In The Garden

In the spirit of continuing to be more creative every day, I attached the macro lens to my camera yesterday and headed out into the backyard.

The backyard at our old place had two of the most magnificent fruit trees that I've ever seen, and it was a joy to take photos of them as the seasons were reflected in their physical change. But the rest of the yard did pale in comparison, just being a pad of grass with a clothesline dotted off to the side like a rather skeletal mushroom.

Now, in our new place, the backyard is a puzzle of green. When we first moved in, the very last part of the yard was filled with old dead branches a neighbor had cheerfully cut off her trees and chucked over the side of the fence (Noice one!). Luckily for us the Green Waste collection was not far off. The slope above the retaining wall was a sea of bright green weeds, which were eventually raked out by The Mister and myself some weeks later.

But the flowers. They were everywhere. And we had a herb garden. And there was just so much potential!

Our pet rabbit Jojo was unequivocally a fan. After fretting that he might not move well, he had adapted within a week. (It took him a little longer to get used to the hardwood floors inside, having always been a carpet-raised bunny.) 

So. Yesterday I tried to capture some of the beauty of the garden on a small scale. As is usual when I use the macro lens, some photos I thought beautifully in focus turned out to be blurry and just off once uploaded to the computer. But some have come out well. 

I can't wait for spring...to start planting....

Lapin

Where There's Coffee....

 

 

Another day... And by gum, I actually woke up this morning feeling like I did in fact want to write a blog post. And maybe take a few photos. And do something creative. 

So the first thing I did is get up and make a coffee, and let my rabbit Jojo out to play in the backyard.

This sort of enthusiasm for me feels quite unusual. And so my first - and probably counter intuitive - instinct is to sit down somewhere quiet to think about it until it goes away. Over thinking I'm sure is the bane of my existence, and what has eventually short-circuited almost all my large scale creative endeavours. 

But as I'm sitting here I'm actually starting to get more ideas, not less, and that's really unusual. Possibly my brain is seeking to find arty and crafty outlets to churn over rather than the other things in my life that are keeping me up at night - balancing the books, divining my career path (which to be honest is more of a suggestion of an overgrown mountain track at this point), figuring out how to claw back the savings we spent moving to our lovely new home.

I'm not sure what circuit in my brain is taking me from looking over bills to making pompoms...but right now I'm sort of glad that it is. Because it's making me happier. I know deep down the bills will always get paid - somehow they always do. (I'm not the type to default, I feel too guilty!) And I realize that's what great about arts and crafts is that they deposit your mind firmly in the 'now'. Making is always a 'now' moment. 

So outside on our back patio, with Jojo hopping blissfully out amongst the clover, I brought up the 'Paper' app on my iPad and started to sketch. I know that the quote goes 'Where there's tea, there's hope' - but in my experience I drink tea when I'm already pretty calm, maybe sitting down for a chat with family. It's coffee I drink when I need to get going and get energized. That's when I need my hope. 

Lapin

Ordinary Days

This is the latest of several blogs I've started, all with good intention. I've never managed to become a really dedicated blogger, despite having a love of writing, drawing and photography; all things that should put me in good stead to become much more creatively prolific than I am.

My husband and I recently relocated from a regional city up to a capital city. Right-o, I thought, being around all that urban creativity will inspire me to be much more creative myself. Well, nope. I spent the first two months in a kind of daze, trying to readjust. Looking for a new job with a bit more security and inner fulfillment than my current casual position (that I was still lucky to be able to continue when I moved). Being successively more and more deflated with the job search in a trying and uninspiring market. (And is there anything more depressing than the rampant fakery and oily enthusiasm that comes with job hunting? Ugh) Starting two short stories that trailed off into nothingness after the first page. Finding a few short courses that commenced a few weeks before we got here.

Wondering what on earth I was going to do with the next year, and with my life.

And as always, when faced with a large, future altering decision...I did nothing.

Well scratch that. I did the dishes. I did the laundry and went for a few walks by the river. But what I was doing wasn't enough. I mean, there's only so many times you can watch re-runs of Medium on the IQ.

So this morning, I brought out my DSLR from its neglected spot under the computer nook. It's such an awesome piece of kit and I love it so much, it really is baffling why I don't use it more. Then I turned it off Auto and put it on Manual.

And I took some astoundingly bad photos.

But I had more fun with it than I've had in ages. And I learned a lot. (The first thing being, I know diddly-squat about how my beloved camera really works.) And I took a few good photos too.

So, I've decided I'm going to update this blog at least a couple of times a week. I've changed the title and hopefully improved the energy behind it too.

Just the ordinary days.

Les jours ordinaires.

Lapin

Jojo

After purchasing a lovely new Macro lens for my Canon yesterday, this morning I was inspired to get out and follow my little bunny man in our garden to snap all those adorable moments up close. A few hundred photos later, and these are my favourites. Those whiskers!

A new Instagram addict

Ahhh, my poor neglected blog. I haven't posted for so long, consumed with wedding planning, living arrangements, and the acquisition of my delightful new iPhone. The very first app I downloaded was the fantastic Instagram, and ever since then my dear faithful Canon DSLR has been waiting patiently for me to tire of my new and shiny apple-emblazoned friend. And I will be back to my DSLR soon enough; the appearance of autumn and a backyard full of fruit trees is too good too pass up. But in the meantime, a selection of my favourite snaps from my Instagram feed.