We’re breaking all kinds of records here in Melbourne. Longest lockdown ever. Highest Covid cases ever. Blah, blah. We’ve forgotten want ‘normal’ is like. We don’t know what day it is or even what month it is. The only think keeping me sane is getting lost in the beauty of nature. Like this Wisteria just down the road from me, straining the fence holding it up, along with no less than 3 other vines/creepers.
Left to right: Sarah, Steve, Stew and Deb. At Giraween’s Granite Arch
Girraween National Park and National Wattle Day
Today is the first day of Spring (Sept 1) and the sun was shining in Melbourne. It’s also National Wattle day.
A year ago I escaped the Melbourne Lockdown, did my two weeks quarantine, rallied some photography buddies and headed to Girraween National Park in the Queensland Granite Belt area. It was a test run for a photo tour and I took over a thousand photos! This year I’m not so lucky and we are now in lockdown 6, extended for at least another 3 weeks. Any plans to run Photo Tours have been put on hold indefinitely. So lets dream about freedom and wildflowers and boulders and bush walks.
On the drive to Girraween, (my metadata tells me it was 9 Sept 2020) my Pommie mate Sarah asks if there might be any Wattle where we’re headed, because she’d just heard about National Wattle day and she didn’t know what wattle looked like. (I’d never heard of National Wattle day but I’m onto it this year!). Turns out we were entering Wattle Heaven at peak time, with about 60 different types of Wattle.
The wildflowers were in abundance and Sarah is now a convert to macro photography after borrowing my Canon 100mm macro lens. It provides a very different view of the world.
My companions aren’t the adventurous type and rock climbing and heights aren’t their idea of fun. Initially i was the only one to venture forth to reach the Balancing Rock, but I think FOMO got the better of the others and one by one they overcame their fear and joined me for the obligatory ‘holding the rock up’ photos. I think it’s safe to say they didn’t regret the challenge.
National WattleDay
Sarah surrounded by just a small selection of the Wattle in flower at Girraween.
I like heights. They have a calming effect on me. It reminds me of the Carpenters song, “I’m on top of the world, looking down on creation…” and somehow that puts all my worldly concerns into perspective
National Wattle Day
National Wattle Day
Sometimes, it’s not what you see, it’s what you feel.
My brother turns 60 next week, and last year was the first time he had ever visited Girraween, despite living not far away for his whole life. He loved it. I think it’s a good reminder that whilst we can’t travel far in these Covid times, maybe there’s somewhere close to you that you’ve never been. And if you look closely, you might even discover a whole new world of macro wonder.
More for Deb's Daily Design Elements Diptych Distraction
Play along if you like. #debsdiptychdistraction. Looks like we have plenty more lockdown time in Melbourne to fill in. Might as well look for interesting pairings within your 5k limit. They don’t have to be perfect works of art. Just a bit of fun and good practice for your artistic eye.
Deb's Design Elements Diptych Distraction
Today I was supposed to be heading to Wodonga for a 4 week working holiday. Yesterday regional Victoria went into a snap lockdown, so now I’m not going anywhere. Like everyone else, living through a pandemic is taking its toll. So I grabbed my camera and went for a walk to take my mind off it. I came up with a little challenge to mix it up a bit. Maybe you’d like to join me in getting creative to take your mind off all the calamity in the world. The idea is to photograph a Design Elements Diptych. If you're really desperate, you could make it a Daily Design elements Diptych Distraction!
The idea is to take two images (of unrelated things) that go together. So you're looking for colour or line or texture or shape. You can pair things up from around the house or yard or when you go for a walk within your 5k. It’s amazing what you can find once you start looking. Here's a few I took yesterday to give you an idea. I’ll be sharing them on Instagram with this hashtag #DebsDiptychDistraction . Please use that tag if you do join in as I’d love to see what you come up with.
Where to find a Free Street Library around Fairfield or Alphington
One of the best ideas since sliced bread - Free little street libraries! If you haven’t discovered them yet, you’re missing out! They are popping up all over the place around where I live. If you want to find where they are near you, there’s a couple of organised sites to help you find them like the Street Library locator or the Little Free Library map. Some are pop-up libraries and are just a matter of luck so keep your eyes open while you’re out walking or riding.
I started taking photos of Little Libraries last year during Lockdown in Melbourne. We were allowed to exercise within a 5 km limit. So I’d set off walking or on my bike to see what I could see. Before I could collate my collection into a blog post I managed to escape Melbourne for the freedom of Qld (and then NT and SA, but that’s another lot of blog posts!).
Life had almost returned to normal and then I got a full time job and everything was abandoned due to busyness. But now here we are, in a two week lockdown again, and I’ve found a couple of new street libraries to add and one to remove.
Leave me a message if you know of any more in the area and I’ll check them out and add them here.
Cheers and happy reading.
Deborah
One of my favourites. Just opposite and down a bit from the Thompson St Food Store.
Lovely Liberated Library is at St Andrews Church on the corner of Gillies and Duncan st in Fairfield. This has to be the best Church around. It’s even tempted me to go to a Sunday Session. It seems so all inclusive and supportive. Just what you’d hope a Church might be.
David and Hannah’s Street Library in Tower St has multiplied since I took this photo. There are now thee of them perched on the fence. You can read more about David and Hannah (the German Shepherd) by clicking here
Gillies st, just up from Heidelberg Rd.
Alphington Community Centre in Kelvin Rd, just off Wingrove st, around the corner from the Farmers Market.
You could easily walk straight past this one in White Streett, Fairfield.
Pink in Perry St.
I like the categorisation of Grown Ups Books and Kids Books. I’ll have to get back to you with the exact location of this one. It’s somewhere up near the Dennis train station, possibly at the end of Simpson Street near a pedestrian crossing of the train line.
This was one of the first Street Libraries I discovered and I went back today to check the location and sadly it’s no longer there. The whole site has been demolished! I did wonder if they’ve just moved it somewhere else so if anyone knows if it still exists please let me know.
Memories of Childhood
Doesn’t it make you want to be a kid again?
