porcelain magnolia

apples galore!

2011-09-22T04:21:00.004+10:00

we picked two huge bags of apples the other day.
in the kitchen we have made apple crumble, apple pies, apple and cinnamon teacake, apple juice, apple grated into salads, and baked whole apples stuffed with sultanas.
yum! ... in between eating and cooking, I found the time to paint a few as well!

Iris

2011-09-19T05:47:00.002+10:00

an Iris, from imagination, as their season is long past here in England...
I have some apple drawings I will upload in the morning aswell. Really getting into the watercolours lately, dont think I will be taking them on the next leg of the holiday though, cutting down on weight in the backpacks...
so getting in as much as I can now!

garden friends...

2011-09-12T23:43:00.002+10:00

here are some of the paintings I have been doing the last week or so... inspired by the farm animals around the village. the kids up the road have been painting with me sometimes and I think there's some nice characters developing in the faces, they come to life when you put the little eyes in I think.

something special...

2011-09-09T22:15:00.003+10:00

my dear friend Ros captures the beauty of blossoms and blooms so effortlessly.

check out her blog, it will make you smile.

it always makes me feel inspired!

http://pinkblossomtree.blogspot.com/

colourless colour

2011-06-11T01:13:00.002+10:00

taken instantly after each other, one in colour and one shot in black and white...

such a grey morning, you can hardly tell the difference!

2011-03-23T01:22:00.003+10:00

dogwood blooms

2010-10-23T15:33:00.005+10:00

golly! she takes my breath away....

crowning glories

2010-10-16T14:31:00.002+10:00

st babiana

2010-10-16T14:26:00.003+10:00

linoleum tablecloth,
little terra pot of happiness
a name of a place you don't know
from postcard gardens of the town you love.

japanese wind flower

2010-10-16T13:49:00.002+10:00

mercy sleeps inside loves arms

oh yes, its spring!

2010-09-18T13:34:00.005+10:00

its been a good week this week. i went for a bike ride with a friend for lunch.. walked through an open garden with grandma and annie.
champagne breakfast tomorrow morning... and all the while the gorgeous spring sunshine beaming down!
just a few colour snippy-snaps for the weekend...
spinach and camellia in ruby reds, white daffodil and magnolia bud in creams, forget-me-nots and grape muscari hyacinth in blues: oh baby; and at the top two little winter rose heleborous in freckly purples and greens.

signets haven

2010-09-15T08:25:00.002+10:00

under a fallen willow tree
in a little glade of green

spring is here

2010-09-08T16:33:00.004+10:00

there is not a flower and not a petal which,
in exquisite finish and delicate perfection,
would not put all the robes of a King to shame.

seaside holiday

2010-09-03T11:02:00.005+10:00

...just look at that view!

beach bums. sun shines. good times

"my boy caught a crab"

2010-07-28T17:02:00.002+10:00

its so early for blossoms; here i found a little grove of them after my zebra hunting expedition. pretty little droplets of colour over a mossy bed of green

happy to have a sign of the warmth to come.

2010-07-28T16:52:00.004+10:00

free range chickens were too mundane...
spice up your life with a zebra

or two

2010-07-21T13:59:00.002+10:00

liquid galaxies

2010-07-21T13:47:00.001+10:00

love others and be loved

inviting

2010-05-26T13:26:00.002+10:00

It imparted a glow, luminous on my upturned face.

for uncounted moments more,

even after I turned away.

colouristic

2010-05-26T12:52:00.023+10:00

[higher and higher]

2010-05-12T12:48:00.007+10:00

I feel alive and I feel it in me

up and up I keep on climbing
higher and higher and higher

cold

2010-04-26T17:18:00.001+10:00

textures

2010-04-05T21:11:00.004+10:00

botanics

2010-04-05T21:02:00.002+10:00

a light amber glow

2010-03-28T14:45:00.004+10:00

vibrancy!

2010-03-07T21:56:00.003+10:00

grace and speed

2009-12-14T20:38:00.010+10:00

i gave a picture to an architect in june,
asked if he could build a tower big enough to poke through
the atmosphere
so i could climb, in my good time, up to the moon
- see the earth from a different point of view.

2009-12-10T19:12:00.001+10:00

yoo-fawr-ee-uh
a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania.

summer hues

2009-12-07T21:46:00.002+10:00

hydrangea

2009-12-07T21:41:00.001+10:00

artichokes

2009-12-05T13:47:00.000+10:00

allium flower

2009-12-05T12:55:00.002+10:00

awe.

2009-11-29T19:01:00.005+10:00

seriously; this place and me....we have a thing. no longer a frozen copse of trees.

aflame. dingoes. brolgas. mist. sunrise.

no pictures of the dingo or brolga... trust it was real.

wedding delights

2009-11-22T22:07:00.007+10:00

november 2009 brisbane

attendant
bride
groom / groomsman

phalaenopsis orchids / peonies
&
wire structure

lightly

2009-11-22T21:23:00.003+10:00

roadside
drive by
night sky
movement
makeshift
visions
settled
lightly

in a space
of time

a day in the bay

2009-11-06T07:26:00.001+10:00

spidery cage

2009-11-03T12:17:00.001+10:00

From old files / 2008 - spidery cage of fresh chestnuts, orchids, rust coloured freesias and black willow.

by any other name.... would happiness smell so sweet?

2009-10-31T15:55:00.012+10:00

ah....fallen again.
We are human... after all

halloween much

2009-10-29T20:25:00.001+10:00

I know. I'm getting in a bit early for Halloween... but its a cold and rainy night here with the wind whipping off the ocean...

hallow e'en: the Celtic celebration similar to the festival of the dead; where summer's end has come. ancestors are welcomed and evil spirits warded off by lighting lanterns and dancing around bonfires wearing costumes and masks. (and perhaps eating lollies?)

sounds good to me. black and white buildings lend themselves to the eerie angle posed by nighttime spirit festivals... so enjoy them for the pixels they are, but also the celebration of the sub cultures we have created in humanity which make our life that little bit more interesting.....

here in the wild

2009-10-25T14:04:00.004+10:00

.
this love stays divine
exempt of conditions. no creature fear
.

photographie d'une femme

2009-10-24T11:37:00.002+10:00

more portraits at
http://amaryllis-belladonna.blogspot.com/

sweet like candy

2009-10-18T13:52:00.003+10:00

twst

2009-10-18T13:26:00.003+10:00

Geert Pattyn: Master Florist

2009-10-17T20:24:00.003+10:00

inspiring

..

2009-10-14T23:01:00.004+10:00

the beauty dominates you softly

capital

2009-10-14T19:25:00.008+10:00

2009-10-06T21:53:00.006+10:00

in your eyes
i see
.

2009-10-03T15:21:00.002+10:00

possessed.

...

2009-10-03T15:11:00.002+10:00

love was a promise made of smoke
in a frozen copse of trees

light leaves

2009-10-03T13:08:00.002+10:00

portrait

2009-10-02T00:00:00.002+10:00

ashes to ashes....

2009-09-29T20:57:00.002+10:00

dust to dust. brisbanes 2009 dust storm

fade away

2009-09-29T20:52:00.001+10:00

natures sepia filter

2009-09-29T20:47:00.002+10:00

..

2009-09-29T20:37:00.003+10:00

crispy realization

Sky is womb and she's the moon

2009-09-10T20:56:00.007+10:00

listen to music you have never heard before. play it until you know the lyrics back to front. then share it with other people. and if the opportunity presents itself; you should sing it loudly out of the rolled down window of your car with the wind in your face. or sit quietly and watch the moon rise blood red, humming something pretty that stays in your ears for days.

street art

2009-09-08T20:50:00.006+10:00

this is not his work (!) but i read a book by banksy recently and really got interested in graffiti and street stencils again. i have always photographed street art so now i will post some. what a great idea!

political. honest and funny raw art. the best designs i saw in paris were by misstic.

so.. just two pieces of graffiti for enjoyment today. i can't credit the work, wish i could!

top one still makes me laugh....

pixie hat

2009-09-06T22:42:00.004+10:00

lake george

2009-09-02T20:55:00.002+10:00

truly - its a lake!

sombre

2009-09-02T20:22:00.003+10:00

gravity pulled you back home
down to earth and all alone
you cast victory over stones
soon you mellowed soon you broke

- v

life in motion

2009-09-02T20:16:00.002+10:00

re: the photograph author

2009-09-01T21:48:00.003+10:00

texture

2009-09-01T21:34:00.002+10:00

harsh stark space
fields that fell from grey clouds.
pieces of fence poke from the soil
sewn into a patchwork of voids.

bleak beauty drawn and inked out over time

spring is borne on a blossom bough...

2009-09-01T21:32:00.000+10:00

hazy shade of ...spring

2009-09-01T21:28:00.001+10:00

hazy shade of winter

2009-08-26T22:46:00.004+10:00

Look around,
The grass is high,
The fields are ripe,
It's the springtime of my life
.
Look around, the sky is a hazy shade of winter

whiteout

2009-08-25T11:44:00.002+10:00

lick. the. spoon

2009-08-24T21:06:00.001+10:00

rhubarb | apple | strawberry

2009-08-24T20:41:00.002+10:00

cobbler:

1. one bunch of fresh rhubarb stems cut into medium sized pieces (3cm-ish) + 1 punnet of hulled/washed strawberries + 2 small apples, cored and diced + a tsp grated citrus rind + 1/2 cup castor sugar and 1 tablespoons of natural gelatin in 1 cup of water

reduce a little, but don't cook through, fruit still has to have shape.

2. two tablespoons of castor sugar + 1 cup plain flour + 1.5 tsp baking powder mixed

3. "crumble" flour mix with 1/4 cup chopped butter

4. add milk and one lightly beaten egg.

5. put rhubarb mix into a baking bowl, then dollop the cakey mix on top in an un-ceremonious fashion. make it look rough and lumpy :)

6. bake for 30mins until golden brown and skewer tested .

enjoy with a reduced syrup sauce and cream or ice cream or yogurt :)

ephemeral gleam

2009-08-23T10:49:00.001+10:00

Incredible things are happening in the world
Magical things are happening in this world

*

spring and winter in a single breath

2009-08-22T22:17:00.002+10:00

at this time it's undecided if its winter or spring!

convex

2009-08-22T22:09:00.002+10:00

black then white

2009-08-22T20:44:00.007+10:00

enveloped

2009-08-16T21:49:00.003+10:00

the great stillness of whitewash and mist

more more more

2009-08-16T21:45:00.003+10:00

gluttony is a sin. I just cant help myself, I've been hanging out all day- i just want to upload more photos from pre dawn winter beach!

fistful of swoon

2009-08-16T21:37:00.004+10:00

muse; vandaveer. this was before the new day dawned. oh what a day it was.

salty

2009-08-16T21:35:00.003+10:00

old salty on the rocks. come play with me

pale in comparison

2009-08-16T21:29:00.003+10:00

rituals

2009-08-15T12:50:00.006+10:00

walk in the rain

undulation

2009-08-15T10:32:00.002+10:00

floral art

2009-08-02T15:31:00.003+10:00

designer

location location location

2009-07-28T21:57:00.006+10:00

the arches at the villa for photo shoot were awesome! I love arches.

Will post selection of pictures from photo shoot later!

banana snake

2009-07-28T21:45:00.006+10:00

We harvested the banana's today...and I got two beautiful surprises from the experience! One - Look @ that flower! and two...a carpet snake sleepily posed for me in the branches. He was bright skinned so probably quite young... pretty.
Oh...and three... fresh banana's in a few weeks time once they ripen.

popp i

2009-06-28T14:05:00.001+10:00

wrinkly poppy from roma street gardens today..... poppycakes for eating on the way home :)

vireya

2009-06-28T14:02:00.003+10:00

the venation in the petals of the vireya rhododendron was so finite and lovely - the lime green against the pink on the left is explosive!

pelargonium tea cake

2009-06-28T10:34:00.002+10:00

I made a simple tea cake the other day - with a thick vanilla cream cheese frosting. When I baked the cake, I lay edible pelargonium in the base of the tin, and baked the cake ontop of that - it leaves a lovely leaf imprint and also a faint rose-geranium flavour to the cake. I added three little leaves as decoration - but these are not eaten raw.

anthurium glow

2009-06-28T10:28:00.001+10:00

the light behind this anthurium flower was so warm. in little brown medicine bottles that I have on the windowsill... which are now wrapped in newspaper in a box with preparation to move!

jack frost!

2009-06-24T12:00:00.001+10:00

ok - so winter isn't here yet...but we can pretend!

(taken nundah QLD 12 june)

we are thinking of you

2009-06-24T11:50:00.002+10:00

a simple piece I did the other day for a child's funeral service. mini cymbidium, freesias, lime chrysanthe and small headed roses. the heart was only approximately 25cm in diameter -

so very dainty and precious.

every time I make flowers I consider the people who receive them. I hope this would have brought a moment of peace for a sad family. Even if its a happy occasion I still consider the recipients - I hope the fragrance, the flower choice and the presentation will be memorable for them; and I think the positive thoughts I put into the work will stay with the flowers...

wet footprints

2009-06-24T11:49:00.002+10:00

misty

2009-06-24T11:41:00.003+10:00

the mist clung to my hair and face....it was so tangible. like a quiet blanket over suburbia for the morning.

ignite!

2009-06-13T11:43:00.002+10:00

a mardi gras of colour!

tea

2009-06-13T11:36:00.001+10:00

camellia sinensis

abstract red flag

2009-06-13T11:09:00.001+10:00

A bract from a slipper vine.
Red Tibetan flags fluttering noiselessly in the wind

solanacea

2009-06-08T21:26:00.001+10:00

patterned like jigsaw - soft like down - pretty like fuzzy green snow flakes - related to the potato

Dahlia in Roma

2009-06-08T21:24:00.003+10:00

pretty white tipped dahlia from roma street gardens in Brisbane.

Vistas!

2009-06-06T12:26:00.004+10:00

Wine Poached Pear

2009-06-06T12:14:00.003+10:00

So I finally achieved a wine-poached pear desert the other day. It was very rewarding and I am thinking of other ideas already! Rum pears, or spicy poached peaches..... mmm

Simple recipe:
2 Cups of red wine, in a saucepan with 1/2 cup sugar and peeled pears - I left mine whole with the stalk, but you can half and core the pears.
Steam until the wine reduces and thickens, add a small dash of vanilla extract.
In a pan, gently melt a tablespoon of unsalted butter and scorch gently 1/2 cup rough-cut macadamia nuts, 1/3 cup rolled oats, 1/3 cup puffed rice in the butter - adding a few table spoons of the poached wine juice into the pan to help the "scorching" part! I added 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon as well. Served with Marscapone cream cheese with castor sugar dusting.

san gimginano, italia

2009-05-27T11:07:00.002+10:00

...a post card from the past! - it reads;

Dear Naomi,
Wish you were here,
Love from the 'town of towers', San Gimginano.

PS Please Come Back to Italy! :)

quiche

2009-05-24T18:06:00.003+10:00

good afternoon !

I haven't really mastered making photogenic quiche. it's a taste bud delight, but my delish dish just doesn't work with the camera yet~

Anyway, black and white made it look best - so imagine juicy ripe red tomato, deep green silver beet, peppered with vibrant green basil, and chalk-white crumbled danish feta. in a deep home made butter-coloured pastry crust. (we all ok with the colours now?)

Recipe as is follows:

Pie Pastry:
2 cups of plain flour, sifted into a deep bowl
125g of chopped cold butter

Mix until crumbly consistency (if your using a mixer just 1 min)
add 2-4 table spoons of cold water, mixing swiftly until pastry just comes together

Roll onto floured surface and bring together in a ball. Cover in plastic cling wrap, and refrigerate for min 30 mins.

When it's done chilling out in the fridge, roll out onto floured surface again, use a rolling pin to flatten to the size of your pie dish. i'm big on high crusts - so i always leave extra above the rim. blind bake for 15 mins to get that pastry cooked, then add your fillings - mine were in roughly this order;

handful of thinly sliced silverbeet on base
pre-cooked 1/2 onion and clove of garlic
Herbs (basil, parsley, chives)
8 eggs, beaten with a dash of milk/cream
- I add fresh shredded herbs to onion mix, and mix into to the eggs for better distribution + salt and pepper to taste

thinly sliced tomatos, laid on top for beautiful (photographic) effect! - i tried
and crumbled feta, grated parmesan.

bake at 190degrees for approx 30mins - until egg has set

enjoy. take a photo. share