Autumn

Even though the last week has seen me coughing and spluttering and with barely any voice thanks to some delightful cold germs that I picked up from some bloody snotty-nosed child, I still made my way out to “Montsalvat” in Eltham to see the opening of the Dapper Rabbit exhibition by my photography friend Julie Powell.

I’ve never travelled out to this wonderful place before, but I expect that this will not be my only visit. Quite the photographer’s and artists heaven. Art and sculpture everywhere. Plus the pretty gardens.

And the weather yesterday was simply spectacular. In the last few days of autumn, when you would be expecting the days to be getting colder, we were treated to glorious sunshine and blue skies.

All I wanted to do was capture that glory.

I think I managed to. 🙂

Another season begins

Dear God it’s March already!

I’m sure I told the universe that I was hoping things would slow down a bit this year, but seems like something wasn’t paying attention to my pleas.

March. The beginning of autumn in the southern hemisphere. It is only day four and leaves have begun to change colour and carpet the ground.

I like autumn. It’s such a blessed relief from the heat of a Melbourne summer.

But I just wish that I could figure out where January and February went.

How incredible is Autumn??!!

The colours of the leaves as they depart the branches from which they sprouted and grew with such hope and vigour not more than six months ago.

Shades of red, gold, orange and yellow everywhere you turn.

Fallen leaves dancing graceful pirouettes in the breeze or being whipped into an angry frenzy by stormy gusts.

The afternoon light with an almost ethereal presence caressing the optical senses.

How can this glow be real? Has Mother Nature infused the atmosphere with minute particles of glitter?

There is mildness to everything. The temperature, the mood, the light.

To some it is Fall. But to me it is, and can only ever be, Autumn.

 

 

There’s 4 hours I’ll never get back

This is going to be short and sweet because I promised myself that I would do my nails tonight. And now I really have to do them because I have completely ruined them by doing something I hate.

I seem to have gotten my seasons mixed up. Today was the last day of Autumn, tomorrow is the first day of Winter and I decided to do some Spring cleaning. I have just spent the last 4 hours dusting, scrubbing, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming and washing floors. I lifted chairs, I tidied benchtops, I polished mirrors, I found homes for crap that had been accumulating on various flat surfaces, I stripped the bed, I did washing and I terrified the 20 year old #1 son with my zeal.

I have no idea what got into me other than the possible fact that the untidiness was beginning to get to me.

But now my nails are ruined, my hands feel like sandpaper and I’m almost ready for bed, but I have no bed to sleep in because I stripped the sheets off and have yet to remake it. Time for a shower, a cup of tea, a piece of #1 son’s birthday cake and a sit down on the couch with my manicure stuff.

Tomorrow I find a cleaner. I’m done with housework.

 

The end of Autumn and the end of Monochrome May

Late afternoon light on my bare apricot tree

May 31. The official last day of Autumn in Australia and the official last day of my Monochrome May challenge.

I have to say that I will be both glad and sad to see the end of my monochrome challenge. As much as I have enjoyed seeing things through a monochrome eye, I have had some wonderful colour opportunities that I have had to keep back in storage. Photos that I have desperately wanted to share but have been a good girl and not broken my own rule. (and we all know how much I love breaking my own rules)

As a final day of Autumn, the weather gods have dished up some variety today for my marvellous Melbourne. There has been sun, wind, rain, sun, white fluffy clouds, sun, dark threatening clouds, rain, and then the most gorgeous late afternoon light……… something for everyone really.

So I bid you farewell Autumn. I bid you adieu Monochrome May. I will check out the Digital Photography School website and see if there is another challenge that I can set myself for June or July.

“Leaves. You’re going to photograph leaves…?”

Yes. I photograph leaves.

Yes, regular library user waiting at the tram stop, watching while I pick up some lovely, dead, dry, Autumn leaves from the garden beds in front of work. I am going to photograph leaves.

I do believe that he may consider me to have lost a few marbles. That may actually be a correct assumption on his part. This ‘photo a day and blog about it for 365 days challenge’ that I have dobbed myself into has had me questioning my sanity on more than one occasion.

I didn’t tell him why I was going to photograph leaves. No need to explain that I had decided yesterday that I would see how the dry Autumn leaves looked in monochrome.  Best to leave them guessing is my thought on that.

But I’ll tell you something…..the leaves looked pretty great in monochrome. There is one photo that is a ripper and that one has to stay in its natural colour. Which means that you will have to wait until monochrome May is finished. 🙂

Only minor tweaking required

You can already see the potential new spring growth on the bare branches.

The magic of monochrome May in Melbourne is that the weather is invariably grey and bleak. Grey, cold, darkening, damp, and bleak were the adjectives that I met on the way to my car tonight.

The only upside to this depressing situation is that today is Friday, I was done with work for the day and my car is in an all-day carpark space that I fluked this morning. AND my photo opportunity is right where my car is parked.

The top photo was converted to B&W in Lightroom 5, however the last photo only had the contrast and highlights adjusted.

All I have adjusted in this one is the highlights and contrast.

Camp Suzanne has a guest.

Meet Buddy. He knows how to make himself right at home at Camp Suzanne.

We have a visitor at Camp Suzanne.

The Bud has come to stay while his mummy is on a holiday with her ‘man with the lovely feet’. So I have three dogs to feed, three dogs to walk and three dogs to do poo patrol after. I also have three dogs on the bed every night.

Now, this wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t so cold at night. Because of the late autumn chill, all three of them cuddle up very close in the night. Not very close to each other. Very close to me! I have one who likes to curl up behind me where my neck and shoulders meet, one who likes to get up behind the bend of my knees and one who likes to be near my belly. It’s a bit like being trapped. I can’t roll over. I can’t stretch out. I can’t move!!

But I am nice and warm. 🙂

Grey and cold

Grey, grey, grey.

My marvellous Melbourne is heading into a cold snap.

The skies are a crisp, chilly blue when they’re not covered in a thick, but patchy, blanket of grey cloud like they were this morning. Today we have had strong winds, rain, sunshine and cold temperatures. Tomorrow and the next few days are going to be even colder. And it’s not even winter yet!

The only colour is from the little kids who are bundled up in bright pink or red jackets, or the wonderful brightly knitted hats and scarves that their grown-up have wrapped them in. The majority of other Melbournites are dressed in the Melbourne uniform of black.

Though one of my work colleagues did proclaim quite strongly that it was not cold today. She was born and raised in Canberra, so if anyone should know about cold it would be her. Canberra is apparently one very cold capital city.

More windows

The magnificent Windsor Hotel

I was back in my marvellous Melbourne today on a not so marvellous day in terms of the weather. But it is Autumn and one must expect colder temperatures, clouds, grey skies and even rain. I was off to the theatre for a little bit of musical sunshine and ‘me time’.

However, never one to pass up the opportunity to take a photograph or two, I took my trusty Nikon with me. This time I was at the Parliament end of my marvellous Melbourne. Spring Street to be exact. This is an area bursting at the seams with gorgeous architectural examples . There is Parliament House, the Treasury Building, The Windsor Hotel, The Princess Theatre……all on the one little bit of street!!!

I didn’t have a lot of time on my hands before the rise of the curtain, but with so many things to shoot I was almost overwhelmed. This can only mean one thing. I will have to go back again soon to see what else I can find.

But today I had a purpose. A mission, if you will. Today I saw things in black and white. I looked at my marvellous Melbourne with the intention of finding those images that would look their best in Monochrome May.

The windows of The Windsor Hotel