Australia Day & Re-Discover Street Art 2016

A couple of weeks ago Bunbury's  streets were buzzing with artists and people out to see the new Re-Discover 2016 street art. This is the third year for Re-Discover, an initiative creative director, Andrew Fraser, of the Bunbury based artist run group Six Two Three Zero which "seeks to use street art as a catalyst for urban development and social change by bringing communities together in conversation and creative inspiration." 

I blogged about 2015's Re-Discover last January here - Bunbury Street Art and I was keen to see what the local, national and international artists were bringing to our streets, laneways and buildings this year.

2016 Reading challenge

I recently came across this 2016 reading challenge through Facebook. It came along various paths from its original creator Anne - Modern Mrs Darcy - over on her blog at Modernmrsdarcy.

It is an interesting list so I've decided to give it a go and have already earmarked a few books for my challenge.

I've already ticked off my first book recommended by my sister -  In Love and War by Liz Byrski published in Western Australia by  Fremantle Press in 2015.  Please click on the links to read more. 

  




Liz's personal memories and experiences as a young child in the final years of World War 2 in the English country town of East Grinstead, and her trip in 2007 to find the England of her youth, are interwoven with the stories and memories of "The Guineas Pigs"  and their nurses. Cronically burned airmen were brought to the East Grinstead hospital where Archibald McIndoe rebuilt their faces, hands and bodies while the nurses and townspeople helped rebuild their self-esteem and lives. In the process of walking familiar paths, interviewing airmen and nurses and writing the book Liz made peace with her memories and banished some of her own personal ghosts.

Western Australia is burning

It is the summer fire season in Australia and there are devastating bush-fires raging over Western Australia in the Waroona-Yarloop-Harvey area south of Perth and near Esperance on our south coast (Esperance update pm Sunday - has now been downgraded to Watch & Act).

 The bushfire in the Waroona-Yarloop-Harvey area was started by a lightning strike and  even though  the bushfire is over 60kms from where I live I have felt paralysed the last few days thinking about the two men who died in their homes, the infrastructure and over 100 homes destroyed, over 72 thousand hectares of farmland and bushland that has been destroyed, the farm animals that may have been lost, and the wild animals that have lost their lives in the fire. 

Digital swirling

2016 already. I wish you all health, peace, happiness, and inspiration in whatever path you follow in 2016.
 Today a little fun to experiment with over the summer (or winter) holidays.

In 2009 I completed an on-line digital photography course with University of WA extension Ed2Go. 

I don't usually play around too much with Photoshop on my images other than a bit of cropping, or cloning out imperfections (though I must say I am doing a bit more now than in 2009...), but the teacher shared this really neat tool which changes your images into what I can see as gorgeous swirling glass balls.

You can see here my original photo, the Australian Native Cornflower, Brunonia australis, and the swirled image below. Stunning isn't it? 

 







The Native Cornflower is one of my favourite wildflowers. It is widespread over Australia. Here is a link - Atlas of Living Australia - Brunonia australis
Here is a pic of it in the wild, taken at Jibberding Reserve along the Great Northern Highway north of Wubin in Western Australia.