A Matter of Balance

Many of you - if indeed there is anyone ever viewing this - will have been wondering just what I'm on when writing these blogs! The wording and images seem to be all over the place each time I upload something new.
And indeed they are, but I can't ever seem to control this. Early in the New Year a friend has promised to help me. Whatever I write in the Admin page bears little resemblance to the final product.
Very frustrating! And it does my head in, but I must keep my cool. Thus it becomes a question of balance.
And speaking of balance, check out this image. I spotted this scene as I looked out the back window of the campervan last week down at Aoraki Mt Cook. Not a bad sight to behold during 'happy hour' eh. For the record the mountain is called Nun's Veil.
This may be the last blog for 2011. What a year it has been! There have been highlights but frequently they are hard to discern with all the carnage and downsides throughout the year.
For those of you that are on our emailing list, there is an annual epistle coming. It is hatching as we speak!!
Happy Christmas to you all.

Getting Sorted

The gaps in the city get bigger and more numerous as the demolitions continue unabated.
"I seem to have temporarily misplaced my sense of humour" is a new initiative by local artist Wayne Youle - a public artwork presented by the Christchurch City Council and Gap Filler in the suburb of Sydenham, our neighbouring suburb.
There are some great 'gap fillers' appearing in the now vacant lots - artworks, chess sets, open air movies, mobile cafes, etc.
This shadow board reminds that that most of our friends laugh at me when they inspect my workshop and see my organisation out there - everything has its place. Alas not recently - the earthquakes and subsequent events have taken their toll on my increasingly alzheimic brain. But now the artwork depicted here has inspired into action. I hear a sigh from a dear soul mate!!

Time out - Aoraki Mt Cook

The Ranunculus lyallii at Mt Cook are only in flower for a very short period of time at the end of November and beginning of December each year. And so I took the campervan down for a week in the hope of perfect conditions both for photography and a climb up to Sefton Biv, a small hut tucked under Mt Sefton and Footstool above the Hermitage.
Alas the weather did not oblige for two days which left the flowers in the Hooker Valley decidedly bedraggled. By the third day the weather lifted and I was off - and up for 4 hours to Sefton Biv.

Sefton Biv and the view beyond.

View from Sefton Biv door!! Not bad eh, and well worth the effort.

Aoraki Mt Cook

Ranunculus lyallii and Aoraki Mt Cook.

What's in a Name?

What do these names have in common?
Victor Borge, Moody blues, Tequila sunrise, Lavaglut, Western Sun?
Why, they are all roses I photographed in the Botanical Gardens last Friday of course.
Back in the days when I used to compete in photographic competitions a judge waxed eloquent on my brilliant rose image, then proceeded to reject it because he considered the title completely inappropriate to the subject. The title was "Tequila Sunrise', the name of the rose I photographed!

Hard Day at the Office

We finally got away into the hills - the 31st annual event - delayed by events beyond our control last February!
We had beautiful sun, gale force winds, torrential rain, flooded rivers - and everything in between.
Quintessential inland Canterbury high country.
Good friends, good food, good whisky!
Five excellent days away from 'teagate' (you need to be a Kiwi to get that), earthquakes, mobiles, etc.
Bliss!!








Fun way to descend.
















Sunset over South Ashburton River.