Project 365 - 2014

I am setting a goal to take at least one photo every day during 2014. Others who have done it say it improved their photography.  Some of my pics will be taken with my DSLR and more creative thought, while others will be with my handy little goeverywhere camera.
It will be interesting to see how the year unfolds. I wonder how I'll go keeping up!

Day 1 - 16 - JANUARY is summer in Australia, so we have boats and beaches and grapes growing on vines. Flowers and lunches, new summer outfits and a jetty to walk on.  A return to work and even a tree to climb, but not by me!
Day 1 - 16 - Below you can see yachts in the Bunbury outer harbour, grapes on our grapevine at home, waves at the beach, fresh bread at the Bunbury Farmer's market, Meelup beach front, sunset beach play, ships in the Inner Harbour, coffee, shopping centre, lookout tree climb near Manjimup, jetty along the Denmark Inlet, olive trees, an old tractor advertising a Bed & Breakfast, back at work, cakes in a café, view from my reversing camera!

 Day 17-31 - Drying flowers, a delicious fruity summer breakfast, creative street art, flowering gum tree flowers, sunflowers, microwave 2 Minute Noodles lunch, roses drying in the summer heat, which top shall I buy?, making a new Flamenco skirt, Australia Day fireworks, garden greenery, beach finds, the drying Australian summer bush, café pancakes & salad lunch, chocolate roses ready for Valentine's Day - the colours of summer. 



Day 32-47 - In FEBRUARY we have dancing, sorbet, and muffins - delicious!  Tomatoes fresh from our yard to be made into chutney.  Days at work that needed to be relieved by lunch with girlfriends and a iced coffee with the lot. A red car zooming by and learning to take photos on the beach after dark.

Do you like my new sunflower blog header?

Below you can see -

February 1 - 16 - Day 32-47 - 
Home baked muffins, sewing up the Flamenco skit, agapanthus in my garden, experimenting making sorbet, machines at my work place, flamenco dance class, bush walk near my home, a basket of fresh tomatoes from our garden, a day at the beach, photographing onions, making tomato chutney, iced coffee with the lot!, bits and pieces for flamenco, gerbera, experimenting with night photography at the beach, a fast red car

 

February - 17 - 28 - Day 48-59 - 
making plum galette, post boxes, satays, shredded paper, plum galette #2, sushi rolls for lunch, red rose, drying sunflower, harbour and ship lights at night, Crayfish American for dinner, café lunch with "the ladies who lunch", looking across the Inlet to the harbour

1 - 16 March - Day 60 to 75

In MARCH you can see -
Flamenco performance at the Bunbury Multicultural Festival (I snuck my camera on stage!), riverside houses, Pomegranates (I love them!), traffic on the way home from work, my desk at work, yacht in Koombana Bay during my lunch hour, Australian flag flying proud, heart shaped Christmas decoration still hanging on my patio, vintage car, peaches and feta (delicious), yellow flowering gum tree, flower buds on garlic chives in my garden, the old Leschenault homestead, going shopping for work BBQ, Perth city lights from a river cruise with friends, Perth Entertainment Centre.  

 Did I tell you I LOVE pomegranates? 

16 - 31 March - Day 76 - 90  -
 graffiti on railway carriages, Ugg Boots (we love them in Australia!), traffic on the way home from work, a walk along the Inlet, practising plaing castanets, photographing Chinese food at a photography course, art in the Art Gallery, fading rose in my garden, rain on my windscreen at lunch time, drying agapanthus heads, arches at the Art Gallery, shopping centre, raindrops on roses, crafting afternoon with Grandsons, cupcakes. 

1 - 15 April - Day 91 - 105 -
calves in a paddock in later afternoon light on my way home from work, Feujoas (I had never tasted them before - have you?), dance class, Koombana Bay waterfront, looking out a cafe window, out fishing in the boat, Feujoa jam, old crane on the old jetty, clouds, dance class, water reflections, cup cakes, making chocolates with Grandsons for Easter, garden umbrella, home made pizza

16 - 30 April - Day 106 - 120 

Bunbury lighthouse, aprons in a shop window, grazing sheep, tree on my sister's family farm in the wheatbelt, pink and grey galahs, church at Mourumbine, white roses, train crossing, dog in a ute, war memorial at Anzac Day ceremony, yellow daisies, tea cake, cup cakes, machines at my work place, powerlines. 

 Below you can see May 1-16th - Day 121 - 136

sunset beach, sunset trees on my way home from work, a park in Armadale, Spanish flamenco dancing at Jackson Art Supplies in Busselton, persimmons, Leschenault Estuary grasses, jelly topped cheesecake at Muffin Break cafe, windswept basalt rocks in Bunbury, sunset over the Bunbury Port, Farmers Market (I must admit the only pic I took on this day!), lunch at Moody Cow in the Ferguson Valley for Mother's Day, matting photos for an art display, coloured pens, rain on my windscreen, waterfront lights, and a new pair of boots for work

and below you can see May 17-31st - day 137 - 151
 it's time for winter sports - junior hockey game, Lyndendale Gallery where I had a photographic display as part of the Ferguson Valley Art Trail, lavender, raindrops on leaves, lunch on the waterfront with my girl-friends, a historic Bunbury house (it's for sale!), Evedon Park Bush Resort in the Ferguson Valley for a photographic event, carrots at the Farmer's Market, photographing food at Evedon Park, oranges on the tree in my garden, my work place, paddocks and trees on my way to work, garden store in South Perth, shadows on lookout steps, and morning skys on the highway to Perth.

My favourite image from a Food Photography workshop which I assisted at, held at Evedon Park Bush Resort in the Ferguson Valley.

 We had 2 trips to Perth in 3 days.. Here is another look at that morning sky - the LHS is the original, on the RHS I have processed in "Lightroom". I wonder which one you prefer?

 I would have never imagined at the beginning of June how life has changed in only a few months. It certainly has had highs and lows. As my 365 Project reflects - one photo a day every day.  The project has sometimes been a challenge to take a photo every day. Sometimes it is easy, sometimes my shots are planned, but often they are just a quick snapshot or a random shot on my way home from work!  But my friend has just wisely said to me -
Random shots of a moment in your life where every minute is as special as any other - nothing wrong with that!

At the end of the year it will be interesting to look back over my year in pictures. Actually when I look back now, I see more random than not! 

Day 152 - 166 - 1-15 June - 
In June we see - fun in the park, making Anzac biscuits with Grandson #2, beautiful sunset over the Leschenault Estuary, autumn leaves, autumn grape vine leaves, jetty views, avenue of trees near Dardanup, insect patterns on gum leaf, Anzac biscuits in the oven, sunset search lights, soup and toasted sandwich for lunch, river reflections, cotton reels, Perth view over Swan River, Miss Muffin cat looking out the window at Lyndendale Gallery. 

16-30 June - Day 167 - 181 - 
New Castanets we bought for our Daughter-in-law, flooded beach after a storm, autumn gardens in town, paddock trees on the way home from work, end of day traffic, town street scape on way to have coffee with friends, last of my roses, photographic shoot for a glass artist, light pole, magazines I write for, machinery getting loaded onto a truck at my work, art piece at the Art Gallery, leadlight windows in a Boyanup country pub, oranges on our tree, china in a homewares shop.

In July we travelled up to Western Australia's Pilbara region for a couple of weeks camping. We had a wonderful trip and it was great to get away. I needed it. Bliss.

1 - 16  July - Day 182 - 197 -
Below you can see - sunset sillouhette, light poles going into the village where my Dad lives, packing food ready for our camping trip, our first camping night at Bilyuin Pool in the Pilbara, red rock in Dales Gorge in Karijini National Park, Kalamina Gorge, red dirt road, Hamersley Gorge, track side camp fire, Mt Augustus sunset, views from Mt Augustus, Mulla Mulla, Green Bird Flower, Kennedy Ranges sunrise, driving out of Kennedy Ranges, pink everlastings.

17-31 July - Day 198 - 212 - 
he beautiful wildflower Mottlecah, driving back through Perth, checking my Facebook, giant lemon, in the car wash, winter trees at sunset, rainbow on the way to work, Flamenco shawl swirling, icecream selection, Bird of Paradise, last rose bud, city art collection in storage, rose hips, home at last, hospital. 

This last photo "hospital" was the beginning of a month long stay in hospital for my darling Dad.

August 1 - 16 - Day 213 - 228 - 
Below we see bare winter trees in the hospital carpark, my son swinging his nephew in a wizzy, swirling branches, noodles, vegetables in our farmer's market, flame tree flowers, yellow daisy, in my car (this must have been a bad day!), dried gum leaves, ferns in my garden, chocolate slice, welcome home flowers, creative seaweed art, my camera has a meltdown at "blooming art", phone pic, "Blooming Art" at the Bunbury Art Gallery. 

August - 17 - 31 - Day 229 - 243 - 
Below you can see my floral art piece in "Blooming Art" at the Bunbury Art Gallery (the highlight of my month), part of my Blooming Art which I boxed up to take to my Dad, trees in the hospital carpark, the hospital corridor (I know it well...on the right is a lovely Chapel), tree reflections in the hospital carpark, waves on the beach, jetty at sunset on the Swan River Perth, everlasting flower in Perth's Kings Park, damage I did to my car in the carpark when I was distracted and stressed, flowers for my Dad's 85th birthday in hospital, flowers which dear friends sent to me, pink daisies, rain on my windscreen in the hospital car park, my son coaching junior soccer, cows in the beautiful green rolling hills of the Ferguson Valley.  

I send all my love to my Dad. Praying for peace for him. 

 September 1-15 -  Day 244 - 258

It has been an emotional six weeks. A time of great change with the passing of my darling father. I never imagined that this is where we would be when we went off travelling and exploring through the Pilbara in early July.  I keep going back over the last few weeks and trying to fathom how we got from there to here. I have felt that someone else has been in control of my life...it certainly wasn't me.  As John Lennon wisely said....."life is what happens while you are making other plans".

During this time my camera has been my solace and I have kept up my 365 Project as I work my way through what life has thrown my way.  Amazingly those wintery images are around the time of my Dad's passing. 

Below you can see - 

Morten Bay Fig Tree in the Picton Church grounds, wattle flowering at the hospital,  I go to the beach on the way home from the hospital to watch the sunset and have a quiet time thinking about my Dad, flower stamens, coloured files on my desk at work, half time at soccer game in the wet (after the game we visited my Dad for a few hours - he died at 10pm that night 6 September), Father's Day and rough seas and grey skys at Busselton mirrored my feelings today, palm trees blowing in a storm in my yard, bees buzzing in my garden, bee on lavender, little trucks from my childhood, orange blossoms, an old handmade recipe book from my kindergarten days, we took out Grandsons to see the Wellington Dam near Collie overflow, our Grandsons bags for an overnight stay.

Two different views of the sea - quiet contenplation a few days before my father's passing, and rough seas the day after he left us. Both these views perfectly mirrored my feelings at this very sad time. 
 

When I sorted through my parent's house, I was amazed to find that my Mum had kept this recipe book from back when I was at Kindergarten. Mother's supplied the recipes and typed the pages, and the children collaged the fronts with pictures from magazines and cards. 

It has been a sad and emotional time - but little my little, I have wiped my tears, and I am starting to let the sunshine back in -

16 - 30 September - Day 259-273 - 
Beautiful yellow chrysanthemums, an art display at my Grandsons' school, rediscovering and making my Dad's first jigsaw puzzle (the Queen Mary in Trafalgar Square), freesias in my garden, my Mum's old treadle sewing machine which I learnt to sew on and now in my house, raindrops on rose leaves, a blackboard message, a rainy day on the beach, back at work, roses in my garden, raindrops on my windscreen, my orange tree blooming, a bee orchid along a bush walk, boxes of my Dad's life, and a fast yellow car (no not mine) 

   

 The bee orchid seen in Manea Park. It was so wonderful to go for a bush walk. It had been such a long time, I was thinking that I might have missed the wildflowers, but there were still plenty to see. I love looking for wild orchids. Some of them are so delicate they blend into their surrounds, or if they are a sun orchid they don't open on a cloudy day.

1-16 October - Day 274-289 - 
In October I discovered a tiny wooden jigsaw puzzle of my Dad's tucked away in a box (a few pieces were missing), the parrots were delighting in the bird bath in my garden, we had a much needed weeks holiday in Penang - you might recognise some of the pics from my posts - Penang in Bloom and Penang Travel tips for the First Timer
We watched Sol-y-Sombra Flamenco Spanish dance company at the Dardanup Bull & Barrell Festival, the Banksias are in flower in my area, my apricot tree is fruiting, yachts on the bay, sushi at my desk for lunch, and my last look at my Dad's unit before I handed back the keys. 

Beautiful flowers in Penang. This trip was perfect time for rest after my Dad's passing.

 A quiet moment of solitude in Penang.I was struck by the simplicity of the stool in the pagoda with a view over the city.

And the colour and energy of the festival. If you have Facebook you can see some more pics by clicking here - Sol-y-Sombra-Spanish-Dance-Company-School-of-Dance 
I missed a lot of dance classes during August-September, and then we were away during rehearsals, so I didn't perform, just took pictures. They were wonderful. 

17-31 October - Day 290 - 304 - 
The red bottlebrush flowers were at their blooming best near my work, cafe coffee, brilliant almost fluro green kangaroo paws along a bush walk with friends at Ambergate Reserve in Busselton, beautiful Queen Anne's Lace, trees on my way home from work, cakes in a cafe (so wonderful to be back lunching with my girl friends), forklift at my work, sillouhette of my pot plant at work, grandson #2 loves wizzies, and climbing!, some baking treasures from my Mum's kitchen, kangaroo paws in my garden, a few drying protea heads, salad and fish cake for lunch at my desk, and my agapanthus blooms are emerging from their buds - beautiful.
Hmm....seems to be a few work photos - obviously not much photographic inspiration those days! 

I can't get over the green of this kangaroo paw - no post-processing. 
We enjoyed a wonderful few hours bushwalking and picnicking at Ambergate Reserve with like minded friends.

I am getting back into life - I ran a one day "photography composition" workshop at beautiful Lyndendale Gallery. Thank you Denise for your support.

Denise has Queen Anne's lace growing in her garden. I had never seen it before other than on blogs. So beautiful. I couldn't resist playing around in post-processing with this underneath shot. You can see the before on the left, and after on the right.

Fun at the park 

We also went bush-walking at Crooked Brook Forest to look at the wildflowers. Spring is magical here in Western Australia. How could this beautiful delicate wildflower have a name like "Common Milkwort"? Botanical name is Comesperma virgatum.

 And the first of a series of images of my agapanthus blooms.This one lit by afternoon light from behind.

In November I went to a two-day photography workshop with multi award winning photography Nick Melidonis, organised through the Photography Group of Bunbury. What a wonderful weekend of inspiration it was.

1-15 November - Day 305 - 319 - 
stormy skys from my front veranda, experimenting with panning and slow shutter speed, agapanthus buds, French loaft, ferm fronds, sea gulls and yachts in the harbour, native banana tree, Lemon Butter (delicious), out in the boat with our Grandsons, lemony desserts, seagull and boats at Koombana Bay in my lunch hour, learning about lino cut at a book launch, more yachts at Koombana Bay, Christmas decorations in a shopping centre, Grandson #2 at cricket 

 I had my camera on a tripod and panned up as I pressed the shutter. What do you think?

Project 365 - day 306 - 2 November 

 


A bit of post-processing to get this effect

16 - 30 November - Day 320 - 334 - 

bee on banksia flower, seeds heads, agapanthus, swirling garden, red roses, yellow daisies, pelicans on a sandbar in the Estuary, hydrangeas,  Jacaranda tree, dried banksia flower, baked delights at The Passionate Baker, flowering gum tree, shade sails at Koombana Bay, corridor to new shopping centre, water sports at Koombana Bay.

And so 2014 is at an end. What a year it has been. When I started my 365 project back on 1 January 2014 I could not have imagined where the year would take me. It has been interesting to look back over my year in pictures. At times the project has been challenging and I didn't think I would be able to maintain taking at least one photo every day, but I have and it has been immensely enjoyable and very rewarding. During times when life has been a little tough, my camera has been my solace, and a welcome distraction. 

Very few of my images where planned in advance. The food shots, yes, but the rest was just life as it was during 2014. They are a snapshot of my life. Some days I just quickly took an image on my way home from work, but I guess even this tells something about those days. I am not sure if I can stop now the 365 is done. I am still taking photos, just in case I do a second 365!

In keeping with a fresh start for 2015 I have updated my blog to a brighter fresher look. Same layout just a new colour scheme. What do you think?

And so here it is the last month of my Project 365 - 1-31 December - days 335-365.

Below is 1-16 December - Day 335 - 350 -
Magazines in our newsagent (Australian Traveller has just contacted me about using some of my wildflower images), garlic chive flower heads, quiche and muffin lunch at my desk, my flamenco group Sol-y-Sombra performing the Fire Dance at the end of year windup, our new 4WD, paper butterflies, arriving home to my sanctuary my home, cherries in a billy-can, gardenia in my garden, my grandsons in the hospital chapel (we had just gone to visit their Dad who had had a shoulder operation and they wanted to visit the chapel), flowering red gum, start of summer at Koombana Bay beach, Christmas baubles (I had just been to a special memorial service for people whose loved ones had passed away this past year and we were all given a hand made glass Christmas bauble), creating handprints at Lava Glass, ginger star biscuits, quick & easy savoury muffins.

For 17-31 December - day 351 to 365 - we have -
home made plum jam gift for a friend, yellow summer flowers, inflatable Father Christmas on a shopping centre roof, smile in a coffee cup, Perth city skyline while driving over the bridge (no I wasn't driving), grandson #1 painting in a cardboard box, sunset sky, shady church pathway, Christmas table, new units on land where my parent's home used to be, My great-nephew's 2nd birthday cake, flowering Australian Christmas tree, post Christmas sales, grandson #2 having fun in the pool, New Year's eve sparklers.

Below is another look at that native Australian Christmas tree (Nuytsia floribunda), and a close up below..... it is a magnificent splash of yellow this time of year.

This last 4 months has been a difficult one for our family as we have lost two parents (grandparents, great grandparents). As the sun set on 2014 and we prepared for the funeral of my dear mother-in-law who passed away peacefully on 26 December, I am grateful for the special joys of our children and grandchildren, and look forward to all that 2015 may bring.

As Gayle at Behind the Garden Gate in per blog post "Piecework Quilt" says, life is like a patchwork quilt with light and dark colours. As I look back over 2014 I know this to be true.  You can read Gayle's beautiful post by clicking here - Behind the Garden Gate-Piecework Quilt

Thank you for supporting me through 2014, through my project, and through my sad times. Your words of encouragement and comfort have sustained me. I could never have imagined the wonderful people across the world that blogging has put me in touch with. I thank you all and wish you and yours a wonderful 2015.

So are you going to do a 365 project???

Come on, give it a go! It might surprise you where it will take you.