Welcome to Life Images by Jill

Welcome to Life Images by Jill.........Stepping into the light and bringing together the images and stories of our world. I am a photographer, writer and multi-media artist.
Focussing mainly on Western Australia and Australia, I am seeking to preserve images and memories of the beautiful world in which we live and the people in it.

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Welcome!
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Monday, 24 March 2025

Tree Street Art Safari - and March is flying by!

 Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well. For me February and March has been a blur, with events to photograph, as you would have seen in my last post - Photography Action and Celebrating International Women's Day - and lots of other things on the go. 

On Saturday 22nd March I was again exhibiting in Banksia Street as part of the Tree Street Art Safari in Bunbury. This is an annual event which I have been participating in since 2018. I didn't realise it had been so long. My wonderful hosts Maggie and Alex welcome me to their garden for the exhibition market every year. It really was a gift when I was teamed with them back in 2018. I really cannot thank Maggie and Alex enough for their support. I've blogged about the Art Safari before - Tree Street Art Safari 2023


The Tree Street Art Safari is a wonderful initiative and opportunity for local artists to display and sell their work. 

Residents in the beautiful leafy heritage Tree Street area of our town host artists in their gardens. This year I was there with two other artists Heidi Hall and Romminy O'Çonnor. 

I was there with my usual bits and pieces - original photography prints on paper, cushion covers, tote bags and greeting cards, botanical eco-prints on wool and silk scarves, paper, greeting cards, tote bags and upcycled tops (wearable art!), and cyanotype sun prints on paper, greeting cards and tote bags. Even hand folded paper flowers (the little girls love them) - something for everyone! 

A huge thankyou to our hosts Maggie and Alex, the Tree Street Art Safari committee, everyone who visited, it was lovely to chat with you and share my art, thankyou for your lovely comments and especially those who purchased something from me - I treasure you all. A huge thankyou for the support of my wonderful husband, without whom none of this would be possible.   

Strangely I have never taken a photo of my hosts glorious back yard - absolutely full of huge shady trees and shade loving plants - an peaceful oasis in the city. 


It has been a hectic time getting ready over the last couple of months, especially more since in 2 weekends time I will be exhibiting at the Dardanup Art Trail over the weekend of 4-5 April. At the same time I am the Secretary of the Photography Group of Bunbury - which is also keeping me busy. We would love to hitch up our caravan and go away and relax somewhere - anywhere! 


A few random photos from this last month - clock wise from top left hand corner - We visited the Dunsborough Sculpture By the Bay (sorry I didn't get to blog about it), had morning tea in Hello Duck a new cafe in Bunbury, went fishing out in Koombana Bay, checked out the beautiful Rose Hotel which has been undergoing a huge renovation, spied a gnome on our walk this morning, picked quinces from our tree this morning (yum), saw a huge flock of black swans on the Leschenault Estuary (sadly I didn't have my proper camera with me), and photographed the glorious Red capped gum - Eucalyptus erythrocorys - Illyarrie - on a walk around the Leschenault Inlet (more on that in a later blog). 


That is about it from me for now. I have lots to do before the Dardanup Art Trail in April - under 2 weeks from now! It is autumn here in Australia, but this week we are forecast to have a week in the mid to high 30s C. 

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Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

If you are looking for a translate button - it's there near the top on the right hand side. 
   

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.
Until then, enjoy your day...Life only comes around once, so do what makes you happy and be with people who make you smile. 
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Sunday, 9 March 2025

Photographing action and Celebrating International Women's Day

 Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are going well. 

Yesterday, 8 March was International Women's Day. This year I didn't do anything specifically to celebrate International Women's Day, however I have I decided to share a few photos of women I have taken over the last month at some events where I was taking photos. I've also included a few links further down to International Women's Day events I have been to in the past. 

The first was on the 16th February where I, and other members of the Photography Group of Bunbury were asked by the Bunbury Triathlon Club to take photos at the Bunbury City Classic Triathlon. We have done this for the last few years. It was a hot morning, and I was lucky to get myself a spot under the shade of Norfolk Pines on the road into Bunbury. 

Competitors were young, old, the very fit and the newbies. All having a go. 



I took all my photos on sports mode on my camera. I really need to practise panning. Sports mode seemed to freeze the action - which was good - but also the background - which I really wanted blurred.  However my panning shots were all blur. Definitely a skill to practise. 


The next event was 22 February where I again went down with the Photography Group of Bunbury to photograph the South West Multicultural Festival in Bunbury. This is a wonderful yearly event of music, dance, food, and culture. I have been going to this festival for a number of years. I have even danced there in the past with Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company. Unfortunately they didn't dance there this year. The first time ever I think. 



I really enjoyed the Roztiazhka Ukranian Cossak Dancers with their vibrancy and smiles, and the Narthanalaya School of Indian Classical Dance was elegant. The Taiko On Japanese Drumming were fantastic. This lady you see below here was amazing. 


Unfortunately none of my photos of the Ngaru Pou Maori Haka and Cultural Dance Group turned out, but this young group, who are on their way to a competition in the Pacific were fantastic. It was evening by then and I needed to use a different setting for low light on my camera. I will try to remember next time to boost the ISO. 


On Saturday afternoon 8 March my husband and I were on-water-control-safety boat at the Forza Dragon Boat Club annual match-racing twilight regatta in Bunbury. Our family has been involved with dragon boat racing in Bunbury since in the first regatta in 1990 and our two sons still compete.  Being in a boat on the water put in in an ideal place to take photos. Below here you can see some of the women's racing - 20 paddlers plus a drummer on front and a sweep at the back steering the boat. The pink team you see is Amazons Dragons Abreast Perth - part of an Australian and international organisation for women who have had breast cancer and their survivors. Truly Amazon women. 



There have been many biographies and books written about remarkable women. I would also like to recommend a couple I have read in the last 12 months of so. 

The Librarians of Rue de Picardie - by Janet Skeslien Charles - based on the true story of the CARDS (American Committee for Devastated France), and in particular Jessie (Kit) Carson (1876-1959), who came from the New York Public Library to Blerancourt in war torn France in 1918, to help rebuild devastated French communities just miles from the front lines. Jessie turns ambulances into bookmobiles to reach isolated villages and trains the first French female librarians and revolutionisers French libraries by welcoming in women and children, not just scholars. The story also tells of the aspiring writer Wendy Peterson in 1987 who becomes consumed researching Jessie and the CARDS.   www.jskesliencharles-behind the book and American Libraries Magazine - Remembering the American Librarians of post WW1 France. 
Also published as - Miss Morgan's Book Brigade. 

  • The Art of Breaking Ice - by Rachael Mead -  This fictional novel is based around the true story of the Antartic adventure of Nel Law - artist and wife of Antartic expedition leader Phillip Law, Rachel pulls together what little is known at Nel Law to write this fictional account of Nel's trip to Antartica - the first Australian woman to set foot on Antartica in an age when the lives of wives were defined by their husbands. Mead says she was inspired by Nel Law’s courage in defying expectations and gender stereotypes, and the constant scrutiny of the men.  Some characters were created - ie Dr Harris McCallum who commissioned her to draw penguins for his research paper.    wikipedia.org/wiki/Nel_Law 

Thank you so much for stopping by. Did you do anything for International Women's Day? Here are four previous posts you might enjoy  - 

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.
Until then, enjoy your day...Life only comes around once, so do what makes you happy and be with people who make you smile. 


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Monday, 24 February 2025

Days of Summer

 Hi everyone. I hope you and yours are doing well. Life has been so busy - so something a little different today. It has been a hot summer - so here is a poem I wrote from a writing prompt at my writing group. 

DAYS OF SUMMER

A gaggle tumbles from the bus

We unstitck our legs from vinyl seats
Clamp sunhats on heads
Tramp up the sand hill hauling bags, esky, sunshade
Sand drags at our thongs


Dry grass scratches legs
A lizard turns to stone
Cicadas sing
We emerge from the peppermints
The ocean shimmers, beckoning.


Impossibly blue cloudless sky
We claim our spot on scorching sand
Struggle to tie down the sunshade
Slap on slippery sunscreen

Children shriek, diving into the biting chill
and surface laughing
Dogs sniff unfamiliar smells
Dads organise beach cricket
Frisbees fly, balls tossed
Bare skin sizzles.


Squawking seagulls snatch chips
Sand crunches in our sandwiches
Sticky icecream drips
Watermelon smiles.


Children burrow creating worlds draped with seaweed
Water drains from moats
Couples snuggle
Waves slop lazily on the shore
Parents doze, sunglasses askew
An open book falls
Flies crawl into crevices, hover, cluster, annoy
Babies grizzle.


The wind tries to claim our sunshade
We collect abandoned buckets, shovels, thongs
as the ocean engulfs sandcastles,
retrieving its pretty treasures
The sun slides silently into the ocean and over the edge of the world.  


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ps - the people swimming over the top of the fish is actually two images combined which I did for Photography Group. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

If you are looking for a translator - there is one on the right hand side where you can select your language. 
   

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.
Until then, enjoy your day...Life only comes around once, so do what makes you happy and be with people who make you smile. 



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Monday, 10 February 2025

Flowering cream & rosea Marri trees and red flowering gums

 Hi everyone. I hope all is well with you. A few years ago I brought to you the beautiful Rosea Marri - Pink Rosea marri tree - Corymbia calophylla variation "rosea" - and as it is flowering here at the moment I thought it deserved another showing - along with two other flowering gums - also in the Corymbia family - that are currently flowering in our hot Western Australian summer. 



Rosea in it's various shades of pink is a less common variation of the very common creamy form of Marri - Corymbia calophylla - which I brought to you a couple of years ago here - The Marri Trees are flowering



The tree is spectacular in flower. The bees love the flowers and the cockatoos and parrots love the nuts. 

Marri is the indigenous aboriginal Noongar name. Growing to 40-60 metres tall they are not suitable for suburban gardens, but they are common in bush blocks and road sides everywhere in our area, as it occurs naturally through the south west of Western Australia in a range of habitats. The trees in summer are covered in flowers. 

Corymbia calophylla - commonly known as Marri - is one of around 80 eucalypts which were transferred in 1995 from the genus Eucalyptus to the newly created genus Corymbia. The species was formerly known as Eucalyptus calophylla and that name is still preferred by some. Australian Native Plants Society

The common name Marri is a Noongar word for blood, which has been used to describe the sap that weeps from wounds in the bark.  The large urn shaped nuts on this tree are commonly referred to as honky nuts. They hold large seeds that provide a food source to native birds such as parrots and cockatoos. WA Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority

You can see the nuts in this photo here. Prior to this I love the way the tops pop off the buds and the flowers burst out. 


Another tree flowering right now - though more common further south is - the red flowering gum - Corymbia ficifolia - which is another eucalypt which was transferred from the eucalypt family to the corymbia family. It grows to about 10 metres. Corymbia ficifolia is superficially similar to Marri, Corymbia calophylla. It differs in that it has barrel shaped fruits rather than urn shaped (Australian Native Plants Society). 

You can see the difference in the nuts comparing the photo above, with the photo below here. 


Here you can see images of the buds, nuts, and tree

More information at:

Australian Native Plants Society - Australian Plants OnLine

Australian Native Plants Society - Corymbia ficifolia

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The Marri Trees are flowering

Pink Rosea Marri

The trees are blooming for Christmas

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the native summer trees that are flowering in my area. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!


Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.
Until then, enjoy your day...and make it as good as you can....


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