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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Showing posts with label corona virus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corona virus. Show all posts

Tuesday, 2 February 2021

January 2021 - Covid photo a day project

 Hi everyone, I can hardly believe it is February already. Where has the first month of the year gone? I really didn't think back in March 2020 when I started this project that I would still be doing by Covid photo a day project, but as you know Covid is still alive and well and continuing spreading around the world, now with new strains, making it even harder to control. A friend recently lost her mother in Spain to Covid. It was so incredibly difficult for her not to be able to go to Spain to be with her mother and family. Her brother and niece are also infected, and another friends family in South America. My heart goes out to them, and to all those around the world who have lost loved ones. 

Here in Australia we have still continued to do very well, with people returning from overseas having to go into mandatory 14 day hotel quarantine, and mini total lockdowns when there has been community outbreaks. 

It has been 8 months since there was a community spread case in Western Australia, until this last weekend. As of 6pm Sunday we are now in total lockdown for 5 days, in an effort to contain the spread. I am hoping that it will only be 5 days. I cannot imagine what people in other places of the world have been going through in lockdown for weeks or months this past year. I think over the last 8 months we have become complacent, at least here in Western Australia. This lockdown will jolt us back to reality. Facemasks are now mandatory when outside. Another first for us. 


So here is my January photo a day project.....

1 January 2021 - Friday - Xylomelum pyriforme, commonly known as the woody pear

2 January 2021 - Saturday - our little birds are doing a good job of raising their second batch of young - just about ready to fly the nest

3 January 2021 - Sunday - my nephew enjoying nature play

4 January 2021 - Monday - my first attempt at making paper

5 January 2021 - Tuesday - out in the boat with young family members to see the dolphins in Koombana Bay. Some of them have calves and came right up to our boat. So beautiful.

6 January 2021 - Wednesday - another beautiful sunset along the Leschenault Inlet


5 January, 2021 - Tuesday - bonus shot - drying roses


7 January 2021 - Thursday - having fun being towed behind on boat on the new biscuit

8 January 2021 - Friday - drying lavender for my paper making experiments

9 January 2021 - Saturday - paper making with roses 

9 January 2021 - Saturday - bonus shot - Indian Ocean sunset at the basalt rocks in Bunbury

10 January 2021 - Sunday - Corymbia ficifolia, Red flowering gum

11 January 2021 - Monday - paper making experiments with statice flowers highlights. A lot to learn. 



12 January 2021 - Tuesday - golden kangaroo paws in my front garden

13 January 2021 - Wednesday - sometimes you just have to force your grandkids away from their computers and out into the fresh air

14 January 2021 - Thursday - another glorious Leshenault Inlet sunset

15 January 2021 - Friday - netting our grapes - birds not welcome!

16 January 2021 - Saturday - introduction to watercolour painting workshop with my sister at the Bunbury summer school at the Stirling Street Arts centre with Kellee Merritt. Excellent 2 days!

17 January 2021 - Sunday - mosaic at the Stirling Street Arts Centre.


18 January 2021 - Monday - Marri flowers along the Millers Creek walk

19 January 2021 - Tuesday - proud of my watercolour painting tutored during the Kelly Merritt watercolour class at Summer School at the Stirling Street Art Centre. It was a set piece so I won't take credit for the subject.

20 January 2021 - Wednesday - The Bunbury Art Gallery side door lit by my car lights after Spanish dance class. I rather liked the effect.


21 January 2021 - Thursday - summer at Koombana Bay, Bunbury


22 January 2021 - Friday - macro of chewed eucalypt leaf

23 January 2021 - Saturday  - South West Opera Company - Opera on the Move - for Fringe Festival in Stirling Gardens. A very enjoyable event. 



24 January 2021 - Sunday - drying more flowers

25 January 2021 - Monday - we bought a box of tomatoes in Donnybrook. Now we have to do something with them. Today Rod made tomato soup to put in the freezer for winter as a base for Minestrone.

26 January 2021 - Tuesday - Australia Day - and going out in the boat

26 January 2021 - Tuesday - bonus shot - Australia Day crab catch for lunch

27 January 2021 - Wednesday - very happy with my latest batch of botanical eco-printing on upcycled cotton

27 January 2021 - Wednesday - bonus shot - rather liked this moon resting on the power lines


28 January 2021 - Thursday - today I made Grape and tomato chutney

29 January 2021 - Friday - we were given a voucher for Corners on the Bay, so we went there for breakfast. Thanks Julie.

29 January 2021 - Friday - bonus shot - getting ready for Sol y Sombra's flash mob in the Fringe hub at the Stirling Street Arts Centre

30 January 2021 - Saturday - Forza dragon boat regatta match racing in the Leschenault Inlet on Saturday afternoon. I was in the on-water race control boat, so was able to snap some good pics. 

31 January 2021 - Sunday - unexpected emergency lockdown for Perth, Peel & South West for Covid from 6pm tonight. Masks are mandatory, so I started making some this afternoon.


That's January done and dusted. I hope you and yours are safe and doing well. 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!


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.

Tuesday, 21 April 2020

Moving forward and being grateful


This is my photo but words from a quote by Leanne at "Cresting the Hill" blog.

Hi everyone, I hope you and your family are well in your part of the world. Here in Western Australia numbers have slowed. Yesterday we had zero new cases. I feel so grateful for this and I feel a lot less anxious than I did a few weeks ago. Our National and State governments have put in some really tough rules and people for the most part have been complying and this has helped keep our numbers down. 

I saw this little exercise the other day, and thought I would share with you. Perhaps you would like to make your own list. There is much we can be grateful for.

15 things you are grateful for. 
1 - 3 people that have impacted or influenced your life in a positive way and how
2 - 3 positive memories or experiences
3 - 3 favourite songs that lift your spirits and bring you joy
4 - 3 favourite books
5 - 3 things you appreciate about you and who you are as a person

Here is the next edition of my photo a day project. Mostly photos around home due to not being able to get out with my moon boot and social distancing.... looks like I have lacked a bit of inspiration this week .....
 Monday - 13 April 2020 - playing with camera blur in my garden


 14 April 2020 - Tuesday - finally sorting my son's photos from our Europe trip in 2018 and putting them into a photo book. Thank goodness for all the notes I wrote!
I am happy to report I finished 2 books yesterday and sent them off to be printed. Now while I am on a roll I need to do mine! :) 


 15 April 2020 - Wednesday - lunch - smashed avocado - avocados and cheese on toast with dukkah sprinkled on top. Not as fancy as a cafe meal but delicious easy lunch.


 16 April 2020 - Thursday - morning coffee social distancing outing to the back beach


 17 April 2020 - Friday - finally hulled those lilly pillies. Now into the freezer till I have enough to make jam


 18 April 2020 - Saturday - since being restricted by my moon boot and social distancing rules the last few weeks I've been collecting shadows and patterns around my home


  
19 April 2020 - Sunday - I had been working on the photo book all day - so at the end of the day I was lacking inspiration to take a photo - so here is dried lavender - smells delicious!


 Going back to my quote at the top - what have you been doing to make this "pause" in your life worthwhile? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments. 
But if you have just been sitting and reading a book, don't beat yourself up about it, it's still worthwhile down time.  

And my music clip for this week - Nothing Else Matters by Metallica - Danish Guitar Performance - Soren Madsen - played in a church - beautiful.

 

 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!

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.

Monday, 13 April 2020

Staying positive - celebrate - connect - grow

HI everyone. How are you all going? I hope you and your families are well and you are managing to stay positive in these uncertain worrying (Covid) times. 

I think we all recognise the importance of mental health, especially now when we are not able to go about our daily lives and feel isolated. For me, particularly whilst I am locked down by a moon boot, my on-line social connections are really keeping me going. 

I was feeling down in the couple of days leading up to Easter and it was difficult to pull myself out of the doldrums. But it was amazing how a short drive in the country improved how I felt. We also had a morning-tea social distancing meet up with our immediate family at their semi rural bush block - it was so lovely to sit under the trees and chat even though we made sure we stayed apart. Things could be a lot worse, and I have so much to be grateful for.

In the beautiful Ferguson Valley only about 15 minutes drive from our home the vintage has finished and the grape vines are starting to pull on their autumn coats. 


We also had a "zoom" meet up with our extended family on Easter Sunday for the occasion of our great niece's third birthday.  (wow "Zoom" is an amazing facility).  It was wonderful to connect with our family in other parts of our state, where we can't travel to due to the Western Australian Government's internal border controls.

As well as Western Australia being cut off from the rest of Australia we now have internal border closures preventing us travelling out of our home region except for essential services or compassionate reasons. 
Police have set up check points along major roads and they will turn you back if they deem your travel is not essential. 
Whilst tough, this is really keeping down our cases of Covid. We live in the little dark green corner in the south west corner of Western Australia. Whilst we can travel within our own zone they are encouraging us not to do so. 

It is so important to stay active and keep connected.  Here is a slide from the Mental Health Commission, Gov of WA



Interestingly, my bookmark I am using at the moment from The WA Association for Mental Health last year. It says:
Celebrate - the positive things in your life, as well as the strengths and values that have helped you through more challenging times.
Connect - with others by paying attention to your close relationships or by reaching out and making new friends
Grow - by expanding your horizons and trying something new that creates meaning and purpose for you. 

Reach out and help others
See the funny side of life
Learn something new
Be a friend
Have an early night
Organise your day
Go for a walk
Eat healthy
Take time out
Ask for some help 

 Even in times of social distancing we can still learn new skills and make new connections. I am learning more about eco-printing and photography. 

Here is the continuation of my 2020 a photo a day project

Monday - 6 April 2020 - front door to the world



 Tuesday - 7 April 2020 - zebra stipes on my patio - in black and white


 Wednesday - 8 April 2020 - the super-moon through the trees - in black and white


 Thursday - 9 April 2020 - we took our morning tea and drove out along the estuary - in black and white


Friday - 10 April 2020 - sitting on my patio reading, trying to pick myself up out of my doldrums. Things could be a lot worse, and I have much to be grateful for.


Saturday -  11 April 2020 - fresh picked lilly-pillys from our front garden (a native plant, the early settlers used them to make jam and preserves - I've made the jam several times - delicious! You can read more here on my blog - Lilly Pilly Jam 


Sunday - 12 April 2020 - looking up at the trees at my son's block



I wanted to upload a beautiful version of Bolero - performed by University of Western Australian students. But it only seems to appear on Facebook - go here to see it - Bolero - University of WA  Inspired by the beautiful music being performed from balconies across Italy their Conservatorium of Music students and staff took to the balconies New Fortune Theatre to perform Bolero.

 And if you like music and singing a few bitter-sweet sad but uplifting movies I recommend:
Military wives - 2020
As it is in Heaven - 2004 - Swedish with English subtitles
Paradise Road - World War 2 - 1997

For those of you who celebrate Easter, I hope it has been a joyful one of being thankful. 
Here is a pic from a few years ago of the little cousins divvying up the Easter eggs after an Easter Egg hunt when we went camping.



Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you are well. What have you being doing to occupy yourself in these times of social distancing. Perhaps you would like to share in your comments. 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.