agree?

Leanne's is on the left and Justine's is on the right

red

I love red. So vibrant & eye catching. These reds caught our attention.

Justine's photo on the left and Leanne's on the right.

Green

 Who doesn't love green? Justine's photo is on the left and Leanne's photo is on the right

blue

Continuing on with a bit of a colour theme, we have some blue on houses in our local area. 

A beautiful, fresh, blue weatherboard exterior contrasting with peeling, blue paint on the door of a run down, old cottage. 

Justine's on the left, Leanne's on the right. 
 

Pink

Who doesn't love pink? hibiscus and bougainvillea are never far from each other in a Sydney suburb.

Justine's photograph is on the left and Leanne's photograph is on the right. 

 

yellow

        As the weather gets a little cooler here in our part of the world it's always good to look out for pops of colour to brighten the day.. 

these yellows are quite cheery. 

Justine's photo is on the left & Leanne's is on the right. 

Black and white

Sometimes it's nice to switch your camera into black and white and see what happens. In most cameras you can choose the monochrome setting and this allows you to actually see what your subject will look like in black and white before you take the shot. If you shoot in RAW, then your black and white will automatically revert to colour on your computer but if you choose RAW/JPEG for shooting, you get colour and black and white choices. 

Leanne's photograph is on the left and Justine's photograph is on the right. 

trunks and branches

 We love the interesting shapes of trunks and branches. Twisty branches like these make me think of old fairy tales like Hansel and Gretel & Snow White. Where the trees seem to reach out like monsters towards the protaganist in the story. 

I can just imagine little red riding hood skipping through the trees (below left) with her picnic basket on her way to grandmas house. Encountering the wolf on her way. 

Justine's photo is on the left, Leanne's is on the right. 

Shapes and colours

 

Plums and grapes make for lovely still life photographs don't you think? The hint of green in the plums and the lush green of the grapes work well together. The plums on the left are from my garden and I made Rick Stein's plum chutney with them and I think it tastes delicious, perfect with cheese in a sandwich or roast chicken. I forgot to ask Leanne what she has done with the grapes on the right hand side, maybe she put them on a cheese board or just enjoyed looking at them on the vine. 

earthy tones

The colours of nature are so varied; it's lovely to notice the the browns & earthy colours that are everywhere. The rocks & cliffs near the coast and the rural paths inland. 

Justine's photo is on the left and Leanne's is on the right

Evening light

Golden hour really is the most perfect time to take photographs don't you think? 

Justine's is on the left and Leanne's is on the right

 

joy

There is something joyful about morning sun on a spider's web & bright yellow dahlias. It's so good to capture some of this sunniness as we head into autumn in our part of the world. We've had a summery start to autumn but it's just starting to feel like the cooler weather is coming. 

 Leanne's photo is on the left & Justine's is on the right. 

Eucalyptus

Did you know that eucalyptus is brilliant for clearing sinus and colds? you can hang a bunch in the shower and the hot water will release the fragrance and work brilliantly and smell absolutely amazing. When on a bushwalk, just pick and crush a few leaves to release the menthol fragrance.

Justine's is on the left and Leanne's is on the right

Frangipani

 The frangipani is an iconic tropical tree bearing clusters of colourful & fragrant flowers. We've had one in our back yard that is always slow to grow back after it's winter shed (they're deciduous), so I was glad to be able to capture the tree in flower recently. They're such a sign of summer in our part of the world.  

    

Leanne's photo is on the left, & Justine's is on the right

Succulents

 Don't you love succulents? they are so easy to grow and you don't need to worry about them. We love them as you can see

 

Justine's is on the left and Leanne's is on the right

Do Ho Su

This week we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. There is currently an exhibition by South Korean artist Do Ho Suh. He is known for his large scale architectural installations which explore concepts around home, memory, space and identity. It was so interesting. We particularly enjoyed his work in the photo below right, HUB, a series of transitional spaces (corridors, entryways & foyers) made with translucent coloured fabric. We followed up with a Korean lunch in the MCA cafe -A Korean rice bowl (Bibimbap) & a grapefruit soju (pictured left).

Justine's photo is on the left and Leanne's is on the right. 

 

Street views

This week is all about street views. Windows can be so inviting or intimidating. Fun to keep looking and imagine what is inside.

Leanne's picture is on the left and Justine's is on the right. 

 

summer joy

 For the first time in a few years it feels like an extended summer where we live. Last year's summer (and the summer before) were quite rainy. It's amazing what a few weeks of mostly sunny weather does for the soul. Exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain's release of serotonin which is linked to boosting feelings of calm, focus and wellbeing. That certainly feels true to me. 

Leanne's photo is on the left, Justine's is on the right. 

From the mountains to the sea

We live in a beautiful part of the world where the beach and the mountains are only a couple of hours apart.

Leanne's is on the left and Justine's is on the right

table settings

Over summer it's beautiful to use nature as a table setting & of course add some delicious cakes and pastries. 

Justine's photo os on the left and Leanne's is on the right.
 

The distance of your heart

This week Leanne and I did a photo walk in the city and decided to follow the trail of the birds that the artist Tracey Emin has placed around the city. Emin wanted to address the distance Australia is from the rest of the world and these beautiful bird sculptures express the feeling of loneliness without words.The birds are hidden and we followed a vague guide but they were a joy to discover hidden under park benches or on the tops of buildings. We managed to find about 30 in various places and now we will know to always look up or down when we walk around town.

The birdcages are part of an installation in Sydney that is always fun to look up at.

 Leanne's picture is on the left and Justine's is on the right.

The above two pictures are by Leanne

The two pictures above are by Justine

natural

 I always love natural fibre and colours. 

A basket woven; containing shells and dried grasses, and a variety of grasses popping up between upturned boats. 

Justine's photo on the left, Leanne's photo is on the right.