There is not a lot of leading the way happening in Australia at the moment. So rather than throw up my hands in disgust, I thought I would participate in this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge — Leading Lines. I don’t want to lead you astray so I’m going to try to follow the brief and let the lines take you on the journey. Read more
In a few days it will be the 17th anniversary of the bushfires that ravaged Canberra (the national capital of Australia) and its surrounds in 2003. With bushfires currently burning to the west of the territory, Canberrans are understandably anxious. It’s old news but some may be interested in this disaster. In many ways, the Canberra bushfires brought about a much broader call for research and action to better understand and respond to bushfire risk. Here are the sanitised details of that event —
“On 18 January, two fire fronts combined to create a 25 km fire front and wind gusts of up to 65 km per hour propelled the fire towards Canberra. The Chief Minister declared a state of emergency at 2.45 pm and the firestorm hit the outer streets of Duffy at approximately 3 pm, and soon reached [other] suburbs …. Four people were killed by the fires, more than 435 people were injured and there were 5000 evacuations. Approximately 160,000 hectares were burnt which equated to almost 70 per cent of the ACT’s pasture, forests and nature parks including Namadgi National Park, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and all government pine forest west of the Murrumbidgee River Stromlo pine plantation. There were approximately 488 houses destroyed and many more were damaged.” Read more
Australia burning —Brian from Bushboy’s World wants to see the last photo on your SD card. Here’s mine, taken at 6.30am this morning from my back window.
I wonder how anything could survive outside in that smoke. Read more
December (Canberra summer) — Caught in transition.
I feel compelled to take photos, both of the mundane and the unusual, as if to bear witness that these places, things, people and creatures, once existed and that they mattered. Read more
This week, the theme for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is Abstract. As I played with some images for the challenge, I felt that the designs I favoured were reminiscent of textile art. If I wasn’t a mosaicer, I would probably do something arty with fabric. Perhaps it is the tactile nature of both that I like. Here are a few images of what I came up with.
How about this little black and white number? This was originally a photo of some reeds. Read more
November — Words fail me actually. The photos are kind of nice though. Read more
In Australia, the expression ‘to stir the possum’ means to stir up trouble, controversy, or interest in an issue. So I thought I would use that expression to generate awareness of the critically endangered mountain pygmy possum. There are less than 2000 mountain pygmy possums left in the wild and their survival is on a knife’s edge. What a tragedy it would be if they were lost to us forever. I have just completed my mountain pygmy possum mosaic and am excited to share it with you. Then, one thing led to another, and I had to write a poem for them too. There is always hope and as usual, good people are working hard to save them. Find out more about these incredible little marsupials and how you can help them here. Now for the poem. Read more
October, all my bags are packed ….
The time has arrived. It is the time of year when, out walking, I look anxiously over my shoulder or scan the trees ahead for danger. It is the time of year for which I have been training these last six months. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is magpie swooping (ie. breeding) season. Read more
Wherever you may be, tread lightly, make haste slowly and be kind. Read more
