Perhaps it’s the improving weather, but October has definitely been a more active month than I’ve had recently — dodgy knee notwithstanding.
Although there has been plenty of rain, it has seemed less relentless and the lowering cloud formations have often been photo-worthy.
I’ve managed to escape the city a few times this month; for a couple of afternoons exploring local(ish) beaches, and a road-trip to Whanganui to visit my dad and do a glass-art workshop.
There are plenty of signs that spring is truly here; baby ducklings seen at Otarawao Bay, and nesting gannets at the Muriwai gannet colony.
I love glass as an art-form and have long wanted to try my hand at some sort of creative glass-based activity.
Whanganui-based artist David Traub runs one day workshops in glass slumping and fusing — both techniques within the capabilities of beginners.
Over the course of the day, we made two brooches/pendants, two slumped bowls and a glass tile.
The pendants aren’t quite finished — I have to glue on the bails, but the bowls have already been put to use. One of the advantages of the improving weather being that the Big T and I can enjoy a beer outdoors while bemoaning the size of the lawn we have to mow (ok, he generally does it), and planning our escape from wrong-sized living.
This post is my contribution to The Changing Seasons, a monthly challenge hosted by Cardinal Guzman. Please visit to see the Cardinal’s month, and find links to other participants.
There are two versions of the challenge:
Version 1 (The Changing Seasons V1):
Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons
Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery.
Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
Version 2 (The Changing Seasons V2):
Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons
Each month, post one photo (recipe, painting, drawing, whatever) that represents your interpretation of the month.
Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
The glass workshop sounds fun!
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It was. Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and was so pleased to have a chance.
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Excellent!
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Pingback: The Changing Seasons: October 2016 – Cardinal Guzman
An altogether lovely October gallery. And you’ve taken up alchemy too. The tile is gorgeous.
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Thank you Tish. I love the idea off glass as alchemy –very apt!
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Beautiful shorts. That gannet is pretty. What’s that red/pink beer? Cherry beer?
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Thanks. The beer was called blueberry sour, from a craft brewery called Good George.
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Sounds good.
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It was delicious! I’m a bit of a beer novice, and I don’t like a lot of the really hop-heavy craft beers, but I do love fruit-flavoured beers, like the Belgian raspberry ones. I’m trying to train my palate, cos the Big T has a hankering to start a little craft brewing gig and I think as lifestyle businesses go, brewing is up there with the best!
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very nice photos Su
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Thanks Maureen. Hope you are settling into your new home ok.
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lots to do but loving it…
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Lots of loveliness in your post. I am admiring your glass work/art.
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Thank you. I’d love to do more, but of course to get set up is a huge undertaking, and I learned that with so many different “recipes” used for making glass, compatibility of pieces is a really big issue. David Traub is such a good teacher!
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All these photos are terrific Su, but the gannets won my heart.
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Thanks GP. I get that; they are magnificent birds and watching an entire colony is quite mesmerising!
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Another time you’ve made me wish I could jump on a plane and go to NZ. Just beautiful. I love the glass!
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😕 you’d be very welcome. Shame we are soooo far away.
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Yes. I’d need lots of drugs for the flight!
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It’s nice to hear about spring when we’re just approaching winter! Lovely photos. The glass was also interesting – I’d never heard of slumped glass before so I’ve learned something new.
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Thanks Anabel. It’s taken a while here to actually feel like Spring!
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Beautiful Su, absolutely beautiful! 🙂
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Thank you Terry. Sending hugs and good wishes as always.
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Great pics, and I love the way your glass projects turned out! Cheers!
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Thanks Mary. 😃
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Lovely photos, Su.
Have you seen the glass works of the American, Dale Chihuly? Google him. He had a display in our museum this summer.
Leslie
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Thanks Leslie. I have seen photos of Chihuly’s work, but I’ve never seen any “in the flesh”. I would love to though; his imagining of how glass could be formed, and his execution of the work is just amazing.
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You would be amazed at the size of his displays. It was really something see.
Leslie
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On my bucket list!
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Maybe he’ll come to your neck of the woods. I believe he lives in California and he sent a display all the way to Toronto, Canada. He did it through our museum.
Leslie
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That would be fantastic. We get quite a few travelling exhibitions of paintings, but I haven’t seen any overseas glass art exhibitions here. Otherwise, I will have to get to Seattle some time.
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You never know.
Leslie
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Love the bowls – how fabulous!
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Thanks Joanne. It was such a fun thing to do!
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Fantastic photos and I just love your glass works
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Thanks so much Raewyn. 😃
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Love your shots of the Gannets, Su, we go to visit RSPB Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire to watch the Gannet colony there – did you know the chicks eat and eat till they are as big as their parents, then fall from the cliff into the sea and sit there, with no parent to feed it, losing weight, until they have lost enough to be able to fly – hence the term ‘eat like a gannet’. Love the glass art too, very inspirational, I should like to try that.
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Wow! I didn’t know that. I haven’t heard that saying for a while. It used to be a favourite of my mother’s. I’m planning to make a few more trips out to the colony in the next couple of months; it was so interesting.
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Can definitely see the change in the air. Beautiful shots from Middle Earth.
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Thank you 😃
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adoro le anatre e gli uccelli. questa straordinaria immagine delle sule, da me fotografate alle isole Farorer, me ne ha acceso la nostalgia
straordinari gli effetti-colore delle ultime immagini
piacere avervi visitata
🙂
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grazie mille. Mi piacerebbe visitare le isole di Faro qualche volta. Sembrano molto bello dalle foto che ho visto. Cordiali saluti.
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Beautiful photos Su, especially the gannets! And I love the glass making, your glass tile is stunning! 🙂
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Thanks so much. I’m looking forward to seeing the gannet chicks when they hatch. 🙂
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You do some of the coolest stuff! Love the glass artwork 🙂
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Thanks Joanne. I definitely lack your physical energy and adventuring spirit, but show me an art activity I can try, and I jump in with both boots. Hope your shoulder is healing well and that Gilles is recoving too. Nga Mihi Nui from Aotearoa NZ.
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Very nice! Love the glass.👍
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Thank you 🙂
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Fantastic pictures, Su! I so much love the third one – the sea seems to draw me to the horizon! Just awesome! Oh, and more glass-art! Love the effects of your second pic, the tile(?) just looks perfect! Can´t wait to see the pendants!!! 🙂 xxxxx
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Thank you so much Sarah. I am trying to get some bails for the back of the pendants. I can buy them online, but lots of places have a minimum order and the pieces I want are really cheap. I think I’m going to end up buying a bunch of stuff I don’t really want, unless I can find someone to sell me just the bails. Ah; first world problems. 🙂 xxx
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I know the troubles of getting stuff for self-made jewellery all too well, Su 😉 The industry just seems to want us to do millions of pendants instead of just a couple, eh? 😉 Hope you´ll find the things you need soon! Have a stunning weekend! xxxxxxx ❤
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🙂 I spent most of the weekend doing family history research, so I’m a bit achy from sitting too long. I really shouldn’t do that, but once I get engrossed …. I kept finding out cool things and couldn’t stop. I’m discovering that The Big T’s family were all very early settlers to New Zealand. They are kind of like the Kiwi equivalent to America’s Mayflower settlers. I am in awe of their strength and determination. They had to spend two months on little sailing ships, travelling through storms and across huge oceans to come to a country that had hardly any infrastructure. Most of them would never see their home country again. Sorry for the rant; I just love this stuff.
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Please, there´s absolutely no need to apologize since I´m also nuts about this stuff!! And this is really so wonderful to know, The Big T´s surely so happy that you discover all this great information about his family! And I totally agree about being in awe about our ancestors strength and determination, it´s just so stunning! Of course, they couldn´t help it, lacking airoplanes and such 😉 But even though, not everybody dared what they did and it´s something to be very proud of 🙂
And I do share your “weakness” about sitting too long when you´re in the middle of something: I do it all the time and my back´s not thanking me for it 😉
Are you planning on writing a book about all the things you find out?
Wish you a wonderful week! 🙂 xxxxx ❤
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Great workshop! You have made such cute pieces.
Your gannet pictures make me feel nostalgic 🙂
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I have never seen a gannet before, what a striking bird. I wonder if they preen because they know they are do beautiful? Also, I envy the glass blowing experience–though I would fear inhaling molten glass by accident!
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That’s a lovely and interesting idea! I suspect the answer is a bit more mundane though; the gannets are sitting in sandy, dusty hollows on a wind and sea-spray swept cliff protecting their eggs. I guess they get covered with dust and grime pretty easily. 🙂
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What beautiful images for this month. Actually, they would be beautiful ny time of year.! 🙂
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Thanks Emillio 🙂
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The results with the glass are amazing. Wish I could have witnessed the process. Great photos throughout. I’m a bird lover—the gannets are very special.
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Thank you so much. The gannets are wonderful. I feel very privileged to be able to visit the colony often.
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Those birds look incredible!!
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🙂 thanks
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Reblogged this on Journal Edge.
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