TaiChi

A long weekend - ANZAC day on Friday and everything is closed until 1pm so most people can get to a remembrance parade. Less returned soldiers from WW1 and WW2 now but more younger people joining in and the schools, scouts, girl guides ETC join in too.

Saturday I went with Caren to the demonstrations that are a part of the World Tai Chi day - http://www.worldtaichiday-akl.org/

Very interesting with all the different styles doing massed displays. Each school had their own style, even when doing the same 'form' there were variations between schools. Some of the uniforms - very Chinese with tunic and loose trousers - were very colourful.



There were none who were doing the 42 form exactly the same as the SIng Ong Tai Chi school I learn with.

I have started another coloured pencil work of leaves. It is hard to take a photo where the leaves have a natural composition and if the sun is shining, removing one or two from the composition, or rearranging them is impossible because it is too hard to work out the three-dimensional sapcing and the affect on shadows onto other leaves.

There is a bank near work and the council workers have trimmed branches off one side of some trees because they were getting close to power lines. They are diciduous trees but I noticed some new shoots even now in autumn where the tree is trying to replace branches. And how do they know the branches have gone? How do they know they are now unbalanced or have a hole in their side that needs to be filled up so they have a nice round shape?

Can anyone tell me? And how do they know to space their branches out anyway and grow to a certain shape depending on their type?

Sunday april 20th 2008

Gosh. Three tries to write a title. And then I got the date wrong and had to go back and edit It kept saving before I had finisehed. But with the sun coming in the window onto my back on an autumn morning that is a little crisp, everything's sweet.



Went to my monthly writer's group meeting yesterday. I had no writing this time as I had been finishing the Green Leaves. And I've also been working on the hodge podge of a nature journal.

Changing subject, can anybody say why things have to be plastic shrink wrapped? Is it just me who does not see the sense in for example, having shoelaces in a little plastic (useless for anything else) tray with cardboard stuck on as a backing.

And when you buy something from a big store where the plastic is thick and you just about need a degree in knives/saws/bolt cutters to open the packaging - why,?

Next time when I have brought something like that, I will stand in the store and not leave until they have opened the darn thing. And they can keep the plastic too .

I'll let you know how that goes.:)

The leaves are oh so slowly changing colour. Here I am with my camera at the ready saying come on come ON. I want to do another work in coloured pencils of autumn leaves.

I'm starting a pastel of Bro-in-law's dog. We stayed ith them in Christchurch and I offered because I can and they are so hospitable. Their dog died last year - he had been around the world with them and lived in Australia, Hong Kng, France. He must have been at least 20.

So of fto do some work. More like play really.

Campus Course

I've just spent 3 days down at Palmerston Nprth on the campus course for the medieval history paper I'm doing this year - It is my last paper for a BA so also the last time I will probable be visiting that lovely campus.

Natalie, another pastel artist, picked me up on the Thursday and showed me a lot of her part of the country. All the years I've been visiting Palmy and never explored the countryside as I didn't have my car but flew down or went by train. 15 years of study almost ended. We went to Shannon (lovely jewelry and art shop and cafe, and interesting 2nd hand shop run by Gypsy)Foxton - (Mill, Murals, Shire horses, interesting art gallery), Foxton Beach and finished with art gallery in Palmerston North. Natalie knew the owners of the galleries and other people so made it doubly interesting.




Natalie took the photo of me helping with the shire horses as the drvier's helper hadn't arrived.

I had to take some last photos of the beautiful grounds of Massey campus and the valley with the Turitea stream running through. I got up on sunrise the first day. Being further South the sun is lower and took longer for the valley to fill with sun so time to go from spot to spot to find the best shot. And I took some in the evening but not as spectacular as the morning ones.