Ah, Grasshopper!

I found this li'l martial arts expert in one of the cumquat trees in my backyard on the weekend... He was only 5mm long, so the Sigma 150mm macro lens came in handy. I am also indebted to Alex Wild for his kindness in sharing his insect-photography techniques.

My Twenty-Cent's Worth

When I was looking for a new 'point and shoot' for the times when the lovely-but-large Nikon D300s is too inconvenient to lug, Canon's cameras stood out from the crowd. After reading the forums, it was a toss-up between the S90 and the G11... I was almost ready to flip a coin, 'cos I couldn't decide from reading the tech-specs alone... but when I held them side-by side in the store and popped off a few test shots, the superb macro capability of the Canon G11 won me, hands down!

Lightroom3 Beta

I'm trialling a beta version of Lightroom3 for processing RAW files... whack colours, hey?!

Wasps at Happy Earth

Today I went to an open-garden day at Happy Earth with Regina and David and Maia. As you can read on the Happy Earth website, this home and garden is "an adventure in urban sustainability" exploring how the owners Richard and Ally might be able to "retrofit a typical suburban house and lawn into a healthy, efficient home with an abundant food garden." For them, being sustainable is really about living happier, healthier lives and feeling good about doing things that are good for themselves, the planet and their community. "It’s about wholesome food and lower bills, meaning more time for family and friends, and less time working."

Richard and Ally's vision for Happy Earth is also about "sharing stories and providing practical, independent information about sustainable living in Wollongong..." - and to that end they host occasional open-garden visits where they generously share their stories, experience and expertise with other interested people. They have documented their journey on their website where you can find abundant resources and information about their permaculture projects and philosophy-in-action.

Here are some macro shots of a wasp seen busily pollinating the fennel flowers.

Buddha Belly Cafe and Garden Centre

The Buddha Belly is a delightful cafe and garden centre in the leafy northern suburbs of Terry Hills in Sydney. The restaurant looks out over Oriental gardens with a carp pond and bonsaied trees that flow through to several small out-buildings made from transported traditional Indonesian architecture, housing artisan home wares. The owners were very generous in allowing us to wander for hours, making photographs of their collection of plants and garden art. The Cafe serves great Chai and their traditional Nasai Goreng is delish!

Right next door is Mr Bamboo, if you happen to be looking for a rare variety of bamboo for your garden.

Even the Little Sparrow...

Another pic with Jeremy's 150mm macro lens... sigh...

Lens Envy - Have your Cake and Eat it Too...

Jeremy came to town with a brand new 150mm f2.8 Macro lens that made me drool with envy... these are some pics I snapped while having a 'go' of his Nikon D300 in a cafe in Randwick...

Australian Native Flora (haiku)

here's a wax-flower:
Eriostemon "Stardust"
in Barbara's garden.

White Rose Heart (haiku)

at the heart of it
you catch more bees with honey
than with vinegar

Washing Up

When I finally made the decision a year ago on which DSLR to go for, the Olympus E510 won the day - it was the smallest, lightest DSLR on the market that also has Live View. When I first unpacked the box from my favourite camera shop, I was eagerly looking around the house at things to take pictures of, to see what the camera could see. The back-lighting glowing through the washing up detergent caught my eye and I love the way the bokeh gives the pic a sublime, meditative air - that dedicated 50mm f2 macro lens makes anything look good!

Calculator Close-Up

Another Canon Close-up, testing out my friend Lisa's Canon EOS 350D that she kindly lent me when I was deciding which DSLR to go for.

Clothes Pegs Close-up

Testing out my friend Lisa's Canon EOS 350D that she kindly lent me when I was deciding which DSLR to go for.

Dried Succulent Flowers (haiku)

end of summer fruits
ripen and compress their seeds
into DNA

Cactus Pin-Cusion

Another lunchtime meditation from the Annandale Garden Centre...

Stop & Smell the Roses...

A delicate China Rose n the front garden of the Uniting Church on Booth St Annandale.

Kitchen Buddha

Wishing you Peace and Harmony in the kitchen and in Life.

Duckweed (haiku)

abundant duckweed
floating on the surface of
a deep blue fishpond

Gumleaf (haiku)

following the path
up the steel steps to the tram
scattered with gum leaves

Objet d' Koala

The wet weekend and Cabin Fever made it imperative to get out and about yesterday - rain or no rain! Umbrellas up, cameras in hand, walking fast down the footpath in Balmain, we almost stepped on this little Koala badge - a found Objet d'Art.

Leaf Litter (haiku)

early autumn rain
washes the leaves from the trees
rusting them to earth