Catherine’s Blog

54/365 i have a head ache

Originally uploaded by LPM

Well, I start with large retail company (LRC) today, this is what they will be called as i have signed stuff saying I won’t talk about them on the internet.   Also I think the secret squirrels of LRC may read this.  You never know, well I do and hence being on good behaviour.
I am exhausted, i still hate full on data entry as it is guaranteed to give me a head ache and I make mistakes and there are no red lines. That is possibly a Gin in the background to help sooth my nerves.  I know this is training and it will change thankfully.
So the last few days in pictures:

Yesterday job and house hunting, really depressing. I went out for dinner.

With Catherine whom I went to High School with. High school, for me was not a very happy time of my life and my first year out of school was up until last year the horrible year from hell. Catherine and I had a great summer 1993 to 1994 and we rocked it country girl style. Since then lots of things have happened and we lead busy lives, we have now an agreement of catching up every three weeks for dinner and and seeing how awesome stuff is.

I have done a little pattern drafting but am finding it hard to settle, just a lot of stuff in my head. I will be okay once I have some space.

Rikard is in Sweden, we are not communicating that much which is very strange, I miss him but he is taking photos, stunning ones with his camera phone. I can not wait to see what he does with film!

Ice cube soup,
originally uploaded by anglerud.

He has a lovely eye and although he is unsure of himself he seems to have that in built geek talent for photos.

I have also had the most flattering photo job offer of my life as well, but more on that possibly much, much later.

Tomorrow i pick up the camera and send it off to the insurers.

6/365 Driving on the Highway

Originally uploaded by LPM

I am little tired today.
Today headed out with joyce to see the movie “Bright Star” which was very enjoyable and the costumes just lovely.
Yesterday the main activity was swimming with the boys. 2 hours in the swimming pool. I think this is the reason for the tiredness. We had a ball I took photos!

4/365 giving my baby to a stranger,
originally uploaded by LPM.

I spent this morning chasing Fowler preserving jars. I found a great stash of them for a cheap price at the local tip shop! Very pleased and I found rings and lids for the size 2 styles.
I also had to finally take in my camera for repair after dropping it recently. I have cracked the base plate, at the moment I have no idea how much it will cost or if it is repairable.   I am missing it already and they may keep it weeks!!!
My life is so exciting!!!!

3/365 Face painting

Originally uploaded by LPM

Today was Ewan’s fourth birthday and a party. There was lots of food and cake and some face painting.
I need to have a play with the Optio’s settings as a lot of them were over exposed because of the bright sunlight out of the shade.
Ewan had a great time and when I got home this morning he was terribly excited. He is quite a difficult subject to capture, very much a child that will say no to everything but I was letting him paint my face so he allowed the camera to be used.
He then took some terribly unflattering photos of me and we posed for the following one.

and the arty farty shot for the day.

I am quite tired today but had an email that increased my cheer by quite a lot.

Lights

Originally uploaded by LPM

I was up early this morning and not terribly bright eyed and bushy tailed. I did not have the most fantastic sleep, quite broken and not the fullest.
We are currently driving up the Hume highway after undertaking our second driver change. We are driving in 2 hour shifts. I have had a nap, I have decided that if I am tired after a caffeinated soft drink then napping is justifiable.
The first bit of the trip was not far from Puckapunyl and Flowerdale, both areas affected but the Black Saturday bushfires. There is burnt areas up both sides of the highway. The Hume is a double lane highway with a green median strip. The fire jump this, burning the median strip. The burnt hillsides clearly visible. Including a hillside with the lines of plantation planting clearly visible but completely denuded. The indigenous vegetation is still standing and carrying the eerie regrowth from a fire. The trunks produce hundreds of small shoots and it looks like that have been wrapped in green fur. This is the unique nature of the Australian bush, the gumtrees burn feircly and hot because of the oil in the leaves but it takes very serious fires to kill them.
The devastation is plain to see, even after 10 months. From the Hume there is is no evidence of the homes and businesses lost, I am sure in Kinglake and Marysville that is still very evident.
So, we are heading to Wangaratta for our first stop. We are heading to Parks. It is nine hours from Melbourne and we are heading there to take photos of the radio telescope.

Parkes is the radio telescope made famous in the movie “The Dish” and was instrumental in a number of the Apollo missions as a relay station for NASA. We are heading up for photos. Dave had taken some lovely ones when he was there last and he and Marty had the hair brained idea to drive up. We are driving up today, nine hours, having a rest, setting out to the Dish at midnight and staying until the sun rises. Then another sleep and heading back to Melbourne. I suspect this is because we are slightly mad.
Having made a stop in Wangaratta for the all important snacks we are out on the Hume again. We have an esky (cooler box) with oddly healthy cans of sparkling fruit juice and water. Plus chocolate, snakes and chips. All this should keep us going for the long haul driving. We need the water because the air con has stopped working. Oh dear. We maybe puddles of goo by the end of this.
Although it has just started raining, which will cool things down a little, the section we are travelling along is quite flat so very big sky so we have been able to see the dark grey clouds approaching for sometime before it began to dump huge be fat drops on us. This are is drier than around Melton. No green in the paddocks, the green is just from the eucalyptus trees. The grass is the pale gold of a dry landscape, parched.
We have crossed the border into New South Wales, which unlike Victoria is bigger than Texas. Marty is still at the helm and it is getting warm as we have left the rain behind. Dave has spent a fruitful time cleaning out his glove box. Finding a number of things he has not seen before.
My turn to drive, we have had lunch in Wagga Wagga and I am next into bat. I have done the adjusting from a tall man to short woman routine and we are off. Long stretches of country road with lorikeets on the roads. Through little towns with just a couple of silos, rail crossing and a pub.
Then onto the highway, stopping for photos and heading towards the dark grey clouds.
The rain has arrived, heavy rain that windscreen wipers can barley keep up with. The trucks and road trains coming the other way are throwing up sheets of water.
This stretch of road works in slippery and the truck coming to other way threw up mud. Panic, and wipers engaged to to remove the fine silt across the windscreen.
I have to pee to Forbes McDonald’s is used before Dave drives the last little bit.
We are behind a large road train. Dave chats to the driver on the CB. We wave to the driver and the one ahead as well pass them on the overtaking hill. The rain has stopped, there are two huge rainbows looking very bright on the grey sky. Dave has pulled over as one of the rainbows is doing a huge arch across the sky. The trucks we passed pass us as we all wave.

Parkes is dry, they have not had the rain we have driven through. Brilliant, given the fact we have driven 9 hours to find it was raining would be gutting.

The dish is huge, it is hard to describe how big it is. At 65 metres across it manages to move very gracefully. It is chilly and I am very glad for my wrist warmers and scarf as well as the huge coat that Dave lent me that belongs to Andrew. The tripods are set up and we have taken shots through the dusk an into the night. Some very long exposures that have caused excitement from the ranks. It is time for food.

Roadhouse food, the stick your ribs and gut food that is a salvation for photographers who are trying to find food at 10pm in a small rural town in NSW. I have a ordered a small meal, a chicken schnitzel burger that appears to have to pieces of meat in it. Good Lord.

We are back at the Dish, it is darker as the moon has moved We have set up for long exposures and are swapping around shutter cords. Dave has produced a very cool 30 minute exposure of the dish moving. It is tracking across from a fixed point but unfortunately it has its back to us most of the time but it still was a fantastic time.
We are settling down to sleep. Marty is taking the double bed on account of his foot (he had it operated on recently), Dave had the middle bunk and I got the lower bunk on account none of us wanted to climb to the top, so I am really on the floor.

We have slept well and are hitting road refreshed. Breakfast is a sausage roll and sauce, not really breakfast but it is after 11, we have taken photos of the dish in the bright sunlight.

Back on the road, Dave is charge of the first leg. We are driving the area it was pouring yesterday and it is dry enough produce mini dust tornado. The country is all yellow, there is lots of wheat and sheep in the area with the odd heard of cows. The sheep are grazing in huge paddocks, a stark contrast to the amount of sheep that can be be run on a UK field.
We have stopped to take photos of pubs that I feel are very Australian. Sitting on the corner, they have verandahs that go out to the gutters and are double. They have a bit of decoration be it iron lace work or the more simple wooden lattice work. One of them had the sign many Australians will be familiar with “Counter meals served here”. Counter meals, simple pub food, served in the bar. Most of the shops in the street had the wide verandahs, a street scape that is Australian and very typical for small towns without huge air conditioned malls.

The roads all straight, we have gone around some bends with a number of whoops and cheers.
Driver change, Marty is driving, we change just outside of Junee. I remember that Flo for high school came from Junee, unfortunately I slept through it.

It is more comfortable now, I am not as sleepy, the sun is drifting for the horizon and we have Queen playing loudly. We have not had air con on the trip and today is quite warm. The landscape is still yellow and farm house still tend towards wrap around veranda regardless of the age of the house. Sensibly it appears not many people out here have gone down the crazy modern route of not having eaves on a house let alone verandahs.
We possibly have been the car too long, the sillies have set in a little. Dave has been making shadow plays on the tarmac by sticking his hand out of the window, above the roof.
We are in Albury hunting the RSL club for dinner.
Ahhhh, the RSL a local institution in most Australian towns. Albury does not have an RSL club it is a combined sports and services club. So the armed forces and sports clubs. It has the pokies and bars like most of the clubs. We ate in the decently priced bistro that served Dave sized portions of food to little old me. I may have eaten the Hawaiian parmigiana that appeared to have a half a pig or bacon and tin of pineapple pieces along with a heart attack of cheese and tomato paste. Marty and Dave had steaks after eating old fashioned prawn cocktails.
We are back on the Hume highway driving into the sunset. Riding or driving into the sunset is not something I recommend without good sunglasses. We have ditched Queen, we are queened out and have moved onto They might be giants.
Glenrowan Roadhouse seemed a good place to call Ela for her 30th birthday. I sure the background noise of the B-doubles added to the atmosphere of the phone call.
Dave has a tape of Hubba Bubba bubble gum. It is an awful smell. The sun has set, the sunset was very pink and has now moved into the deep burnt orange that I am yet to find in any other part of the world I have visited. The only light in the car is from the laptop and I am very caffeinated, I am sure this is a bad thing.
We have arrived back late but safe. I am too late for the last train and am staying at Dave’s. Goodness I am a little tired but it was worth it.

8/52 The Hills are Alive

Originally uploaded by LPM

This week has been fruitful but a little mad with procrastination.
The very hot weather has rung me out like a wet rag, I have really struggled with the heat. It hit 37C yesterday and at one point I was in the arm chair with Ewan piling plastic food on me and I really could not move. The night before it had not dropped below 29C, not good for sleeping. At midday it was 39C and I was lying on the bed dozing, generally being a little pathetic. I roused myself enough to head out to find caffeine and sewing supplies.

When I got outside the sky was red brown, dust storm. It last a good half and hour, not as impressive as the ones before the Ash Wednesday fires but still gritty and blowing.

The temperature mercifully began to drop.
Later in the evening it began to rain and I got Natalie to be the shutter clicker for this weeks picture. The weather forecast indicates there is going to be some respite from the heat for a few days. The concept of a cool change is something I really have only encountered in Australia, the drop of 10C in an hour is something to behold and be grateful for. Enough to dance in the rain.
The rest of me week has been quite slow with highlights. Wednesday I spent with Joyce, we went fabric shopping and spent a really good day just finding fabric and chatting. I get the impression she may have missed me. I know she did and it is these days I have missed so getting back into them was lovely.
I then went to a photography group and had a lovely night. I am reserving judgement for the moment and will go back to see how I feel.
I have also started making aprons, children’s aprons with a clever cross back strap design, to sell on etsy as well as craft markets. Today I cut out and overlocked about twenty of them. It was a good day. We are looking at trying to get in some markets before Christmas.
I have been looking for work. There is not much out there and I am looking at some school photographer work as well. I am not sure how I will go but we will see.
I am not going to get concerned until January as this is when uni’s and schools will be recruiting. I think mentally and emotionally I have been in need of this sort of break and making the aprons should bring in some money too.
I am aiming for more social type things this week and tomorrow I start with catching up with Dave and Andrew.
From Monday to Thursday I will be in Ballarat, cat and house sitting whilst Joyce and Arnie are in Queenscliff.

Ballarat Show

Originally uploaded by LPM

This weekend saw me travel to Ballarat. My weekends have been pretty lame since arriving in Australia. I should fix that.

I went up on the train Saturday morning and had a surprise when I got to Ballarat. My Dad was there and so was my eldest cousin, Steven. I have not seen him four about fours I think. He spends sometime on his weekend just travelling on the trains. He does not always remember where he has been as he has memory issues relating to a brain aneurysm. I was surprised he recognised me as I have lost weight, had a hair cut, wear glasses and am much more jaded. Thankfully someone had told him why I was back and it had stuck, because telling him 8 times why I had come back would have been a little tough.
We had lunch and then I drove the parents out past Buninyong to a wedding. I headed back into Ballarat, dropping Steven at the station. I had a nap on the couch before changing into jeans and sensible shoes before heading to the Ballarat Show. The stalwart of country traditions the agricultural show, they are no longer as popular as they once were but I decided that it was either sitting at my parents or going out and doing stuff, with a camera.
I paid my $15 to get in and began wandering, camera in hand. I passed the rides, wandered the stalls selling bubble guns, massages and heavy metal t-shirts and headed to the machinery display. There was steam engines, combine harvesters, cars and oddly a tobacco harvester. Then past the live music, discovering there was no budgie show due to the heat. Then the craft pavilion for cake decorating, jam, and patchwork. (the photo below is the winner of the children’s cake decorating.) It was much smaller display than I remember but I am starting think the shows are part of a by gone era.

I briefly flittered through the show bags and then checked out the cattle. All brushed and shiny, portable milking machine being used and people eating their tea with their cows.

I wandered through the side shows, running into J and her family. I had not seen young H, who had just been been born when I was last time I was here. He is now almost 2! C has grown and J’s husband, A was looking relaxed and has recently started a new business.
They left and I prowled around the rides.

As I was leaving I spoke to the Security guard and doorman from Lions. The Security guy, Matt was surprised I was not hanging around for the fireworks. I was concerned about the tripod, he said it was fine so I went back and got it. I then had a ball taking photos of fireworks and long exposures of the rides. What a hoot! I have put a couple up on flickr and there is a set on my gallery.
http://www.cjcurrie.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=23060
I picked up a merry pair of parents and headed home.
Had an interesting chat with CEB and then slept in till 10AM. Bliss.
I then spent a bit of time organising ebay and selling dad’s hand turned wooden pens. I am not convinced they will sell there and am planning to set up an etsy site for the family. Mainly going for the Australian angle so to be able to sell to middle America.
I posted some photos from the Japan trip and have put some up on flicker http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjsteele/sets/72157622805474032/

Today, I am trying to find a job but the motivation is lacking.

7/52 tired

Originally uploaded by LPM

This week has been a bit of a strain. A low after the highs, bound to happen.

3/52 29 Boxes

Originally uploaded by LPM

Okay, I am in a hotel tonight spending my last night in London.
I am quite sad, I am going to miss London and the reasons for going have really well and truly broken my heart. I do wish things had turned out differently.
The last week has been stressful but there has the silver lining of supportive friends and lots of hugs.
My life fitted into 29 boxes. It is quite odd to think that. I have my back pack packed, almost the same weight as when I left London.
Thank you to all my friends here in London. I am going to miss you. To my friends and family in Australia, two weeks people.

Originally uploaded by LPM

Finished, completed and I am really proud of a few of these.
I have completed 52 weeks of taking photos of Anthony. I am very happy with the result. There are some bad ones but there are some lovely ones as well. I am tempted to do it again but for the moment this is enough.
thanks to Anthony for being patient and taking a lot of it in good humour.

For all the pictures, http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjsteele/sets/72157605432424149/detail/