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.
  

2015 - the year that was

I really wondered about what to post today - and then thought - why not the year that was.  So here it is - just a few memories in pictures with links to where I blogged about them. I was given redundancy -"accepted early retirement" in April, and my life has certainly had a few changes not going to a "paid" job every day.  Just as well I think because I never would have been able to fit all this in! 

Below are some of my travels from 2015.  You can see some of my published work from this year here - Published work

 January 2015  - St Werburghs Chapel, Mt Barker

Remembering those we have loved

 These beautiful kangaroo paws are flowering in my garden right now in time for Christmas, and I am reminded to take time to see and experience the beauty around us and the joy we can gain from simple things. 

I wish all my dear blogging friends a lovely Christmas season spent in the company of those they love.  Thank you so much for your support this year and for taking the time to stop by and say hi. I really appreciate every one of you. 

Went down to the beach to play one day

It is summer here in Australia. School is nearly finished and the summer holidays are nearly here. 
I found this poem in an old poetry book - and I liked the images it provoked. So I put together a few photos and created a mosaic to share with the poem with you.....
 
ps - there are no capitals because that's how it was in the book -

December Randomosity

I don't know about you but I feel that December is speeding up as we head towards the Christmas season and the end of the year.  I seem to have so much to do between now and Christmas. My husband has started our Christmas cards and put up our outside lights. I haven't even put up our tree and or started baking yet!  
So to take some of the pressure off, today I am just sharing a few random images from my world - in no particular order.

Lost your mojo? Want to learn something new? Take on a project.

Do you ever feel that you have lost your mojo for a pursuit that you love and you need a boost to rekindle your passion, or you would like to try something new?  I think it has happened to many of us.  Do you have a yearning to learn something new? Try something different? It could be the beginning of a wonderful new path in your life towards a passion you don't even realise you have yet. Be open and take a chance. And don't let me hear you say you are too old! never! 

A project can be a great way to start.  Recently our photography group ran a fun 12x12 project. The task was to photograph 12 set topics in a 12 hour period over a particular weekend.  The topics were: 

1. moving subject, with background blur

2. repetitive shape (must be edited to black and white)

3. let's eat

4. things that float

5. sports action

6. 3 (Three)

7. minimalist

8. human hand/s

9. creepy crawlies

10. closer than a metre

11. makes my heart sing

12. my most amazing photo

Free camping at McDermid Rock, Western Australia

Hi everyone, looking for a wildflower drive? You don't mind bush-camping and a bit of gravel, but don't want to be too "off-road"? Read on. 

I am back this week with the next part of our recent wildflower trip out east of Hyden in Western Australia. If you missed the first part, Camping at Dryandra, you can catch up here - Camping in the Dryandra Woodland, Western Australia

From Dryandra we headed east through the wheat-belt to Hyden and then out along the Hyden to Norseman Road. We have been along this road a few times now, and if you don't mind gravel it is a good short cut going to or coming back from the Nullarbor and the eastern states. 

I blogged about it here in 2013 - Granite & Woodlines Discovery Trail, Hyden to Norseman