Today was one of those astonishingly busy days when everything seemed to be happening at once... but
despite the seeming madness of it all boxes were ticked and it was exceptionally social at the same time. Funny that!
The day was very bright and sunny ... warmer and dryer than of late (oh how we've been collectively cherishing the unsually cool weather for this time of year) ! Starting with toast and coffee at the fav local cafe - this photo's been posted before - but the good old standard vegemite sourdough toast with coffee never goes astray!
After this it was off to the Gardens (Brisbane Botanic Gardens) at Mt Coot-tha to meet firstly with the wonderful volunteer guide Bettina who offered to share some of her prized spots in the gardens to aid the search for some particular seedpods (of course) ... she was the perfect person to have asked! That tricky camera is not behaving again... that and the intensity of light + wearing sunglasses and not reading so well in them...perhaps the photos taken could have been better but do forgive!
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| Bettina with banksia pods |
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| Kangaroo Paws |
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| wattle seedpods |
We made some excellent discoveries before parting company... and off to check books back into the Botanical Library, saying hello to some familiar faces in admin and making my way along to see the guys from the Seeds for Life program. There seemed to be lots of good news today ... or at least promising ideas being discussed. The new Restaurant/cafe is opened and the gardens are filling up with people coming for lunch and a stroll around! Spring is out...all round it was buzzy!!
And the splendid surprise you ask?
Out of the blue...
blogger from Montreal
the lovely Nathalie
had sent ....
this
package
all the way from Canada
4 of her gorgeous photographs mounted on quality watercolour postcards
in homage to the seed...
her tribute to the Postcards from the Blogosphere Mail Art show from July!!!!
These blissful images
had to be photographed
tonight to post here
to tell you all about it
so I could then
write to Nathalie
and say
Fabulous Nathalie ...
clever and wonderful you!
Thank You!!!!
And you may appreciate that given my tendency to camera troubles I am completely enraptured with these images... Just stunning!!!
Ok ...Im going to finish with some images took yesterday at home! By the way Nathalie...if you guys are not too busy over there in Montreal ... you'd always be welcome here!
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| from the garden |
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| ooh.... have forgotten the name of this ... it is quite delightful dont you think! |
Now Im posting these ones of my back verandah which quite caught my eye by surprise when I walked out there around 3pm yesterday with a new painting I wanted to photograph in the light... the shadows were so strong. The 4th image - the painting - is eerily connected to the first shot below.... or is this just me!
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| the back verandah |
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| dint you just love that light |
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| it was way t bright to sit out there and paint yesterday! |
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| my latest painting (1 mtr sq) ... hanging on the wall of the back verandah |
Think its time for someone to visit the land of nod!
ciao,
Sx
ps ...one more photo from Nathalie's blog ...Ok... so she's a photographer who also paints and works as a graphic designer and I saw her graphic work some months ago and was so impressed ...Graphics for Science and all kinds of interesting genres... smart cookie she is! And I suspect she can really cook...Ive seen the photos at her blog!
20 comments:
Sophie, splendid! What rich visual delights in this post!
And I love that wonderful artwork with the patterned circles...beautiful! Best, Patti
Hi Patti,
thanks for lovely comments ... do appreciate words about the painting!
It was actually really pleasant to reflect on the day doing this post... left out a lot of it... it was just one of those really enjoyable days... and a nice change from solo slog!
Must pop over...see you,
S
Your new painting stopped me right in my tracks, wondrous. Thanks for sharing your friends photos, and your patterns. Good seed pod hunting. xox Corrine
We call the mystery bush a "pineapple guava". We had one at our house in Seattle. I miss that plant. A LOT!
Gorgeous post Sophie!
Corinne,
thank you!
It was a busy post...I was a bit worried I'd be to flat out in the next week to add anything ...so hence the all-at-once-ness of this one...!
S x
Mary,
aha! You know this plant! The name really surprises me...the fact that it was sited to both your climate in Seattle and the one here!
I was thinking maybe it was from New Zealand...
thanks for the lovely comments!
S x
Sophie, thank you so much for mentioning me in your post. And thank you for the nice words. I'm blushing.
And it is true that your painting is really beautiful!
Talk to you soon.
Magnificent Sophie... i have to run out the door now, but i will be back to view this post again.
x robyn
Ps... sorry that i didn't have links on my recent post...
didn't do them 'cause i thought people could google if they were genuinely interested and i didn't want to overload everyone x
Sophie, I do believe that your unidentified pink blooming deliciousness is (common name) Pinapple guava, (latin name) Feijoa sellowiana...an outstanding plant indeed!
Hello Nathalie,
your images made me quite envy your talent for producing technically superb photos with such an eye for colour, composition and mood
.
What I could do with just a little of your knowhow!!!
... . I suspect the mail might have arrived earlier on... various times I asked in case mail had come... this time it was good news!
thanks for lovely comment re work...appreciated..
all round!
Thank YOU!
S
Hi Robyn,
It was a lovely idea... really good thinking... sometimes I think I should pass this on... or that... and then I think it will take time... why not save up a heap of favs and then let people know ... and if they want to look further...
S x
Hi Sweetpea,
thanks for this... its great to be put in the picture... your climate is quite different to ours...where I wnder does this plant hail from?
thanks for popping in!
S
Sophie,
Another visual treat. I'm not sure about the vegemite on sourdough toast but I love everything else. Your painting looks so detailed that I want to look at it in more detail. The 'found' pictures from your veranda are stunning. I can see how strong the sun was and just wish we could have that sort of light over here sometimes. The shadows cry out to be captured for posterity. Lesley
Yes.. aquired taste Lesley!
You will not be the only one thinking...my god...she's telling us that's a fabulous breakfast! Its the bread ..and the coffee at that place I rave about!
The painting is a whole other painting underneath...
the top layer is a unifying veil... referring to seeds ...if one stands right back you can see rows of those round forms...and yet also it kind of acts as a series of windows (or a microscope) into another other world!
Those shadows were so pronounced I was utterly shocked. After lots of rain and cool weather perhaps, wind... the sun seems particularly strong. I just spoke to a friend not long off the plane from US and Europe... she could not believe the quality and strength of the light here when she arrived home either.
Whatever it is... despite a little photoshopping...it was seriously mind-blowing!
good to hear form you,
S
Me again, Sophie, waxing on about the Feijoa sellowiana...
Yes, my current climate is quite different from yours but in a previous incarnation I lived just inland from the San Francisco Bay area in California where summers where quite hot & winters very mild. Many folks had Feijoa in their home gardens - it's a lovely smallish ornamental tree. A good friend used to make outstanding jam from the fruits - yum, had quite forgotten about her jam! Anyway, the plant origins are parts of Argentina, very southern Brazil, western Paraguay and Uruguay.
Thanks for the memories :>]]
Hi Sweetpea,
thanks for the wonderful details on this... it's v. interesting knowing the origins given the fascinating characteristics.
Its flowering profusely here at the moment and I just had to cut some to bring inside and take in more closely.
I dont remember seeing it last year....have not lived here so long...hence the curiousity! Weve had excellent rainfall and everything is looking lush in the garden at the moment.
Glad you popped back with that!
S
what a great post Sophie! loved every photo and your photos are great!! such beautiful photos from Nathalie and your verandah photos are wonderous and your painting is a spectacular match! loved it all, just yummy!
How sweet of you Cat... delighted you enjoyed the story in pics! Uncanny that thing of bringing the painting I did at the other studio over to my home then taking it out into the sun to photograph and suddenly noticing that incredible resemblance between the lattice shadow on the floor and the painting...
thank you bella,
S
Hi Sophie
Love your latest painting and all the lively posts - glad you reached such positive highs at the Gardens always a great place to spend the day and discover new delights, or discover old ones.... and people wonder why I spend so much time there.
Happy dreams!
Bettina
Thank You for popping in Bettina!
You will be proud of me...I completely reorganised the studio yesterday from top to bottom ( review of where the work is up to as well) and found a white cloth and laid out the modest yet wonderful collection of seeds and pods to see what is going to provide further inspiration.
Huge thanks for Tuesday's outing - most apppreciated!
Good luck with all your projects!
Sophie
i love your new work! it requires much reflection!
...thanks for this Em!
been keeping me quiet and head down...your words are most appreciated...
S
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