Mary, Mary, quite contrary...

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells, and cockle shells,

And pretty maids all in a row."**

It's my first day off in quite a while, so I spent the morning out with Mum - coffee, cake, catching up, planning New Years and a trip to the nursery. I chatted to my oldest brother about bush walking and wild fruit trees. I patted my dog, laughed at Dad trying to pick up a monster cricket, and called a tattoo parlour. I finally got a hold of an email so that I can say hi to some of my lovely, lovely friends in India and start planning that leg of next year's adventures.

Here's to happy, lazy Saturdays after a week of fun & adventures that involved spending absolutely no time at home.

Have a grand weekend, everyone!

Over and out.

Rhi xx

**Mum always used to recite this to me when I was a kid. Apparently, I was pretty contrary :P 

Caught on Film: Black & White, Take 1

By the time I finally got this roll of film developed, I could hardly remember taking half of the photos!! Film photography really is all a giant learning process. There's the obvious things, like learning to frame a photo, remembering to set the aperture and considering the lighting, but more than that, patience and thoughtfulness come to mean completely different things, especially in this 'now, now, now' little world of ours. 

One of the reasons I tell people that I started my photography ventures with the Pentax is that often, with my iPhone, it's the photos that I look at straight after taking and think 'ugh' that end up becoming my favourites (if I haven't already deleted them on a whim). I figured, by taking photos on film I'd force myself to really learn about photography and maybe to change my own ideas about what I like, about what I find beautiful or challenging or just worth keeping, really. But it has somehow become a lot more than that - it has become a constant lesson in thoughtfulness and restraint on one hand, and spontaneity and just jumping in there on the other... 

Anyways, enough of my vaguely philosophical rambling!! Hope you enjoy the photos - there's plenty more to come :)

Over and out.

Rhi :)

This one taken by the lovely Tim Lock :)

Daisy

I almost didn't come home tonight. As I stepped off the bus and onto the grass verge that lines the street, all I could think of was the warm air that suddenly took a hold of me, the slight breeze with a hint of a chill that I spend the cold months longing for and dreaming of. Street lamps lined the way home, but all I wanted to do was to lie down on the grass and watch the lightning flickering on and off to the west. I took smaller, slower steps. I stopped to stare openly at the holes in the cloud that seemed to reveal the brightest of stars. I don't remember instructing my feet to move forward again but eventually I found myself standing on the line between my house, and my neighbour's front lawn. I sighed, resigned. And so I find myself sitting here, a yellow daisy from the line between my neighbour's lawn and my own reminding me of that wonderful feeling of being enveloped by beautiful summer air and wanting nothing more than to share it with the world... 

Op Shop Shoot: Summer Loving

In a mad ditch effort to get images of my many, many pre-loved purchases onto this space before my op shop challenge ends on December 31, my lovely friends Tanya & Kathleen spent an hour at my house this morning to get dressed up and snap some photos. It was all a bit of a rush - I didn't even have time to try and tame my currently crazy hair - but as you've all probably realised by now, Tanya is an amazing photographer so we still managed to get some awesome pictures, and even though it is way past my bed time, I couldn't help but to share a little glimpse of the results with you!! :)

Isn't she beautiful??

Flavour of the Week: Green

If any of you cool kids follow me on instagram, you'll probably know I have a bit of a thing for my parents garden (because let's be honest, as much as I like to say it's mine, I don't have anything to do with its radness) :P

It's such a wondrous place, especially at this time of year when its filled with activity and colour. There are thousands of busy little insects running errands - ladybirds sleeping on orange tree leaves, ants running through the grass and burrowing through the cracks in the pavement, slaters crawling around in little nooks. There are flowers and vegetables and leaves growing, unfurling, painting themselves pink, orange, purple, yellow, green and red. 

And as much as these (unedited!!) photos can't do it justice (I want a macro lens so bad!!) I couldn't help today but to run around capturing these images to share with you all. 

Here's to beautiful gardens, hard working parents and a happy Sunday!! :)

Over and out.

Rhi :)