Where I Can Be Me…
Tag: Spring
Summer Beauties
Well, it’s been the best Spring/Summer for blooming Cacti flowers that I’ve had in quite a few years!
Here are a couple of more beauties…
The series of 3 images is from a Notocactus variation, and the Yellow flower is from an Echinopsis variation.
At the end of the flowering season I shall put together a post showing all the flowers that have bloomed from my Cacti and Succulents this time around.
Looking forward to the next beauty!
Written by David Johnson
15 December 2022
Escape!
Last Sunday, we went on our first day trip since coming out of lockdown, which we were in for three and a half months. We live approximately 60km / 37miles South of Sydney, Australia.
First on our visit list was one of our favourite cafes, which is situated in Picton about 20 minutes drive South of where we live. They have indoor and outdoor seating and (as normal), we chose to sit outside. It was a perfect Spring day on Sunday, 24C / 75F with a slight breeze and glorious Sunshine which was particularly pleasing after about a week of rain.
We had a delicious Chai Latte, Scones with Jam and whipped cream. Yum! Lots of calories but we have been doing more exercise lately. After enjoying that and a brief chat with the owner, we set off to our next stop, Lake Burragorang Lookout at Nattai.
Lake Burragorang is part of the Warragamba Dam Catchment which is Sydney’s main water supply and it is also part of the Blue Mountains National Park which extends way beyond Katoomba, to the West (home of the world famous ‘Three Sisters’ rock formation). Lake Burragorang Lookout is also approximately 30 minutes drive to the South West of where we live.
There is no better place to soak up the Sunshine and relax in the region. The view is simply a sight to behold! Travelling light today, I just took a small sketchbook, some pigment liners and a pencil and eraser and managed to do some rough sketches of rocks and trees which I hope will turn into (at least) one or two of my Watercolour Sketches a day.
All-in-all it was wonderful afternoon of relaxation and Sunshine!
Till next time.
Written by David Johnson
20 October 2021
Shining Beacon
A Perfect Spring Day
Photographer’s Paradise
My Wife’s parents live on 100 acres 25km SE of Goulburn, NSW.
Every time I go down there I take photos and with each visit, I always challenge myself to try to come back with something different. Like any place on Earth, its seasons present different challenges.
Goulburn can be bitterly cold with a hard-driving wind in Winter; very hot in Summer with a wind that is equally annoying. Autumn and Spring are gentler and invariably prettier.
They have a few dams on the property, some sheep and of course, Kelpies (a type of Working Dog for those that are unfamiliar with the breed).
Snakes are a problem (they tell me) in the warmer months, but in the 20 years I have been photographing down there I have not seen any, though Mum & Dad have had quite a few confrontations with Tiger and Brown Snakes. Perhaps they avoid me, which is a good thing. 🙂
I still take precautions though and must look a sight in Summer, when I am walking around in Gumboots, thick Jeans taking photos.
The dams hold a particular fascination. I love the way the light hits the grasses and the contrasts between the reflections and the grasses always attract my attention.
I am fortunate that Mum loves Nature the way that she does as 20 years ago they planted all different types of trees, evergreen and especially deciduous. What self-respecting photographer can resist a backlit Autumn leaf?
Perhaps the best way to finish this post is to talk about my absolute favourite time of day at the property, Sunset. I have experienced this enjoyment many, many times.
Even though the property is less than 2 hours drive from where we live, the quality of light is so different there, softer. A photographer’s paradise indeed.
Written by David Johnson
8 April 2018
Spring Is In The Air!
Communicating Creatively 