Regular Random: five minutes with a rhododendron

Image: Su Leslie 2019

It hasn’t been much of a week for walking, so I was extra-grateful for the absence of rain yesterday morning. Not a long walk, but enough to see what is happening in the “street-of-beautifully-kept-gardens.”

Lots of the camellia flowers are gone — lost to the wind and rain. But the single rhododendron that I can photograph without actually trespassing is looking really good.

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Regular Random is a photography project hosted by Desley at desleyjane pictures. There are two versions:

Version 1:

• choose a subject or a scene
• spend five minutes photographing it – no more!
• try to not interfere with the subject, instead see it from many angles, look through something at it, change the light that’s hitting it
• have fun!
• tag your post #regularrandom and
• ping back to Desley’s latest post

Version 2:

• choose an object
• spend five minutes photographing it – no more!
• put the object in different locations to see how the background or surroundings can change the way the object looks
• have fun!
• tag your post #regularrandom and ping back to Desley’s latest post

And since it’s Friday … #fridayflowers

Regular Random: five minutes with a wet camellia

You know how sometimes you find a scene, an image, a fragment that’s just perfect.

A couple of weeks ago in the Auckland Domain I had such a find; a pink camellia, bruised and heavy with the rain, which had either fallen or been placed on the plinth of a marble statue. It was the back of the statue (two reclining figures from memory), so all that was really visible of the figures was a hand, the fingers slightly curled and forever unable to touch.

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Regular Random is a photo challenge hosted by Desley Jane at Musings of a Frequently Flying Scientist. Please pop over and take a look;  and if you’d like to join in:

• choose a subject or a scene
• spend five minutes photographing it – no more!
• try to not interfere with the subject, instead see it from many angles, look through something at it, change the light that’s hitting it
• have fun!
• tag your post #regularrandom and ping back to Desley’s post.

Regular Random: five minutes with some sparrows

I’m not a huge fan of sparrows, but it was quite entertaining watching a little posse of them brazenly trying to share my lunch recently.

Regular Random is a photo challenge hosted by Desley Jane at Musings of a Frequently Flying Scientist. Please pop over and take a look;  and if you’d like to join in:

• choose a subject or a scene
• spend five minutes photographing it – no more!
• try to not interfere with the subject, instead see it from many angles, look through something at it, change the light that’s hitting it
• have fun!
• tag your post #regularrandom and ping back to Desley’s post.

 

Regular Random: five minutes with fresh walnuts

Perhaps I just never noticed before, but bags of fresh New Zealand walnuts seem only to have arrived on the shelves of local grocers in the last couple of years. Maybe it’s a newish commercial venture here — and maybe I’m just not that observant.

Either way, I’m enjoying them now.

Regular Random is a photo challenge hosted by Desley Jane at Musings of a Frequently Flying Scientist. Please pop over and take a look;  and if you’d like to join in:

• choose a subject or a scene
• spend five minutes photographing it – no more!
• try to not interfere with the subject, instead see it from many angles, look through something at it, change the light that’s hitting it
• have fun!
• tag your post #regularrandom and ping back to Desley’s post.

Regular Random: five minutes with some sheep

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Our neighbourhood sheep are so used to humans wandering through their dinner table, they’re more likely to regard us as a potential food source than a threat. When they can be bothered looking up from their endless munching … I mean lawn-mowing.

Regular Random is a photo challenge hosted by Desley Jane at Musings of a Frequently Flying Scientist. Please pop over and take a look;  and if you’d like to join in:

• choose a subject or a scene
• spend five minutes photographing it – no more!
• try to not interfere with the subject, instead see it from many angles, look through something at it, change the light that’s hitting it
• have fun!
• tag your post #regularrandom and ping back to Desley’s post.

Regular Random: five minutes with sunflowers

Sunflowers. Image: Su Leslie 2019

I know my Valentine’s Day sunflowers have made several appearances in posts recently, but I couldn’t resist bringing together a gallery of shots I took the day we bought them — which co-incided with the delivery of my ring light flash.

Sunflower, shot with 100MM F/2.8L macro lens. Image: Su Leslie 2019o

Sunflower, shot with 100MM F/2.8L macro lens. Image: Su Leslie 2019o

Sunflower, shot with 100MM F/2.8L macro lens. Image: Su Leslie 2019o

Sunflower, shot with 100MM F/2.8L macro lens. Image: Su Leslie 2019o

Sunflower, shot with 100MM F/2.8L macro lens. Image: Su Leslie 2019o

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Sunflower, shot with 100MM F/2.8L macro lens. Image: Su Leslie 2019o

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Image: Su Leslie 2019

Regular Random is a photo challenge hosted by Desley Jane at Musings of a Frequently Flying Scientist. Please pop over and take a look;  and if you’d like to join in:

• choose a subject or a scene
• spend five minutes photographing it – no more!
• try to not interfere with the subject, instead see it from many angles, look through something at it, change the light that’s hitting it
• have fun!
• tag your post #regularrandom and ping back to Desley’s post.

 

 

Regular Random: five minutes with banana passionfruit flowers

Banana passion-fruit flower. Image; Su Leslie 2019

Like so many plants and animals introduced to New Zealand, banana passion-fruit has proved to be incredibly invasive and damaging. It grows easily and abundantly, smothering other species. Indeed, it is illegal here to cultivate, sell or distribute the plants.

The Big T likes the fruit — which really does look like a small banana with the inside of a passion-fruit — so he was quite pleased to find some growing by the roadside recently.

I find it quite astringent, but was very happy to tear out a length of vine to bring home and photograph.

Banana passionfruit flower. Image; Su Leslie 2019

Regular Random is a photo challenge hosted by Desley Jane at Musings of a Frequently Flying Scientist. Please pop over and take a look;  and if you’d like to join in:

• choose a subject or a scene
• spend five minutes photographing it – no more!
• try to not interfere with the subject, instead see it from many angles, look through something at it, change the light that’s hitting it
• have fun!
• tag your post #regularrandom and ping back to Desley’s post.

 

 

Regular Random: five minutes with dumplings and dipping sauce

Dumplings/pot stickers, with sesame oil, soy sauce and chilli dipping sauce. Image: Su Leslie 2019

Fried dumplings are a favourite snack chez ZimmerBitch — quick, easy and delicious.

Regular Random is a photo challenge hosted by Desley Jane at Musings of a Frequently Flying Scientist. Please pop over and take a look;  and if you’d like to join in:

• choose a subject or a scene
• spend five minutes photographing it – no more!
• try to not interfere with the subject, instead see it from many angles, look through something at it, change the light that’s hitting it
• have fun!
• tag your post #regularrandom and ping back to Desley’s post.

Regular Random: five minutes with some Christmas decorations

“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.” — Charles M. Schulz

“Christmas to a child is the first terrible proof that to travel hopefully is better than to arrive.” — Stephen Fry

Perhaps I’ll be infected by some Christmas spirit in the next few days, but right now I’m feeling grateful that it looks like the day will pass quietly without the usual rushing from one place I don’t want to be, to the next.

I expect that once I begin wrapping presents, my desire to create little works of packaging art will kick in and I’ll end up in a frenzy of ribbons and embellishments. Meantime I can content myself rearranging the token bowl of tree ornaments brightening up the coffee table.

Image: Su Leslie 2018

Image: Su Leslie 2018

Image: Su Leslie 2018

Image: Su Leslie 2018

Image: Su Leslie 2018

Image: Su Leslie 2018

Image: Su Leslie 2018

Image: Su Leslie 2018

Image: Su Leslie 2018

Image: Su Leslie 2018

Image: Su Leslie 2018

Regular Random is a photo challenge hosted by Desley Jane at Musings of a Frequently Flying Scientist. Please pop over and take a look;  and if you’d like to join in:

• choose a subject or a scene
• spend five minutes photographing it – no more!
• try to not interfere with the subject, instead see it from many angles, look through something at it, change the light that’s hitting it
• have fun!
• tag your post #regularrandom and ping back to Desley’s post.

Regular Random: five minutes with a paraglider at Muriwai

While the Big T and I were picnicking at Muriwai a couple of weekends ago, this para-glider launched and landed a couple of times; looking like he was testing out new gear, or perhaps is still a newbie.

Eventually he managed a couple of sustained periods in the air; sailing over our picnic a little too close for comfort. But at least — unlike the seagulls — he wasn’t after our fish and chips.

Regular Random is a photo challenge hosted by Desley Jane at Musings of a Frequently Flying Scientist. Please pop over and take a look;  and if you’d like to join in:

• choose a subject or a scene
• spend five minutes photographing it – no more!
• try to not interfere with the subject, instead see it from many angles, look through something at it, change the light that’s hitting it
• have fun!
• tag your post #regularrandom and ping back to Desley’s post.