trying to photograph flashing lights

I did take some photos of my Festival of Quilts Exhibition challenge piece and then forgot to post them. The theme was steam punk so I created a Quilt Factory with some LED lights for special effects. Had a bit of trouble with them staying on, but it got favourable reactions when they were working. As basically a point and shooy photographer it has been extremely difficult trying to capture them in photos - not helped by the fact that they are on several sequences.

The airship, balloon and ship have red flashing navigation lights, the lighthouse a fading light and the rest are continuous - blue on the airship, green for starboard on the ship and white for the factory rooms and lamp. I think this actually shows all but the red ones. Most of the cogs and metal pieces come from family "that might come in handy" collections, and the worked tapestry figures from an op shop find. No prizes but it was fun to do.

I have just completed some stitching on a background for a piece to come from the course I've been doing

 

 

They represent pyramids with a little (not too) straight stitching to highlight them. The red/brown fabric is something I dyed a couple of years ago.

Out and about the other day I saw this wonderful study in black and white -

showing some of our amazing eucalypt varieties. Nearby were these also

 

And while I was taking these photos I was being dive bombed by a common myna (or mynah). We all know about nesting magpies in pine trees, but I have not heard of this before. When I was growing up we had several huge pines in the front yard. "Our" magpies dived on strangers, but not us. I did experience it on the way to school though.

At home I have had my fifth lizard sighting. Seems there are at least 2, in different parts of the garden. This one has a white splash on the back of the head which the first one I saw (and posted a photo) didn't have.

 He was a little put out when I turned the water on yesterday!






My side pics and reading list need updating - I'll get to that shortly.

the birds have flown the nest

The second hatching of blackbirds

 

have left the nest, so the other day I thought I would remove it and clean up the umbrella. Fortunately it is not too messy but I was fascinated by the nest. It is so sturdy in its construction that it  lifted off easily, and inside I found one little bluish egg alongside a hole where the nest was built around the finial on top of the umbrella.

I can't show a photo yet of my Steam Punk Challenge piece for our Guild Exhibition this weekend, because after I handed it in I realised that I had forgotten to photograph the completed work!
Since then I have had a further try at block making based on the papyrus plant. It is somewhat larger this time and am quite pleased with the result. This shows the new one with some of the smaller ones. Not a great print but I can use it as a background for some applique.

From some time out, these are a few photos from a walk on the beach. At first it looks like rocks and sand,

 

 but it is always worth closer examination -
a washed up feather

 a weathered shell fastened to a rock

 a shell wedged between the rocks

and a small sea anemone (?) - poke something in the middle and it closes up

On the sand, an interesting wash effect

and on the promenade, a young sprout on the trunk of the Norfolk Island Pine.