brown family tradition

scrabble in front of the fire in the evening. my mum, sister anna and i doing battle on the old school board. anna and i play against one another online all the time now. it's the evening before my sister's wedding so i let her beat me ;)

the dying days of summer (30)

is that brown appearing on the tips of the lush summer leaves already? signalling the end to a topsy-turvy (hot/cold, sunny/rainy) season? say it ain't so!! i do love autumn though. more moderate in temperature (and i do prefer cooler weather to be perfectly honest) and the most stunning colours here in canberra where there are a lot of desiduous trees and plants.

ooo summer rain (29)

i have had belinda carlisle's 'summer rain' in my head for weeks now, thanks mainly to the lead-up to and then post-concert last weekend, but also because it has rained so much here in canberra over the past few months. it has been a wet steamy spring and summer. it has rained so much that all the dams are overflowing. for the first time since i moved here over a decade ago, the dams are full and there are no water restrictions. the greenery throughout the city is something new and wonderful to behold, not to mention the amazing growth spurts observed in our plants in our courtyards. there are mostly camellias which were here when we bought the place. now i know they're hardy plants but between the ongoing drought and the fact that both mands and i are rubbish when it comes to gardening, they've been lucky to survive - in fact only one out of about ten has died. however the difference in them now is amazing! i would say that they have grown as much over the last 6 months as they did in the entire 5 years preceding that. that's how much rain we've had. mands doesn't like the camellias (not sure why) but i have a soft spot for them. my sisters and i used to use their leaves for 'money' when we played shops on our bmxes in the driveway when we were growing up. they're a sentimental plant for me, not to mention i admire their resilience.

pet sematary (28)

i actually did re-watch the film titled the very same just the other day. it was as good as i remembered, not a stellar production but definitely one of the better stephen king book-to-screen translations. the movies are never as good as the original novel. anyway i digress. this photo is of our memorial to jack, mands' and my first cat, in our front courtyard. he died not long after we moved house, he literally just dropped dead one morning, not long after we'd had him along to the vet for an ordinary check-up and he was diagnosed with a heart murmur. the vet said he'd be fine without medication for it until he was a lot older. guess she was wrong. he was only 3 :(

shortcut to the end (19)

end of the week (yay!). end of procrastination and laziness when it comes to the 365 project (definitely). end of torrential summer rain causing a waterfall through the kitchen skylight (hopefully). end of this crappy laptop (as soon as i can make a decision about the replacement). end of J (never!).
---------------------------> end of one thing = beginning of another.

no fortune told in tea leaves (16)

rather i should say, reading your future into tea leaves is made somewhat impossible when you use a tea infuser spoon for your herbal green tea. although what future do i envisage regardless... getting into bed to read my library book a perfectly good family by lionel shriver (a good read ... despite a lot of somewhat discomforting and very astute family behavioural observations) to ease myself into a good night's sleep to give me the best start possible to tomorrow. sounds pretty good. let's hope it comes true. (by the way, this photo taken in 'negative' effect on macro focus using my mobile camera).

i said, say cheese! (13)

this isn't actually lexie launching into attack - for once - but a harmless lazy yawn while lying in the afternoon sun.

say cheese (12)

have you ever seen such giant whiskers?!

i think i'm ready for my closeup (11)

mands understands she is going to have to get used to being my main photography model over the next couple of months. she might not like it but i did manage to capture a genuine laugh. in the end. on this occasion. let's hope she is generous and patient. otherwise i'll be coming for you....

tootsies (9)

i love the black and pink pads on lexie's feet!

sunday self portrait (7)

i need to start taking photos of people and mands outright refused on the account of not having had a shower (translation: utilised the hair straightener) yet. in so far as i don't want want to leave the house that means i'm left with me as a subject, and well i look this good having just rolled out of bed ;)

twenty-six degrees (6)

not entirely accurate, it's actually a couple of degrees hotter than that. but when it comes to the galileo thermometer, we value historical style over technological substance.

you would look better in a beer (4)

grow, little lime, grow big and juicy!! hopefully you will be big enough next week to pluck and slice then i'll pop you in an icy cold corona to celebrate the end of my traditional january detox. i hope you don't mind ending life in such a manner. as a reward for such a worthy sacrifice in seasoning my drink, you are surely destined for greatness in the next life. maybe you'll come back as ... what? any kind suggestions from blog readers?

advice: don't buy plants when hungry (3)

or you may end up buying a choc-mint cordyline like i did. in case you were wondering - yes it was actually labelled that, yes that was actually why i bought it, and no it doesn't actually match the royal blue pot it was destined for. blue and green should never be seen, and it's true in this case. however it does grow healthily with zero care, which is the numero uno rule of survival for plants at our house.

i probably should have fed him first (2)

perhaps then - but on the other hand probably not - he would have posed more nicely. talk about an uncooperative subject. my eyes hurt from looking through the viewfinder for so long to get a half decent shot!! it's not just about good equipment but using it properly of course, so i imagine it will help a great deal to read the instructions that came with the camera too :) tomorrow i am going venture out of the house to take the next shot otherwise it's going to get boring in terms of subject matter very quickly. having said that you can expect more of the little b in future. and i will feed him first next time.

acquiring a new focus (1)

i've always been serious about trying to take the best photos i could. now i finally have the equipment to take me much further on that journey, a canon 550d dslr twin lens kit. i've been meaning to buy a really good camera for years but kept on putting it off, until my sister asked me to take her wedding photos this year. so now i have four months to make sure i'm the best i can be, otherwise... well i don't like to think. unrelated to the recent upgrade prompt but upon hearing about my impending purchase, my friend siobhan challenged (or invited might be a nicer term) me to join her in the 365 project, which is about uploading a photo of choice every day. anyway this shot is #1. this challenge should help get me prepped for the april nuptials shoot, not to mention such an objective should (i hope!) help this blog to become what it was supposed to be from the start. wish me luck!

i'm being followed by a catshadow

another one of lexie. standing on the window sill, basking in the morning sun and having a look around outside for a pretty bird or two. two perfectly pleasurable ways to spend one's time ;)

bouncing off clouds

a bright sun reluctantly setting on the end of a long summer day in lyneham. view from our back courtyard.

where's the bird?

i put seed and fruit out in the front courtyard for the variety of birds that live in the area. their presence provides lexie with infinite amusement. he is an indoor cat so has never caught a bird but he knows he would like one, judging by his trembling meows as he gazes out the window at them. personally, i don't think he'd know what to do if he actually caught one!

it was as cold at it looks

as i have said before, one of the things to love about canberra is its distinct 4 seasons: fresh new springs, colourful cool autumns, blasting hot summers, and freeeeeeeezing icy winters. we get hardcore frosts on some mornings and this morning was no exception. this is a closeup of the outdoor setting in our back courtyard with a spikey front layered over it.