Dijea's Photo Challenge. Reflections

Here is another offering for this week.

Reflections and sunshine on a little stream that trickles through a small patch of bush (NZ forest) up at a local arboretum: McLaren Falls Park.

This was taken one time when we were up there a couple of years ago on an art school trip. Our brief was to somehow create an art work using only what was available in the natural surroundings. The variety was astonishing... many made shapes and shadows and patterns from vegetation, foliage or sticks. Some threaded flowers in odd places. I tried to capture the textures and reflections of sun and light on moving water with my camera. I made large prints (A3) from the best three images, although this wasn't one of them. I'll have to hunt them out for another post.

How to make Guacamole

A quick and easy recipe for this great party dish... using things from around the house.

Fun Fact!

http://fakescience.tumblr.com/

I love Scrabble and other word games, but I didn't know this! Isn't it amazing what one can discover on the internet?

The Impassable Wilderness

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/bookofweek

The Book Depository has nominated the above as its 'Book of the Week' this week.

I've always enjoyed beautifully illustrated children's books.
They are, needless to say, really a completely different genre to a well-written book sans illustrations (for any age) that evokes (as all books should) the images in your imagination.
I have a number of illustrated books about which I should post someday.

In the meantime, this book has attracted my attention.

"Wildwood"; Very Northern Hemispheric, with conifer and deciduous woods full of mammals, some of which, are of course, predator to humans.

I love the look of this book. Words plus excellent pictures. Perhaps because I consider it a work of art. Perhaps because of the combination of maps and Charlie-Harper- like simplification in the images (I love maps in books). Perhaps because, in Lemony-Snicket style, it challenges children to be adventurous, resourceful, and physically challenged. (Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me many kids these days don't Get Out much.)

Then again, perhaps reading it allows them to be physically active vicariously... Oh dear.
Stop reading kids. Get out into the woods. I mean it!

Up north in a small settlement called Leigh there's a delightful little brewery called the Sawmill Brewery. I'm by no means a beer connoisseur, but I very much enjoyed the cold glass of 'wheat beer' I tried, and the gulp I had of their dark ale (or maybe it was the beer they call 'the Doctor'* - I'm not sure) was sublime.

You can buy the beers direct from the brewery when it's open, or, as we did, go next door to the 'Sawmill Cafe'.

*good for what ales you?

Djea's Photo Challenge: 1. Experimentation 2. Reflection.

I'm a bit behind with my photo challenge, so I'd better do two in one post today. These two images span from the micro to the super-macro.

1. Experimentation. Trying to capture the interesting green and fascinating complexity of texture in a lakeside stone from the South Island. The scale is lost, but I'm not sure it matters.

This was about 8 cm across.

2. Reflection. Inner-city Auckland. A huge 19-storey wall of mirror glass windows.

Eye Candy Day 43